But this time, he wasn’t quite so certain he’d done the right thing.
ChapterTwenty
After an interminable rainy spell, the first of May dawned bright and beautiful.The entire village and all the surrounding countryside was covered in blooms, profusions of flowers that seemed to have burst out of their buds overnight and turned Little Kissington into a veritable bower of climbing wisteria, sunny yellow daffodils, and carpets of bluebells.
Gemma hated it.
Oh, she’d put on a smile and helped the village children with their flower crowns and let Lucy decorate the taproom with vases and jars full of colorful buds and garlands of spring greenery.She helped Bess in the kitchen, turning out dozens of scones and cakes and pies for the village fête.She supervised the raising of the maypole in the Five Mile’s courtyard and setting up the stalls for selling Bess’s wares.
But she felt as though she was doing everything in a fog, as though a light mist separated her from the rest of humanity and all its doings.
She was there, but not there.Nothing mattered much.
She opened the door of Five Mile House and nearly tripped over a pile of baskets.“What?—?”
“They’re May Baskets,” Bess said.She was busily setting up a stall dedicated to pork pies and sausage rolls, the savory, buttery smell of her creations wafting through the air.“Hasn’t anyone ever left you a May Basket before?”
Crouching to inspect them, Gemma shook her head.“May the first is just another day in London.”
“Well, here, it’s tradition to gather flowers in baskets and leave them on our neighbors’ doorsteps.”
Gemma picked up a shallow, oval basket laden with long-stemmed wild orchids, their purple elegance interspersed with cheery yellow cowslips and white snowdrops.
The sight of it, and the knowledge that one of her neighbors had gifted it, pierced through the fog that enveloped her like a ray of sunlight.“How utterly lovely.”
“’Tis, isn’t it?”Bess agreed, her small white lace cap bobbing.She was wearing a white dress trimmed in red, as were most of the girls and women milling about the courtyard making their preparations for the festivities.Gemma was glad she and Lucy had found out about the dress code in time to put together outfits for themselves, though as ever, Lucy’s simple white frock was better suited to a girl several years younger.
Gemma had unearthed her own white gown from the depths of her wardrobe.She hadn’t worn it since her disastrous debut.It was tighter across the bosom than she remembered, rendering the demure style slightly naughtier.
Of course, as Lucy had remarked, Gemma could make a long-sleeved gown that buttoned up to the neck look naughty, so Gemma had shrugged and squeezed herself into the white silk dress.
“You didn’t want to walk in the parade?”Bess asked tentatively, dusting crumbs from her hands and coming over to help gather up the May Baskets.The May Day parade started on the village green and would end at Five Mile House, where the youngest of the village children would name a May Queen and crown her with flowers before commencing the maypole dancing.
“I sent Lucy with Mama,” Gemma answered shortly, then sighed.
Bess had apologized for her part in Hal’s deception days ago, when Gemma first stormed back into the inn’s kitchen, sopping wet and palm still stinging from the slap she’d given Hal.Bess had seemed to realize instantly what must have occurred, and she had been quick to own up to playing along with Hal.
Gemma had accepted her apology—it turned out to have been true, what Hal told her about Bess’s family all but raising him, and Gemma could readily understand Bess siding with her almost-brother against an outsider like Gemma.Still, relations had been strained between the two women ever since.
But this morning, as the May Day Festival started to take shape around them and the air was filled with anticipation and excitement, Gemma couldn’t bring herself to keep up the chilly tension.She was tired.
Holding grudges took a lot of energy, she’d found.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucy is chosen as Queen of the May,” she offered with a smile.“She’s quite the prettiest girl in the village, and she’s become such a favorite of the local people.I’m sure most of these baskets are intended as tribute to her.”
“Don’t be so certain,” Bess countered, the line of her shoulders relaxing and her cheeks dimpling with relief at Gemma’s friendly overture.“The Five Mile has always been an important part of the community, but since you took over, it’s only become more of a gathering place.You’ve a knack for this work, Gemma.And it means something to the people hereabouts.”
Another ray of sunlight pierced Gemma’s fog, dispelling the clouds even more.She felt the corners of her mouth lift in a true smile for the first time in days.
“Everyone comes here for your food,” she told Bess.“That’s the real draw.Don’t think I’m unaware.”
Linking their arms, Bess led her down the steps to start distributing the May Basket flowers among the stalls and tables bordering the stable yard.“I’ll have you know I’ve been giving Cousin Flora more responsibility in the kitchen lately.If she keeps on as she’s going, I fancy one day I could even leave the place in her hands long enough to travel.See a bit more of the world than this sweet little corner of it.”
“I didn’t know you had a yen to travel!We must make that happen.”
Bess sighed, her smile dimming slightly as they paused beside the dais that had been erected beside the stables.Ropes of greenery festooned the front of it, and a green sheet had been tacked up on the wall of the stable as a backdrop.“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a girl.Oh, to see London!But like as not, it’s only a dream and nothing more.Little Kissington is my home.What call do I have to go gallivanting off to Town?”
“Everyone should see London at least once in their lives, but it’s not the center of the universe.”
