Chapter Two
Ding Dong Merrily the Sky
Is Full of Clouds a-Gathering
Contrary to expectations, Gemma slept well on her first night back in Polkerran. Perhaps it was the familiarity of sleeping under the eaves in the attic bedroom at her aunt’s house – somewhere she’d stayed often as a child – or maybe it was the huge meal she’d eaten the night before. Or the wine.
It was gone nine before Gemma drew back the curtains and looked outside. The rain had passed over, but it was a grey day, cloud lying heavily over the bay. With Jean’s house being at the top of the hill – on a row of similar dormer bungalows, whose rear windows and back gardens afforded a view over the rooftops of the village to the vast waters beyond – it wasn’t possible to see the harbour, but Gemma could pick out a fishing boat making its way past the lighthouse on the run of rocks pointing out to sea.
Gemma tested the tenderness levels on the back of her head as she left the room. It was still sore to the touch, but things could have been so much worse.
‘Shall we go and see Mum?’ Jean spoke over her shoulder as Gemma tucked into a bacon sandwich at the kitchen table. ‘She’s talked about you non-stop since we heard you were coming to stay.’
Demelza Lovelace had been Gemma’s late gran’s cousin, but she’d always called her Auntie Dee. She lived in a cottage further down the hill.
Gemma swallowed on a mouthful. ‘I’d love to.’
‘We’ll go call on Anna, too.’ Jean turned round and leaned back against the sink, drying her hands on a towel. ‘You need to be hanging out with younger people than me and Mum.’
‘Who’s Anna?’ Gemma popped the last morsel of bacon into her mouth and Jean took the empty plate from her.
‘Lives across the bay. You know the big cottage on the clifftop? Anna inherited it from Meg Stratfield. You might remember the old lady, friend of Mum’s? Anyway, Anna turned it into a B her interest had lain in playing on one of the cove’s small tidal beaches, until she’d developed a love of being on the water. As she’d grown older, Gemma had passed her annual visits to the aunts – usually around the school Easter break – learning to row, then progressing to the small motorboats for hire from the stall on the harbour during the season.
The cloud had lifted a little, though there was no sign of a break in the grey, against which seagulls wheeled and soared, their plaintive cries echoing across the bay.
The sound of welding came from the boatyard, along with the occasional bout of hammering, and Gemma wrinkled her nose as the acrid smell of smoke rose from a nearby cottage chimney.
There was only one car in the driveway at the B&B, and Gemma traipsed round the side of the house, behind her aunts.
‘Coo-eee. It’s only us,’ Great-Aunt Dee trilled, opening a side door, and Gemma followed them into a large boot room.
‘Anna will be in the kitchen.’ Jean smiled at Gemma. ‘Mum loves to come and have a coffee and a natter, she feels very welcome here.’
‘Morning, Jean. Morning, Mrs Lovelace.’ A tall and attractive dark-haired young woman greeted them warmly as they came in.
‘This is our little Gem-gem.’ Great-Aunt Dee waved a hand at Gemma. ‘Come to stay with our Jeannie, she has.’
‘I’m thirty-eight,’ Gemma said dryly. ‘But to Auntie Dee, I’ll always be about four.’
Anna laughed. ‘Come and sit down.’
She led the way across the warm and inviting room to a large, scrubbed pine table set in a bay window. There was a black cat curled up on a cushion in the window seat, but Gemma’s eye was caught by the view.
‘Lord, I’d never get any work done if I lived here!’ She admired the sweep of the bay as she tickled the cat’s chin, eliciting deep purrs in response.
The harbour nestled at the foot of the wooded hills surrounding Polkerran Point, with cottages clinging to the sides, painted in pastel shades, and smoke rising from several chimneys. The trees were almost bare, the water an iron grey, but it still held immense charm.
‘I’ve rarely seen the cove from this angle.’
‘I feel blessed every morning.’ Anna pointed to a chair. ‘Have a seat. Heathcliff will come if you call. I’ve got coffee on the go.’
She did as she was bid, and the black cat duly trotted over and jumped onto Gemma’s lap, circling twice before settling down. She stroked Heathcliff’s soft fur, watching in a bemused fashion as Anna ferried plates of what appeared to be home-made cakes and biscuits over and Jean brought the mugs. Sugar, milk and a teapot already stood on a wicker mat in the centre of the table, and Anna placed the coffee pot next to them.
‘What would you like?’
‘Coffee please.’
Once they were all furnished with drinks, Anna settled next to Gemma. ‘Your great-aunt has been waxing lyrical about you for some time. She’s so been looking forward to your visit.’ She smiled warmly at the elderly lady.
‘That I have, my lovely.’ Great-Aunt Dee beamed at Gemma, then turned to address Anna. ‘Though we’m not proper aunts.’
‘Great-Aunt Demelza and my gran were cousins,’ Gemma explained. ‘But I’ve called them both Auntie Jay and Auntie Dee for as long as I can remember.’
Reaching for a biscuit, Anna smiled warmly at the old lady. ‘Do you have lots of exciting things planned?’
Great-Aunt Dee nodded towards her daughter. ‘Thems for Jeannie to say. Gem-gem is welcome to come along to knit and natter though, or to the chair exercise class.’
Gemma grinned at Anna. ‘I’ve got a bit of a gammy leg at the mo, so that might not be a bad option.’
‘Yes, I heard you’d had a rotten time. How was the travelling, before…’ Anna hesitated.
‘The accident? Brilliant. I’d done a few countries, was on my way via Venice to Slovenia when the crash happened.’
She tried to contain a wince at the memory.
‘Gemma is doing well,’ interjected Jean as she chose a biscuit from the plate in the centre of the table. ‘A few wobbles still from the concussion and some soreness in one leg. It’s scary to think what might have been.’
‘Bleddy foreigners,’ muttered Great-Aunt Dee before taking a noisy slurp of her tea. ‘Tekkin’ all Gem-gem’s stuff, too.’
Jean sent her mother a resigned look. ‘I keep telling you, Mum. Gemma wasn’t robbed. The bus caught fire and people’s bags were torched.’
‘I’m waiting for a replacement passport but the office is on strike, so it could be as much as eight weeks,’ Gemma added, pretending the delay eating into her precious sabbatical from the boring job wasn’t haunting her. ‘They sent new cards through pretty fast, but I lost the cash I’d drawn out, and pretty much everything but the clothes I wore.’
‘What a nightmare.’ Anna offered the plate of cakes to Gemma, who selected one with relish. ‘How did you get home? You can’t fly with concussion, can you?’
‘Gemma had a few days in hospital.’ Jean motioned towards her niece’s head. ‘Under observation, because she was unconscious for a short while. Then her mum flew out and they came back by train and ferry.’
Gemma picked up the tale. ‘As I can’t resume my travels yet, Mum thought a bit of sea air would do me good. In all honesty, I think she thought winter in Polkerran would mean I’d have nothing to do, so rest would be enforced.’
Anna sent her a sympathetic look, getting to her feet as the door opened and a petite blonde-haired woman entered.
‘Morning! Thought I saw people going by,’ she said, coming over to take a seat beside Jean and looking expectantly across the table. ‘You must be Gemma.’
‘My great-niece.’ Great-Aunt Dee beamed at the newcomer. ‘Come to rest a-while at Jeannie’s.’
‘This is Nicki,’ Jean explained, indicating the pretty lady by her side. ‘She lives next door.’
Nicki and Gemma exchanged greetings as Anna came over with an extra mug.
‘What’s the latest on the catering?’ Nicki nibbled at a biscuit as Anna took the chair opposite.
‘Oliver says someone else must deal with it so I can enjoy the day.’
‘Young Anna’s a smashing cook, Gem-gem,’ Great-Aunt Dee added. ‘None of your Gordon Blue, mind, but proper nosh, when all’s fed and done.’
Gemma’s attention was caught. ‘Any talk of food interests me! Is this for the wedding? Auntie Jay mentioned it was New Year’s Eve.’
‘Yes, it’s only small – a handful of guests. Neither of us has much family, so mainly close friends. We only need a bit of a buffet, nothing too formal. I’d be happy to do it, but Oliver is adamant.’
Personally, Gemma was in agreement with this Oliver chap. Who wanted their bride to be all frazzled and stressed over the vol-au-vents on their special day?
‘Have you been engaged long?’
‘A couple of years.’ Anna smiled dreamily. ‘It’s gone so fast, but I was waiting—’
She broke off as someone came through a door on the far side of the kitchen, and Gemma narrowed her gaze. Was that…?
‘Matty! Come on over and meet Mrs Lovelace’s great-niece.’
The man sauntered over to the table. ‘Ladies,’ he said in the deep voice she remembered. ‘How are we all this morning?’
Gemma rolled her eyes as her aunt, great-aunt and Nicki all smiled dreamily at him, uttering varying greetings while Anna stood proudly beside him.
‘This is my brother, Matt Locksley.’ She linked arms with him, and he sent Anna an affectionate look, which – for a nanosecond – improved Gemma’s earlier impression.
Matt turned his assessing gaze on Gemma, who resisted the urge to leap to her feet and square up.
‘Hey,’ he said, then turned back to Anna. ‘We’ve already met.’ His tone was dismissive, and Gemma bridled.
‘Have we?’ She assumed a nonchalant look. ‘You’ll have to remind me. Concussion.’ She tapped a finger to her head.
Uncertainty crossed Matt’s face. ‘The station. We had a lift from the chap with the vintage Jag?’
‘Interesting.’ Gemma nodded slowly. ‘Well, pleased to meet you… er, Matt, was it?’
Avoiding her Aunt Jean’s knowing look, she turned to Nicki and engaged her in conversation, pretending not to notice Matt Locksley’s unamused expression.