Annie looked them over.
‘Go on, pick one,’ said Harri.
Annie was hesitant, her fingers passing over the deep velvet-red blooms, then over the soft pinks, landing on one of the yellow roses. ‘I’ll take this one, I think? Yellow, for friendship,’ she said, falteringly, and making to pull it free.
Harri stopped her with his fingers on the back of her hand. ‘How about… this one,’ he said, lifting out a lush red bloom. Jude discreetly made herself scarce as soon as he was done.
Annie was watching him, her lips parted, unsure what was going on.
He handed her the flower. ‘A long time ago, on our first Valentine’s Day, I gave you a bunch of yellow roses, and clearly, you remember.’
Annie screwed her mouth to show she did remember.
‘I wish I’d given you red roses then,’ he said. ‘I wish I’d given you red roses every Valentine’s Day.’
She held the flower to her, wordlessly. She seemed to be thinking hard.
Beneath them in the knot garden, the deckchairs were almost filled. The whole village was here, it seemed, and arriving just in time was a fish-out-of-water William Sabine, between Bella and Finan.
So they’d talked him into coming out on his last night in Clove Lore after all? Harri waved to him over all the heads, but William didn’t see him. He was clutching a vast box of popcorn and greeting the people around him as Bella wrapped him in blankets and tucked him into his chair with a hot water bottle.
Arriving late, and still looking contrite, having heard more details about the worry they’d caused, were the newlyweds, Bovis and his wife. Their arrival prompted a burst of applause.
‘Here,’ Jowan made a point of calling over the garden. ‘Izaak? I believe I owe you this?’ He held a ten-pound note in the air. ‘Now these two are officially wed!’
This prompted a lot of standing and rummaging in pockets and exchanging of notes amongst the village gossips.
‘What’s all this?’ Mrs Bovis-Crocombe wanted to know, watching the cash changing hands.
‘You thought you were the only one placing bets on love?’ said Leonid, pocketing his winnings.
‘We’ve had money on you pair for years,’ joined Jude, presenting Bovis with a rose to give to his new wife. ‘You made us wait, but I just earned a tenner off you!’
Mrs Crocombe-Bovis made to tut and protest but evidently thought better of it and sat, chuckling, at her husband’s side.
The movie was about to begin. Jasper was nervously scanning the crowd. Samantha watched him from the projection tent. She gave him an emphatic double thumbs up.
‘Friends and neighbours, welcome,’ he shouted, and the garden murmur dropped away. ‘This is the first Clove Lore Outdoor Film Society screening. I hope you enjoy tonight’s feature,When Harri Met Annie, I mean…’ he made a show of correcting his mistake, ‘…When Harry Met Sally.’ This engendered a lot of laughter and eyes turning towards the little pink tent where Harri’s cheeks glowed as pink as the tepee itself. ‘Enjoy the film, and Happy Valentine’s Day!’
Applause followed him to the booth and in moments the windowless grey wall at the side of Clove Lore Big House burst into silver light. Speakers around the gardens buzzed awake and the opening titles rolled.
‘I, eh, wanted to give you this earlier, but I chickened out,’ Harri said to Annie, pulling an envelope from his coat pocket in the comfy enclosure of their tent.
Annie didn’t say anything. She exchanged the envelope for her glass, her eyes wide.
‘Open it,’ he urged.
Annie freed the card from its envelope, the same card she’d seen him picking out late at night in the bookshop when he thought he was unobserved.
She opened it up.
Annwyl, be my Valentine and I’ll be yours.
When she lifted her eyes to his, she was brimming with questions, but her words seemed stoppered.
‘I wrote this a week ago, and kept it hidden, not knowing what to do,’ he said. ‘I’ve kept it all hidden, for years, how I’ve liked you.’
Annie looked from his face to the card to the rose. ‘I thought you were decided on us being just friends, after we talked in the glasshouse.’
