Page 68 of The Allotment on Willow Tree Lane

‘It was a TV series in the sixties, aimed at children,’ Betsan explained. ‘Had a revival about twenty-odd years ago. Our kids used to watch it.’

‘I like the outfits.’ Ceri bit her lip, trying not to laugh. It was so sweet of them to dress up.

‘I told you this was a daft idea,’ Terry said to Betsan.

‘You love my daft ideas.’ His wife nudged him with her arm. Ceri noticed that she had oversized gardening gloves on her hands.

‘You look very fetching,’ Ceri said. ‘I’m sure everyone loved it.’

‘They’re loving getting stuck in more,’ Terry observed.

The allotment was a hive of activity already, and when she gazed at it, Ceri felt a surge of pride.

‘Can we go in, Miss?’

Startled, she looked around to see Portia and Eleanor behind her.

‘Hi!’ she exclaimed. ‘You came! How lovely. Of course you can go in. Those are a couple of my first-year students,’ she explained to the vicar, as she watched them saunter away. Then she spotted someone else, and was equally as surprised and pleased.

Damon was standing a little way down the lane. He wasn’t looking at Ceri, though – he was staring at Bill and Ben, his mouth open.

Ceri beckoned him over, and he walked towards her slowly.

‘I was watching from my garden’ he said. ‘But I just had to come and see whatthatwas.’ He gestured to Terry and Betsan.

‘They’re Bill and Ben apparently. Don’t ask.’

Terry had focused on Damon and was squinting at him. ‘I don’t know if you remember me? I’m Terry Pritchard, the vicar, and this is my wife, Betsan. I presided over your grandmother’s funeral.’ He stepped forward and held out his hand, remembered he was wearing gardening gloves and took them off. ‘Thought I’d make a bit of an effort,’ he said. ‘Blame my wife – it was her idea.’

‘Nice to meet you again,’ Damon said formally, shaking the vicar’s hand first, then Betsan’s.

‘I don’t think we’ve seen you in Foxmore since her funeral.’ Terry cocked his head to the side, clearly fishing for information. ‘Are you back for long?’

‘Foxmore has always been my home,’ Damon said mildly, but his jaw was tense and Ceri knew it was a tell-tale sign that he wasn’t happy with the conversation.

She gave him a sympathetic look, wondering whether she should intervene, then she noticed that Betsan had intercepted it and was studying her curiously. A smile played about her lips and Ceri realised Betsan had guessed that she and Damon knew each other better than they were letting on.

Betsan said, ‘Come on, Terry, let’s leave Ceri in peace. I’m sure some of your parishioners would like a chat.’ She dragged her husband away, leaving Ceri and Damon alone.

Alone – apart from the two chaps ferrying bits of a shed from the white van in the lane to the far end of the allotment. Plus the students, who didn’t seem quite as enthralled with the allotment after their initial look around. Ceri had spotted them near Damon’s wooden gate a few minutes ago, but now they were heading in her direction.

‘Thank you for being here,’ she said to him in a soft voice. ‘You don’t know how much it means to me.’

‘It looks like it’s going to be a roaring success.’

‘I hope so. I’d better show willing and go do some work,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you later.’

He pulled her to him and gave her a swift kiss on the lips. ‘I’m counting on it. I can’t wait to take you back to bed.’

Ceri shivered with desire. The smouldering look he gave her made her insides melt, and she hastily turned away before she gave in to her lust and dragged him back to the house. She had an allotment to concentrate on!

Leaving Damon half-asleep hadn’t been easy, but it was Monday morning and Ceri had to go to go work, so she didn’t have any choice.

She crept out of his bed, dressed hastily and returned to her little cottage for a shower and some breakfast. Then she attempted to get her head into teaching mode as she drove into work. Although today wasn’t arduous, she wasn’t looking forward to it. Not only was she continuing to struggle with her role as a teacher, but she also now had the added distraction caused by Damon telling her he loved her.

Warning herself that she should put her private life to the back of her mind, she made a concerted effort to concentrate on her students. However difficult she might find her job, it would be unprofessional not to give it her best, and the kids deserved it, despite the soil-eating video incident.

Today they would be repotting the summer bedding plants ready for the college’s annual plant sale. All manner of shrubs, climbers, annuals, fruit and vegetable plants would be sold off, and the campus was open to the general public. It promised to be a fun day, with people able to see the farm animals that were used to teach many of the courses, as well as various stalls selling food and other produce (the honey from the college’s bee hives was particularly good), and Mark had told her that the college often had a surge of applications after these events.

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