Jenny was wilting and she had only potted up half the dahlia tubers. She wandered over to the garden bench, took out her mobile phone from her pocket and chose Number One Daughter from the list of contacts. Emma answered immediately.
“Hi love, I have some news,” Jenny said, trying to sound cheerful. “Harriet is getting married!”
“Oh, for goodness sake, Mum,” replied Emma, impatiently. “Some of us do use Facebook, you know. Harry posted the news five minutes after James proposed.”
Jenny sighed and regretted making the call.
“So, which outfit is it going to be this time, Mum? The fawn or the navy?” Jenny swotted a fly away from her face. “If you mean my biscuit two-piece or my midnight blue dress, I haven’t decided yet.”
“You really are dreadful, Mum. You’ve created a dreamy garden which is full of colour and yet you wear the most drab, boring clothes. Anyone would think you want to be invisible.”
Anyone would think I don’t have feelings either, Jenny thought.
“Just because you are an attractive, youngish widow doesn’t mean every letch in Duffield will pounce——-err——-sorry, Mum——- but I have to go, there’s another call coming in. I’ll call later. Byeee.”
The line went dead and Jenny felt like she had been crushed with a blunt pair of secateurs. Her heart ached.
Emma was irritating but right. Jenny was in a rut and she knew she could not hide in the back of the border forever.
She returned to the dahlias and as she buried the brown, knobbly tubers in warm compost, she mused how wonderful it was, that something so uninspiring had so much to offer. Tiny shoots were appearing and soon the tubers would explode into rich, burgundy foliage studded with dazzling sherbet lemon, tangerine and magenta blooms. She smiled at the thought of Emma’s expression if she turned up at the wedding wearing an outfit fizzing with such vibrant hues.
But Jenny was sensible and it would be unkind to Harriet if she attracted attention on the big day. Still, there was no harm in looking for some new accessories. She decided to go shopping - but not until the dahlias were finished.
The wedding overflowed with froth and romance. Jenny’s midnight blue dress looked smart and everyone said how well she looked. In fact, her sister said she glowed with a new, inner radiance. Even Emma conceded that her mother was making an effort and found it amusing that a pair of new patent shoes could make such a difference.
Of course, Jenny knew exactly why she felt good. I am botanically inspired, she thought and according to the assistant in Justina’s Lingerie Boutique in Derby, exotic florals were bang on trend. Who would have thought that dahlias could find their way into underwear? Not that Jenny said any of this to Emma. She just helped herself to more Champagne and joined in the fun.