‘She had a wonderful life, she married my grandfather the following year, they had children, went on holidays and she taught me all I know about baking and reading palms,’ Lola said, acutely aware of the sadness attached to a life that went on, the full life Ruby lived whilst Charlie remained a memory to all those who loved him. ‘I’m so sorry about Charlie, he sounds like a good man, he must’ve been if my grandmother was willing to make a life with him. I have her diary – she really enjoyed her time here, I can tell that, and I think her feelings were true. I’m sorry if my curiosity brought you any pain, it wasn’t intentional.’
‘I know it wasn’t, love, it has been good to reminisce. That was a glorious summer, it truly was, post war, everyone full of the joys of life. It’s small consolation but I know Charlie died happy. He carried her photo with him everywhere, you know.’
Tears pricked Lola’s eyes. ‘Don’t get me started, that’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever heard.’
Alf rolled his eyes and then reached into his shirt pocket, pulling out a pile of faded pink envelopes. ‘I want you to have these. I think you know who they’re from. The whole village did with that colour paper!’
The letters still smelled faintly of the perfume Ruby had sprayed on them and it struck Lola that she was holding a piece of her grandmother’s life that no one had ever known about. Pastel pink evidence of Ruby as a lovesick girl writing to her charming fisherman boyfriend. A young woman worlds away from the grandmother she’d known. The writing on the envelopes was small, looped and girlish as Ruby had etched her dreams onto paper and sent them off into the world.
‘I think you were always meant to come here, Lola, serendipity or fate or whatever you want to call it, but it seems you were meant to come full circle.’ Alf pulled himself up. ‘I’m going to leave them with you to read at your leisure. I have never read them so I don’t know what they say, but there is one thing I need to say to you. I saw Ruby and Charlie lit from the inside with love, with promise, that’s why she came here. But why are you here? Truly here? If you believe in all this mystic stuff, all this fate, destiny and tarot cards, then why are you here, and I don’t think it’s just to keep me in tea and scones in my old age, is it?’ Alf said with a wink and when Lola went to get up, he stayed her with a hand on her shoulder. ‘I’ll let myself out. I’m here if you want to talk about anything. In another life things would have been different, I might have been your uncle, fancy that!’
Lola squeezed his hand back. ‘I rather think of you like a surrogate grandfather,’ she admitted in a choked voice. ‘Thank you for looking after me so well, Alf.’
‘Think nothing of it, I’m just hoping you’ll make me an extra-special cake for my birthday next spring. Three tiers, I think. Ninety, you know, got to celebrate with a bang. Now you just sit and read those letters and remember, if there’s one thing people seem to find in Polcarrow it’s love.’
‘But—’
‘Don’t fight it, Lola, and don’t keep Tristan waiting. Or any of us for that matter. I’ll see you in the morning.’
Lola listened as Alf let himself out, his words of advice and his tale of Ruby and Charlie settling around her. She reached for her phone. There was only one person she wanted to share this with, but as her finger hovered over his number, Lola decided not to make to call. She needed to read these letters alone. She picked up the top letter and pulled out the sheets, flowery with declarations of love and brimming with youthful hope. One by one she read them, immersed herself in her grandmother’s love story, searching the words for guidance on her own.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ruby’s gushing letters filled Lola’s heart with so much joy, followed by a sweeping sadness to know that her love hadn’t had the chance to bloom. Once she’d read the final one, Lola put it back into its envelope and thought about Tristan, wondering what it would feel like if he was to suddenly vanish just as they were having their first taste of happiness. Chills ran down her spine. Lola wasted no time in texting him, inviting him round, so she could share with him the next, unexpected part of Ruby and Charlie’s romance. Not to mention reassure him that everything with Alf was fine.
‘He kept dropping hints about us,’ Lola said as she watched Tristan make up a couple of ham and cheese omelettes in her kitchen a short while later. ‘It’s like he knows!’
‘Of course he knows,’ Tristan said, ‘Alf knows everything. Let’s just tell him in the morning.’
Lola sipped her wine and nodded her agreement. There didn’t seem much point in keeping everything under wraps and they weren’t being particularly good at taking things slowly.
Alf arrived at the café early the following morning, Scruff in tow, Tristan bringing up the rear. He’d left Lola’s late the previous night, after an extended goodbye kiss at the door. Tristan beamed at Lola as he held the door open for Alf, who went in, sat straight down and told Scruff, ‘Now, give me a bit of peace so I can finish this crossword. Maybe I’ll slip you a crust of toast.’ The promise of toast made Scruff sit down more obediently than any of them had ever seen before.
‘Morning, bit brisk out there, but despite whatever they’re saying on the television, I can’t see a storm brewing. I can usually feel them in my bones. This grey cloud is just going to blow around for a bit, dampening everyone’s spirits,’ Alf said, glancing between Lola and Tristan, his brow furrowing. ‘Now, why are you all jittery this morning, Tristan?’
Lola placed a tray full of tea and toast on the table and smiled as Alf did his usual shake of the head at Tristan’s Earl Grey. A wonderful warm feeling of having found her home washed over her. After all her years of travelling around the country, of taking herself off to far-flung destinations for brief exotic flings, there was nothing on earth that compared to sitting around the breakfast table in her own café with two men who’d come to mean the world to her.
Alf cut off his crust and slipped it under the table to Scruff. When he looked back up surprise, joy flashed across his face to see Lola and Tristan sitting side by side, hands clasped. ‘Oh my, you two finally seen sense then? I knew you would.’
Laughing, Lola snuck a glance at Tristan only to find him gazing back at her adoringly. He gave her a quick kiss before turning back to Alf.
‘Yes, we’ve finally come to our senses,’ Tristan told him, ‘and it might be brand new but I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.’
‘We just didn’t want to ruin the friendship,’ Lola explained.
Alf wiped a tear from his eye. ‘Well look at that, you two making an old man cry. I couldn’t be happier, two of my favourite people finally together is certainly the best Christmas present I could ask for. And friendship is the best basis for a relationship, at least you know you already like each other.’
‘We’d like to keep it to ourselves for a bit,’ Lola said, ‘you know, to enjoy it without anyone else having their two pence worth.’
‘Of course, but I’m pretty sure most people’s tuppence worth would buy you a whole load of blessings.’ Alf sipped his tea and fixed Lola with a look. ‘Now you’ve come to your senses about each other, any chance you could help him come to his senses about what a proper cup of tea should be like?’
Lola and Tristan laughed. ‘I would, but I think he’s perfect just as he is, Earl Grey and all.’
Chapter Thirty
It was a week before Christmas and all over Polcarrow residents were frantically trying to pull together their festive plans. Parents were whizzing their kids from school party to school performance and trying not to panic when their children updated their Christmas lists last minute. Steve was experimenting with making his strongest mulled wine ever and was threatening to bring it along to the solstice ritual in the hope it would inspire some naked dancing. The mums who met regularly at the café had started asking for extra shots in their gingerbread lattes and people were enquiring about adding a dozen mince pies to their Christmas cake order.
Lola was starting to wonder where she’d find the time to fit everything in. At least she’d managed to finish Alf and Scruff’s matching Christmas jumpers. She couldn’t wait to see their faces when they opened them, or how long Scruff would manage to keep his clean. The biggest task on her list was finishing off the Christmas cakes and she was keeping her fingers crossed that winging the solstice festival would work. There was something different about a last-minute panic at Christmas time, everyone was united in it but also experiencing it in their own ways. Lola adored the way Tristan presided over all the panic with a calm air of religious reassurance. His bit was relatively easy, although she knew he was secretly struggling with his Christmas Day sermon, but nobody else needed to know that.
