A Springtime Affair: An utterly gorgeous feel-good romance

From the moment Amy had arrived to pick Helena up for a weaving workshop, Helena could tell that Amy had gossip. She didn’t say anything on the journey and Helena decided not to give her friend the gratification and ask her.

When they’d arrived at the venue and done most of the setting-up, Helena caved in.

‘So why are you looking so pleased with yourself?’ she asked, ostensibly checking the list of names she had in front of her. ‘You’re looking amazingly smug and you obviously have big news.’

‘I have such brilliant gossip you will not believe it! And it’s really nice gossip too, nothing nasty.’

‘So, tell me?’

‘Not sure we’ve got time now. Everyone’s pretty much here. But afterwards, deffo.’

Helena considered that Amy’s use of rather old-fashioned slang was one of the many things she loved about her. Her habit of leaving you hanging was less endearing. But Amy had a point, people were ready to start and they should crack on.

‘So,’ said Amy when the session was over and they were driving back to Helena’s, ‘my mum saw yours yesterday evening.’

‘Who? My mum?’

‘That’s what I said!’

‘If that’s the gossip, it’s very lame.’

‘It’s all about the context! She saw her at that posh opera thing.’

‘Well, that’s nice. I didn’t know she was going.’ Still not proper gossip.

‘With a man! Not just any man, a gorgeous one. Mum said he was a silver fox!’

‘Oh.’ Helena felt put out and a bit worried about her mother. ‘Why didn’t she tell me she was going? How did she even dress herself without my going over her wardrobe?’

Amy understood there was more to this than Helena’s objection to not being consulted and shrugged her shoulders. ‘She’s a free agent. She can go out with whoever she likes without asking permission.’

‘No she can’t!’ said Helena, knowing she was being unreasonable. ‘Supposing she gets carried off by a conman? A “silver fox”, you say? That doesn’t sound like he’s trustworthy, does it?’

‘No, but it sounds like he’s hot. And being hot doesn’t make you a bad person. I should know!’ Amy pointed to herself and made a face. ‘Seriously, Helly, I thought you’d be delighted, your mother meeting someone. She’s been on her own long enough.’

Helena sighed. ‘I’m delighted if he’s nice, but you know Mum, she’s vulnerable. She can be taken in by anyone.’

‘I don’t think you give her enough credit. She must have to judge character every day with her business. Think how she’s made your old house into a B & B that’s so good it’s practically a boutique hotel. You can’t do that if you’re an idiot.’

‘I know,’ said Helena, feeling chastened but not reassured. ‘But I worry about her and men. She made such a bad choice when she picked my father, I’m not sure she can make good decisions about them.’

‘This may not be an actual thing. They may just have gone to the opera together and never see each other again.’ It was Amy’s turn to sigh. ‘You know what men are like.’

Helena did relax a bit now. ‘True.’

‘I wouldn’t have told you if I thought you’d worry about it. I just thought you’d be pleased Gilly had had a night out with a good-looking man.’ She paused. ‘Why don’t you give her a call? Not to tell her off, obvs, but to congratulate her. Say you’d heard and you’re a bit jel.’

Helena laughed properly now. ‘She won’t believe I’m jealous! But, on the subject of men, have you met our gorgeous landlord yet?’ Helena realised that she hadn’t thought of him as gorgeous before and now she’d described him as such Amy would get overexcited.

‘No, I didn’t go in the end as I had someone else in my sights – I told you. But you didn’t describe him as gorgeous – I might have called round anyway.’

Helena shrugged.

‘So have you done anything about him?’ Amy went on, firing up all her regular arguments. ‘You need to get in there! You can’t just stand back and hope that he’ll do something, he won’t! Men are totally lazy when it comes to women.’

‘Probably because if most women are like you, men have them crawling all over them. They don’t have to make an effort.’

‘And women do!’ Amy was very clear on this point.

Helena was very tempted to say something about her and Jago, but she held back. It might rebound on her. So instead she said, ‘Well, my mother obviously doesn’t seem to have to make much of an effort. I’d have known if she’d had her eye on this silver fox.’

‘Give her a call,’ Amy repeated. ‘But don’t tell her off!’

‘As if!’ said Helena, although she took the warning to heart. She would be very casual, as if she wasn’t remotely worried about who her mother went out with.

She waited until early afternoon, when her mother was likely to be at her desk sorting out her diary, before she rang.

‘Hi, Mum! What’s this about you being seen with a silver fox!’ Helena hoped she sounded sufficiently light-hearted. ‘Did you have a good time?’ she added.

‘Amy told you?’ Gilly laughed. ‘I didn’t think it would take Michelle long to tell on me.’

‘To be fair, I think she was more impressed than disapproving.’ Helena managed to hesitate for a tenth of a second before going on. ‘So who was he and how did you meet him?’

‘Honestly, darling, anyone would think I was an underage convent girl, not a middle-aged woman, quite old enough to be in a public place with a member of the opposite sex.’

Helena’s laugh sounded a bit false, even to her. ‘Sorry! I’m just curious.’

There was a pause. Helena could picture her mother, who by now would be playing Spider patience on her computer, something she always did while on the phone unless it was a business call. Therefore a hesitation on Gilly’s part didn’t always mean she was thinking of what to say – she could just be working out a move with her game. ‘Are you still there, Mum? Or have you got a tricky patience to get out?’

Gilly laughed again.

Honestly, Helena thought, her mother could almost be accused of being giddy. ‘So? I can’t decide if you’re holding out on me or wondering if you’ll have to start your game again, for the hundredth time.’

‘Of course I’m not holding out on you. His name is Leo Simmons. I have only just met him and he had a spare ticket for the opera at Gainsborough House and asked me if I’d go. He’s new to the area and doesn’t know many people. I was just helping him out.’

‘And did you bring the picnic?’

‘I did! You know how I love making picnics.’

‘Were there leftovers?’

‘There were but I’m afraid I left them in the car with Leo. He was so appreciative.’

‘I’ll forgive you if you promise to arrange for me to meet him,’ said Helena, feeling she was winning. ‘Just a casual Sunday lunch would do. You could invite Martin and Cress.’

‘Then it would look as if he was having to meet all the family because we were going out properly which would be a bit much considering we’re not.’

‘Just invite me, then,’ said Helena, determined to meet her mother’s silver fox.

‘That would look worse! Really, Helly, you are being a bit unreasonable.’

‘You know me, I’ll go to any lengths to get one of your Sunday lunches.’ She paused. ‘I know! Why don’t I bring someone?’

‘Who? Amy? That would look very normal, I must say! I go out with him once and then five minutes later make him come to Sunday lunch with two giggling schoolgirls.’

‘We don’t giggle any more, Mum! At least, not all that often. And besides, I don’t mean Amy. I mean a man.’ Jago would do well out of the invite. Her mother’s Sunday lunches were famous locally.

‘A man? You? Good Lord!’

‘Just a friend, Mum, just like your friend!’ Helena was sowing the seeds carefully, not letting it look as if she and Jago were anything more than friends just yet.

‘OK,’ said Gilly. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

Gilly continued to sit at her desk, playing Spider, when an email appeared at the top right-hand corner of her computer and drifted into her in-box. Maybe inviting Leo to Sunday lunch would be easier than she’d thought.

She clicked on his email, unable to stop smiling with delight.