Page 7 of The Little Island Flower Stall
The chunky old landline phone next to Celestine’s chair started to ring. She reached to pick it up and began a conversation, giving Bella time to consider a response. But then Bella was distracted for a moment as her great-aunt switched to fluent French. Only it didn’t quite sound like the French Bella was familiar with from her lessons at school. She reached into her memories and then recalled her dad talking about an old, lost language, something like French, which was only spoken on Jersey and by an increasingly small percentage of people. What was it called again? She remembered now that her dad had mentioned Celestine being able to speak it. He’d often talked about wanting to learn but not having the time. Bella was about to get out her phone and google it when Celestine ended the call and turned back to her.
‘Sorry about that. It was a friend of mine who has been calling every day since my fall and would have been dashing over here to check on me if I hadn’t answered.’
Bella smiled. ‘It’s great that you have such a good friend.’
‘We have a wonderful community here – I hope you’ll find that for yourself over the next six weeks.’
‘So, I was thinking,’ Bella began, putting her phone away. She could google to her heart’s content later, but now there werepractical considerations to put her mind to. ‘About the stall. Should I aim to get it open tomorrow? Would you be able to write me a list of things I need to do?’
‘You’ve only just arrived! I couldn’t ask you to jump straight in and?—’
‘I want to. It’s why I came, after all, and it will do me good to keep busy – take my mind off things I’d rather not dwell on. I’m happy to jump straight in if you’re happy for me to do it. Of course, I am going to need some guidance to get me started.’
‘All in good time. First I think you must settle in here. I would show you to your room, but…’
‘You must rest! Don’t think for a minute that you have to play hostess for me – that’s not why I’m here at all. I can find my own way around. I have been here before, after all. Admittedly some years ago, but still…’
‘Yes, I know. In that case, I’ve given you the bedroom at the front of the house.’
‘Isn’t that your bedroom?’
‘Not for a while now. I decided to take the back one because it stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I only used the front one for so long because that was your uncle Roland’s favourite, but once he was gone, well…’ She gave a frail shrug. ‘It didn’t matter any longer.’
Bella had only the vaguest recollection of her great-uncle Roland. Even when they’d visited as a girl, he’d largely been absent. He travelled for work and was often sent to the mainland, and even when he was in Jersey, he was often out with golfing buddies or having drinks with some friend or other. It had never occurred to Bella back then that he and her great-aunt might not have had the happiest marriage, but the thought struck her now as she considered what she knew. The ‘friend’ her aunt had just mentioned who’d pretended to be happily married for years simply for the sake of appearances…hadCelestine actually been talking about herself? If that were true, had Celestine only pretended to share the front bedroom with Roland whenever they had visitors? Had she retired to the other one when everyone had gone home?
‘Take your cases up whenever you like,’ Celestine said. ‘The bed is all made up if you need to take a rest…I suppose it was a long journey from Shrewsbury.’
‘It was a bit of a jaunt, but that’s all right. Taking a flight rather than the boat shaved quite a few hours off the journey time.’
‘I’m sure it must do. I remember the last time I went to the mainland…must be about twenty-five years ago. I went on the Seacat – I was so sick I vowed never to use it again.’
‘That’s lucky because I don’t think that service even runs now. At least I didn’t see a timetable for it online. If I had, I might have been tempted to take it just for the nostalgia. Either way, the flight suited me just fine. I don’t think I will sleep right now, though. I’ll take my stuff up and put it away, and then maybe we can go over what you need me to do at the stall.’
‘I wish I still had your energy.’
‘You’re off your feet and you should be recovering. Take advantage of me while I’m here and don’t worry about what you should and shouldn’t be doing.’
‘I ought to go down to the lock-up and talk you through everything there, but I can’t walk it at the moment.’
‘You don’t have any transport?’
‘Someone lent me a mobility scooter. I suppose I could go down on that. I haven’t actually tried it out yet.’ Celestine grimaced. ‘The truth is I hate the idea of having to use one, but I suppose needs must in this case.’
‘I’m sure it won’t be so bad. If you want to use that, we could go down together later.’
‘When you’ve had a cup of tea and a bite to eat.’
Bella got up and went to retrieve her cases. ‘I’m not going to argue with you on that score – I’m parched!’
From the bedroom that would be Bella’s for the next six weeks, she could see the ocean. There were trees and houses in the way, but in the gaps she could see the sparkling cauldron of St Rosa’s Bay, the place after which her aunt’s house had been named.
The room itself was dated, with faded floral wallpaper and curtains and fringed lamps, and ancient furniture comprising a solid teak bedframe and matching chest of drawers and wardrobe that looked as if they weighed more than the floor would hold. It was all reassuringly familiar. Celestine had used these items for years, and they would probably last someone else another lifetime after hers.
A thought floated through Bella’s mind. Who would Celestine leave all this to? She’d never had children – another thing Bella had in common with her great-aunt and another clue that, perhaps, her great-aunt’s marriage wasn’t as harmonious as she’d always pretended it to be – and so there was no automatic inheritance. Not that it was any of Bella’s business, of course, but the possibility that Villa Rosa would leave the family once Celestine died seemed a desperate shame to her.
Tearing herself away from the view and from more melancholy thoughts that she certainly didn’t need, Bella unpacked, taking advantage of the furniture that her aunt had probably gone to great pains to clear for her. She guessed as much because, through a crack in the door of the other bedroom, she noticed baskets piled with odds and ends that had probably once had a home in Celestine’s spare room. Bella hoped it hadn’t been too difficult for her, and if she’d known her great-aunt’s plans, she would have told her in no uncertain termsnot to bother on her account; she’d have squeezed her stuff in somewhere.
Once she was done, she went back downstairs and found Celestine dozing in the chair. There was a crocheted blanket on the back of the sofa. Bella pulled it off and draped it over her, and then went to the kitchen to see if she could find the tea things for herself.
