2010
‘Hello, Natalie? Are you there?’
She sagged with relief. Matt! The gardener. She had completely forgotten he planned to pop in. Getting out of the chair, she called, ‘I’m in the garden.’ A minute later he appeared round the side of the cottage.
Natalie must have looked dazed as he said, ‘Sorry if I startled you, but I kept calling out. Guess you were enjoying a nap?’ He grinned at her.
She pushed her hand through her hair, scratching her scalp in an effort to focus. Blood still pounded in her ears from her earlier fear. God, she must be losing it! And in front of a hunk like Matt, too. He looked so in control, standing with his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts, head tilted to one side as he gave her an appraising look.
‘Yeah, well, it is hot today. And I forgot you were coming,’ she said coolly, thrusting her hands in her pockets. Two can play at that game, she thought.
Matt laughed. ‘Fair enough. I’ve written out a timetable for the work to be done next week, if you’d like to take a look.’ He pulled out a folded sheet and handed it over.
Natalie read the scrawl with difficulty. Glancing up she said, ‘I see the carpenter’s arriving on Monday to start building the pergola. Is that right?’
‘Yes, I know it’s sooner than planned but it works for him and he won’t be in my way as I’ll be down there.’ He pointed to the far boundary. ‘As it’s also one of the noisier jobs I thought you’d be glad to get it out of the way.’
‘No, it’s fine. I’m back at work anyway. As long as I can still use the terrace in the evenings, I don’t want to lose the only bit of the garden that’s finished,’ she said, frowning.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve told him he has to keep the area tidy. I don’t blame you wanting to sit out when you can. I’d be the same if I lived here.’ He stared down towards the sea before bringing his attention back to her, his eyes locking onto hers.
Natalie shifted under his gaze. She was sure he fancied her, you could always tell with men. But although she found him attractive, the last thing she wanted right now was a relationship.
‘Okay, so you’ll be planting the shrubs and the small palm trees we chose? Anything else?’
They walked round the garden and Matt explained the order of the planting. Some things would be left to autumn but the main body of the garden would be planted over the next few weeks. Natalie wanted a water feature and a spot had been chosen near the right-hand side, close enough to be seen and heard from the terrace. Matt was to dig out two ponds, one below the other, with a continuous waterfall between them, powered by a hidden pump. Evergreen shrubs would be planted around the ponds with a small seating area to offer shade and privacy. Natalie loved the sound of running water and was excited about the design Matt had produced. They had agreed there should be a small lawn but most of the garden would be planted with shrubs, flowers and small trees. Low-lying hedging would form the boundary without distracting from the view. In fact the planting was designed in a way to lead the eye down towards the furthest hedge and on towards the sea. The fields between her property and the coast road were at a lower level and did not intrude on the perspective.
By the time Matt had outlined the projected time frame Natalie thrummed with excitement. It would be so good to have a garden to complement the house.
‘Well, as long as you’re happy with everything, I’ll leave you in peace. Be back around eight on Monday morning with Trev the chippy. Enjoy the rest of your weekend,’ Matt said, shaking her hand.
‘And you, Matt. See you Monday.’
Alone again, Natalie headed into the kitchen for a drink. The sun must be over the yard-arm, she told herself, pouring a glass of chilled white. Grabbing a bowl of olives she returned to the terrace and settled down to admire the view. Bliss!
Natalie woke on Sunday morning refreshed after a solid night’s sleep. If she had had any dreams she didn’t remember them and was in a light-hearted mood as she showered and dressed. The clear blue sky signalled another shorts day and Natalie skipped downstairs humming to herself. After breakfast on the terrace, spent day-dreaming of the promised delights of the proposed garden, she forced herself to catch up with overdue paperwork and spent an hour in the study. Later, as she was drinking a late-morning coffee outside, Natalie heard the doorbell. Scrambling to her feet and readjusting the straps of her vest top, she walked through to the front door.
‘Hi Stuart. I’ve just made some coffee, would you like a cup?’ Aware she can’t have made a great impression on Friday evening, Natalie wanted to be neighbourly. And he seemed a decent bloke, offering wine and first aid.
‘Love some, thanks. I was wondering how your hand was doing, but I can see it’s better,’ he said, nodding at the small plaster. Again she was struck by his eyes. Leading the way to the kitchen Natalie picked up the cafetière and filled a mug for Stuart and topped up her own. After offering him milk and sugar – no to sugar, yes to milk – she said, ‘I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I’ve never seen eyes that colour before. Do they run in your family?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess so. My mother’s eyes are the same colour so I obviously inherited them from her. Dad’s were grey. As I never knew my maternal grandparents, the ones who owned the original farm, I assume one of them must have had the same shade. Someone once told me it’s a rare shade of blue, not often seen in Britain. He grinned. ‘It’s nice to feel a bit different, but I did get called “spooky eyes” at school.’
Natalie gestured for him to follow her outside, saying, ‘They’re not spooky at all. I think they’re lovely.’ The words were out before she could stop them and she felt herself flush. She hadn’t meant to pay him such a compliment when they hardly knew each other. Averting her face Natalie settled into the chair she had vacated earlier. Stuart, perhaps feeling her discomfort, continued to stand and gazed seawards. A silence hung in the air as they sipped their coffee.
Stuart, half-turning, said, ‘I saw Matt was here yesterday. Have you finalised the plans for the garden?’
For a moment Natalie wondered how he knew Matt. Then the penny dropped.
‘Of course, you’re the one who employed him. I’d forgotten. Yes, he’s starting on Monday and…’ she went on to tell him about the design and they were soon deep in conversation about what had been decided. Natalie found him easy to talk to though he didn’t know much about gardens. Neither did she. Her parents were experts, but when she was still living at home she hadn’t been interested in more than a space to sunbathe or have a barbecue. Talking to Stuart made Natalie realise she must, at thirty-six, have finally matured, valuing the form of a garden as well as its function. The conversation about the garden dried up and Natalie, intrigued about Stuart’s background asked, ‘How come we haven’t run across each other before? Guernsey’s so small.’ She laughed. ‘Which school did you go to?’
Stuart grinned. ‘I’m not local. I was born and raised in England and only came here for the first time a few months ago. But my mother was born here, in this farm,’ he said, nodding at her cottage.
‘I see. It’s a bit of a coincidence, isn’t it, us arriving here more or less at the same time? Although I grew up here, I haven’t lived in Guernsey since I graduated.’ She pursed her lips. ‘Seems like we’re both having a fresh start.’
Stuart regarded her, his look thoughtful.
‘I don’t wish to pry, but could a man be involved in your fresh start?’
‘It usually is, isn’t it?’ she said more sharply than she’d intended. Seeing Stuart draw back, Natalie muttered, ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to sound like a man-hater. And it’s not a case of a broken heart but of wanting to get away from a…a stalker.’ She was too ashamed to admit the truth.
His eyebrows rose.
‘I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a horrible thing to happen. A female teacher at my last school was stalked for months, becoming a nervous wreck until the man was finally stopped. Turned out he’d been diagnosed with mental health issues but had stopped taking his medication. Once he was readmitted for treatment, she returned to work, but it took a while for her to feel safe again.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Would you have come back to Guernsey if not for the stalker?’
‘Good question! Not really sure. Though I was beginning to feel a bit burnt out, I still loved the buzz of London.’ Natalie turned to face the sea, smiling. ‘But it’s beautiful here and I do feel safe. Which is a plus,’ she added.
‘I’m finding the island one helluva contrast to where I lived in Coventry. The city centre’s a concrete jungle and although it has some decent countryside, it can’t compete with this.’ Stuart waved his arm, taking in the surrounding woods at the back of them and the fields leading down to the sea.
Natalie found it hard to imagine him in a concrete city: he looked as if he belonged in the outdoors, dressed in faded khaki shorts, a washed-out T-shirt and trainers. She wanted to know what had prompted his move to Guernsey, but a quick glance at her watch told her there wasn’t time.
‘Sorry, Stuart, I have to rush or I’ll be late for lunch with my parents. I need to change.’ She went to collect the coffee mugs but he stopped her.
‘Allow me. I’ll clear away while you go and get ready. See you around,’ he said, picking up the mugs. He flashed her a smile and Natalie shot upstairs to change into a skirt and apply a quick slick of make-up. She heard the front door close behind Stuart and, as she put on some lipstick, recalled his smile and those brilliant blue eyes. Wondering how he came to be single, she toyed with the idea of asking him around for a drink sometime. She did owe him one after the gift of the wine but…the memory of what had happened with Liam caused her to hesitate. The last thing she needed was a stalker next door. Frowning, Natalie ran downstairs and was about to leave when something made her stop in her tracks. The door to the sitting room was open, and she could have sworn it had been closed. Going in, her eye was drawn to the shelves holding books and ornaments. She remembered placing a photo of her parents next to the bronze Buddha. The photo was no longer there. Blinking in disbelief, she searched the shelves for any sign of it but it wasn’t there. Natalie rushed into the study but again drew a blank.
Convinced she was going mad, she walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and spotted the photo on the breakfast bar. As she moved to pick it up she felt the temperature in the room drop to that of a winter’s day and shivered. And what was that awful smell?