Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange

her about his conversation with his mother, but somehow he couldn’t find a way to frame the words. And besides, she looked so happy. He didn’t want to ruin the mood.
‘I love this time of the week.’ Tina laid a head on Sam’s shoulder as she surveyed the sloping garden as it swept down to the woods that formed the borders of Mill Grange’s land down to the River Barle, where it merged with Exmoor. ‘One set of guests gone, and a whole hour before I need to start stripping the bed linen and you start cleaning the garden tools, and checking the walking equipment.’
‘It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you left the beds until this evening or tomorrow.’ A hint of guilt edged into Sam’s contentment. With Thea away and Mabel looking after Bert, Tina would end up doing the housework on her own. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t managed to go upstairs yet. I can do the downstairs bedroom and help in the kitchen, but—’
Tina placed a single finger over Sam’s lips. ‘You have plenty to do, and I’ll be fine. Helen will help me as soon as she and Tom have finished recording the week’s work on the fortlet.’
Filling Tina in on Shaun’s insecurities in Gloucestershire, Sam found himself picturing his fiancée, complete in wedding dress, walking across the garden before him. His conscience pricked him for a second time.
And it’s not just Tina. I want to get married here too. I want to be able to tell our children we got married in the garden they’ll play in.
Taking a deep breath, Sam turned to Tina. ‘I’m sorry to ruin the moment, but there’s something I need to talk to you about.’
*
Tom risked glancing at Helen. While her face wasn’t etched with thunder, she certainly wasn’t smiling. He hadn’t realised how much he liked her smile until it wasn’t there. He hated that he was responsible for taking it away.
He’d explained about Sue, and it being the only time she could meet him and talk about Dylan for at least a week. Helen had said all the right things, had claimed to understand, and said they could chat about what she wanted to discuss anytime. Then she’d taken up his offer of a coffee at Sybil’s the following day, saying in the same breath that anything he had to do for Dylan’s sake was important, and that the Indian restaurant would be there another time.
Tom hadn’t told her he was still going to the restaurant. Just not with her.
*
‘What are these for?’ Thea cradled the bunch of spring flowers in her arms, ‘and where did you get them?’
‘There’s a shop in Northleach that had flowers for sale alongside the groceries. I wanted to say sorry for being a jerk.’
Giving him a hug, Thea found a water jug in her van’s tiny kitchen cupboard, and lowered the daffodils and crocuses inside. ‘Not the most beautiful vase, but they do cheer the place up.’
‘It’ll be weird sleeping without you.’ Shaun ran a finger across Thea’s cheek.
‘You’re always sleeping without me.’ She kissed his nose. ‘You’re away for at least half the year filming.’
‘Which is why I begrudge a single night apart when we don’t need to be.’ Shaun held Thea tight. ‘I’ve been a jealous idiot. Forgive me?’
‘Forgiven.’ She rested her head on his shoulder. ‘Just don’t do it again.’
*
They had changed the third set of bed linens before Tina realised that neither she nor Helen had spoken a word since they started work on the guest bedrooms. She knew why she was feeling subdued, but couldn’t think why Helen was so quiet, especially after such a successful week on the dig.
‘You alright?’ Tina smoothed the corner of the duvet flat, and picked up a pile of towels to place on the end of the bed. ‘You’re very quiet.’
‘I was just thinking the same about you.’ Helen plumped up the pillow she’d just squeezed into a case.
‘I’m fine. Just a few wedding glitches I hadn’t foreseen.’
‘Glitches?’
‘Sam’s mum wants us to marry at her place.’
‘In Worcestershire?’ Helen frowned. ‘But you can’t, can you? Don’t you have to live in the area where you wish to marry and do complicated things with having the banns read – or is that just if it’s a church do?’
‘I don’t know.’ Tina shrugged. ‘I’ll find out. It would be very convenient if that was the case. Then I wouldn’t have to feel bad about Sam breaking years of family tradition by marrying away from Malvern House.’
‘What does Sam want?’
‘He wants to marry here too, but obviously he doesn’t want to upset his parents.’ Tina resisted the urge to flop down onto the bed they’d just made. ‘Why is everything always so complicated?’
‘Wish I knew.’ Helen gave a hollow laugh. ‘Although it is odd. I mean, isn’t it the bride that marries from home and not the groom?’
‘Apparently not in Sam’s family, although goodness knows why not. And it’s not as if I have a parental home to marry from.’ Tina pulled a face. ‘Well that’s my moan, what’s stopping your usual smile in its tracks?’
Looking at the remaining pile of linen left to sort, Helen sighed. ‘How about we leave this lot until the morning and skive off to the pub? I’ll buy us a bottle of Pinot and we can have a mutual whinge.’
‘Deal.’

Eight
Friday March 20th
Moira placed the bottle of Pinot in a bucket of ice and set it on the table between Helen and Tina. A minute later she came back with two bags of dry roasted peanuts.
‘We didn’t order these, Moira.’ Tina poured out two glasses of wine.
‘You didn’t. But neither of you drink much. I thought the nuts might be needed to take the edge off. Put it down to landlady instinct.’
Helen laughed. ‘An instinct which is spot on. Thank you, Moira.’
Tina took a mouthful of the deliciously chilled wine as Helen said, ‘So, Sam’s mum, she wants you to marry at the