‘What will the vet say?’ Tristan, ever the voice of reason, asked.
Alf made a face. ‘He won’t say nothing if I don’t tell him, will he?’ Turning to Lola he said with concern, ‘As long as it’s not going to be too much work for you.’
‘Nonsense, of course it’s not. If anything I think I’ll enjoy it.’ She turned to Freya and Angelo. ‘Obviously I understand if you want to go home for Christmas. But also, if your family want to come to Cornwall, the more the merrier. I’d be happy to include them too.’
Freya considered this. ‘Are you sure? If you are I’ll text Mum and invite them down.’
‘But the house?’ Panic flashed across Angelo’s face.
Bayview House was pretty much a building site, with various jobs started but not finished. Lola had to bite her tongue from spilling out that Ruby had stayed there. She was starting to realise that the more she read of the diary, the more people she’d want to share the story with. She wasn’t quite ready for that.
Freya shrugged. ‘They can stay at the pub. Come on, it’ll be fun. I take it Tristan has already agreed to this plan?’ she asked mischievously. ‘Considering you cooked it up together.’
‘I have and I also tried to tell Lola it was too much work.’
‘It is not too much work!’ she insisted as she buttered another slice of toast. ‘I’ve decided it all. I’m going to use the café kitchen and we can all dine in here. Push the tables together, get some wine and crackers, it’ll be brilliant. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly, it’s been years since I’ve spent Christmas with a group of people I love or had a Christmas Day with all the trimmings.’ Another idea flashed through her brain. ‘Why don’t we make a Christmas pudding? We can all have a stir and make a wish. Like I used to do when I was growing up. My Nannie Ruby always insisted on making wishes and I have her magic stirring spoon.’
Out of the corner of her eye Lola saw Alf freeze at the mention of the name Ruby, as if a memory had surfaced that he didn’t quite care for. She sipped her tea and tried extremely hard not to watch him. Tristan threw her a questioning glance. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell everyone Ruby had spent time in Polcarrow, just to see if he reacted further. However, before she could say anything, Alf spoke and the moment was gone.
‘That sounds like a splendid idea, Lola,’ he said before turning to Freya and Angelo to ask, ‘I don’t suppose either of you fancy giving Scruff a walk do you? I think he needs to work off all that toast he’s managed to thieve off us. Tire him out a bit before the grand lobster pot tree making. A tree made of lobster pots, whatever next,’ he chuckled to himself. ‘Where do people get these ideas from?’
Scruff rubbed his face against Freya’s leg, making her groan at the thought of being chosen to take him out. Tucking her phone into her pocket, she stood up and, looking straight at Angelo, said, ‘You’re the one who wants to include – how many was it? – three dogs into our future, so you can come and give me a hand.’
Angelo took Scruff’s lead and with a quick whistle caught his attention. He then led the dog out of the door and across the road to the beach. Freya tightened her scarf, mumbled something incomprehensible and followed them out.
‘I miss being able to walk him like I used to,’ Alf sighed. ‘He needs more than just an amble down here and back, even if that’s enough for me. I’m very grateful that Angelo is keen to get a dog, but I’m not sure he understands how much hard work it is. Not that I’d change Scruff for anything.’
Wondering if this was another chance to lure Alf into a conversation about the past, Lola exchanged a glance with Tristan, who, reading her mind, asked, ‘Did you always have a dog?’
‘Oh yes, grew up with them. There’s always been one around. Great companions. I know it’s probably not the same as a human companion, but I’ve always had a deep understanding with my dogs. Very loyal and they have a better sense about things than most of us. You two ever had any pets?’
Tristan shook his head. ‘My sister had a hamster though.’
‘Only a couple of guinea pigs when I was a girl. My brother Antony and I were meant to share them but I think Mum ended up doing most of the work, which she resented. When they died we weren’t allowed any more. Probably for the best.’ Lola gave him a smile to reassure him she wasn’t at all sad about her lack of pets. ‘I travelled too much afterwards but I always made friends with the local cats and dogs.’
‘I could see you with a cat,’ Alf said.
‘What? Because of all the mystic stuff?’ Lola laughed.
Alf shrugged. ‘Maybe.’ Taking a sip of his tea, his shoulders relaxed as he watched Scruff give Angelo the run around on the beach across the road.
Lola and Tristan exchanged glances. Could this be their moment to ask Alf more about the fishing tragedy? All she knew was that he was happy to talk about the olden days in a general sense, he’d go off on a tangent about stealing boats for secret treasure hunts as a boy but was less keen on delving into his personal life.
‘So, you were never tempted to leave Polcarrow and find your fortune elsewhere?’ Tristan gently persisted.
If Alf was surprised by the question, he didn’t show it. ‘Never. What more treasure is there than that?’ He signalled out of the window towards the sea. ‘Too many people go in search of their fortune and it rarely does them good. I’ve seen it with the young’uns who head off to the city and years later they’re coming back. Cornwall is in my blood, it’s in my roots, and anyway, I had a sense of duty to my family. Even if I had wanted to leave, I couldn’t have done.’ A shadow passed across his face as he said this.
‘How come?’ Lola asked, whilst all the hairs on her neck pricked up in anticipation. Beside her Tristan sat up taller, the expectation radiating off him.
‘Water under the bridge now, some things from the past don’t do with being dug up. I don’t get all this harking back to the past, life moves on and changes, usually for the best.’ He chuckled, giving them both a glance as if he knew what they were up to. ‘There’s a lot more to look forward to you know, like this Festive Festival Sue’s organising.’ His face lit up at the thought. ‘I’m very much looking forward to seeing what it’s all like, never had anything like it here before.’
‘I’m sure it’s going to be grand.’ Lola beamed at him but inside her heart sank slightly. Standing up and leaving Tristan explaining the Christmas tree festival to Alf, Lola began to clear away the plates, satisfied that she’d managed to get her Christmas Day plans all tied up with a big bow, which went a little way to make up for her disappointment that Alf was still reluctant to discuss the past. Ruby’s fate was clearly only to be discovered in her diary.
Or the letters. Lola hadn’t touched the letters yet. She felt they were the final chapter of the story. Perhaps she should read everything before jumping ahead and quizzing Alf. Maybe it would turn out that he was right, that the past was better left alone.
Chapter Eight
Monday, 4th September, 1950
