Page 5 of The Little Island Flower Stall
Half an hour later, she was in a taxi, speeding down fragrant winding lanes on her way to St Rosa. Full hedgerows whizzed by on either side of the car, every so often giving way to emerald fields or vast blue skies. It wasn’t yet May, but everywhere was a lush, dazzling green, bluebells growing in shaded hollows and the trees full of blossom. There were early wildflowers here and there too, most of which she couldn’t name, though they looked familiar. She supposed she’d get to know them over the next fewweeks. She was looking forward to that. She was looking forward to getting to know her great-aunt all over again as an adult. There was a lingering guilt that she hadn’t been to see her since she’d got married, but life with Sean had simply not allowed it – at least that was the excuse she kept making to herself. Perhaps she could have argued with more vigour whenever he’d refused to accompany her to Jersey. Perhaps she could have fought harder to go by herself when he’d told her that he’d rather she didn’t go, despite not wanting to go with her. But Bella had to face the fact that she’d done none of those things and, with depressing regularity, had backed down, meaning she hadn’t been to Jersey in all the time she’d been married.
Celestine herself hadn’t seemed worried about any of that on the phone – in fact, she’d been thrilled at the prospect of her absent niece coming to stay and even more thrilled at the suggestion that Bella could help her to get the flower stall open again.
‘On holiday?’ The cabbie glanced in the rear-view mirror at Bella, who’d been quiet up until this point, her thoughts occupied with a thousand problems that seemed to trip over one another, leaving nothing distinct that she could even begin to process into a solution. And though she hadn’t wanted to start a conversation, perhaps it would be nice to switch off those thoughts for a moment to make idle chat.
‘Sort of,’ she said.
‘Hmm. Looking for a bit of peace and quiet, eh? Most people head to the bigger resorts. St Rosa’s not one of the better-known ones.’
‘I have family there. My great-aunt. She’s been there all her life.’
‘Oh, so you’re local?’
‘Not as such. Our branch of the family moved to England years ago. I’m not even sure when. I suppose I’m sort of anislander but not really. I did used to come all the time for holidays when I was young.’
‘Why wouldn’t you? I might be biased, but I think it’s the best place on earth. Visitors ask me: where does someone who lives on Jersey go on holiday, and I say I don’t. I stay in Jersey. I’ve got everything I could want right here – why would I spend half a year’s wages to go somewhere else that probably isn’t even as good?’
Bella smiled. ‘You have a point there.’
‘You’ve got your beaches, your countryside, the best food, beautiful towns, cracking people, sunshine…I think it’s heaven on earth.’
‘I can see why you wouldn’t go anywhere else.’
‘Where do you come from?’
‘Shrewsbury.’
‘Oh. Is it nice there?’
‘I think so. Not like here, of course, but it has pretty parts. There are worse places to live,’ Bella added, wondering vaguely where she would end up living when her six weeks on Jersey were done. The house she’d shared with Sean was in Shrewsbury, but would she even go back to the town now they were no longer together? The thought of seeing him around, perhaps with a new woman on his arm, filled her with dread, despite telling herself she didn’t care.
‘Staying for a week then?’
‘Six.’
‘Six weeks? That’s nice if you can do it. I don’t get that much time off in a year.’
‘I’m going to be working for some of it, actually.’
‘Really? Doing what?’
‘Selling flowers for my great-aunt. She has a stall on the promenade; had it for years.’
‘Sounds like a nice little number. Beats sitting in a car all day, eh? Not that I’m complaining – a job’s a job, right? And there are worse ones than this.’
‘I have no idea what to expect.’
‘Can’t be that hard, can it? Wrapping up a few daffs to sell here and there.’
‘That’s what I’m hoping.’
‘So you got somewhere to stay?’
‘Yes.’
‘Only I was going to say I’ve got recommendations if you hadn’t. If you need trips out or anything, let me know. I’ve got discount vouchers for the shell garden and all sorts.’
Bella smiled. ‘I went to the shell garden once. A long time ago. I’m surprised it’s still open. I seem to recall it being a bit mental. I didn’t expect it to be someone’s actual garden, just covered in shells.’
