The meeting started late. Several people wandered in noisily at around a quarter to eight, mumbling apologies to Tony, who harrumphed before proceeding to talk about the fete.
‘So this year we’ve decided that the proceeds of the village fete will go to restoring the Heartsease Memorial Garden, in honour of Edward Handford’s 140th anniversary. And we’re delighted to have Edward Handford’s great great grandson, Joel Lyle here. Not only has he promised to open up the knot garden Edward Handford designed at Lovelace Cottage for the day of the fete, I believe he is also going to provide some wonderful and fascinating material for a Handford exhibition on the day.’
Joel, who’d snuck in among the latecomers, looked mortified to have been picked out, but smiled graciously anyway.
‘All right, to business,’ said Tony. ‘Has anyone got any ideas about how the summer fete should be run this year?’
‘The same way we always run it,’ said Cynthia Green, the grumpiest woman in Heartsease. ‘It works, so why change it?’
‘Well, I was hoping we could do a few things differently,’ said Tony, ‘given that we’re celebrating Edward Handford’s 140th anniversary. I think we need to make it more of an event, shake it up a bit. Eileen, I believe you have some ideas?’
‘I do,’ said Eileen, looking a little pink and flustered. ‘I think we could be a bit more ambitious. In fact, a lot more. Rather than just have a fete for the village, why not widen its appeal and call it a Summer Fest like Chiverton does? We could make it an all day event. By all means let’s have the normal stalls, but why not close off the High Street, have street entertainers, get some music going, have a farmers’ market. Let’s really show people what Heartsease is all about.’
‘It will never work,’ sniffed Cynthia.
‘Why not?’ said Eileen. ‘We won’t know until we try.’
‘And we should have a celebrity to open proceedings,’ said Kezzie.
‘The charity I work for has some contacts with celebrities,’ said Joel. ‘I could always fish around a bit if you like, and see if we can get someone to open the fete for us.’
‘Celebrities!’ snorted Cynthia. ‘We don’t need nonsense like that.’
‘I think it’s a great idea,’ said Tony. ‘It will bring in the young people. Joel, if you’re prepared to find out about it for us that would be fantastic.’
‘We could run a competition for the best design for the play area,’ suggested Lauren.
‘And we could start planting out now, try and tidy it up,’ chipped in Kezzie.
‘What about Health and Safety?’ objected a little pinched woman sitting next to Cynthia. ‘There are those old oak trees in the Memorial Gardens that are a real menace. They should come down.’
‘So get a tree feller,’ said Kezzie. ‘I know a couple.’
‘Hmm, I’m not sure,’ interjected a small man who was clearly attached like a limpet to the pinched-looking woman. ‘It seems like a lot of extra work.’
‘Well, that’s not a priority for now,’ said Tony. ‘Sorry, Kezzie, we’ll get to it later I’m sure. Now let’s move on to considering the kinds of stalls we want.’
A good-tempered and long-winded discussion about the pros and cons of homemade ice cream ensued. Lauren caught Joel yawning and grinned. She knew there was a good reason why she’d resisted joining the committee …
‘Can you believe that?’ Kezzie was incandescent with rage. ‘They talked about the price of ice creams for half an hour. And no one made any decisions about the Memorial Gardens. I can’t believe we can’t just go and tidy it up.’
‘Welcome to village life,’ grinned Lauren. ‘At least we got through the idea of making the event bigger, thanks to Eileen.’
‘True,’ said Kezzie grudgingly. ‘I think we should show them what can be done though. Anyone up for a spot of guerrilla gardening?’
‘What, now?’ said Joel. ‘It’s dark, cold, and if you hadn’t noticed we’re still in the thick of winter.’
‘Yes now,’ said Kezzie. She opened the rucksack she was carrying and revealed some small forks and trowels and winter bedding plants. ‘Like a good boy scout, I always come prepared. Besides, spring is on the way. The snowdrops are already out, and you’ve got crocuses coming up in your garden you know. I’m up for it, if you are.’
‘I really have to get back and make sure everything’s OK with Troy and the girls,’ said Lauren, turning to go. ‘Sorry. Another time maybe.’
‘And I should get back to Sam,’ said Joel, looking at his watch. ‘Eileen’s daughter is babysitting for me.’
‘Oh go on, live a little,’ said Kezzie. ‘It’s only eight thirty, what time will she be expecting you? I’m sure Christine won’t mind. This won’t take long. I’ve already dug over the bit of ground I want to plant these winter pansies in. At least it will give some colour till the spring.’
‘When did you start digging in the Memorial Gardens?’ said Joel.
‘I went out a couple of mornings last week,’ said Kezzie. ‘I couldn’t sleep and so I thought I may as well do something useful.’
‘Oh,’ said Joel.
‘Come on then, what are we waiting for?’ Kezzie strode purposefully towards the playground, while Joel stood slightly irresolute behind her.
‘Oh OK,’ he said, ‘but only for a bit.’
‘That’ll do,’ said Kezzie, with a grin.
It was early in February, and the evening air was still cold. The gardens were in pitch darkness when they arrived. The rusting iron gates were padlocked and looked forbidding and unfriendly. For a moment even Kezzie felt a little daunted.
‘So how do we get in then?’ demanded Joel.
‘Oh ye of little faith,’ said Kezzie. ‘We get in the same way as whoever’s vandalizing the playground does. If you follow me round the corner, you will observe that there is a gap in the fence.’
Joel shook his head in amusement.
‘Does nothing faze you?’
‘Not much,’ said Kezzie, as she squeezed through the gap. ‘Careful, it is a bit narrow.’
Once in, she marched towards one of the beds to the side of the plinth.
‘This shouldn’t take long,’ she said. ‘We’ve got some plants to bed in.’
In fact they were hard at it for nearly an hour, but by the time they’d finished they’d transformed a bed that had been full of weeds into a vibrant patch of colour. Or that’s what Kezzie had assured Joel it would look like in the morning. It was difficult to tell in the dark.
‘Well done, partner,’ said Kezzie with a grin, and slapped him on the back. ‘How does it feel to inflict criminal damage in a public place?’
‘Fun,’ admitted Joel, who had been unprepared for the illicit thrill he’d got from their activities. Kezzie was amazing. And she was having a transformative effect on his life. Ever since she’d arrived in Heartsease, he felt that he was being propelled out of his grief-induced torpor to face up to life in the real world once more. She’d made him look at his house and garden, and reminded him what he’d planned before life had dealt him such a body blow. And learning about Edward and the history of the place had piqued Joel’s interest. Despite himself, he was finding he was beginning to engage in life again. He had to admit, it felt good.
‘You’ve