Page 51 of Second Chance Summer
It swamped her but she was grateful for it until she could go over to St Mary’s for some more suitable clothes to withstand the vagaries of the Atlantic weather.
‘Here you go. I didn’t know if you wanted the works onthe mocha so I added them anyway. You can scoop it all off if not,’ Elspeth said.
‘I haven’t had the works for as long as I can remember. My nieces would love this,’ she said, hoping Étienne would somehow be able to bring them over for a visit, if not during her stay then at a later date. She admired the low whitewashed building with its blue-painted woodwork, perfectly at home in its island setting. ‘Your café is so lovely.’
‘Thank you. It used to be a boat house but was extended and converted into two cottages. Twenty years ago, a family turned part of it into a café.’
‘How long have you had it?’ Lily asked. ‘I don’t mean to keep you from your work,’ she added hastily.
Elspeth sat down at the table. ‘I can spare a couple of minutes before the first ferry arrives. My assistant Barney can hold the fort for now. I took over the café after I split from my husband five years ago,’ she said. ‘I was only sixty-two and I needed to make some money. I’d always wanted a café but Him Indoors was never keen on me having my own job – or life. I think he wanted to keep my nose to the grindstone doing his accounts.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Instead, I left him, took on this place, and we’re doing well.’
Lily’s admiration for Elspeth grew. She might believe in folklore but she was also a practical businesswoman in tune with her customers. ‘I hope he’s seen how successful you’ve been.’
‘Oh, he has. He’s even tried to inveigle his way into my life again but I’m having none of it. This is my place now and I love it!’
Lily breathed in the clear air. ‘The view is incredible.’
From her elevated position, she could see right across the sparkling channel that separated Bryher from Tresco, with its neat holiday cottages and gallery. To her left was Bryher’s only pub and – less encouragingly – a large rock with a gibbet-like structure on the top.
Elspeth must have seen her shudder. ‘Is that a real – er – scaffold?’ Lily said.
Elspeth laughed. ‘No, it’s only a replica. Someone’s little joke, not that I find it so funny. Some say that there was a real gallows up there during the Civil War. That’s Cromwell’s Castle opposite,’ Elspeth said, pointing out the round turret perched on a rocky outcrop on the Tresco side of the channel. ‘Some people say it was built to imprison mutinous sailors. Others joke it’s for tourists who outstay their welcome.’
Lily gave a mock gasp.
‘Present company excepted, of course.’ Elspeth’s eyes gleamed with mischief.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Lily said. ‘From what I’m reading online, there are plenty of people calling for me to come to a sticky end. It feels like being put in the stocks while the angry populace throws rotten veg at me.’
‘It must have been horrible but it will pass,’ Elspeth said, patting her on the arm. ‘And this is the best place for you to hide away.’
‘Even Stark? I thought you were against Sam opening up the retreat?’
‘I am. I asked him not to. I was worried no good would come of it.’
‘And now you’ve been proved right?’
‘Maybe. Maybe not. You and he survived, didn’t you? No matter what I think about Stark being left undisturbed, I would never want my nephew’s business to fail – or anything worse to happen. I’m relieved you both came out of the sea alive. Perhaps the experience will make him think twice.’
‘You really believe the island is haunted?’
‘I believe there’s a dimension of our existence that defies physical proof – so far. In other words, I like to hedge my bets when it comes to the supernatural!’ Elspeth’s smile faded. ‘The main reason I’m worried about Sam taking on the renovation is because he’s had so much on his plate lately. He’s still a partner in the building company, he has Morven to deal with and he’s never been the same since Rhiannon left.’
Lily breathed in sharply. ‘Rhiannon?’
‘His fiancée.Ex-fiancée. She used to be a district nurse on the islands. The family used to live on Bryher and her cousin still does … Rhiannon and Sam were very close, but she’s been gone eighteen months.’
‘Oh …’ Lily floundered. ‘I – er – didn’t know that,’ she said, trying to sound casual while her mind raced. So, Sam was nursing a shattered heart from a broken engagement with a local woman. That explained a lot … the moodiness, the hint of sadness beneath the stoic exterior.
‘He likes to keep his private life private,’ Elspeth said.
No wonder he found it difficult to play the cheery host if he was still getting over a relationship – getting over the woman he wasgoing to marry, Lily thought. That night when she’d seen him staring out to sea: was he hoping that Rhiannon would come back?
She was about to try and find out more when Elspeth rose from the table.
‘I should stop gossiping. Things are going to get manic round here any time now.’
‘Do they ever get manic on Bryher?’ Lily joked, but then noticed the tables around her filling up rapidly. People were bagging seats, browsing menus and filing into the café.
