‘This is Eleanor Knapley. She’s come all the way from RHS Garden Wisley,’ she adds proudly. ‘Eleanor, this is my son, Ashton. Evan is just cutting me some peonies,’ she carries on happily.
‘That’s nice,’ Ash says mildly, nodding a greeting at Evan.
‘What are you doing here, darling?’ his mother asks. ‘You’re not normally outside at this time of day.’
What is he, a vampire? Nothing would surprise me.
Ash looks over at me again, his gaze catching andholding. I don’t feel angry now – I feel like I’m standing on a knife-edge. And maybe he sees that vulnerability in my expression because something keeps him from elaborating.
‘I’m just on my way out,’ I hear him say as I drop my gaze.
My hands are quivering as I continue with what I’m doing, but out of the corner of my eye I can see that Ash has not left.
A familiar tickling sensation hits the back of my nose, and before I know it I’m engaged in a sneezing fit.
‘Bless you, Eleanor!’ Lady Berkeley exclaims.
But, oh, I haven’t finished.
Evan chuckles. ‘She’s the only gardener I know who suffers from hay fever.’
Still sneezing, I hastily dig around in my pocket for a tissue, but before I can hunt one out, Ash is already stepping forward with his hand outstretched.
His lips are curved up at the corners as I snatch the tissue from him and blow my nose.
‘Bless you, Eleanor,’ Lady Berkeley calls over again.
‘Thank you,’ I reply, avoiding Ash’s gaze.
‘Will these do?’ Evan asks Philippa Berkeley. ‘Or would you like something else to go with them?’
‘Ellie,’ Ash whispers.
I shoot my eyes towards his, panicked, and give him a tiny shake of my head.
He looks pained for a second and then nods pointedly towards the western bay of the house.Meet me there.
I shake my head more fervently.Please. I can’t.
He cocks his head to one side.Yes, you can.
Evan and his mother have disappeared around the corner of the Tudor wing.
Ash nods emphatically towards the end of the house again and gives me a meaningful look. ‘See you later,’ he calls to his mother and Evan.
‘Yes, bye, darling!’ I hear his mother reply from what sounds like a fair distance away.
I try to get back to work, but I’m distracted by Ash’s retreating frame. He’s wearing a white shirt tucked into mid-grey trousers with a black belt. He looks smart, as though he might be going out for a fancy lunch or something. He looks good actually, though that’s not something I want to notice. But it’s impossible not to: his shoulders are so broad and his hips so slim, and those trousers really do fit him very well …
He turns around and looks back at me. I’ve got my hands five inches into the soil, tentatively carrying on with what I was doing. I try to ignore the way he’s staring me down, but my heart is stuttering, and a moment later, he throws his arms up in the air and I can’t be sure he won’t catch the attention of his mother or Evan if one of them suddenly reappears.
My temper spikes, quashing some of the fear I felt a moment ago.
Fuck’s sake, fine. You win.
I climb out of the garden bed and walk towards him, dusting off my hands without a word. He disappears around the corner of the house.
‘What?’ I snap as soon as I’m sure we’ll be out of the eyesight of Evan and his mother, should they return. I can say I went to get more tissues.
