Page 32 of Match Point in Crumbleton
Cath smiled to herself as Evelyn practically melted on the spot. She wondered briefly if Andy had any idea of the effect he could have by being such a good guy… and then promptly decided that he didn’t have a clue. He was just naturally open and friendly. There was no side to him.
Letting out a little sigh, Cath had to shake herself into action.
‘Right, sounds like we’ve got a plan,’ she said. ‘It’ll be nice to get away from all this history for a few minutes!’
Evelyn turned out to be pretty sprightly once she had her hand tucked into the crook of Andy’s arm. They were ensconced at one of the café’s tables in under ten minutes. After perusing the menu, they ordered a round of toasted teacakes with butter, and a giant pot of tea to share between the three of them.
Cath noticed Evelyn couldn’t seem to stop smiling. She kept looking between her and Andy as though she couldn’t quite believe her luck. Cath wondered briefly how much company the old woman had at home. It was clear she was having the time of her life with Andy fussing over her.
Yet again, Cath felt a rush of tingles as the beginnings of another idea started to bloom in the back of her mind. She wanted the museum to be at the heart of the community… maybe people like Evelyn were the key to making that happen.
Cath bit her lip. She needed to keep this brand-new idea to herself for the time being and think it through properly in the peace and quiet of her flat. Right now, she wanted to hear all about the last bout of the Cheswell Cup from the reigning champion herself.
‘So, tell us all about it!’ she said, smiling across the table at Evelyn. ‘I’ve seen photos of some of the earlier tournaments, but there weren’t many from the eighties—at least, not in the only album I’ve found so far.’
‘I might have some more photos at home,’ said Evelyn. ‘If you’d like to see them, I could look them out?’
‘That would be brilliant!’ said Cath.
‘But tell us, what was it like,’ said Andy. ‘How were the games organised… or was it a bit of a free-for-all? There’s only one court, after all.’
‘Oh no,’ said Evelyn. ‘It was very well organised. It was open to all comers—male and female. I remember I had to work my way through a bunch of preliminaries, then there were the semis, and eventually, I was up against Nigel Finlay-Warren in the final. And I won!’
‘You make it sound so easy,’ chuckled Andy.
‘Not that last match,’ said Evelyn, her eyes going dreamy. ‘I do remember that Nigel wasn’t very happy about it though. He almost beat me and I had to survive several match points. He had this fantastic serve, you see—but I worked him out eventually, and beat him in the final set.’
‘Wow,’ said Cath. ‘Sounds like quite a game!’
‘It was brilliant fun, but of course, the tennis club closed its doors not long after that. Before we knew it, Fergus had bought the building and turned it into a hotel—and now we’ve got the Dolphin and Anchor.’ Evelyn paused and smiled at both of them in turn. ‘Nothing stays the same, of course—and I like Fergus’s cooking very much—but I’m glad you’re bringing back the Cheswell Cup. I’ll definitely be coming along to watch.’
At that moment, a smiling woman bearing a tray laden with teacakes and a teapot rocked up at the table.
‘Ah, Mabel!’ said Evelyn with a broad smile. ‘You angel.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ chuckled Mabel, efficiently emptying her tray onto the table.
‘I didn’t get to introduce you the other day when we were in with Caroline,’ said Andy. ‘Mabel, this is Cath—she’s taking on the museum.’
‘Oof! You’re a brave soul!’ said Mabel, beaming at her.
‘And she’s starting out by bringing tennis back to town,’ said Evelyn.
‘The Cheswell Cup?’ said Mabel in surprise.
‘The very one,’ said Cath. ‘Fergus down at the Dolphin and Anchor has already agreed, so it’s all systems go.’
‘Well well well!’ said Mabel. ‘I remember the last one when our Evelyn here won. Of course, I was just a tiny tacker back then. I spent most of the day with Geraldine from the antiques shop, pilfering bowls of strawberries and hiding under the tablecloths to eat them.’
Cath smiled. ‘Strawberries seem to have been a major part of the proceedings—they even featured heavily in the photo album I found.’
‘Oh yes, you can’t hold the Cheswell Cup without plenty of strawberries,’ said Evelyn, taking a hearty bite of buttery teacake.
‘Sounds like we know what our next job is going to be, then!’ said Cath raising her eyebrows at Andy.
He nodded. ‘I’m sure we’ll be able to sort something out.’
‘Talk to Stuart down at Bendall’s,’ said Mabel. ‘I’ll bet my bottom dollar he’ll be able to point you in the right direction.’
