Fletcher sized her up with a smile. ‘It makes your eyes sparkle,’ he remarked. It did indeed highlight the colour of her eyes. ‘That’s why he bought it no doubt,’ he chuckled.
Adira blushed at the scrutiny, making Cassie suppress a smile.
‘What time will he get back?’ she asked.
‘This evening about nineish,’ cut in Adira before Fletcher had chance to reply. She was so excited to see Jasper and had arranged to be at The Laurels to welcome him home.
‘I bet you can’t wait,’ Cassie looked at Fletcher, who was beaming like a Cheshire cat.
He nodded. ‘I’ll be glad to see him.’
‘You should have a welcome home party, Fletcher,’ she teased. ‘Your summer balls were legendary, I believe.’
Adira sighed and looked wistfully into the distance, ‘How lovely it would be to see The Laurels in its former glory.’
Fletcher’s eyes narrowed in contemplation. Maybe they had a point. It certainly gave him food for thought. Adira was right. It would be splendid to see The Laurels bursting with vitality and life, like the old days. He could picture it now: the gardens sparkling with fairy lights, the sound of music, chat and laughter, as people sipped cocktails and danced on the freshly cut grass. His imagination ran wild, then inevitably his mind wondered back to the past.
‘You OK, Fletcher?’ asked Adira. ‘You look like you’re in another world.’
‘For a moment I was,’ he said quietly, making her frown. ‘Well, I’d better get going,’ he smiled and took himself off.
Adira looked thoughtfully on.
‘I bet we’ve got him thinking,’ Cassie said with a grin. ‘Lilly and Ruby used to rave about the summer balls at The Laurels.’
‘Did he have them every year?’
‘Apparently yes, up until about thirty-odd years ago.’
‘Hmm,’ replied Adira.So why did they stop?
Fletcher’s mind span into overdrive. The more he thought about it, the more appealing it became. Of course, why didn’t he think of it before? A good, old-fashioned knees-up, that’s what the place lacked. It would be good to see everyone enjoying themselves – Jasper, Adira, Lilly, Ruby, Cassie and all the rest of the staff at The Inn. Hell, he’d even invite Tarquin and the doctor too! Fletcher rubbed his hands in glee, he was on a mission.
As he entered the back door, Lilly was in the kitchen, she’d just been washing up.
‘Lilly, I’ve had the most amazing idea,’ he told her with gusto.
‘Oh really?’ She looked up, surprised.
‘The Laurels is about to host another summer ball!’ he exclaimed in delight.
Lilly blinked. Another summer ball? After the last one? Her mind took her straight back to that night many years ago…
She and Ruby had taken great care over their appearance. For weeks, they had been deciding upon outfits. Finally, Lilly had chosen a powder-blue tea dress with an elegant rouleau button-through front and full sleeves, a flattering waist tie and a swishy skirt. It was cool, ladylike vintage and suited the mood of the party perfectly. Her hair was done up quite elaborately with ringlets gently spilling down the sides. She’d sat still as a statue while Ruby did her make-up, paying particular attention to her pale, grey eyes. The mascara and liner made them stand out strikingly. Lilly had hardly recognised herself when Ruby proudly stood her in front of the full-length mirror.
Her sister had known a lot was hinging on the night. To her, it was plainly obvious how Lilly worshipped Fletcher. It had perpetually been the case. Lilly and Ruby had grown up with Fletcher. He, being a few years older, had always kept a watchful eye on them, like an older brother. They enjoyed his company, the way he had them in hysterics and made them welcome at The Laurels, while his younger brother Rufus used to look at them disapprovingly, as though he resented them being there. Fletcher had been the ultimate gentleman, forever seeing they were safely escorted home after a night out and warning off any unwanted advances.
But it was so much more than neighbourly friendship for Lilly. She had made her mind up to marry him from the wise, old age of four – her first day at school, when Fletcher had taken them each by the hand and led them confidently into school. He was her hero. Her knight in shining armour.
When Lilly had first passed her driving test, she had driven her battered, second-hand Mini through the winding country lanes to a standstill. She’d run out of petrol. Fletcher had flown past in his open-top Triumph, halted, then reversed back to check on her. He’d burst into laughter at seeing the fuel gauge at zero.
‘Hop in, lass, we’ll get you some juice!’ he’d called, opening the passenger door.
It had always been like that, Fletcher never too far away, on hand and ready to assist. Lilly felt sure he knew of her crush on him. That’s what Ruby called it, a mere crush. To Lilly it wasn’t, though – it was love.
So, she was determined to look her absolute best that night. Time was pressing on and still Fletcher hadn’t married. Neither had she, so tonight she was determined to make it count. Enough was enough, no more shilly-shallying, she was going to make her feelings clear and tell Fletcher exactly how she felt about him. With a bit of luck, he would wake up and smell the roses, and see what was in front of him.
‘You look beautiful, Lilly.’ Ruby had held her shoulders, smiling into the mirror at her. ‘He better appreciate you,’ she’d warned playfully.
