Page 20 of The Little Island Flower Stall
‘Very,’ Rory agreed, his expression thoughtful. ‘Can I ask…why was she mentioned?’
‘A friend of my great-aunt’s – Dolly – mentioned her. They were just gossiping, you know. Celestine didn’t seem like shewanted to discuss her, though. I get the feeling there was some animosity.’
‘What kind of animosity?’
‘I don’t know. Celestine clammed up.’ Bella frowned. ‘I’m sorry, but if that letter is from Violette, I’m not sure I can ask Celestine to translate it.’
‘Oh.’
The disappointment on his face almost made Bella relent, but some instinct was telling her not to get involved – or, at least, not to get her great-aunt involved.
‘I suppose,’ he said after a pause, ‘now I know what language it is, I can look for help online. I don’t suppose it will be on Google Translate, but there must be someone on Jersey who speaks it and can translate for me.’
‘I’m sure there must be. Celestine says they’re trying to bring it back to life in schools, so there might be a teacher somewhere who can help you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up for nothing.’
‘I wouldn’t say anything about the last half hour has been for nothing,’ he said, relaxing into a smile again. ‘In fact, I’ve really enjoyed our chat.’
‘Are you planning to visit Violette? You said she was in a home.’
‘I’m waiting for them to clear it. They have to do some checks, make sure I’m who I say I am, I suppose. They said they’d call me sometime today.’
‘Weren’t the flowers you bought from me earlier for her?’
‘Well…’ His smile was sheepish now. ‘Yes and no. I actually just wanted an excuse to talk to you some more, and I thought, at some point, Iwillneed flowers to take to the home so…they’re in a vase in my hotel room right now.’
Bella flushed again. She dragged her gaze from his eyes and stared very deliberately out onto the narrow, cobbled backstreet,where holidaymakers jostled for space, dragging beach bags and excited children in their wake. Their voices echoed through the space and Bella focused on the sound. Anything to take her mind off the implications of Rory’s statement. He’d wanted an excuse to talk to her. She was flattered, but if ever a set of circumstances had been against such a meeting, her current ones had to be it. Aside from the fact that she was newly separated from Sean, there were plenty of other complications.
‘That seagull has a lot to answer for,’ she said finally, in a bid to defuse the tension. She turned back to him, and he was still smiling at her.
‘My thoughts exactly.’
Bella glanced at her watch. ‘I should be getting back to the stall. I said I’d only be half an hour and I’m already over that.’
‘I’m sorry, I…Shit…’ He stood up, and Bella had to laugh as she noticed his ice cream had melted and dripped all over his trousers.
‘You’re really having no luck today,’ she said.
‘I should have been watching what I was doing instead of getting distracted by…well, getting distracted. I see you managed to eat yours without making a mess like a toddler.’
‘There was never any danger of me wasting perfectly good ice cream by letting it melt onto my clothes. I’m sure if you ask at the counter they can get you a wet cloth.’
‘Yes, I…’ Rory gathered up the mementos he’d shown to Bella. Then he glanced towards the counter before turning back to her.
‘Go on.’ Bella smiled. ‘Before it sets into the fabric.’
‘Thank you for meeting me,’ he said. ‘It’s been great.’
‘Thank you for sharing your story. If you need any help…well, I can’t make any promises, but I’ll always see what I can do. And I’d like to know how you get on, if you feel like sharing it.’
‘I will,’ he said, heading to the doors of the parlour as she went towards the street. ‘You can count on it.’
CHAPTER SIX
Business had picked up while she was away. Bella and Celestine weren’t exactly rushed off their feet, but it didn’t give Bella much time to dwell on her ice cream with Rory. They were enjoying a breather towards the late end of the working day when Bella thought about him and the story he’d shared with her again.
‘You know your friend Dolly?’ she asked as she cleared away stem cuttings.
‘Yes…’ Celestine unscrewed the cup from the top of her flask. ‘What about her?’
