A Secret Garden by Katie Fforde

Author:Katie Fforde
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2017-02-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Philly perched on the edge of a chair at the kitchen table, drumming one heel and picking up cake crumbs with her finger. Her grandfather sat opposite, looking at her with a mixture of amusement and bafflement.

‘Can you not just calm down, child?’ he said. ‘You’re jumpy as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Is it the young fella coming back that’s eating you?’

‘Yes. No. I don’t know. It seems such a long time since he won all that money at Newbury.’

‘Credit to him that he went straight off on another cheffing job. He could have just come back and made bread,’ said Seamus.

Philly agreed with her grandfather but she’d missed him horribly. ‘I know. He’s so determined to get as much money as he can, he works all the hours.’

‘So, he doesn’t even know how well the garden opening went? What a triumph it was for you all?’

‘I wouldn’t say it was a triumph, exactly.’

‘Why not? The garden looked great, you sold all your plants and it made the papers. What’s not a triumph about that?’

‘Well, if I could have produced all the plants myself and if I hadn’t been left with nothing to sell so I’m now having to work my socks off, filling the new polytunnel with seed trays so I’ll have plants to sell again—’

‘You text him, don’t you?’

Philly nodded. ‘Little bit.’

‘And are you walking out together?’

Philly smiled, knowing he was using this outdated expression to amuse her. ‘Well, he was quite friendly after Newbury, but he’s been away since then. And …’ She paused for dramatic effect but also because she was worried. ‘. . . will he have gambled away all his wages?’

Her grandfather, who was shaving off another slice of cake to give to Philly, didn’t answer immediately. ‘I understand why you’re worried. It only needs a couple of lucky wins on the horses and people think they can work the system and end up losing everything. But I think he’s more sensible than that. He’s a hard worker. He wouldn’t want to go throwing it away.’

Philly accepted the cake. She and her grandfather had agreed long since that several very thin slices of cake weren’t nearly as fattening as one ordinary slice. ‘I do hope you’re right.’

‘So what are you going to feed him on? The feast for the conquering hero? I’d offer but I know you want to do it. Besides I won’t be back till six.’

‘Oh, God, Grand, I can’t cook for him!’ Just the thought of it made her shake with nerves. ‘I’ll get a ready meal. He’ll complain but he’ll understand.’

‘Not at all. I’ll ask Anthea if she’s got an easy recipe. Simple home cooking is always acceptable.’

‘Yes, but you know how busy I am.’

‘You need a break from the polytunnels. You’ve spent so much time in them recently I’ve been checking you for powdery mildew. Out of the plastic, into the kitchen. It’ll be good for you. Besides, cooking’s not that hard.’

‘Says you, who only makes cakes.

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