‘No, not yet, but I’m hoping they do before I go to New York. Julia had sketched out her own creation for her big day and I’m going to make that dream come true. It’ll all be ready and waiting for her when the time comes.’
‘How romantic! And she doesn’t have a clue?’
‘No, and I can’t wait to see her face when she sees it.’
‘It’s so exciting! I love a good wedding!’
‘Let’s just hope I can pull off this wedding at Starcross Manor on Christmas Eve first.’
‘You will. I believe you have gorgeous Guy working with you? I’ve met him a couple of times.’ Isla pointed beyond Heartwood Cottage, which was next to Bonnie’s Teashop, and following the direction of her finger Libby saw another cottage in the distance. ‘Rumours have it that Guy is interested in Weathervane Cottage. It’s only just come on the market.’
Libby looked towards the cottage in the distance. It was standing alone just off the mountain pass. ‘What a stunning location. Could you imagine waking up to those views every morning?’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t end up in Heartcross.’
‘I do love it here. It always feels like I’m coming home when I arrive.’
The car travelled slowly up the drive and headed down a track at the side of the farmhouse. It turned the corner into the most beautiful courtyard that Libby had ever seen.
‘Gosh, you have been busy. Look at this place!’ she enthused.
The refurbished barns were in a horseshoe shape, all draped with twinkly lights and with Christmas trees scattered around, giving a festive feel. There was even a group of reindeer feeding on bales of hay in a nearby paddock.
‘This place is amazing!’
‘We’re very happy with it. Drew and Fergus worked hard to get this place up and running, with help from Jack, who owns the local building company. With the tourist traffic in the area increasing tenfold over the past few years, this is perfect for business. It took nearly the best part of a year to convert the barns and sort out all the legal stuff, but each business is doing so well. Buttercup Barn is in the corner.’ Isla pointed. ‘And over there we have The Village Closet, a ladies’ boutique, and The Quirky Emporium, which sells vintage collectables. We also have Heartcross Pets and Grooming, the crêpe place and Ivy House, home to gifts, candles and unique cards for all occasions. That one there is the new library, and then we have the hot potato van and the farm shop, which stocks a wide variety of meat and cheeses. There’s something for everyone,’ Isla said proudly as she finished giving Libby the verbal tour.
‘And already it’s so busy.’ The doors to each business were open and a queue was forming outside the farm shop.
‘It’s all been like this since we’ve opened, and long may it continue. I’ve got to go and do a few hours in the farm shop but we must catch up properly. I’ll text you with some dates.’
‘That would be lovely, and thanks for the lift.’
Libby climbed out of the car eager to explore The Heart of the Village but looking at the time she realised she couldn’t stay long, as she wanted to cut out the flowers that needed hand-stitching for Julia’s wedding suit before this afternoon so she could make a start on sewing them later tonight.
Delicious scents wafted past her from the crêpe barn, making her stomach rumble, and she realised how hungry she was, but her first visit needed to be to the florist. Crossing over to the path towards Buttercup Barn, Libby was taken by surprise when she heard raised voices behind her. Glancing back over her shoulder she saw a man and woman arguing in the car park. The face of the man was hidden as he was sitting behind the wheel of a car and the woman was standing on the pavement peering through the driver’s side window. At a guess, she was in her mid-twenties, with distinctive flame-red hair. As Libby watched on, the woman turned and walked away. It was an unusual scene for first thing in the morning—or at any time in peaceful Heartcross, really—and Libby tried to shake off the unsettled feeling it had prompted as she made her way across the courtyard towards Buttercup Barn, which looked delightful with its olde worlde charm. The beautiful shop front was full of colour and happiness, with artificial flowers tumbling around the oak beam porch. The display highlighted the natural beauty of the season with two wooden cartwheels adorning each side of the duck-egg-blue door, and a wooden heart hanging in the centre, entwined with holly and berries. Just outside the shop on the flagstones was a wheelbarrow laden with hessian-wrapped floral arrangements.
Libby pushed open the door and was pleased to find that the inside was as beautiful as the outside. It reminded her of a quaint little florist’s hidden away in Covent Garden that she’d stumbled across when working on a fashion project in London.
Inside were wooden crates, ivy plants and plaques with homely sayings on them. There was a staging area for creating arrangements with spools of ribbon, wire, green florist tape, flower wrap and rolls of tissue paper all carefully arranged for easy access.
Florrie was standing behind the wooden counter wrestling with a hand-tied bouquet of berries, red roses and rustic manzanitas, giving the arrangement a Christmas vibe. ‘That is stunning,’ Libby said admiringly as she walked towards the counter.
‘Isn’t it just?’ replied Florrie with a warm smile.
Florrie had a style that was entirely her own. Her mousy hair was tied up in a messy bun with fresh snowdrops giving it an extra touch of charm. Her jeans were baggy and rolled up at the ankles, with coloured flowers embroidered down the side of each leg. Her layered tops in crimson and orange were striking, and she wore red woollen fingerless gloves with a matching scarf to keep her warm.
‘And I’m about to pair them with these white roses and pale green foliage. Are you looking for anything in particular?’
‘You must be Florrie. I’m Flynn’s sister, Libby.’
‘Hello! I’ve heard so much about you from Flynn and Isla. The famous fashion designer about to take New York by storm. It’s lovely to finally meet you.’
‘You too, and in the meantime, I’m turning my hand to wedding planning. That’s why I’m here to introduce myself.’
‘Of course! Jenny was telling me there were thousands of entries for the competition that she’d had to sift through and the choice was a difficult one.’
‘Apparently so. I’ve not met the winning couple yet so I’ve no clue about the theme or colour scheme of their dream wedding. I have the first meeting with the bride and groom next week so as soon as I know I’ll pop back in and maybe we can get some samples made up?’
