Tremarnock Summer

by Burstall, Emma

  ‘Danny? Wherever did you get that idea from?’ Bramble lowered her voice. ‘I think I’m falling for Piers, Katie. It’s not just lust, honestly. I mean, I really fancy him, but there’s something else. A strong feeling. I’ve never met anyone like him before – and I think he likes me, too. I think he’s the man I want to marry!’

  ‘Whaaat?’ Katie peered at her friend through narrowed eyes. ‘You can’t say that! You’ve only just met him, and besides, you’re with Matt.’

  Bramble fidgeted; it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

  ‘I’ve changed since I came here. Maybe I need something more.’

  Katie crossed her arms and pursed her lips. ‘You’re making a big mistake. Matt’s a pearl among men – kind, intelligent, good-looking, faithful – and he really, really loves you. He’d do anything for you.’

  ‘He wouldn’t come to Polgarry with me.’

  Her friend paused for a moment to consider this statement. ‘He’s cautious,’ she said at last. ‘He didn’t want to chuck in his job, only for you to say in three months’ time you didn’t like it here. I mean, it’s not as if you’re immune to changing your mind. Remember the snakeskin boots?’

  Bramble grimaced. She’d once spent hours with Matt and Katie in a central London store trying on some overpriced boots, only to decide when they reached home that she’d made a terrible mistake. After some heated discussion and much angst, the three had trekked all the way back to the shop, where Bramble had promptly resolved to keep the boots after all.

  ‘Being cautious can be a good thing,’ Katie went on. ‘It’s not a crime, you know.’

  ‘I think I prefer reckless to dull.’

  ‘Matt’s not remotely dull!’

  ‘Well, you go out with him instead!’

  Katie laughed. ‘He wouldn’t have me.’ Then she sighed. ‘Poor Matt, he’d be devastated if he heard you. You’d better hurry up and finish with him if that’s what you really want to do.’

  ‘I’ll ring. I just haven’t had time.’

  Katie was aghast. ‘You’ll have to see him in person!’

  She was right, of course, but the mere idea of a face-to-face filled Bramble with horror. He’d probably break down and she would, too. It would feel like chopping off her own arm as well as his leg or foot.

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ she said defensively. ‘Anyway, since when have you been Miss Perfect? You were going out with three boys at the same time before we came here, remember? It was like a carousel, a different one every night!’

  ‘That was then. If I was Danny’s girlfriend, I wouldn’t even look at anyone else.’

  Now it was Bramble’s turn to be surprised. ‘Bloody hell,’ she said, relieved to be off the subject of Matt. ‘I knew you liked him, I just didn’t realise how much...’

  ‘He’s really lovely and funny.’ Katie swallowed. ‘I don’t think he’s going out with anyone; he hasn’t mentioned it anyway. I’d be too embarrassed to ask.’

  ‘What about that singer, Tabitha? He seems quite keen on her?’

  ‘Hmm. I know what you mean.’ Katie chewed a fingernail. ‘But I don’t think they’re an item, at least not yet. The good thing is, he’s asked me back for more shifts so I’ll get to work on him.’

  Bramble scrutinised her friend carefully. She had that look on her face, the one that said something was afoot. When it came to scheming, Katie was an expert. She could have pulled off the Gunpowder Plot.

  ‘As only you know how,’ Bramble observed wryly.

  *

  There was a kerfuffle going on in the marketplace the following morning when they went down to stock up on chocolate. (Maria didn’t seem to go in much for goodies and they wouldn’t have dared raid the kitchen cupboards, so they’d been keeping secret supplies in their bedroom.) The village was buzzing with locals and holidaymakers buying fresh bread, buns and pasties from the bakery, and milk and newspapers from the general store. Thanks to more glorious weather, most folk – in shorts and T-shirts, skimpy dresses and sunglasses – were going about their business with happy, relaxed expressions, but Katie and Bramble spotted a huddle of folk around the fishmonger’s. At the centre of them was Ryan, the chap with the bushy eyebrows whom they’d met at the music event. He was talking to a police officer, who was taking notes, while beside him a very tall middle-aged woman with a pixie crop was waving her arms in agitation.

  Liz trundled into the square pushing a buggy. She was with a pretty young girl in a white dress and pale-blue glasses; the girl must have been about thirteen or fourteen, and had thick fair hair and a noticeable limp. She and Liz stopped beside Bramble, who by now had twigged what all the fuss was about.

  ‘The shop window’s been smashed,’ she explained to Liz, who pulled a face when she, too, noticed the large circular puncture in the glass, with cracks emanating outwards like a spider’s web, as if somebody had thrown a cricket ball, or a rock perhaps.

  ‘Oh Lord,’ she said. ‘I wonder how that happened.’

  ‘Maybe it was an accident,’ the girl in glasses suggested, but Liz looked doubtful.

  ‘I don’t think it would break like that on its own. It must have been hit with quite a lot of force.’

  Two men strolled over to join them, one fairly short and round, the other younger, tall and handsome. With them was a swarthy teenage boy all in black, with a sticky-up streak of violet in the centre of his otherwise shaven head. Bramble and Katie had seen them on Tabitha’s gig night, and now Liz introduced the men as Tony and Felipe, and the boy as Rafael, Felipe’s brother. The girl, she explained, was her daughter, Rosie.

  Lowenna squeaked in her stroller and flapped her chubby arms, determined not to be left out, and Bramble bent down to say hello.

  ‘She’s gorgeous!’ she said, kneeling in front of the toddler and taking her hand. She adored small children. ‘How do you do!’

  ‘She’s my sister,’ Rosie announced proudly, and to Bramble’s surprise Rafael squatted, too, and blew a raspberry, which made Lowenna chuckle.

  ‘Bad business,’ Tony commented, shaking his head at the broken window, at which point the crowd started to break up and scatter in different directions, leaving only the policeman, Audrey and Ryan still talking.

  The village had by no means recovered from the shock of the graffiti on the public loos, not to mention Rick’s flying postcard stand, and gossip had been spreading about Rafael’s possible involvement, despite the lack of evidence. So far, however, Tony and Felipe were unaware, so busy had they been settling Rafael in and trying to keep him entertained.

  Liz was rather hoping that they’d leave, but Audrey spun around suddenly, and on catching sight of Rafael her eyes narrowed dangerously and she pointed an accusing finger. ‘That’s him!’

  The policeman, a portly fellow in shiny black boots, stomped towards them and explained that he was Sergeant Kent from the nearby station.

  ‘This Rafael, is it?’ he asked, looking sternly at the teenager, who was squeezing Lowenna’s ticklish knees, making her squeal.

  ‘We’re his guardians,’ Tony replied stiffly, proffering a hand. ‘He lives with us in the village. Can I help?’

  Rafael, who either hadn’t heard or was choosing not to, gripped Lowenna’s knee again, making her roar with helpless laughter, and Tony gave him a nudge. Rafael caught Rosie’s eye as he stood up and the corners of both their mouths twitched naughtily.

  ‘Where were you last night and in the early hours of this morning?’ Sergeant Kent enquired, and Rafael shrugged as if he didn’t understand.

  ‘Excuse me?’

  The policeman repeated his question and this time Felipe answered.

  ‘He was at home with us, weren’t you, Rafa?’

  The boy nodded. ‘I was reading filosofia,’ he said, straight-faced. ‘Do you know Kant? Very interesting.’

  The policeman looked confused and Rosie giggled – she couldn’t help it – but Sergeant Kent soon composed himself.

  ‘I don’t have much t
ime to read, sir. I’m too busy catching criminals.’ He eyed the boy sternly. ‘Do you know anything about this broken window here, or the graffiti in the public toilet?’

  ‘Of course he doesn’t,’ snapped Tony. ‘I told you, he was minding his own business with us at home last night. And we don’t know anything about any graffiti.’

  ‘Some people are awfully good at burying their heads in the sand.’

  It was Audrey, who’d sidled up with a sour expression on her face. She towered over the policeman, who seemed to shrink in her lengthy shadow.

  ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ growled Tony, fiddling with the collar of his pale-blue polo shirt as if it were too tight. He’d never greatly cared for Audrey.

  She, in a pink kaftan over cropped white jeans, looked positively smug. ‘I don’t suppose Rafael mentioned to you that he was kicking a can around the square last Friday, vandalising property?’

  Liz let out an involuntary squeak. ‘Oh, come on, Audrey. I was there, too. He didn’t cause any damage.’

  Audrey’s lips puckered into a tight O.

  ‘Kicking a can is hardly a criminal offence,’ Tony interjected hotly, ‘and it’s got nothing whatsoever to do with this.’ He indicated the shopfront behind. ‘You’d better mind what you say or I’ll sue you for slander, you old trout.’

  Now Audrey’s mouth dropped wide open. ‘Well, I—’ She looked all set to give as good as she got, but the policeman raised a hand.

  ‘That’s quite enough of that, thank you. I suggest you two go on your way and leave this to the experts.’ He fixed on Rafael, who raised an impudent eyebrow. ‘And you, young man, had better behave yourself. I shall, of course, be making further enquiries.’

  And with that he turned on his heel. Audrey stalked after him, leaving the others momentarily lost for words.

  It was Tony who finally broke the silence. ‘The bloody gall of the woman!’ His face and neck had turned quite red. ‘Who does she think she is, casting aspersions like that? Outrageous!’

  Felipe sighed miserably.

  ‘You didn’t break the window, did you?’ Tony went on, turning to Rafael. ‘You must tell us the truth.’

  Rafael, who’d removed his dark glasses and put them on his head in order to bond with Lowenna, appeared deeply offended.

  ‘How can you think such a bad thing? I am very sad.’ Tears sprang up in his eyes and he slapped his chest to demonstrate his depth of feeling. ‘Do you imagine I am that sort of person? I will return to Rio. I cannot stay here a minute more.’

  It seemed likely that he, too, would stalk off, but Rosie, who’d been listening intently all this time, put a hand on his arm.

  ‘Please don’t go,’ she said softly. ‘Tony’s upset; we all are. Audrey’s being stupid. We know you didn’t do it. Please stay.’

  It was a surprising show of emotion, given that the pair had only just met, but it seemed to do the trick. Rafael appeared doubtful for a moment, checking Rosie’s hand as if to be sure he hadn’t imagined it, then he glanced at Tony and Felipe, who nodded, before placing his own hand on the strange girl’s and patting it.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said solemnly, ‘for believing in me. I think that we shall be good friends.’

  Rosie flashed her funny, gappy smile. ‘I’m learning Spanish at school but I can’t speak Portuguese.’

  ‘Portuguese is much better. I will teach you,’ the boy replied gallantly, and Bramble, who’d been quiet up to now, clapped her hands.

  ‘Can I have lessons, too? I’ve always wanted to go to Rio.’

  ‘And me,’ Katie added. ‘You can’t go by yourself!’

  Now that spirits had risen somewhat, they were soon chatting about the merits of England versus Brazil, which seemed to come off rather better, thanks to Rafael’s enthusiastic review. When Lowenna got fed up with pulling her hair out of the scrappy bunches that Rosie had given her this morning, Liz lifted her from the pushchair and Bramble asked for a cuddle. The little girl instantly fixed on her dangly starfish earrings, determined to yank them out.

  ‘Ouch!’ said Bramble, pulling her head away, before asking Liz if she could buy Lowenna a lolly.

  ‘Let’s all have one,’ Tony cried, perking up at the prospect of food. ‘We can eat them on the seafront. They’re on me!’

  They trooped into Rick’s little shop and picked out what they wanted from the giant fridge-freezer. Tony went for a large chocolate cone, while Felipe, Bramble and Katie opted for ice cream tubs. Lowenna, meanwhile, had guessed what was coming and misbehaved dreadfully so that Liz had to wait with her outside while Rosie fetched her an ice pop, and orange lollies for herself and her mother.

  ‘I couldn’t subject poor Rick to the noise,’ Liz told Bramble when she emerged. ‘She’d give him a headache.’

  The beach was already alive with activity, though few people had as yet braved the water, preferring to wait until later in the day when it had warmed up. A group of scuba divers beside a motorboat were donning wetsuits, while a brown and white Jack Russell sniffed around their feet before attempting to run off with a man’s snorkel. Luckily, he spotted what was going on and managed to grab the dog before it got away. Its owner was nowhere to be seen.

  The friends sat side by side on the sea wall, their feet dangling over the edge, and Tony was very interested in Polgarry Manor. Bramble explained about the leaks in the roof.

  ‘I dread to think what it’ll be like in winter. We’ll have to wear wellington boots indoors!’

  He suggested that she could perhaps turn it into a B and B to make some money. There was a call for one, he explained, especially now that The Stables had closed down.

  ‘I can help with publicity if you like. It’s what I do.’

  Bramble wrinkled her nose. ‘I don’t think I want paying guests. I’d rather keep it as a private home.’

  ‘That’s all very well, darling, but how are you going to survive?’ asked Tony, loosening some chocolate off the side of his cone and popping it in his mouth. ‘It’s a big old place, and I don’t mean to be rude, but can you afford to maintain it?’

  Bramble licked her lolly disconsolately and picked at a scab on her knee. ‘Not really.’

  ‘You’d have no trouble finding staff for a B and B,’ Liz said, trying to be helpful. ‘And what about opening up the gardens? People love stately homes, and you could charge a fee and serve tea and cakes. I bet you’d be mobbed. Why not have a grand inauguration one afternoon? I’d be happy to help. I wouldn’t want you to pay me,’ she added hastily. ‘It would be a pleasure. I’m sure other locals would pitch in, too.’

  ‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Bramble replied thoughtfully. ‘But I’ll have to do some work on the garden first. I can’t afford to employ anyone.’

  She frowned, recalling the pile of rubbish from Katie’s purple bush and her own disastrous efforts with the lawnmower, then Piers popped into her head and the clouds lifted. ‘Something will come up, I’m sure.’

  ‘Think positive – that’s the spirit,’ cried Tony, biting into what was left of his cone and swallowing it down in one satisfied gulp. ‘I could fit my cottage into a corner of one of your wings and it still seems like bloody hard work. Anyway, it’s not as bad as keeping an eye on this young ruffian.’ He looked at Rafael fondly. ‘He’ll give me a heart attack one of these days. Gotta watch him constantly.’

  Lowenna, who’d plonked herself on Bramble’s lap while she ate her lolly, now wiggled on to her sister’s, at which point Rafael rose, picked up the toddler and, to her great amusement, threw her in the air.

  When he’d finished, he took her by a sticky hand.

  ‘We play in the waves, yes?’ He glanced at Rosie. ‘Want to come?’

  Soon she was following him lopsidedly down the steps and on to the beach, and the others watched as they removed their shoes and paddled by the water’s edge. At last Bramble sighed, remembering what she was supposed to be doing.

  ‘We’d better get a move on,’ she said to
Katie, smoothing her skirt and brushing the grit off her hands. ‘We’re hacking down more bushes, remember?’

  Katie pulled a face. ‘It’s far too hot to work. Can’t it wait till tomorrow?’

  There was a brief pause while Bramble considered the suggestion.

  ‘We might get sunstroke,’ Katie wheedled, spotting a chink in her friend’s armour.

  ‘Or heat exhaustion,’ Tony added helpfully.

  ‘Oh, all right,’ said Bramble at last. ‘Let’s award ourselves a break.’

  Tony laughed. ‘Always put off till tomorrow what you can do today, eh? I don’t blame you! I have every intention of doing as little as I possibly can.’

  ‘Lucky you!’ smiled Liz, who was planning to call in on Pat again. When she explained that she was worried about the old woman, Felipe said he’d come, too, and bring Rafael ‘to cheer her up’.

  ‘Come on,’ Bramble said to Katie, yanking her by the arm. ‘We haven’t bought any chocolate yet and it’s the only reason we came!’

  ‘Bye, darlings!’ Tony called cheerfully as they headed off. ‘Have fun – and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!’

  *

  It took a while to persuade Lowenna off the beach and into her pushchair, then Liz, Rosie, Lowenna, Felipe and Rafael left Tony at the turning to Market Square before continuing up South Street, past Audrey’s dress shop and on to Humble Hill. Rafael was noticeably silent after being told that he was to visit an old lady he’d never met, so Rosie tried to cheer him up.

  ‘She’s really nice and not at all stuffy. She’s like my grannie,’ she said. ‘And she always has good biscuits!’

  Liz was glad that her daughter seemed a little less glum than of late and hoped that Rafael, who wasn’t much older, would help distract her from her recent heartbreak. He would have noticed her disabilities, of course, but he didn’t seem fazed. Perhaps he knew someone with cerebral palsy in Rio; it wasn’t uncommon, after all.

  ‘Here we are,’ Liz said, stopping outside The Nook and ringing the bell on the canary-yellow front door.

  It took an age for Pat to answer, and Felipe suggested that she might not be in, but Liz knew better.