Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
A rriving at the garage, Verity found Hetty gleaming. She’d been washed and was ready and waiting. With his head buried under another bonnet, Nathan was singing along to the radio.
‘Hi.’
Nathan jumped, banging his head.
‘Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.’
‘Don’t worry. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I’ve done that over the years.’ He wiped his hands on an oily rag and smiled at Verity. ‘I’ve actually lost count and I probably need to apologise to you.’
‘What for?’
‘My singing!’ He grinned. ‘I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.’
Verity smiled, her thoughts immediately turning to Sam and the beautiful song he’d sung in the pub, which had melted her heart. ‘Luckily your head was buried in the bonnet so it wasn’t too traumatic.’ Pointing to Hetty, she said, ‘She’s so clean. Thank you.’
‘And dry. And she’ll stay that way as long as you keep away from the causeway.’ Nathan grinned.
‘I’ll do my best. I know this is a bit cheeky but would it be possible for me to park her over there and sleep in her?’ Verity pointed to a grassy area in front of the garage.
‘Are you sure you want to sleep up here where you’re away from everything and everyone?’
‘I think it will be perfect and peaceful, and waking up to that view will be something I’ll never forget.’
Nathan looked out across the sea. ‘I still think it’s spectacular after all these years. Be my guest, but don’t park her too near the edge. You do know the puffins moo like cows, right? The noise can be very eerie up here when it echoes around the cliffs in the dead of the night.’
‘I know exactly what the puffins sound like. Frightened the life out of me, they did.’
‘And me. The first time I heard them I thought the cliff top was full of cows.’
They both laughed.
Sitting behind the wheel of Hetty again, she was thankful that her beloved van was back in full working order and that her dip in the sea hadn’t been her final chapter. She turned the key, the engine started the first time, and she reversed onto the grassy spot she’d pointed out to Nathan. She positioned the van so that the sliding side door overlooked the cliff edge. When she was enjoying a morning brew in bed, she could open the door and take in the beauty of her surroundings.
The van was parked, Verity set up her windbreaker and deckchair and placed a small table outside with her camping stove. Her plan for the rest of the day was to head back down to the harbour, call in and see Betty and, on the way back, pop in to Puffin Pantry to pick up some sausages for her tea.
Excited at the possibility of uncovering her granny and Joe’s secret, Verity set off towards the tearoom, with the postcard tucked away in her bag. She was feeling a little nervous about meeting Betty, but in a good way. She arrived five minutes before closing time to find Clemmie outside, wiping down the tables.
‘Here she is!’ Clemmie cried. ‘You have to tell me what you’ve done to the local heartthrob, because he stormed past here earlier with a thunderous look on his face.’
Verity followed Clemmie into the tearoom. ‘I’m trying to push that from my mind.’
‘What, you’ve actually had an argument?’
‘I suppose you could say that. I’m back to sleeping in the van tonight. I’ve parked it up on the cliff top.’
‘What happened?’
‘He didn’t like me saying good things about Pete. But I think it was my saying that he was acting immaturely that sent him over the edge.’
Clemmie’s eyes widened. ‘Ouch. That may have dented his ego a little.’
‘I was a teeny bit out of order but I also think Sam’s being stubborn. Pete is a really interesting character, easy to get on with, and his stories are entertaining.’
‘Pete, easy to get on with? Are you casting magic spells over all the men on Puffin Island?’
Verity laughed.
‘I’ve never known Pete to speak to a tourist, never mind give them a temporary job as a ranger. I’m thinking you may have drugged him.’
Verity grinned. ‘Only with my infectious personality.’
‘If it’s any consolation, we’ve also said the same to Sam, but again that resulted in us not speaking for a while. The best way is to keep out of it. He needs to work this out for himself. We’ve lived with this feud on the island for many years and it’s only going to get worse. With the vigil and the vote coming up in the next couple of weeks, I can’t see them putting their differences aside.’
‘Vote?’
‘The safety barriers on the causeway. Do we have them or not. That’s the only way to settle it.’
‘Tensions will be running high then.’
Just at that moment the door at the back of the tearoom opened and Betty stepped through it and gasped. ‘I don’t believe this. Hetty’s granddaughter.’ With her arms open wide she hurried towards Verity and enveloped her in a huge hug.
‘Betty, Verity, Verity, Betty.’ Clemmie introduced them with a smile.
‘I was so worried you wouldn’t remember my granny after all these years.’
‘Remember her? Hetty was my best friend for the summer, and even worked here in the tearoom. She rented a room upstairs.’
‘No way! She was here for a whole summer?’
‘Yes, and I was so sad when she went home. There are times in life when you just click with someone and I clicked instantly with your granny. The adventures we shared that summer…’ Betty gave a little chuckle. ‘I bet she’s told you all about what we got up to. How is she? Does she know you’re here?’
Clemmie looked towards Verity. Apparently she hadn’t shared the news of Hetty’s death.
‘I’m sorry to have to tell you that my grandmother has passed away. It was over twelve years ago now.’
The smile slipped from Betty’s face. ‘Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that.’ She swallowed. ‘Come on through to the back room. Are you okay to carry on tidying up?’ she asked Clemmie.
‘Of course. I’ll bring you through a pot of tea, and there are a couple of slices of Victoria sponge left.’
Betty nodded her thanks and led the way to the living quarters of the cottage. ‘I can see your granny standing behind that counter. She turned up that summer and wanted a job.’
‘This looks just like a normal cottage back here.’
‘It is a normal cottage, except that the front room was turned into a tearoom many moons ago.’
It actually wasn’t too dissimilar to Sam’s cottage, old-fashioned as it was, with its oak-beamed ceiling. Blue velvet settees were positioned in an L shape in front of the open fireplace along with an oversized rug and a coffee table. A floor-to-ceiling bookcase was rammed with books, and a sage-coloured dresser was covered with framed photographs.
‘Take a seat. So, are you following in your granny’s footsteps? Are you staying for the summer?’
‘This time last week I didn’t even know Puffin Island was a real place, even though I’d visited it many times as a child.’
‘I’m confused,’ said Betty.
‘My granny used to tell me bedtime stories about this place, including your teashop, but I always thought it was fictional. She described it exactly how it is,’ Verity said, looking around, ‘which amazed me when I arrived – and is still amazing me, to be honest.’
Clemmie walked in just then with a tray and placed it on the coffee table in front of them.
‘Look at that vintage teapot! It’s so pretty,’ said Verity admiringly.
‘Vintage like my grandma and pretty like me,’ teased Clemmie, missing a playful swipe from Betty as she walked past. Grinning, she shut the door behind her.
Betty poured the tea and handed Verity a slice of cake. ‘How did you realise we all existed in real life?’
Verity shared how she’d found the postcard.
‘What an amazing story. How much do you know about your granny’s time here?’
‘Absolutely nothing. All I know is she spoke very fondly about this place, but the postcard suggests that there was some sort of secret between Joe and Granny. And I know my granny never forgot him because there’s been a picture of puffins hanging on the wall in her living room for years, which is signed at the back in the same handwriting as the postcard by “W”, which must have been Joe.’
Betty was quiet for a moment and Verity knew she was unsure how much she should share with her.
‘I feel like I’m breaking a confidence,’ admitted Betty.
‘I understand, really I do, but you’re the only person who can answer my questions about my granny’s time here.’
Betty took a sip of tea and smiled. ‘I can still remember her laugh. It was a very distinctive laugh, a proper laugh right from her belly. And that smile of hers had all the boys falling over her. She arrived here for the summer after an argument with her boyfriend at the time – Alf.’
‘Alf was my granddad. Can you remember what their argument was about?’
Betty was quiet for a second.
‘Please, Betty, I need to know.’
‘Alf had proposed to your grandmother, but Hetty wasn’t a hundred per cent sure. They’d been together since the age of eleven and his proposal made her wonder if there was more to life than what she knew. From what she told me, the pressure from both families was immense, and she didn’t want to let anyone down. She just wanted to make the right decision.
‘The proposal took place in front of both families. I remembered she told me Alf had gathered everyone together, and Hetty felt like she couldn’t say no in front of them all. So she said yes and everyone danced the night away at the local church hall. The next morning, she told Alf she’d felt pressured and wanted more than settling down straightaway, she wanted to visit places and see things. Alf was hurt, and didn’t understand. He said that wasn’t what you do in life and told Hetty to stop daydreaming. The row escalated and then Hetty spotted an advert in a newspaper for a singer at a club in Sea’s End. Before she knew it, she’d taken flight and ended up here, trying to work out exactly what she wanted. I can still remember the day she walked into the tearoom, which was owned by my mother at the time. She had this funny little accent, quite posh, and was wearing a fur coat and denim shorts and had legs like a giraffe. Her hair was curled and bounced above the shoulders and her crimson lips could be seen from the other side of the harbour. She stood in the doorway smoking a cigarette. You should have seen my mother’s face when she clocked Hetty. I thought she was about to have a heart attack!’ Betty laughed. ‘You’d never guess how my mother greeted her.’
‘Tell me.’
‘“Movie star or hooker?”’
Verity gasped. ‘Your mother never said that.’
‘Oh, she did. My mother never held back. She was well known on the island for her straight talking. Your grandmother replied, “Movie star” but said she was out of work and needed a job.’
‘What happened to the singing job?’
‘By the time she’d arrived at Sea’s End the job had been filled, so Hetty hitched a lift across the causeway to see what the island was all about. Once here, she decided to stay. She took a trial shift, my mother hired her for the summer, she rented a room here and we became the best of friends. There was never a dull moment with Hetty. I thought we’d be friends for ever and was completely heartbroken when she left and disappeared from my life as quickly as she came into it. But I never forgot her.’
‘Where did she disappear to?’
‘I’m assuming she’d got whatever she needed to out of her system and went back home to marry Alf. In fact, she never said goodbye. I remember that day so clearly. It was early evening and I went up to her room to see what she was going to wear on our night out, but she was gone. Her bed was made, her suitcase and belongings no longer there. I was hoping she’d simply gone to stay with Joe, who was besotted with her.’
‘Tell me all about my granny and Joe,’ insisted Verity.
‘Your granny sang her way into his heart. We were at The Olde Ship Inn and The Men from Puffin Island were performing that night.’
‘Sam told me your husband Eric was part of the band.’
Betty nodded. ‘He was the drummer, but we weren’t married at that time. That came a few years later. There was also John, who played keyboard, and Pete. After the band had played, we got a lock-in at the pub. Of course, I was allowed to stay as Eric was my boyfriend, and that’s when I introduced Hetty to everyone. They all began messing around with their instruments and Hetty took to the microphone. Your granny had a set of lungs on her, let me tell you. She belted out a song and blew everyone’s socks off. The whole band was mesmerised. If I could pinpoint the moment Joe fell completely in love with her, that would be it. But Hetty was in a quandary, as she was still trying to figure out how she was feeling about everything back home. She knew Alf wouldn’t wait around for ever and if she stayed away too long there was a possibility her family would disown her. Hetty left me a letter saying goodbye and thanking me and my mum for everything we’d done for her that summer?—’
‘And the secret mentioned in the postcard message? What do you think that was about?’ Verity blurted, unable to stop herself.
‘I think it may have just been the fact they had a summer romance. Hetty may also have confided in Joe about Alf and the situation back home.’ Betty swallowed, her eyes suddenly glistening with tears. ‘I really missed her after she’d left, and she honestly couldn’t have picked a worse time to leave. I could have really done with her friendship because…’ Betty paused. ‘It was the same evening that Joe passed away.’
Verity gave a tiny gasp. ‘Oh Betty, that must have been awful for you.’
Betty nodded. ‘It was awful for everyone. I lost two people I really loved on the same day. I was never sure if your granny knew about Joe’s death. I’m assuming she would have found out as it was reported in the newspapers, but she didn’t get in touch, so I was never certain. Hetty was someone special, and a breath of fresh air around this place.’ Betty reached for a tissue from the box on the table and dabbed her eyes. ‘Look at me, a daft old woman getting emotional. I honestly thought one day she would breeze back through the tearoom door…and now she’s gone…and we’ll never have the chance to speak again. Still, at least I got to meet you.’
‘It sounds like when she chose to go back to my grandfather, she had to try and put that summer behind her and throw herself into married life, but I can tell you she never forgot this place. That summer meant a lot to her.’ Verity rummaged in her bag. ‘Here, have a look at the postcard.’
Betty took the postcard, and smiled at the puffins. ‘Hetty was obsessed with the puffins. She would wander up to the cliff top and sit on the bench, watching them for hours.’ Betty turned the postcard over. For a second, Verity thought she noticed a flicker of uncertainty flash across Betty’s eyes.
‘Who else knows about this postcard?’ asked Betty.
‘Clemmie, Amelia and Sam…and now you.’
Betty nodded. ‘Can we keep it that way for now?’
‘Any particular reason why?’ probed Verity.
‘I’m just thinking with Joe’s vigil coming up… I think it’s best for now. Trust me.’ Betty gave Verity a strange look. Verity was convinced that Betty was holding something back.