Page 75 of The Little Island Flower Stall
‘I still have the freckles,’ Celestine said.
‘Celestine is…’ Violette paused, as if reaching for something in a dusty corner of her mind, something she hadn’t reached for in a long time. ‘She is my best friend.’
‘Your best friend?’ There was hope in Celestine’s voice now. ‘You think that? Because…’ Her tone flattened again. ‘Because you don’t remember what happened.’
Violette glanced at Bella again. ‘Why did you bring Dolly? ‘You know she makes such a fuss when she’s out with us.’
‘This is not Dolly,’ Celestine reminded her. ‘It’s Bella – my great-niece.’
Violette shook her head. ‘Don’t tease me, Celestine. How can you have…? Your brother is only…’
Bella could see the conflict in Violette’s eyes. She was battling to reconcile the reality in front of her with her flawed and broken memory, trying to make sense of what Celestine was telling her, and it was heart-wrenching to witness the desperation of it. Butthen Violette’s expression changed entirely, into something far darker and angrier.
‘Klaus…’
There was doubt in Celestine’s reply. For a moment, Bella wondered if she’d give up and leave. ‘That is why I came to see you.’
‘I don’t want you here,’ Violette hissed. ‘Go away, you snake!’
‘Violette, please?—’
‘Leave me alone!’
‘Give me one moment, Violette. Let me explain. Please look at me! I’m an old lady, not long for this world. If you ever valued our friendship, please give me a chance to explain. I can’t die without making you understand, without you knowing. I beg your forgiveness. One moment is all I ask to tell you how it happened, how sorry I am, how?—’
‘No.’ Violette shook her head.
‘But, Violette,’ Bella began, unable to stop herself, ‘at least…’
She swallowed it back at Celestine’s pleading look. Perhaps her great-aunt had a point. Violette was angry and confused, and perhaps Bella would only make it worse by getting involved.
‘Everything that happened was my fault,’ Celestine said. ‘I know that. I have spent my life knowing and regretting it. I wake every day thinking of it, and I would give anything to change it, but I can’t. I understand if you can’t forgive me, but let me at least tell you how it happened.’
‘I know how it happened,’ Violette said coldly. ‘You told.’
‘I didn’t mean to, I swear.’
‘You were jealous, and you wanted to ruin my happiness.’
‘Never! Perhaps I was a little jealous, but I would never have done anything to hurt you!’
Bella considered for a brief second that there would likely have been no happy ending for Violette, regardless of anything Celestine had done. A German soldier and a local girl and a babyborn out of wedlock? But she didn’t say so. She only watched, her heart thumping for her great-aunt. She could only imagine how hard this was for her.
‘It was a stupid mistake,’ Celestine continued. ‘I didn’t realise someone could hear me talking.’
‘You shouldn’t have been talking. I told you never to mention him unless we were completely alone.’
‘Yes, and I thought we were! I forgot myself; it was a lapse of judgement. How was I to know your father was in the next room? Even you didn’t know until he told you! He was so quiet, listening – I realise that now – and I… Violette, I’m so sorry! I have spent my life being sorry!’ As Celestine’s tears rushed from her now, Bella reached to put an arm around her. But Celestine shrugged it off. ‘No,’ she said thickly. ‘I don’t deserve it.’
Sitting back in her chair, Bella noticed that Violette was sobbing now too. She considered offering her hug to Violette. She wanted to, but she wasn’t sure it would be welcome. It was hard to bear the outpouring of emotion from both women without doing something to ease it. Despite this, she couldn’t help her shock at the revelation that it was Violette’s own father who had betrayed Klaus. Surely that would have put the entire family in danger? Unless he’d been clever about it, of course. If he’d been determined, no doubt there would have been ways to do it without implicating his daughter. Bella could well imagine there was motive enough – he’d have been horrified at Violette’s involvement with an enemy soldier, and he’d have wanted to put a stop to it. Not knowing the young man and his story, he’d probably have harboured enough hatred to do something drastic, simply because of who Klaus was.
Bella watched the two women as these thoughts ran through her head. She decided, if Celestine seemed strong enough, she’d ask her more about it later. Then, to her utter shock, Violettepushed herself slowly from her seat and went to Celestine. Bella held her breath. What was Violette going to do?
Celestine turned a wet face to her; Violette placed both her hands on Celestine’s shoulders and looked down at her with compassion.
‘Is it really you?’
‘It’s really me – your Celestine. Begging you to forgive her.’
