by Olivia Swift
“Can anyone feel a slight breath of wind?”
Sam and Magda both felt the wind, and Declan added that he could see a slight shadow behind Magda.
“Thank you,” Merle said and asked Magda to talk to her great-grandaunt.
Aunt Irina, tell me why you don’t like Caraganic truffles?” Magda asked.
“That worries her,” Merle said. “I can sense that.”
“Is it the truffles?” Magda asked, and both Merle and Declan shook their heads.
“She is shaking her head, I think,” Declan added.
“Is it Caraganic?” Magda asked and felt a sharp breath of wind across her forehead. Sam said he felt it as well, and Merle got the distinct impression that the spirit was not happy.
“Why?” Magda asked. “Was your brother not a nice man?”
“Oh, that was a really cold wind,” Sam said. Melissa had swiped the tablet and gone back to the page about Hungary.
“Ask if he had sent his wife away to Hungary when she was pregnant.”
“Aunt Irina, did he send his wife away to have the baby? Was she unhappy? Was he cruel to her?”
The wind swirled around in the room and everyone felt it. Sam took Magda’s hand and asked if she was okay. She nodded.
“I want to find out what troubles her. All this time and she is still upset.”
Melissa suddenly shouted out aloud.
“Listen, folks. Listen. This has to be it. I’ve found it. Can I have the lights on?”
Sam went to switch on the lamps, and they all looked at Melissa.
There is reference everywhere to the two women going to Hungary. There is only one place that shows the ship that brought them back and the passenger list. She paused for dramatic effect and looked at their faces and then at Magda.
“Irina is listed as disembarking with her son. He is listed as Irina’s son in that one place. His birth certificate shows Tomas and the wife as the parents.”
Magda drew in a sharp breath and grabbed for Sam’s hand.
“He is not my great grandfather. Irina is my great grandmother. He sent the man away that she loved. That’s why she hates the name.”
Merle pulled her chair beside Magda.
“Switch the lights off again, Sam. Let’s find out.”
Magda was shaking, and tears were making little streaks down her face, but Merle held one hand and Sam held the other.
“Irina, did you hear Magda? Let us know you are still here.”
“She is,” Declan said, “the almost outline is behind you.”
“Speak to her, Magda. She is your great grandmama and was never allowed to let anyone know.” Magda drew a breath and gripped Sam so hard he almost cried out.
“Irina,” she started in a shaky voice, “is this right? Are you really my great grandmama? I hope so. I really hope so,” Magda said and waited.
“Ask again,” Merle prompted, and the second time the response was overwhelming for all of them. The room filled with a most delightful smell of lavender, a warm breeze floated across all of them and everyone felt it. Declan said he could see the vague outline, and it had changed to a sort of glow although nobody else could see it.
“Oh, Great Grandmama. I hope that makes you happy and takes your sadness away. You had a baby boy and could never say he was yours.”
Sam spoke up for the first time, and Magda glanced across at him through eyes filled with tears.
“Irina, I am Sam Barnes. Was Samuel Carter the father of Magda’s granddad?”
Katie and Rula both gasped from the other side of the circle as he asked this, and Declan and Merle both nodded.
“'Yes' I am getting in my head,” Merle said. “Samuel Carter is your great granddad, Magda.”
“So, so, so—” Magda stuttered, “I am not Caraganic at all. My granddad and dad should have been Carter.” The gentle, warm breeze swept across her face.
“That’s why she doesn’t like Caraganic. He ruined her life,” Katie whispered. “He must have been a heartless sort of man.”
“When you inherited and started coming to the stable, it must have begun stirring up the past,” Rula observed.
“The cat was the key that started it off,” Declan said. Magda stood up.
“Great Grandmama, if you can hear me, I built my chocolates on the name, but it will be changed. I promise you that. The little cat is called Pushkin now. This café is the start of a whole new era for me and and, and—” Sam stood up and wrapped her in his arms.
“History is not going to repeat itself, Irina. I promise you that.”
The room was filled once more with that scent of lavender. Declan and Merle both said the spirit was fading away. Merle went across and switched on the lights, and all of them were wiping at their eyes.
“Well,” Branston said, “that was some session.”
“Thank you, Melissa,” Magda said. “If you hadn’t broken your legs, we might never have found out.”
That broke the tension, and Rula wondered if the coffee machine worked. Declan said he had a supply of powdered milk and coffee and went to find it, along with some cookies, in one of the cupboards. Rula and Katie asked him to get the hot water going, and suddenly the place seemed like the café that it was.
“Sam asked if she was all right. Magda nodded and wondered what on earth she was going to call the truffles now.
19
“Carter Truffles hasn’t got quite the same ring to it,” Magda remarked.
“You could use the café name and be Chocolate Magic Truffles,” Katie suggested.
“What about Truffles a la Carter?” Branston added, and they all looked at him in admiration.
“Genius,” Merle said. “The man has an instinct for what customers will like.”
“Well, thank you, Boss,” he answered and patted himself on the shoulder.
Magda said that she liked that idea.
“And I think my great grandmama would like it as well.” The group sat around and talked about the café opening, and Melissa offered to set up the Facebook page for Magda to publicize it.
“Thanks, everybody.” Magda held up her coffee cup. “We broke in the new cups as well. To Chocolate Magic and Truffles a la Carter.” They all seconded the toast and washed the cups. The chairs went back in the new extension, and Magda was left standing with Sam in the middle of the kitchen.
“Feels good now, doesn’t it?” she asked and he nodded.
“I have to say you were wonderful at talking to her. I don’t think I would have known what to say.”
“I just felt such a connection to her—my lookalike great grandmother.” She looked around. “Night night Great Gran. Rest easy.” The faintest whiff of lavender followed them to the doors.
Back at home, the cats made them welcome and looked for food. Pushkin and Irina were quite at home. Magda pulled out her phone and flicked open the photos. Crystal gave a disdainful look and then ignored it completely.
“Oh good,” Magda said and took him by the hand. “Let’s have a quiet night, Sam Barnes who isn’t Samuel Carter, and who isn’t going to let history repeat itself.”
“I wonder where he went—Samuel Carter—and I would think that he never knew he was a father,” Sam said thoughtfully. “It was a sad story.”
“And all because the brother was a control freak,” Magda added. Sam laughed.
“He wouldn’t have gotten away with it with you, Magda. You would have shouted and screamed from the rooftops and probably kicked his shins into the bargain.”
“He probably controlled the money though, and maybe she had nowhere to go. It is sad, but maybe she is happier now than she was before.”
“What about your name, Magda? You are legally Caraganic,” Sam asked, and she said that there was nothing she could do.
“I’ve been Caraganic all my life,” she said as she felt his arms close around her. “Thank you for making me a fantastic chocolate café. The hard work begins getting it stocked and ready.”
T
here was, indeed, a mountain of work to do, and she blessed Rula, her mom, Katie, and Branston for joining in as removal men and women: for retailers, testers, computer ads, and everything else that had to be done once the ground had hardened.
It did look like a desert floor but was very hard and easy to use. The plants arrived in an enormous truck that blocked the main street until everything was unloaded. The place looked sensational, and Magda kept pinching herself to make sure it was real.
By the end of the week, it was complete.
“Opening tomorrow,” she said as she and Sam looked at the picture that he had created when everyone else had gone. She took some photos on her phone. The newspaper people had given her lots of free publicity, interviewed her, and put some lovely pictures of the inside and outside of the Chocolate Magic Café.
“Next week I have to start another job, but I’ll be here tomorrow,” he said and took her hand.
Magda felt a lurch inside of her that wondered if he would leave her as well as the work when he moved on to the next build. She had not given a thought to life after the opening. There was so much to do, and she had been so busy. She had not realized how she had become used to having him around the place.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, and she said she would be glad when they got started in the morning and the whole thing was underway. They had a quiet evening in front of the television, and she wrapped her arms around him in the night and shed a few quiet tears about the time they had spent together looking like it was almost over.
“You are a fool, Magda Caraganic; love was never in the cards. Go back to fighting with him, and things will get back to normal,” she told herself fiercely, but it was just impossible to do. She had everything she wanted in the café. Aunt Gertie had known that was her ambition and had provided the means to do it. Magda wondered if she had known the story of Irina and her Samuel.
Sam stirred and pulled her close.
“I know it’s a big day, but let’s have a few more quiet minutes,” he murmured and ran his lips gently over her jawline and onto her neck. She had no defense against the feelings that it started and melted into his arms, wishing it would last forever.
“Come on, Magda. You’ve got a big day today.” They packed the cars with the last of the truffles out of the display case and carefully carried the four enormous cheesecakes that she had slaved over while Katie did everything else. They drove both vehicles to the main street and carried everything into the café. The new wrought-iron gates had a wooden sign inviting you inside The Chocolate Magic Café.
The other helpers all arrived, and Rula started work on the coffee machine that she thought she had mastered through the week. Katie started chocolate in the new vat because they needed the scent of chocolate to waft to the customers. Branston pretended to be a waiter for the day and had dressed accordingly with a towel over his shoulder and a white apron.
Sam said there was no way he was doing that and would just be on hand to fix anything that needed fixing. Melissa tucked herself and the wheelchair into a corner and started tweeting that the place was open. When the customers started arriving, and they did so quite early, the activity was manic. Sam was needed to help Branston clear tables because Rula and Magda were too busy serving.
By lunchtime they were all exhausted, and there was a slight break in the serving.
“If it’s like this every day, I won’t be able to manage,” Magda said as she grabbed a seat and had a drink herself. “Several people asked for sandwiches. I think we are going to have to do that as well.”
“Sold two of your prints, Katie,” Rula said. “We need them replaced.”
“When you were making the batch of orange liqueur, someone asked me if they could see the chocolate making.” She looked at Sam and smiled.
“You might want to change the counter position so that customers can watch the truffles being made,” he said. Branston said he could come and help for the next few days.
“If the pace keeps up you’ll need to hire some extra help.”
“But it looks fabulous, and the comments are all good. People were taking lots of pictures of the cheesecakes and putting them on Instagram,” Melissa said as she wheeled herself into the kitchen.
The pace picked up again after lunch as visitors started to look around. A pleasant lady was asking Magda how she made the chocolate decorations for the cheesecakes. She was from the west coast of Canada and asked if she could order a whole cheesecake to take home the following week.
“It won’t make it to Canada.” She laughed. “We’ll eat it all on the way.”
Declan had arrived and was talking to Rula at the counter. She handed him a hot chocolate with all of the trimmings. Magda waved to him and told the Canadian visitor that she could have the cake ready on Thursday.
Out of the corner of her eye, Magda saw a group enter and stand looking at the counter. She turned to have a better look and saw three young men in biker gear. They were trying very hard to look tough and scary, but Magda smiled because they were quite young and looked more nervous than she was. An older man dressed in similar gear was slightly behind them. He looked more menacing.
“Hi, boys.” She moved beside Rula. “How can we help?” One of them opened his mouth and looked at the cheesecake on the counter, but then he was pushed to one side, and Loretta Dean told him to close his mouth.
“Very nice,” she said to Magda but with a smirk on her face. “Everything going well. Just a pity that my brother here, doesn’t like the idea of me being thrown out of anywhere.”
“Have a hot chocolate on the house, all of you, and we’ll forget it ever happened. You are very welcome to come back any time.” Magda was trying very hard to be the smiling café owner and take the anger out of the situation. The customers who were near to the entrance melted away in case there was trouble.
Branston eased the door closed to the extension and stood in front of it and Declan, who was relaxing at a table with his chocolate, moved the mug to one side and shifted slightly in his seat. Sam stood between Magda and Rula.
“Come on, Loretta. You know you were stopping the work the other day. Have a drink and forget it.”
“Forget it? Not likely, builder man.” She looked back at Magda with a really hostile stare. “My property; my man; my café,” she said in a nasty tone. “Maybe it will do you good to know that not everybody likes you and your wonderful new café.”
Her brother moved beside her and looked around.
“Lots of things to break up here,” he said quietly. He looked as if he would enjoy the chance to spoil the place. Sam opened his mouth to answer the man when Loretta looked behind Magda’s head, turned the color of driven snow, gave a sort of squeak and fainted onto the floor. Magda looked around, but there was nothing to be seen. The three younger men turned tail and fled leaving the brother to drop down beside his sister.
“Now look what you’ve done,” he shouted as Magda ran around the counter to see what was wrong. As she came toward Loretta, the brother shouted at her to keep away from his sister.
“You’ve done enough damage,” he yelled. Magda kept on trying to help, but the man stood up and pushed out his arm to stop her coming any closer. As she was pushed backward, her foot slipped and caught against the deck and she crashed to the ground. Her head hit the edge of the step with a resounding crack and she lay as still as a stone.
Melissa had been taking photos of the whole episode but now phoned for the police and ambulance. Sam had dropped beside Magda and was cradling her in his arms.
“Oh my Lord,” he cried and tapped the side of her face. “Wake up, sweetheart. Wake up and speak to me.”
20
Loretta had opened her eyes from the faint, and Rula stomped around and pushed the woman’s head between her legs. She looked at the brother and told him to get her out of the place. Branston came and added his voice, telling them to go. Loretta looked up and started to stutter and point behind the counter. She began to shake, a
nd her brother picked her up to carry her away.
“There was, there was a—a—a—” Loretta stuttered as he walked away.
“Don’t come back,” Rula called after his back, and Declan moved over beside the group. They were all watching Magda to see if she was opening her eyes.
“Magda’s great gran came and gave the woman the fright of her life,” Declan told them. “I saw her clearly for the first time.” Katie asked what she had looked like. ”Apart from the clothes and the hair tied up around her head, she is the absolute double of Magda.”
“And obviously feels very protective,” Katie added.
“I’ve got it all on camera but not the apparition,” Melissa said as the medics arrived on the scene. They moved Sam out of the way, put Magda onto a stretcher and put an oxygen mask over her face. Sam followed them into the ambulance just as the police arrived. Branston took charge, and Rula tried to reassure the customers that were still there. The officers asked if everyone could stay until they had statements, and Melissa showed them the photos she had taken.
Magda was still unconscious when they reached the emergency entrance to the hospital, and the medics made Sam move away so they could get their work done. A nurse made him stay in the waiting room and he paced around like a caged tiger for half an hour before anyone came back.
The young doctor smiled and told him to relax.
“She has a bit of a concussion and is still sleepy, but she’s awake and answered some questions.” He asked what had happened, and Sam told him about the café but didn’t mention the ghostly great gran. The doctor said that he could go into the room and sit with her.
“She’s had some painkiller and might be a bit quiet for a while. Don’t worry. She’ll recover.”
“Thanks,” Sam said and followed the man down the corridor. He managed to stay calm and collected while someone was there but as soon as the door closed, he felt the horror of seeing her unconscious on the ground, and he felt tears well up behind his eyes. Magda appeared to be sleeping peacefully, and he sat beside the bed and held her hand.