Page 10 of The Little Island Flower Stall
‘Oui, Mama…’ Celestine grinned.
‘And enough of that!’ Bella said, grinning back. ‘I said my French was rusty, but I can spot sarcasm in any language!’
She turned back to the stall with a thoughtful look, the smile still lingering. She was suddenly excited at the prospect of running it. Yes, there was a lot to learn and it would be stressful at times while she got the hang of it, but she couldn’t honestly recall the last time she’d felt such a sense of purpose, like she had actual agency and worth. She was going to run this stall for her great-aunt, and she was going to do her proud. And she’d do herself proud too. Sean had made her feel as if she’d had no useful contribution to make to society, that her only value was in being his wife. Over the next six weeks, Bella was going to prove him wrong.
‘Celestine! How nice to see you out and about!’
Both women turned towards the sound of the voice. Celestine broke into a broad smile. ‘Dolly! Bella…this is a very dear friend of mine, Dolly. And, Dolly, this is my great-niece, Bella. She’s come from the mainland to help me while I recover.’
Dolly smiled at Bella. ‘Bella! I bet you don’t remember me. The last time I saw you, you must have been knee high to a grasshopper.’
Bella gave an apologetic smile. ‘I think I remember you being at the house once, but…’
‘Never mind,’ Dolly said. ‘It’s been a long time, and I look a lot older, I expect.’ She glanced at Celestine. ‘I said I would help with the stall, but your silly old aunt wouldn’t let me.’
Bella tried not to show her surprise at the statement. If anything, Dolly looked older and frailer than Celestine, walking with a stick and a slight hunch, and the notion of her running the stall in Celestine’s stead seemed quite ridiculous. Clearly, Bella’s aunt had thought better of it too.
‘I don’t mind helping at all,’ Bella said. ‘In fact, I’m looking forward to it.’
Dolly turned back to Celestine. ‘When do you intend to open up again?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘So soon?’
Celestine motioned to Bella. ‘My niece is quite adamant.’
‘I don’t see the point in messing around,’ Bella said. ‘I’m here – you might as well use me.’
‘I’m glad I’ve seen you,’ Dolly said, looking at Celestine with a glint in her eye that seemed to imply she had gossip – at the very least exciting or intriguing news. Bella sensed that the following conversation might not be for her, so she went to inspect the interior of the stall, though it was impossible not to hear them.
‘Have you heard?’ Dolly asked.
‘Heard what?’
‘There’s a man asking about Violette.’
‘Violette?’ Celestine’s voice dropped but not enough for Bella not to hear. ‘What about her?’
‘He’s asking about the scandal.’
‘What scandal? There was no scandal.’
‘Thescandal!’
‘Oh, that.’ Celestine’s tone became dismissive now. ‘Silly business.’
‘You don’t think she had a baby?’
‘I didn’t pay any attention to it, and I could hardly ask her after…Well, I couldn’t ask her.’
‘Yes, but you must have been curious.’
Bella glanced across to see Celestine frown deeply. ‘No, I wasn’t. It was Violette’s business, nobody else’s.’
‘I don’t know why she bothered to hide it,’ Dolly continued, looking crestfallen that her gossip had failed to pique Celestine’s interest. ‘Everyone could see her getting bigger, and then she disappeared for those three months. It was obvious.’
‘What does any of that matter now? It was decades ago.’
