The Little Island Flower Stall

Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

They settled on a venue that was more of a gastropub than a restaurant, but the place was cosy and ambient, and the food was good, and Bella quickly relaxed into easy conversation with him. As the main course arrived, talk turned to Bella’s childhood holidays on Jersey, some where they’d stayed with her aunt and others where they’d been to hotels or chalets.

‘It’s so strange to me,’ Rory said. ‘It’s almost like your second home. Considering what I’ve discovered over the past couple of weeks, I feel guilty that I never even thought about visiting this place until I found out I had a family connection. But now I’m here, I can’t believe it slipped under my radar – it’s a beautiful island.’

‘I didn’t really think about it for all those years, except that I knew I loved coming here and we did that a lot. I never appreciated how lucky I was to have this place. When I got a bit older, I began to get jealous of friends who went all over the world because I only came here. When I got married, I stopped coming altogether. I wish I hadn’t – I missed out on so many years of visits for no reason apart from him not wanting to come here.’

‘If you still wanted to come, you could have visited your great-aunt?’

‘I could have, but…’ Bella shrugged. ‘I don’t really want to go into that now, if it’s all the same to you. I made some decisions I’m not proud of, and some I’m angry at myself for making, and it’s going to take time to come to terms with them.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to?—’

‘I know you didn’t; it’s fine. So, the hunt for your grandfather…Do you think visiting the tunnels today has helped?’

‘I don’t know about that. It’s been amazing to see what he might have gone through, but it hasn’t really told me much else.’ He sipped at his beer. ‘It has made me more determined to find out. I want to know more than ever if the story I saw today might have been his.’

‘Will your DNA test tell you what you need to know? I suppose the records are showing no name for your great-grandfather if Violette wanted to keep it secret.’

‘As I understand it, the company can find blood relatives if they have matching DNA on their system, but those people need to have registered their consent to be contacted. Some people get their own results but don’t want to be on the database for others to see.’

‘And if they don’t, you’re none the wiser?’

‘It will certainly make things more difficult. I suppose I’ll have to wait for the results first and then go from there.’

‘And there’s no dad on the records?’

‘Father unknown.’

Bella fiddled with the stem of her wine glass. ‘That’s certainly a challenge then.’

‘Yes, but one I think I can get on board with if I put my mind to it. Now that I’ve been here and seen the island and learned the history for myself, I want more than ever to uncover the mystery of who my great-grandfather is and what happened between him and Violette.’

‘You seem confident you’re going to crack it.’

‘If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.’

‘And I suppose you’ve left a life on hold back on the mainland until you do. How long realistically can you do that before it starts to be a problem? I know you said you can work remotely, but surely you can’t do that indefinitely? Have you decided how long you can allow for this?’ She was angling, hoping he’d drop some clue about who might be at home waiting for him, but he didn’t seem to notice. He certainly didn’t volunteer any information of that sort. He only broke into a slow smile.

‘Not really…Six weeks is sounding good right now.’

‘Six weeks…That’s how long I…’ Bella had to smile too. No mention of anyone. What did that mean? Did it mean there was nobody? ‘OK, I get it. Smooth. Are you asking me to be your Watson for the next six weeks?’

‘That would imply I’m Holmes. I appreciate the compliment, but I don’t think I’m that good.’

‘So…’ Bella realised that her food had been sitting in front of her for a full ten minutes and she hadn’t taken a single bite. Digging her fork into it, she continued. ‘If you’re here next week, you’ll be around for the Liberation Day celebrations.’

‘I should be. Are they worth watching?’

‘They’re brilliant! Celestine has made floral sculptures for it for years now. She’s planning to do them again this year. I can’t wait to get stuck in with her.’

‘I was thinking of watching them in St Helier. I thought they might only be on there.’

‘I think they’re all over the island. The big ones are on in St Helier – I suppose they’re probably the ones that might be the most impressive. I know they’ve always had a parade in St Rosa. I’m sure the St Helier ones are amazing, but I’ll be here with Celestine.’

‘Right. Everyone comes out for them, I suppose.’

‘Pretty much. Not that I’ve taken a register or anything…’

Rory smiled, but it was a vague one, as if he was thinking of something other than Bella’s rubbish quip. ‘Maybe I’ll stay in St Rosa for it then.’

‘Come with us if you want to – me and Celestine. We’ll definitely be there.’

The offer was out before Bella had even thought over the implications. If Rory did go to the celebrations with them, she’d have to warn him not to talk about Violette in front of her aunt, and she couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t do it anyway. She liked to think he’d keep away from the topic for her sake, but, then again, he was desperate for information, and there was no telling how far he might be willing to go, or who he’d be willing to upset to get it.

‘I thought your aunt didn’t like remembering the war,’ he said.

‘She doesn’t, but this is for the end of the war, isn’t it? Or rather, the end of the occupation. No matter what had happened, I’d want to celebrate that. Wouldn’t you? Besides, these days, it’s turned into a great tourist event. I bet most of the people there barely have a clue what it’s really about. I know I didn’t when I was a kid.’

‘I think I will stay in St Rosa. I suppose I could do both if I plan my day right.’

‘I’m sure you could.’

‘So you’re going to be involved this year?’

‘Only in the preparations. Once we’ve done our displays, then we’re free to do whatever. So we should be free on the actual day.’

‘Must be exciting to be on the other side of it.’

‘I don’t know about that. I get the feeling we might be quite stressed by the time it comes around. Celestine isn’t really at her best yet, but she’s insisting on rushing around like she’s not a nonagenarian with a dodgy ankle. Sometimes I don’t know what I’m meant to do with her. I came to help, but she just won’t slow down. God knows what she’s like when she’s well.’

‘She sounds amazing.’

‘She is. Amazingly stressful.’

He laughed and reached for his beer. ‘You’re lucky to have her.’

‘I am, especially now. I came to help her, yes, but in a way she’s probably helping me more. Being here, even though I sometimes feel like my life has gone backward, has been brilliant. I don’t have to think about anything while I’m at Villa Rosa except getting my head straight and working out where I go next. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.’

‘You keep telling me how much you hate that guy, but I can’t help feeling you might not.’

Bella raised her eyebrows. ‘I don’t know where you’re getting that from.’

‘You seem reluctant to let go. I mean fully let go. Yes, you’re here and you’re planning your future and that’s good, but I don’t think you’re really finished with him yet.’

Bella shook her head. ‘You’re wrong. I’m finished. I couldn’t be more finished.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean…I’m not trying to give relationship advice or anything. I’m the last person qualified to do that.’

‘Why?’

He shrugged. ‘You don’t want to talk about your break-up, and to be honest, I respect that because I don’t want to talk about mine either. If it’s all the same to you, I think we ought to make a pact to leave both of them out of this…you know, leave them out of what we’ve got here. I’m enjoying it – I don’t want all that baggage to ruin things.’

Bella wondered what exactly they had there. Did he view it in the same way as she did? Or did he see it as something more, something that might be heading in a romantic direction, despite all they’d said to the contrary? At least she had more information about his situation now. He’d mentioned a break-up. Did that mean he was free now? Was it a question she ought to be asking? In the end, she simply nodded as she cut into her salmon fillet.

‘Sounds like a pact I can get on board with.’

‘Tell me about the plans for Liberation Day. What kind of displays are you and your aunt going to be doing?’

Bella looked up from her plate. ‘You’re really interested in what flowers we’re going to be sticking in our Jersey flags?’

‘Yes,’ he said with a soft laugh. ‘I really am.’

The ground floor of Villa Rosa was in darkness by the time Bella arrived back there. It looked as if Celestine had gone to bed, as Bella had told her to when she’d phoned briefly to let her know there was no need to worry.

Taking off her shoes, she crept upstairs to her room and fell onto the bed. It had been a long and strange kind of day. Good, she decided. It had been a good day. More than good: unexpectedly great. She reflected on how easily she and Rory had got along, how comfortable she’d quickly felt around him. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been like that with a man.

There was no romance, of course, and perhaps things might have been different if that had been on the cards, but she’d made it clear that wasn’t what she wanted and he’d been totally respectful of her wishes. It didn’t stop him offering hesitant compliments and giving her looks that spelled out how he might wish for more; even Bella, with her unpractised eye, could recognise them. She hadn’t minded that. In fact, she’d liked it. To be so obviously admired and desired – she hadn’t felt that for a long time. Even when Sean had said it, she’d never really felt it, like she could tell he was only going through the motions because they were married. And, of course, she’d been proved right in the end on that score. He’d been far more interested in forbidden fruit than what he had waiting at home.

Bella tried to push thoughts of Sean out of her mind. From a distance, even with the finality of a divorce on the horizon, he was still ruining her life – at least, if she let him. The trick was not to let him. Spending time with Rory was certainly helping there.

As tempting as it was to curl up on the bed and go to sleep, Bella forced herself to get up and go to the bathroom to clean her face and brush her teeth. It was late for a bath – Celestine’s old house had no shower – and she didn’t want to wake Celestine, so that would wait until the morning. But as she tiptoed down the landing, she heard her aunt call out.

‘Bella… is that you?’

‘Yes. Sorry if I woke you; I was trying to be quiet.’

‘That’s all right. I wasn’t quite asleep. Did you have a nice day?’

Bella went to the bedroom door and opened it a crack. Her aunt was sitting up with the bedside lamp on, a book in her hand. She clearly hadn’t been anywhere close to sleep. Bella cringed inwardly. So Celestine had been waiting up for her to come home?

‘I had a lovely day,’ Bella said.

Celestine patted the bed for Bella to sit on it. ‘Was the museum interesting?’

‘Really good,’ Bella said, perching at her aunt’s feet. ‘Brilliant. I had no idea of half the things that had happened here during the occupation.’

‘I thought about what you said this morning, and I think you’re right. It ought to be remembered and understood. It’s just, for my part, I find it hard to…’

Bella reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. ‘After what I saw today, I get why you would find it hard to talk about. It’s OK – nobody is asking you to if you don’t want to. I’m curious, I’ll admit, but only because I find it so hard to imagine living through, and knowing that you did, well…’ Bella shrugged. ‘I suppose it almost feels as if it can’t possibly have happened for real, but you’re living proof that it did.’

‘A lot went on,’ Celestine said, her gaze on a spot across the room, as if it were suddenly in the past. ‘It was a complicated time for people. We didn’t know whether we were coming or going most days. Enemies and friends…it all got so mixed up.’

Bella squeezed a little harder, sensing some distress. ‘Celestine…don’t…Don’t get upset. I didn’t mean to upset you by telling you about the museum.’

‘Oh, you didn’t.’ Celestine snapped out of her trance and gave a tired smile. ‘So where did you go to eat afterwards? In St Lawrence?’

Bella nodded. ‘It was close by. I don’t remember the name of the pub, but it was nice.’

‘I’m surprised the buses were still running back to St Rosa at that time.’

‘They weren’t. I got a taxi.’

‘All the way from St Lawrence? That must have cost a pretty penny.’

‘It wasn’t too bad…’ Bella paused. Should she mention Rory? ‘I was with a friend, so we split it. He got to his destination and paid the fare that far, and then the taxi went on with me so I didn’t have that much to pay in the end.’

Celestine’s smile grew. ‘A friend? That didn’t take long. When did you meet him?’

‘I kind of got chatting to him the other day,’ Bella replied vaguely.

‘I’m glad you’re making friends and having nice days out,’ Celestine said. ‘You deserve it. So when you say friend, is he really a friend or more than a friend?’

‘Cheeky!’ Bella laughed lightly. ‘That would be telling. Seriously, though, I don’t think my head is in the right place for anything but friends right now. Ask me six months down the line, and perhaps I might be ready for more. This time, it’s friends, and that’s enough.’

‘You’ll have to bring him over sometime,’ Celestine said. ‘We could cook for him.’

Bella got up and kissed her aunt on the cheek. ‘It’s late, and we both ought to be asleep by now.’

‘ Oui, Mama ,’ Celestine said, and Bella laughed again.

‘I’ll see you bright and early. Goodnight.’