Page 31 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“And if it’s not?” Ellie asked.
He shrugged, chuckled. “Then you will have to find a lorry to transport it back to Marseille. Or you leave it here and go on your way without it.” He paused then added, “But I expect it can be mended so that you can hurry off to be with other English people and complain about the lack of tea and proper English pudding.” He gave a big, hearty laugh.
Ellie handed him the key. He stuffed it into the pocket of his apron. “Off you go,” he said. “Make the most of your day.”
“He’s right,” Dora said as they walked away. “We should make the most of our day. Of every day. Especially for me. Every day is a precious gift, especially in a lovely place like this. I will endeavour to enjoy myself.”
Ellie looked at her fondly. “So what would you like to do?”
Dora gave an almost naughty grin. “I should like to paddle in the sea. I expect it’s too cold to swim at this time of year, but at least we could paddle.”
“All right,” Ellie said. “We can do that. We’ll have to find the beach. There has to be one, or they wouldn’t sell buckets and spades.”
“So what was he going on about?” Mavis asked. “That man in there. He certainly laughed a lot.”
“He was telling us not to worry but to enjoy the nice weather,” Ellie said. “He said he’d been in England once and everyone was gloomy all the time.”
“That’s true enough,” Mavis said. “Everyone always looks so bloody miserable.”
They returned to the pension to find Yvette had retreated back to her room.
“We’re going exploring. Do you want to come with us?” Ellie said. “We want to find the beach.”
“Oh yes.” Yvette’s eyes lit up. “I’ve always wanted to see a beach, like on the posters with the glamorous ladies in their bathing suits.”
“I don’t think you’re going to find any glamorous ladies on a beach here,” Dora said.
“Maybe I should change back into a skirt if we intend to get our feet wet,” Ellie said. “I don’t want to risk spoiling these new trousers.”
“And I should remove my stockings,” Dora added. “What about you, Mavis?”
“Oh, I ain’t going near no water,” Mavis said. “I can’t swim. I’d be scared I’d be knocked down by a big wave. That happened to me once at Brighton, you know. Me and Reg went on a day trip with his firm, and I was standing at the edge of the water, and this ruddy great wave knocked me over. And do you know what he did? He laughed. He didn’t give me a hand or anything. He said I looked like a bloody beached whale.”
“You’re well rid of him, Mavis,” Dora said. “Don’t think about him again.”
“I’m trying not to,” Mavis said, “but he’ll be there, won’t he, when I get back? He’ll give me hell to pay for leaving without telling him. I should never have come. It was stupid of me.”
“We could help you get a divorce, if that’s what you want,” Ellie said.
“A divorce? Me?” Mavis looked scared. “Only rich people get divorces.”
“No. I’m now a divorced woman, and I’m not rich,” Ellie said.
“But it was your hubby what wanted it. I know Reg. He’ll contest it just to be spiteful. He’ll make up awful lies about me.”
“Let’s not talk about it on this lovely day,” Dora said. “We’ll change our clothes and go to find this beach.”
A little later they set off, wearing sandals and showing bare legs. They crossed the harbour area, passed the bar and the white villa, then the little park where two men were now playing pétanque, the metal balls echoing with a clang as they made contact. Then they found a narrow path that hugged the foot of the cliff. It was shaded by pine trees, and they were enveloped in that wonderful piny smell. As they came around the headland, they saw a small bay ahead of them, a tiny half moon of white sand beneath steep craggy rocks.
“Oh, how perfect,” Dora exclaimed. She hurried forward, almost breaking into a run. Ellie stared in wonder at this newly revealed Miss Smith-Humphries, trying to equate her to the stiff and critical spinster who had complained about the least crease in the altar cloth. They put towels down on a rock, then ventured tentatively to the edge of the sea. The bay was quite calm, with tiny wavelets rushing forward to break on the sand, then retreating again with a gentle hiss. Dora went boldly to the edge, didn’t hesitate as she walked into the water, and stood there, an ecstatic smile on her face.
“Wonderful,” she said. “Not even too cold. Next time I shall bring my bathing suit. I do still have one, you know, although the elastic may have gone by now.”
“Shouldn’t you be a bit careful, Dora?” Ellie said, feeling the unfamiliar warmth of sand under her bare feet. “Your heart. That cold water can’t be good.”
“Oh, but it is,” Dora said. “And anyway what better way to go than to be swimming in the Mediterranean.” She waded in deeper, holdingup her skirt until the water was almost up to her knees. Ellie followed her into the water, finding it quite cold enough, and stood ankle deep as waves swept past her. Mavis and Yvette stayed up near the rocks.
“Try it, Mavis,” Dora called out in English. “Come on, Yvette. You have to try new things.”
