Page 40 of Match Point in Crumbleton
‘Better that it all gets eaten,’ said Annie. ‘Besides, it gives me plenty of space to make some new batches.’
Andy had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop a hoot of laughter from escaping at the look of horror that had just crossed Harold’s face.
‘On that note,’ said Cath, ‘are you really sure you don’t mind us picking all your strawberries?’
‘We’re sure!’ said Harold quickly, widening his eyes as the horror in them intensified. He glanced down at the toast in front of him—smothered in strawberry jam—then back up to Cath with an air of pleading.
Andy snorted and quickly tried to pass it off as a sneeze.
‘Why?’ said Annie. ‘Don’t you need them? Because—’
‘We definitely need them!’ said Andy quickly, earning himself a grateful wink from Harold.
‘Well then, we don’t mind,’ said Annie. ‘We can’t let the town down at the last minute. Harold will just have to make do with something different on his toast.’
‘Maybe… some marmalade?’ said Harold hopefully.
It was Cath’s turn to bite her lip. She was clearly struggling to keep a straight face as much as he was.
‘If that’s what you’d like, my love, I’ll give it a go,’ said Annie, beaming at her husband, who looked like he was about to go into shock.
‘Shall we make a start?’ Andy said quietly to Cath.
There was something about the palpable devotion in the air that was making him feel weirdly emotional. He needed to get back outside in the fresh air and gather his wits.
‘Good idea,’ said Cath. ‘It’s going to take Fergus’s team ages to get them all washed and prepared… so we’d better get going!’
‘Start up at the top terrace,’ said Harold, ‘and work your way down. That way, by the time your back’s killing you from bending over, you won’t still be trekking all the way up the steps to the top.’
‘Roger that,’ said Andy, nodding his thanks.
‘I’ll grab the door!’ said Cath, dashing over to slide open the heavy French windows.
Andy waited for her to lead the way and then followed with the stack of boxes. He paused just outside to take a deep breath of fresh air.
‘You okay?’ said Cath, raising a quizzical eyebrow at him.
Andy nodded. ‘Just thinking what a perfect day it is for the event.’
It might have been a hastily concocted cover story for the fact that he was staring blankly up at the sky, but it was at least true. The high, scattered clouds were drifting lazily against a robin-egg sky. The breeze was light and fresh—perfect for staying cool without being enough to wreak havoc on any of the stalls.
Andy stooped to pop the stack of boxes down on the ground. ‘I vote we take one each, fill it, and then pile them up here as we go?’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Cath, grabbing one. ‘Race you!’
Andy smiled as she pelted off up the steep steps towards the top terrace. He blew out a sigh of relief as her playful attitude promptly melted the lingering awkwardness that had been threatening to body-snatched him.
Following at a slightly more leisurely pace, Andy admired the different levels of the garden as he climbed the steep steps. There were five levels in all, and other than a couple of brightly-coloured flower beds on the first terrace, the entire lot was set to strawberry plants, and all of them were dripping with fruit.
Considering how steep the garden was, it was a bit of a miracle that Harold managed to navigate it with his stick. It was evident that he spent a lot of time out there, though. Andy didn’t think he’d ever come across such pampered plants before. Their deep green leaves rested on a nest of golden straw—clearly there to keep the large, glossy berries out of the dirt and as far away from any rampaging slugs as possible.
‘They look a bit like jewels, don’t they?’ said Cath as he joined her on the top terrace.
‘I was just thinking that,’ said Andy. ‘Right… let’s see who can fill a box the fastest!’
The pair of them worked together in companionable silence, and by the time their boxes were full to overflowing, they seemed to have barely made a dent in what was on offer.
‘I’m glad we started early,’ said Cath, as they both carried their full loads down to the bottom, only to switch them out for empty boxes. ‘We could be here all day at this rate…’
