Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange

time, but isn’t so slow as to be frustrating and make no impact.’
Pete steadily worked his arm backwards. ‘I had no idea this would be so satisfying.’
‘Amazing, isn’t it? And if you find something, the sensation is incredible, especially the first time.’
‘I can imagine.’
As Pete scraped back the earth, Tom wandered over. ‘Good technique, mate.’ He gave Helen a nod of acknowledgement. ‘If our thinking is correct, you are on top of what was either a store room or possibly a private room for a senior guard. Obviously, we can’t be exact yet. Any finds will help us work things out as we go.’
Leaving Pete to get on without them breathing down his neck, but with instructions to call if he was unsure about anything, Tom and Helen headed to the trestle table that acted as their daytime desk at the edge of the main site.
‘How are your team getting on?’
‘Really well.’ Tom grinned. ‘I’m so glad Shaun found this fortlet. I’m sure it would be good work therapy whatever type of site this was, but over the past few months I’ve heard lots of our guests comment on how they, as former soldiers, are working on the home of other former soldiers. It gives them a personal connection to the dig.’
‘I’ve heard the same. It’s rather nice.’ Helen waved her clipboard. ‘Did you want to look at the plans?’
‘Sorry?’
‘I got the impression you wanted something.’
‘Oh yes, I had a message from Sam; he wants a brief staff meeting today. I’m imagining it’s about whatever he was going to tell us before Bert was taken ill.’
‘Any news on Bert?’
‘Situation is the same: no worse, but no improvement either.’
‘I suppose stable is good in the circumstances.’ Helen picked up her trench plan. ‘If Pete wants to, he could help me finish that trench this week, but only if he’s keen. I’d hate to stop him doing anything else he fancied. Should I ask him?’
‘Both he, and one of the other chaps I have working at the moment, are good, and both seem keen to keep digging. If the three of you concentrated on the storeroom trench, as we’ve called it for now, it might even be open down to the bedrock by end of play tomorrow.’
Helen took a pen and circled the area they were working on. ‘Once that’s done, the fortlet will be almost completely open. The next stage will be to start to consolidate what’s been found and preserve it as it stands in a more permanent way. I need to chat to Sam, Thea and Shaun about the best way to go about it.’
‘All I know for sure is that Sam wants the fortlet left open.’
‘Yes.’ Helen was thoughtful. ‘It isn’t just the site I wanted to discuss. Look, do you have time for a drink after the guests have gone home tomorrow? There’s something I’d like to pick your brain about.’
‘Sure.’ Tom looked over to where Pete was methodically working his way through the soil’s stratigraphic layers. ‘That would be good. As it’ll be Friday night, shall we grab some dinner too? Maybe we could nip out of Upwich? I love Moira’s cooking, but I’ll be honest, I’ve been craving a decent curry. Sue told me there was a great Indian restaurant in Tiverton. Fancy it?’
Helen’s pulse beat slightly faster than usual. Is he asking me on a date, or does he just want a change of scene with poppadoms? ‘That sounds great. I haven’t had naan bread in months.’
‘I’ll book a table for seven o’clock if that works for you?’
‘Perfect.’
‘Are you going to give me a clue as to what you wanted to talk about?’
‘It’s just a work thing. It’ll keep. Be nice to get out of here for a while though.’
Tom could hear a voice at the back of his mind telling him to back track. It sounds like a date. It isn’t, it’s just curry. ‘I’m looking forward to it. We could do with being somewhere without mud under our fingernails.’
*
‘That’s a brilliant idea! I love it.’ Tina scribbled, “Buy Easter Eggs”, on her ever-present list.
As the four friends sat around the trestle table Sam and Tom had erected a few days ago, Sam elaborated. ‘As we’ve had no bookings for Easter week, I thought we’d see if Mill Grange could host an Easter egg hunt over Easter weekend. It will be hard work for us, but it should also be tremendous fun. I’m sure lots of locals will come. Obviously, as you, Helen and Tom, don’t work weekends, it would be up to you if you want to join in or not.’
Tom laughed. ‘Dylan would not be impressed if I didn’t help the Easter Bunny out! Although, it will depend if it’s my weekend with him or not. Sue and I are going to renegotiate when I take care of him, so I’m a bit up in the air on dates right now.’
Helen could just picture Dylan running around hunting for chocolate treats. ‘I bet he’d enjoy helping to hide the eggs.’
‘Easter is just over three weeks away, so if we start advertising straight away, it should be worth doing.’ Sam looked up at Tina. ‘In Thea’s absence, would you mind doing the press bit? Calling the local papers, designing a poster to take around the shops and so on?’
‘No problem.’
‘I expect I could ask them to put a poster up at Dylan’s school. Be the right age demographic and all that.’
‘That’s great, thanks, Tom.’
Helen smiled. ‘I can just imagine Dylan telling his friends all about it, and then proudly leading them around the house to hunt those chocolate beauties down.’
‘Me too!’ Tina laughed. ‘How many eggs will we need do you think?’
 ‘No idea, but better bulk buy. The village shop might help us out with that.’
Helen started to picture a few of the places they could hide eggs. ‘How will we make sure people stay off the fortlet and the fake dig?’
Sam looked in the direction of the site. ‘Good point.