And to my amazement, most of them did buzz their way back to a small hole in the hive box and disappear back inside.
‘Well, then.’ Ziva stuck gloved hands on her hips. ‘You’re looking much improved! This is Eleanor, who I told you about,’ she informed the other woman, who was much younger, with a cloud of dark, corkscrew curls. Behind her huge tortoiseshell glasses I could see Ziva’s kind brown eyes, which along with her slender frame led me to guess correctly that they were mother and daughter.
‘Eleanor, this is Becky, my youngest. She’s helping me heft the hives.’
‘Right. Hi.’
‘Having recently chucked in a highly successful career in pharmaceutical sales on a whim and a prayer, she’s otherwise rattling around the village getting up to mischief wherever she can find it.’
‘Mum!’ Becky groaned. ‘I’m thirty-three, not thirteen.’
‘Either way, you need something to occupy that vivacious brain of yours. Maybe making a new friend would be the first step.’
‘Ungh.’ Becky smacked one glove over her face. ‘I’m so sorry about my mother. The way she talks, you’d thinkIwas the embarrassing one.’
We both stood there, feeling the self-consciousness of two girls on the first day of school wondering if they’d found a friend.
‘Well, Becky? Why don’t you tell her about the bees?’
Becky pushed her glasses up her nose. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, mother. No normal person is interested in hearing about the bees. Especially in this weather. Eleanor, I’m so sorry, please don’t let us keep you.’
‘Oh, don’t be such an apiary snoot!’ Ziva exclaimed, as if bewildered at the very thought I might not be wandering through life bursting with bee questions. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of things she’d like to know, aren’t there?’
‘Um, yes. Of course…’
‘Well? Ask away, dear! Oh, for goodness’ sake, David, it’s not warm enough to be out and about yet!’
Ummmm… ‘Do you give all the bees names?’
Becky broke into a grin, her handsome features suddenly adjusting to fit her face perfectly. ‘These are all the D boys, because they’re in hive D, with Queen Delilah.’
‘Right.’ Well, that made perfect sense now.
‘Are you collecting honey?’
‘Nah, not this time of year. We’re hefting the hives, like Mum said. Checking the boys still have enough food to last until spring. The D boys are a bit light, so we’re going to treat them to a slab of fondant icing as a top-up. Do you want to stay and watch?’
‘No!’ I replied, forcefully enough to replace Becky’s grin with a look of surprise. ‘I mean, I would, another time, but I’m a bit nervous of getting stung. I wouldn’t want to do the wrong thing and make them angry.’
Bya bit nervousI meantextremely anxious, but I didn’t want to seem rude and upset the D boys.
‘I’ll let you get on. But, um, Becky, I mean, if you wanted and if you’ve not got much on at the moment, then, well, I’ll be staying at the farm for a little while longer so if you were at a loose end one afternoon then you could, well…’For goodness’ sake, Eleanor!I sounded like I was asking her out on a date. Why were words so much easier when you could write them down? ‘Anyway, what I mean to say is feel free to come over for a cup of tea anytime. Or coffee, if you don’t like tea. Or water. A drink! Any drink… well, obviously notanydrink…’
Phew. I could feel myself sinking deeper into the mud.
‘A cup of tea would be lovely! Thanks so much for asking! I will do that. Probably a day when Mum’s busy so she doesn’t tag along and spoil it.’
Ziva had the gall to look affronted. ‘As if. I have my own friends, thank you very much.’
‘What, Damian and Duke and Demetrius?’ Becky smirked, making it impossible not to smile back.
‘Do be quiet, poor Eleanor will be thinking we’re completely batty, and when you come knocking for that drink she’ll pretend to be out and then where will you be? Back to being a Noreen No Mates!’
‘Well, I’d better get on and leave you to it,’ I interrupted, my face having grown so stiff with the cold I sounded like I’d just had dental surgery. ‘Really nice to meet you, Becky.’
I turned and hurried away before they could open the hive again.
* * *
