‘I don’t suppose Rae would ever dare to show her nose up here, would she?’
‘Probably not, but Marcia’s in Middlemoss, don’t forget. Still, I don’t expect our paths will cross, and if Lars tries to persuade me into one of his happy family gatherings next time he’s over here, I’ll be sure and have a good excuse ready!’
‘What’s happening with Justin? Is he still trying to ring you?’
Justin had spent the first few days trying my mobile and Aunt Nan’s phone, but I’d either ignored him or put the phone down on him each time.
‘No, he’s given that up, but he’s still texting and emailing me, and I wish he’d stop. It only just seems to have dawned on him that I’ve left him for good and he’s finding it hard to accept that I won’t eventually forgive him and go back. I don’t think Mummy Dearest is having that problem, though, because when Timmy collected my desk and portfolios, he said she was in residence and the whole flat looked so sterile you could eat your dinner off the floor. She watched him the whole time, too, as if he might load the Conran sofa into the van, when she wasn’t looking.’
‘Justin must still miss you, if he’s constantly trying to persuade you to take him back,’ Bella said. ‘But you couldn’t forgive him for something like that, could you?’
‘No, of course not! I don’t know why he thinks he can talk his way out of it, but all his attempts to contact me just upset me even more. That’s it – I’ve given up on love.’
‘Me too,’ Bella agreed. ‘Robert might have betrayed me in a different way by running up huge gambling debts, but I’ve had enough. He seemed so solid and dependable that I trusted him totally, but I’ve learned my lesson. No, I’ll concentrate on being a mum and you can be Tia’s favourite auntie – which you already are – and we’ll turn Cinderella’s Slippers into an astounding success!’
‘I only hope you’re right,’ I said fervently.
Chapter 7: Old Valentines
Another Welsh delicacy is laver bread, which isn’t bread at all, but a sort of stewed seaweed. Mother used to say how wonderful it was fried up in a bit of bacon fat for breakfast, but when she brought some back from a trip to see her relatives – well, it was such a disappointment! Father said it looked like seagull droppings, and to be honest it tasted the way it looked. Not that I’ve ever tasted seagull droppings, of course, dear,that goes without saying …
Middlemoss Living Archive
Recordings: Nancy Bright.
Justin’s emails and texts had started out all apologetic, persuasive and loving, upsetting me and making me miss him … or the man I’d once thought he was.
But then his missives slowly turned sulky and indignant, which was easier to deal with and just strengthened my resolve. He was so used to getting his own way that it must have been quite a shock to his system to find I wasn’t going to go running back to him. I shouldn’t think any woman had ever turned him down before!
Unfortunately, both he and my first love were still regularly featuring in my recurring Cinderella dream, which was definitely a nightmare now that one prince had dumped me and the next dumped on me by making out with my stepsister!
I supposed the whole Cinderella thing was going through my head all the time because I was working on ideas for the new shop, but it’s a pity you can’t turn your subconscious off at night.
Timmy and Joe came up to spend the weekend with Timmy’s parents in Ormskirk, and brought my desk and portfolios over early on the Saturday evening.
Aunt Nan had quickly become fond of Timmy’s partner, Joe, so their visit perked her up no end, especially discussing the design, layout and colour scheme of Cinderella’s Slippers. Timmy had a really good eye for colour and ambience and Joe was good on practical matters, especially lighting, since theatrical lighting was what he did for a living.
Aunt Nan retired to bed early, as she often did, and when I’d seen her comfortably settled the boys and I went to the Green Man to meet Bella, whose mother was baby-sitting Tia.
‘How do you think Aunt Nan is looking?’ I asked Timmy hopefully. ‘Quite perky?’
‘Frail,’ he said frankly. ‘She does love the idea of you and Bella making over the shop and keeping it going after she has gone, though. You can tell she’s tickled pink.’
‘She was knocked back a bit by the stroke, but she’s made a good recovery,’ I insisted.
‘But she often goes to bed in the late afternoon now, and she wouldn’t do that before,’ Bella said gently. ‘You have to accept that she’s fading away, Tansy.’
‘She’ll pick up again when spring arrives,’ I said stubbornly. ‘It’s only that she’s convinced herself her time is up, but if she gets really interested in Cinderella’s Slippers, I don’t see why she shouldn’t make her century.’
‘Well, we’ll all drink to that,’ Timmy said, but I could see they were just being kind. Deep down, I knew they were right: I was whistling in the wind.
We updated Bella on the ideas we’d discussed earlier with Aunt Nan and Joe said, ‘So now we’re all excited about the shop too!’
‘And I’ve just found a great designer online called RubyTrueShuze, who does lots of vintage-style wedding shoes. Some of them have really interesting trimmings made out of lace, feathers, pearls or crystals. They’re lovely and very different,’ I enthused. ‘I forgot to tell you about her. I’ve emailed her, to see if we can stock them.’
‘And you’re going to sell actual vintage wedding shoes too, aren’t you?’ asked Timmy. ‘Or vintage shoes suitable for a wedding.’
‘Yes, I thought they’d make a good publicity angle, though I don’t suppose I’ll sell that many of them.’
‘I know someone who makes lovely embroidered satin bridesmaid’s slippers for children, from toddler size upwards,’ Joe said. ‘She can match them to the colour of the dresses.’
‘That sounds interesting. I do need to stock bridesmaid’s shoes.’
‘She has a website – here’s her business card,’ he said, passing it across. ‘I brought it, in case.’
‘Things are really starting to come together,’ Bella said. ‘I can’t wait to open the new shop!’
‘We have to have a big closing-down sale and then a total redesign and restock, before then,’ I said, but I felt excited about it too – and it was a distraction from my broken heart.
Seth Greenwood and Sophy, who had been playing darts with the other Winter’s End gardeners, kindly stopped on their way out to ask how Aunt Nan was doing.
Sophy looked pregnant again to me, so maybe Aunt Nan was right about there being something in the water in Sticklepond! But if so, it was probably already too late for me, even if I tried to find someone else … which I wasn’t going to do.
Then all our plans for the new shop had to go on hold, because Aunt Nan had another small stroke and then went quickly downhill. She seemed to have suddenly released her grip on life and was preparing to coast down into death quite cheerfully.
I had to concede defeat.
I let my mother know that if she wanted to see Aunt Nan, she’d better plan a trip very soon, but the only reply was a get-well-soon e-card via my email address.
I displayed it on the screen to Aunt Nan as she lay propped up in bed, but with the jingly music turned down.
‘Well, I’m underwhelmed, to say the least, lovey! But I suppose it’s