Chapter Four
CHAPTER FOUR
Celestine seemed to know everyone. As they went down to the harbour where her flower stall had been secured during her forced absence, Celestine in the mobility scooter and Bella marching along at her side, they were stopped so many times by people asking how she was that a journey that should have taken fifteen minutes took them an hour.
‘People love you!’ Bella said as the fourth neighbour bid them goodbye, leaving them to continue on. ‘You’re like a local celebrity!’
Celestine chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t go that far. I’ve been here so long they could hardly not know who I am. I’m like one of the benches overlooking the sea – always there.’
‘As long as people don’t try to sit on you.’
Celestine laughed again. ‘Yes, I don’t know how my old bones would cope with that. You know…’ she added, patting the handlebars of her scooter, ‘I don’t know why I made such a fuss about this thing. It’s really quite fun when you get over the embarrassment.’
‘There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone can see you’ve hurt yourself. Even if that wasn’t the reason for using it, there’d still be no shame.’
‘I suppose I sound like a silly old lady with some strange ideas about pride. It’s funny, I’m in my nineties, but I often forget. From time to time, I have to remind myself I’m almost on speaking terms with the Grim Reaper.’
‘Don’t say that!’
‘Bah, it’s true! And I’m not afraid. When you get to my age, there’s no point in being afraid of it because it’s coming whether you’re afraid or not. I’ve had a good life in a beautiful place and more years than most. I’ll be perfectly content when the time comes.’
‘Maybe, but try not to make it while I’m here, please. I don’t know how I’d break it to my mum and dad – they’d probably think it was my fault.’
In one way or another, Bella had been thinking about death that day more than she cared to. It didn’t seem like a good start to her six weeks on Jersey, and she hoped it wasn’t going to be an omen. Shaking the thought, she made an effort to change the subject.
‘When you were on the phone earlier you were speaking that language…you know, that old Jersey one. What’s it called again?’
‘Jèrriais. Some call it Jersey French.’
‘Right, that’s it! Dad used to say he’d like to learn it, but I don’t think he ever did.’
‘Wouldn’t be much point in him learning it if he doesn’t live here. It’d be wonderful to keep it alive in Jersey, but every year that passes, fewer people know it. I think they teach a little in schools, but youngsters wouldn’t bother using it outside the classroom, I’m sure. Why would they?’
‘I think it sounds lovely. I might learn a bit while I’m here. Maybe you could teach me some words?’
‘ Mauve …’ Celestine pointed to a seagull. ‘There you go, your first word.’
Bella looked up and grinned. ‘I’m sure that’s the same gull that was on your roof when I arrived. Looks like we have a stalker. What’s the word for stalker?’
Celestine laughed. ‘I’m sure I haven’t a clue!’
Bella pointed at the beach. ‘What about that?’
‘Which bit?’
‘The…dunes. What do you call them?’
‘ Mielle .’
‘What about a phrase?’
Celestine paused and then smiled up at her. ‘ Sai la bienv’nue en Jèrri .’
‘What’s that mean?’
‘Welcome to Jersey.’
Bella grinned. ‘Thank you.’
‘You mean Mèrcie bein des fais , don’t you?’
Bella repeated the phrase, her grin spreading. ‘ Mèrcie bein des fais . I’ll try to remember that one at least, though the others might take a bit longer.’
‘I’m sure it’s lovely that you’re interested but hardly anyone will understand you. I’d stick to English and perhaps occasionally some French.’
‘My French is a bit rusty, to be honest.’
‘I can help you with that too.’
‘Clever Aunt Celestine.’
Celestine laughed again. ‘I don’t think so! I learned it all as I learned English, growing up. Quite honestly, I probably learned Jèrriais before I learned English . I remember my father speaking it all the time. Came in very handy during the war – the German soldiers didn’t have a clue what we were talking about. Oh, I remember my father used to call them some very unflattering names as they went past on their patrols, but he did it with a smile so they never knew.’
‘When the island was occupied, you mean? It must be so weird to think of that time now.’
‘I don’t like to, quite honestly. I might be able to joke now, but they were dark days.’
Sensing that she ought to change the subject again, Bella pointed to a wooden kiosk that looked like the sheds they had at Christmas markets, only wider. It was painted a periwinkle blue and sat upon a sand-dusted section of the promenade. ‘Is that the stall? I think it was painted a different colour last time I was here…I suppose you’ve painted it a few times since then?’
‘It’s likely a completely different stall as well. The old one was rotting away. Can’t quite recall how many years ago that was, but at least ten.’
‘It might be then.’
Celestine halted the scooter and handed Bella a set of keys. ‘Would you like to open up? Might as well get used to the lock – it can be a bit awkward.’
Bella took the keys and fiddled with the padlock to find it wasn’t as bad as she’d been expecting. Then she threw open the shutters and peered inside.
It seemed a bit dark and not very exciting. The inside wasn’t painted like the outside but was bare chipboard. There was a counter, with boxes and trays equipped with scissors, ribbons and wires, as well as some green stuff she’d seen used in flower arranging, though she didn’t know what it was called. The idea of that suddenly struck her as funny. Some florist she was going to be if she didn’t even know the name of the green stuff they used. She had a lot to learn, but she tried to see that as a good thing. While she was learning, she wouldn’t be thinking about Sean, and if nothing else came out of these next few weeks, she had that blessing.
When she looked back, she could see Celestine trying to get out of the scooter.
‘What are you doing?’ she yelped.
‘I’m going to go inside and?—’
‘No, you’re not! You’re going to stay there and tell me what needs doing. I didn’t bring you out here so you could start working – that’s what I’ve come over for.’
‘I hate feeling so useless,’ Celestine began to grumble, though she fell back into her seat again.
‘You’re not useless; you’re injured.’ Bella folded her arms and regarded her aunt sternly. ‘I can see I’m going to have my work cut out with you, and I’m not talking about the stall. Are you always this stubborn?’
‘I have no idea – it’s not often I’m forced to sit still like this.’
‘Just as well. Your ankle isn’t going to heal if you’re constantly on it.’
‘ Oui, Mama …’ Celestine grinned.
‘And enough of that!’ Bella said, grinning back. ‘I said my French was rusty, but I can spot sarcasm in any language!’
She turned back to the stall with a thoughtful look, the smile still lingering. She was suddenly excited at the prospect of running it. Yes, there was a lot to learn and it would be stressful at times while she got the hang of it, but she couldn’t honestly recall the last time she’d felt such a sense of purpose, like she had actual agency and worth. She was going to run this stall for her great-aunt, and she was going to do her proud. And she’d do herself proud too. Sean had made her feel as if she’d had no useful contribution to make to society, that her only value was in being his wife. Over the next six weeks, Bella was going to prove him wrong.
‘Celestine! How nice to see you out and about!’
Both women turned towards the sound of the voice. Celestine broke into a broad smile. ‘Dolly! Bella…this is a very dear friend of mine, Dolly. And, Dolly, this is my great-niece, Bella. She’s come from the mainland to help me while I recover.’
Dolly smiled at Bella. ‘Bella! I bet you don’t remember me. The last time I saw you, you must have been knee high to a grasshopper.’
Bella gave an apologetic smile. ‘I think I remember you being at the house once, but…’
‘Never mind,’ Dolly said. ‘It’s been a long time, and I look a lot older, I expect.’ She glanced at Celestine. ‘I said I would help with the stall, but your silly old aunt wouldn’t let me.’
Bella tried not to show her surprise at the statement. If anything, Dolly looked older and frailer than Celestine, walking with a stick and a slight hunch, and the notion of her running the stall in Celestine’s stead seemed quite ridiculous. Clearly, Bella’s aunt had thought better of it too.
‘I don’t mind helping at all,’ Bella said. ‘In fact, I’m looking forward to it.’
Dolly turned back to Celestine. ‘When do you intend to open up again?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘So soon?’
Celestine motioned to Bella. ‘My niece is quite adamant.’
‘I don’t see the point in messing around,’ Bella said. ‘I’m here – you might as well use me.’
‘I’m glad I’ve seen you,’ Dolly said, looking at Celestine with a glint in her eye that seemed to imply she had gossip – at the very least exciting or intriguing news. Bella sensed that the following conversation might not be for her, so she went to inspect the interior of the stall, though it was impossible not to hear them.
‘Have you heard?’ Dolly asked.
‘Heard what?’
‘There’s a man asking about Violette.’
‘Violette?’ Celestine’s voice dropped but not enough for Bella not to hear. ‘What about her?’
‘He’s asking about the scandal.’
‘What scandal? There was no scandal.’
‘ The scandal!’
‘Oh, that.’ Celestine’s tone became dismissive now. ‘Silly business.’
‘You don’t think she had a baby?’
‘I didn’t pay any attention to it, and I could hardly ask her after…Well, I couldn’t ask her.’
‘Yes, but you must have been curious.’
Bella glanced across to see Celestine frown deeply. ‘No, I wasn’t. It was Violette’s business, nobody else’s.’
‘I don’t know why she bothered to hide it,’ Dolly continued, looking crestfallen that her gossip had failed to pique Celestine’s interest. ‘Everyone could see her getting bigger, and then she disappeared for those three months. It was obvious.’
‘What does any of that matter now? It was decades ago.’
‘Well, I’ve just run into Carol from the supermarket, and she told me…’
Bella didn’t hear the rest because her phone started to ring. She pulled it from her pocket and all curiosity in Dolly’s gossip, or Celestine, or, indeed, the flower stall, faded into the distance as she read Sean’s name on the caller ID. She had no desire to talk to him, but she wasn’t naive enough to think that she wouldn’t have to at some point, if only to discuss practical matters regarding the divorce. Perhaps, she thought quickly as she glanced across at Celestine, who was still being sidetracked by an animated Dolly, it might be as good a time as any. At least Celestine was distracted and wouldn’t be asking, and it wasn’t like Bella could do much else of use while she was unavailable.
‘What?’ she asked tersely as she took the call.
‘It’s me.’
‘Yes, I can read. What do you want?’
‘What do you think I want?’
‘I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.’
‘Hmm…’ He paused, the coolness of his tone making Bella lose her own. ‘That’s how it’s going to be? I had thought we could deal with this like adults.’
‘Like adults?’
Bella checked her volume, glancing across at the two old ladies still deep in conversation, relieved that they hadn’t noticed a new and far more current drama unfolding less than ten feet away from them.
‘Like adults?’ she repeated. ‘Because running around like a pubescent boy who spends his every waking hour thinking about where he might next get sex is so adult.’
‘You’re not going to drag me into a slanging match.’
‘I’m not trying to. Even you can’t be obtuse enough to argue that point with me.’
‘I didn’t end the marriage.’
‘Of course you did! I walked, but what choice did you give me? I return to my original question because I don’t have time for this. What do you want, Sean?’
‘Where are you staying?’
‘None of your business.’
‘Are you all right for money?’
‘What do you care?’
‘I do care. You’re still?—’
‘If you finish that sentence with the words my wife , I will end this call right now. I might be your wife but in name only – something I intend to sort out just as soon as I can.’
‘You’ve instructed someone?’
‘I haven’t had time yet, but I will. Don’t even think I might change my mind.’
‘You’re quite certain I won’t be able to?’
‘Is that why you’ve called. Where’s Anita? Or has she already been replaced by the next model? Are you in between mistresses? Is that why you’ve managed to find a five-minute slot to try and persuade me to come back to be your lawfully wedded doormat?’
‘Don’t you think you reacted hastily? We didn’t even discuss?—’
‘We discussed it the other times. God knows how many more times we might have to discuss it if I were ever stupid enough to forgive you. It’s over, Sean. I reacted hastily, but there’s nothing hasty about my thoughts since then. I haven’t changed my mind; nor will I ever. So are we finished here? Because I’m busy right now.’
‘I’m not simply going to hand over half of everything, you know.’
‘Is that what you think is going on here? I’m divorcing you to get money?’
‘I’m sure your solicitor will advise you to get what you can.’
‘It wouldn’t be like I hadn’t earned it. I expect they will, and I expect I’ll take their advice, but if you think for one minute that this decision has anything to do with money, you’re a bigger pig than I ever gave you credit for. Don’t you understand how you hurt me? How humiliated I feel? How used? How stupid and gullible? Even you, a man with a stone where his heart should be, must be able to see that.’
‘Perhaps. I am sorry for the way it ended, you know.’
Not for one second did Bella think he actually meant it. She had to wonder if this phone call was simply about trying to soften her up so that she wouldn’t push for a divorce payout. The truth of the matter was, she’d barely given the potential settlement a thought, but if he was trying to make her feel guilty about taking anything from him, he was currently achieving quite the opposite effect. She hadn’t wanted his money, but she was beginning to see that getting it would hurt him more than anything else she could do. The way she felt right now, that prospect alone was more appealing than she could say.
‘I’m sure you are,’ she said, unable and unwilling to keep the bitterness from her voice. ‘I’m not. I only wish it hadn’t taken quite so long for me to see sense. Life’s going to be great without you. I pity Anita or whoever is next. For their sakes, I hope they’re not stupid enough to marry you like I was.’
It was then that Bella realised Dolly had left and Celestine was waiting patiently on her scooter, her gaze off out to sea. Had she overheard Bella’s conversation? It seemed a reasonable assumption, considering that Bella had been able to follow the one Celestine had just had with Dolly.
‘I have to go,’ she said, ending the call before she caught Sean’s reply. Whether she’d been listening or not, Celestine turned on cue to look at her.
‘I’m sorry about that.’
‘About what?’ Bella asked, coming out from the stall.
‘Oh, Dolly. She can be such a gossip. She means well and she does get so lonely she can’t help herself when she sees someone she knows.’
‘If it makes her happy then…’ Bella shrugged. ‘We all love a bit of gossip sometimes, don’t we?’
Celestine regarded her with unnerving shrewdness. ‘Are you quite all right?’
‘Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Bella swept a hand to indicate the vista: a broad sweep of golden sand flanked by grass-woven dunes, the sun high in the sky, the sea a sparkling aquamarine. ‘Look where I am! It has to be against the law to be unhappy standing in a spot like this, doesn’t it?’
‘I won’t pry, but I understand things are difficult for you at the moment, and I hope you feel able to confide in me if you need to. That’s all I’m going to say on it, unless you want to…’
Bella shook her head. ‘Thank you, but I don’t. I’d hate to taint this view by connecting it to thoughts of people I’d rather not think of. I’m only going to be here for six weeks, but I’m hoping those six weeks will kickstart a new life. God knows I need one because the old one is rotten.’
‘You were very unhappy in your marriage?’
‘I didn’t think so at the time. I didn’t even notice how bad it was until…Well, now that there’s distance I can finally see it clearly. It was an awful marriage. I don’t know what I was thinking for all those years. I only know that I should have got out a long time ago.’
‘You’re out now. Better late than never, eh?’
‘Exactly.’ Bella forced a smile for her aunt. ‘Better late than never.’