Yorkshire Lady

Yorkshire Lady part 4

Part 4

The weeks passed and the gardens began to take shape. Caroline had voiced a hope that they would n't look too manicured and 'high maintenance'. 'When you see some gardens it looks like nature's being strangled or put into a corset', she had remarked one day to Rick and John.

' I like the idea that a garden shows that you've reached an amicable compromise with nature, let her have a bit of freedom. I'd say she's beautiful enough without being tarted up'.

Rick smiled at John, who nodded and Caroline realised with relief that they were not laughing at her but in agreement with her.

Rick put a hand onto her shoulder. 'Thanks Mrs L. I was half afraid you'd want a guitar or clock in flowers or something equally 'Rock and Roll' but that's not your style is it?' He smiled at her with a warm brotherly affection.

Caroline 's returning smile was shy and she glanced side ways at John to see his reaction too. He met her eyes and blushed casting his eyes down quickly as if caught out doing something inappropriate.

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The inside of the house was coming along well too. Phyllis was happy that Caroline was unafraid of getting her hands dirty and was happy to do her fair share of the work.

If anything, she thought Caroline did far more than her fair share. She worked in the house, helped in the garden and unlike many showbiz wives didn't have a nanny for her boys.

Her flat refusal to have one had annoyed Andy who for 5 years had had to field off comments from colleagues and journalists but she had been adamant that she had not given birth just to hand her children to someone else. 'It isn't like I have a full time career outside of home', was her usual reasoning for this and rather difficult to counter act.

On a blazing hot August morning Phyllis thought that Caroline was looking pale and frankly exhausted as they put away the now clean breakfast pots, with her temper, usually as placid as a pond on a terribly short fuse.

She had just blown her top at Freddy and Charlie, a quite disproportionate reaction to their harmless mischief.

Phyllis made a jug of icy blackcurrant cordial and steered Caroline into a chair at the kitchen table. She put a glass of the dark purple liquid in front of the younger woman and crouched down to speak to the boys. 'Now don't you worry my lambs, Mummy's just very tired and it's making her a proper grump.' Would you both do me a big boy favour and go to tell Rick

and John that your Auntie Phyllis needs to speak to them please.' Caroline looked slightly affronted at being called a grump.

A few minutes later Rick and John were towed into the kitchen by 2 small boys. ' We've been hijacked!' Said Rick melodramatically ' by these 2 thugs working for someone called

Auntie Phyllis. '

Phyllis cut to the chase immediately. 'Gentlemen, which of you thinks that Miss Caroline here is overdoing things?' Both men's hands went up. Phyllis nodded at Caroline.

'There now, what did I say?' She turned to Rick. 'Don't you have some garden supplies to buy ?' Rick answered 'yes'.

'That's good. I'm on shopping duty this week, so I suggest that you and I go together and combine our 2 jobs with taking these boys to the park. We can get a take away for dinner tonight and I'm sure John can be trusted to make sure that Madame here has a quiet LAZY afternoon'.

After lunch Rick, Phyllis and the boys went out and the house was empty but for Caroline and John. Caroline found to her surprise that this knowledge gave her a quiet thrill.