The Little Island Flower Stall

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Celestine insisted on waking early with Bella to go and help with the morning’s delivery, despite Bella’s protestations that there was hardly a point in her being there at all if Celestine wasn’t going to use the next few weeks to recuperate.

‘You want to go home?’ Celestine had asked with the expression of a puppy that had just been kicked. ‘I’m glad you’re here, but I don’t want you to feel you have to be.’

‘Of course I don’t! All I mean is you haven’t done a lot of resting. Take advantage of me, please, and put your feet up. You’re not…’

‘Getting any younger?’ Celestine had raised her eyebrows in a way that had forced Bella to smile.

‘You know I think you’re amazing for your age, but even stubborn Celestine Everard has to accept sometime that she’s in her nineties and for most humans that’s a bit on the old side.’

Celestine had made all the noises to suggest Bella had won the argument, but here she was now, whizzing around in her scooter, looking over Bella’s shoulder at every opportunity as she tried to organise their newest delivery.

Don’t put them there – too much sun later when it moves around.

Those will need trimming before you put them in water.

Pop some support in there – they’ll droop.

They’ll drop pollen everywhere so best to keep them away from everything else.

Bella nodded at each slice of wisdom, and she tried not to feel as if everything she did was being critiqued, but it was hard. While they were still getting along, it seemed the honeymoon period was over. Was she about to witness the real Celestine? A bit bossier than she remembered, a little bit more critical, watching her like a hawk? Bella wondered if it was only her aunt’s way of feeling useful – after all, she’d run this business for over sixty years and to suddenly have it taken away from her must have made her feel strange and redundant. Bella could only imagine.

‘How about a nice cup of tea?’ Celestine asked once they’d set up. ‘I’ve made the flask up.’

‘I could murder a coffee quite honestly,’ Bella said. ‘Is there somewhere nearby I can get one? I mean, if it’s all right for me to leave you. You seem to have things under control here, and I wouldn’t be long.’

‘Of course it’s all right. There’s a café off the promenade…go that way’ – she pointed left – ‘then take the second left and the first on the right. It’s at the top of that street. I can’t say I’ve had coffee from there, but their cakes are lovely so I’m sure that’s fine too. Take as long as you need; I’ll be all right here.’

‘Brilliant – I won’t be long.’

Bella set off, following her aunt’s directions. The sky was overcast, but the sun was trying to break through. Even though it wasn’t yet nine, there were plenty of people around, some on their way to open up shops, some out with dogs, many who looked like visitors getting ready to squeeze every last moment out of a hard-earned beach day.

Once she’d got to the end of the street where Celestine had told her she’d find the café, Bella didn’t need any further direction. Her nose was all she needed, following the sweetness on the air. She wondered if they baked their own cakes for sale because it smelled that way.

Michel’s Bakery was hidden from sight, even as Bella walked the narrow, cobbled street, but it appeared like a vision from a fairy tale, lilac wooden-framed windows with bullseye glass, a lilac front door framed by clematis and a display of cakes that were so pretty and delicate it almost seemed a crime to eat them. Bella went in, her stomach gurgling despite the fact she’d already had toast for breakfast, her nose tickled by the scents of good coffee and sugar on the air.

‘What can I get you?’

A man, perhaps in his sixties, handsome despite the grey hair and deep lines, smiled to welcome her.

‘I came in for an Americano, but everything in here looks so good I might have to take one of each as well!’

‘I wouldn’t object to that,’ he said, his smile growing with obvious pride. ‘Shall I get your Americano while you decide?’

‘Yes, please – make it a large one.’

‘Ah, you feel a busy day coming on?’

‘Something like that.’

As he set about making her drink, Bella turned to the cakes. As she was trying to make up her mind – or, rather, trying to control the urge to buy everything – the bell on the door tinkled and she turned to see Celestine’s friend, Dolly, come in. In her straw sunhat and cotton gloves, she looked like she’d just stepped out of a black-and-white film.

‘Morning, Michel.’

‘Morning, Dolly. How are you today? Come for your bread?’

‘Yes, I…’ It was then Dolly recognised Bella. ‘Oh, hello! You’re Celestine’s niece! You’re still here then!’

‘Yes,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Still here.’

‘Lucky Celestine,’ Dolly said. ‘I wish I had someone looking after me. Still, I do what I can, because there’s only me to do it.’

Bella wondered if Dolly was as old as Celestine. She was certainly old, but it was hard to tell. She decided that she didn’t think so. There might not be much in it, but now she looked closer, Dolly did seem a few years younger. ‘I’m more looking after the stall than looking after Celestine, to be honest. And right now I’m not doing a lot of that. She’s there as we speak, working as if nothing has happened.’

Michel brought Bella’s coffee over and placed it on the counter. ‘You’re helping at Bay Blooms? Someone told me Celestine had opened up again – I thought it was a bit quick after her injury. How is she doing? I must go over and say hello when I get time.’

‘Always has been a headstrong one, Celestine,’ Dolly put in. ‘I’m sure she must make a terrible patient.’

‘A bit.’ Bella smiled. ‘I don’t want to sound as if I’m complaining – I don’t mind really. I suppose she’s probably only thinking of me still getting the hang of the job.’

‘Hmmm,’ Dolly replied, leaving Bella wondering what, exactly, that meant.

‘Is there anything else I can get you?’ Michel asked her.

‘Oh, I haven’t chosen yet,’ Bella said. She turned to Dolly. ‘Go ahead and get your order; I’m rubbish at making up my mind so I’ll be ages.’

Michel went to a shelf and took down an already wrapped loaf. ‘Anything else today, Dolly?’

‘No, that’s it.’

He put it on the counter, and Dolly opened her handbag. A moment later, she let out an impatient sigh. ‘I’ve only gone and left my purse at home!’

‘Pay me next time,’ Michel said.

‘I’ll get it,’ Bella said. ‘I’ll take two eclairs as well please.’

‘You don’t need to—’ Dolly began, but Bella stopped her.

‘It’s just a loaf – don’t worry about it.’

‘That’s very kind of you,’ Dolly said.

Michel boxed up Bella’s order, and she paid for it all. Bidding him goodbye, she and Dolly left the bakery together.

‘Are you off home now?’ Bella asked.

‘I expect so.’

‘Is it far? I mean, will you be all right?’

Dolly gave her a wry smile. ‘I’m sure I will – I do it every day, after all.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound quite as patronising as it did.’

‘That’s all right; I know you didn’t. Are you going back to the stall?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’ll walk that way with you then, say hello to Celestine while I’m at it.’

‘That’d be nice. And I can pump you for information on what a naughty girl Celestine was when she was young so I can use it to bribe her when I need to.’

‘Oh!’ Dolly chuckled. ‘I’m sure I could tell you some stories! What a gang we were back in the day.’

‘Who’s that? Who was in the gang? Only the cool kids, eh?’

Dolly began to shuffle along, and Bella was careful to keep a steady pace for her. ‘I don’t know about that, but we caused our fair share of trouble.’

‘I bet. Were you all around the same age?’

‘Violette and Roland were a couple of years older than Celestine?—’

‘Roland? My great-uncle Roland?’

‘Oh yes, he was sweet on Violette. She wasn’t interested in him though.’

‘But he ended up being married to Celestine.’

Bella considered, for the briefest moment, that her own great-uncle might be the mystery man who’d got Violette pregnant. But from what Dolly was saying, that seemed unlikely. Should she mention it to Rory anyway? The idea made her uneasy – it seemed just a bit too close to home and a bit messed up. Not to mention she wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of being related to Rory, no matter how distant it might be. Because if they were in any way related, then they could never…

She banished the idea and turned her attention back to unravelling the mess of information she was currently getting from Dolly.

‘Funny how things turn out, isn’t it?’ Dolly continued. ‘Nobody saw Celestine and Roland getting married, but the end of the war changed a lot of things. I was a few years younger than your aunt. I hated that – they used to take me along on their jaunts, but they always seemed annoyed about it.’

‘That’s kids for you, I suppose. Who else used to hang out with you?’

‘Violette’s sister sometimes came along. She was between Violette and Celestine in age. She died just after the war, scarlet fever I think it was – I forget now.’ Dolly shook her head. ‘They had some terrible times in that family.’

‘I suppose you all did during the war.’

‘I hardly think of it these days.’

Bella nodded slowly, her mind going back to the crumbs of information she had about Celestine’s life during the wartime occupation of the island. It didn’t seem like nearly enough. She’d often wondered about it as a girl, but the longer she spent in Celestine’s company here, the more she wanted to hear about it. In some ways, she felt it would help her understand how Celestine had become the amazing woman she was. ‘Were you scared?’

‘I was so young when they arrived I don’t remember it so well now.’

‘How old were you?’

Dolly was thoughtful for a moment. ‘I’d have been six when it all started. I recall my seventh birthday being a bit overlooked because my parents were so worried.’

‘That’s so sad. It must have been terrifying.’

‘I got used to it quickly – we all did. We had to. I always remember the adults seemed more scared than us youngsters, and I could never understand that. Now, of course, I do, but back then…’ She shrugged. ‘I just remember the soldiers being around, but they mostly ignored me so I ignored them. They used to notice Violette and her sister; I do remember that. The adults were always warning all us girls to stay away from the Germans, even the younger ones like me. Not everyone did. It was a strange time and people did strange things…’ Dolly’s tone darkened, but as quickly as it did, she was back to normal again. ‘Violette and Anais – that’s her sister, you know – they were both so pretty. Not me…How I envied them. Celestine too, though she’d never say it.’

‘I bet you were lovely,’ Bella said as they emerged from the shade of the narrow street and out onto a wider boulevard where the sun was already breaking through the haze.

‘People said so, but they didn’t stare like they did at Violette and Anais. I’m sure every girl in St Rosa was jealous.’

‘You were a lot younger, though.’

‘Oh, yes, but even as I got older, I didn’t fill out in the way they had. I suppose I was what you’d call a late bloomer – I was practically married by the time I got a figure to speak of.’

‘I’d love to see a photo of you all. Do you have any?’

‘I might have one or two, but I’m not sure where they are. Haven’t looked at them in years.’

‘I have this friend…’ Bella began slowly, an idea forming. ‘He’s interested in the history of Jersey around St Rosa at that time. I bet he’d love to talk to you.’

If Bella had given it a second’s more thought, she might have realised what trouble she was stirring up. ‘I don’t suppose you’d talk to him about those days? About your little gang of friends?’

‘I’m sure he wouldn’t be bothered about that after all these years.’ Dolly wafted away the idea. ‘You said he wanted to know about the history of the island.’

‘Yes, and you’re a part of that history. That bit, anyway. I know he’d love to hear about it.’

Dolly paused and her pace stuttered with it, so that Bella was walking so slowly she almost felt she’d stopped. ‘Does he live here then?’

‘No, he’s staying for…well, I’m not sure about that, but I know he’d make time to talk to you, whenever it suited you.’

‘And he wants to know about Jersey history?’

‘Sort of. He’s really just interested in those few years when the war was on, I think. About the prisoners of war who used to work here too. Do you know about them?’

‘Can’t say I do. I know we used to see them arrive sometimes, but that’s all.’

‘Oh. I suppose anything might be good, though.’

‘I could talk to him,’ Dolly said thoughtfully. ‘Is he going to ask Celestine as well?’

‘I don’t…’ Bella hesitated. She realised she was going to have to ask Dolly not to mention this to Celestine, but how on earth could she do that without it sounding like a very dodgy request? ‘I’m not sure. She doesn’t seem keen. I asked her, but…’

‘She’s very sensitive about it all, you know. She was never the same after the falling-out with Violette.’

‘They fell out? How?’

‘I don’t know exactly what it was about, but it was shortly before Violette went away.’

‘Went away where?’

‘She said Cornwall to see some relatives, but…’ Dolly tapped the side of her nose. ‘She was gone for a long time, and when she came back…well, she wasn’t the same girl. Always crying at the strangest moments. Wouldn’t even look at a man, and before that she’d been the biggest flirt…loved the attention. Celestine tried to make it up, but Violette wouldn’t have any of it. Didn’t speak to her for years, and even when she started to again, it was only to say what she had to say.’

‘Really? And you don’t know what happened?’

‘Neither of them would talk about it.’

‘Was this during the war? Because I thought the Nazis didn’t allow anyone to leave the island?—’

‘Afterwards. Not long, though.’

Bella pondered this new piece of information. Celestine was loved by all in St Rosa – that much was obvious from the way she’d been greeted by everyone since Bella’s arrival. From what Dolly said, Violette had been popular as well, and the two had been good friends at some point. So what had happened? The more Bella learned, the more the mystery beguiled her.

‘Most round here were convinced she’d gone off to have a baby,’ Dolly added, breaking into Bella’s thoughts. ‘I’d say that sounds about right.’

‘How old was she at this point?’

‘Seventeen, perhaps. I forget.’

‘And Celestine was…?’

‘Ooh, must have been about…fifteen?’

‘Seems a bit harsh of Violette to have such a big spat with someone so much younger than her. Must have been awful for Celestine,’ Bella remarked, suddenly feeling desperately sorry for her great-aunt. She had no details, of course, but it didn’t seem right. Violette was practically an adult at this point, but Celestine would still have been a child.

‘As I said, Violette was never right after she came back from Cornwall. She’d been happy as a sandpiper for a while, even with the soldiers all over the place telling us what to do, but then…’ Dolly shook her head. ‘To this day I don’t know what happened, but she changed overnight. You’d have thought she’d be thrilled to see all the soldiers leave the island once we were liberated, but no. One day, sweetness and light, the next she didn’t want to talk to any of us. Even Anais couldn’t get through to her.’

‘Anais – that’s her sister? Did she know what was going on behind closed doors?’

‘I’m sure she did, but she wouldn’t say. I suppose she’d been sworn to secrecy.’

‘Hmm.’ Bella was quiet as she processed all she’d learned. Even if Dolly decided not to speak to Rory, she herself had quite a lot of new leads to give him. Unless, of course, he’d already managed to uncover some of this for himself.

‘Of course,’ Dolly continued, ‘Violette married a few years afterwards, and I don’t suppose it would have gone down very well with her husband if he knew there was another man’s baby out there somewhere.’

‘I think there was a baby,’ Bella said, and immediately realised she shouldn’t have done. Why did she keep doing that?

Dolly clapped her hands together and let out a cry of triumph. ‘I always said so! And your aunt called me a terrible gossip every time! Aha!’ she added. ‘So your friend…Is he the man who’s been asking about it? I told Celestine some mainlander was up and down the town talking to people!’

‘I couldn’t say,’ Bella replied carefully. ‘He might be.’

‘I’ll talk to him all right!’ Dolly exclaimed. ‘I might be able to get a few answers myself!’

‘I’ll phone him to see what he says.’ Bella was suddenly filled with doubt. Perhaps she shouldn’t have started this conversation, but it was too late to undo it now. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t mention this to Celestine,’ she added. ‘Like you said, she doesn’t much like talking about it, and I don’t want to remind her of things she’d rather forget.’

‘I shan’t breathe a word, you can trust me. When shall I meet this friend of yours?’

‘I’ll speak to him and let you know. Can I have your phone number?’

Dolly laughed. ‘I can never remember that! Have my address…do you have a pen and paper?’

‘No, but I’ve got the Notes app…’ Bella balanced the box of cakes on her arm and reached into her bag for her phone.

‘Twenty-nine Rue de Bas,’ she said. ‘If you knock and I don’t answer, you’ll probably find me in the back garden. And if I’m not there, I suppose I’m out and you’ll have to come back.’

Bella smiled as she typed the address into her notes. ‘Got it.’

They emerged from the shelter of the streets into the full glare of the now sunlit promenade. The sea glittered, serene and blue, ahead of them, and most of the stalls were now open for business.

‘Don’t forget,’ Bella said, trying not to let her tone attach too much significance to the request but at the same time warn Dolly not to let the cat out of the bag, ‘For now at least, please don’t tell Celestine about Rory.’

‘Is that your friend?’

Bella nodded.

‘Mum’s the word,’ Dolly said with a sage nod. ‘I won’t say anything.’

Celestine was sitting on her scooter outside the stall, staring out to sea. She turned at their approach.

‘Look who I bumped into,’ Dolly said. ‘She’s treated me to a loaf of bread and everything.’

‘Has she now?’ Celestine shot Bella a wry smile.

‘Sorry I was so long,’ Bella said, inwardly squirming with guilt and already regretting what she’d been up to during her walk back.

‘My fault,’ Dolly cut in. ‘I’m not as fast as I used to be, and I said I wanted to walk back with her to say hello. How’s your ankle?’

‘Mending.’

Bella sipped at her coffee and went to store her other things in the kiosk as Dolly and Celestine caught up. With a strong sense of déjà vu, she tried to pretend she wasn’t listening, but she very definitely was, if only out of fear that Dolly would get her into trouble. What she’d do if that happened was another matter, of course. But Dolly behaved, and by the time she went on her way, they’d discussed the weather, the upcoming Liberation Day celebrations, and how the tourists seemed to be arriving earlier and earlier every year. Bella allowed herself a sigh of relief and wondered whether she ought to abandon the idea of connecting Rory with Dolly. She could simply pass on what she’d learned and tell him not to ask where it had come from. Perhaps that would be enough. Dolly might ask, of course, wondering why he hadn’t visited, but Bella was sure she could make up some excuse for that too.

The morning was quiet, business-wise. Celestine watched Bella make up some more bouquets and declared them perfectly good to sell. They were mostly delicate spring flowers: tulips, stocks, sweet pea and hyacinths. Celestine was in good spirits, telling stories about Bella’s dad as a young boy and how sad she’d been when the family had moved to England. Bella asked about her schooldays and discovered Celestine had been a menace, which surprised her but also made her laugh.

‘You’d never guess it to see you now!’

‘Oh, I hated school; it was so boring. I think I must have worn the headmaster’s cane out, I made him use it so much!’

‘Were you all like that?’ Bella asked. ‘You and your friends? Were they as bad as you?’

Celestine gave a mischievous grin. ‘You might say we had our moments. We all snuck off one morning and tried to get on the ferry to the mainland. We thought we were going to have the biggest adventure, but we didn’t get far. My next-door neighbour was at the port – marched us all back to St Rosa. I didn’t half get a smack from my papa.’

Bella started to laugh again as she wrapped some purple ribbon around a bunch of lemon freesia. She held up the posy and Celestine nodded approval. ‘I’m beginning to think I’ve found my calling,’ she said, taking a moment to admire her own handiwork.

‘I think you might be right. I had wondered what was going to happen to this old stall once I’d gone. Perhaps you might keep it going.’

‘That sounds like a lovely dream, but I doubt I’d be able to do that. I wouldn’t be able to afford a house on Jersey, for a start. As for buying the business…’

Celestine was suddenly thoughtful. ‘You’re probably right,’ she said finally. ‘But you should never say never.’

Bella put her arrangement in some water and moved along the rows of flowers. ‘So what should I make next?’

Celestine smiled up at her. ‘Why don’t you tell me what you think you should put together?’

‘A challenge?’ Bella smiled. ‘I like it!’