The Cosy Teashop in the Castle

by Caroline Roberts

  ‘Nearly there, Nicola. Sorry, there was a rush of orders all at once.’

  She plated the potatoes with their fillings, juggled the panini from the toaster and ladled out the soup. Phew, another order completed. And, next …

  Doris came marching in, her face like thunder. ‘It’s not working,’ she barked. ‘This counter thing. We don’t know where the orders are going now there’s a few on the go at once. We used to have table numbers, you know, and write them on the chitty. And now you’ve moved all the tables too, we haven’t a clue. We’re wandering around like a pair of ninnies, calling out dishes, trying to find the right customers. Very unprofessional, if you ask me.’ Her scowl said it all.

  Oh dear. Deep breath, Ellie, and thinking cap on. ‘Just give me a second, Doris.’ She finished off plating the order she was on and helped Doris take it out, seeing the confusion for herself. But she really felt the counter service could work, they should sell more that way, and it would be quicker in busier times for those who just wanted coffee and cake to get served.

  Ellie took a sheet of A4 paper, drew up a quick table plan just as the room was set out, and labelled the tables one to ten. ‘Nicola, can you please nip this to Deana’s office and ask for three more copies. I’d go myself, but there are orders waiting.’

  ‘No problem. I’ll go right away.’

  Doris’s attention was distracted by a refill of coffee being requested. Ellie cleared another table and went back to her next lunch order. Nicola was soon back. Ellie took the plan to the counter. ‘Right, Doris, Nicola, that’s our table plan. Jot the numbers down on your order pads like you used to and we should all know what we’re doing then. And, Doris, thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. That was really helpful of you.’

  Doris’s mouth had dropped open; she didn’t know how to counter that. A weak ‘Thank you’ crossed her lips, and she had the look of someone who’d been outsmarted, but wasn’t quite sure how.

  Ellie went back to the next order humming. There were a mad couple of hours through the lunchtime, and then things eased a little, giving Ellie the chance to clear the kitchen and check how the waitresses were getting on. Joe was right, the pair of them did work hard, which was more important than anything.

  ‘Do you want to take a break now, ladies? I’ll help out here if need be. Doris, Nicola, can I make you up something to eat? What do you fancy? Soup, a sandwich? You go first, Doris, and then when you’ve had your half hour, Nicola can go. You’ve both worked hard, anything you take for lunch’s on the house.’ The least she could do was to provide them with a bite of lunch, and it might just help morale. It would be novel to see a smile on Doris’s face, though it wasn’t going to happen quite yet by the looks of her deadpan expression.

  ‘Thank you. I’d like the tomato soup. Please.’

  ‘No problems.’

  Doris took a seat in the kitchen, silently observing Ellie as she bustled about. Finally she said, ‘And are you not stopping?’

  ‘No, not just yet, Doris, not while there’s still customers to serve. I’m fine.’ She’d be knackered for sure tonight, but there were only a couple more hours to go.

  Just then, Bossy Nanna’s voice cut in her mind with, ‘You need to eat.’ The same words came from Doris’s lips.

  That was a bit freaky. ‘Yes, okay, I’ll make sure I eat something.’ Jesus, now there were two of them bossing her around.

  Joe popped in a few minutes later, ‘Everything okay here? Been busy?’

  ‘Yes, it has been. Bit of a slow start, mind. Would you like anything? I’m getting Doris some soup for her lunch break.’

  ‘No, no, you look busy enough. I had something earlier, anyhow. And I’ve got loads to do, but if you need anything just give us a shout.’

  ‘Will do, thanks.’

  He gave her one of his broad smiles and was off. A silly glow inside warmed her, and yet was a warning too. Yes, he might look okay, well more than okay, to be honest, but he was out of bounds. No work-based relationships allowed. Anyway, she was steering clear of relationships, full stop. She did not want to go down that particular road again. Not when she was finally beginning to turn things in her life around.

  The long weekend proved hectic. By Monday, three o’clock, her feet were throbbing, the burn on her arm nagging a little, and she felt like she could sleep for a week. She was left with one fruitcake, half a Victoria sponge, three Easter cup-cakes, six scones, two grouchy waitresses and the embers of a fire. Ooh, she’d give anything to slide into a deep, hot (now that would be a miracle) bubbly bath with a glass of fizz. But there were still two hours to go before they closed and unless she wanted to get up at six again, she’d better get a couple of cakes made for tomorrow or they’d run out altogether. She couldn’t believe they had sold so much. The stream of customers had kept on coming, their comments were good, and her waitressing duo seemed to be getting on fine and receiving some healthy tips. Her first weekend, though very much a juggling act and a learning on her feet, seemed to have been a success. Wow. She could barely believe it, it was the most amazing feeling!

  She’d have to count the takings and work everything out in detail, but she was sure she had more than covered her costs, including the entire week’s waitress wages, all the food supplies and some of her lease and setting-up costs. Result! Of course not every weekend could be expected to be as busy as Easter, but it boded well.

  Nearly closing time on Easter Monday, Ellie was making the mix for tomorrow’s sponge cakes. Doris was busy getting the mop and bucket ready to do the floor when Ellie offered to finish off, saying she’d probably make more mess with her next batch of baking. She thanked them for their hard work over the busy weekend and offered them a couple of scones each to take home. She wouldn’t re-use them the next day, preferring to bake them fresh daily. They took them, gave her an end-of-day smile, yes, even Doris’s lips twitched upwards, probably relief at getting away, to be fair, and set themselves away home.

  ‘See you tomorrow, ladies, and thank you.’

  And all was quiet. It was strange, the full-on bustle of the tearooms when they were up and running, and then the lull at the end of the day and early morning when she got on quietly with her baking, prepping, or the last of the clearing up. She quite liked those times, though it took her a few minutes to adjust. Already the days had their pattern, routines were forming. The castle was becoming part of her life, and the people she had met there.

  Lord Henry, in worn beige corduroy trousers and a brown-checked shirt, called in just as she was clearing up, to enquire how things were going. It was only the second visit since she had started; Joe’s comments that he liked to keep himself to himself seemed to be true.

  ‘How’s your first weekend been, then, Ellen. Settling in alright?’

  ‘It’s El …’ She never got chance to correct him.

  ‘Plenty of customers?’

  ‘Yes, it’s been busy. I’m really pleased with how it’s all gone.’ She wanted to sound positive, but she still felt a little on edge with Lord Henry. His manner was so formal, and a coolness exuded from him. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

  ‘That’s good. But …’ he drew a slow breath, ‘It is early days. The Easter period should be popular. It’s an easy time to fill the tearooms … Time will tell.’ The words hung with gloomy foreboding.

  Ellie wondered if he was secretly harbouring hopes of getting the sparkly-topped Cynthia, of the handlebar hips, back in situ.

  She needed to prove him wrong.

  ‘Would you like a slice of cake? Cup of tea, Lord Henry?’

  ‘Actually, Ellen, don’t mind if I do.’

  She cut a slice of her best fruitcake, and sat down with him, feeling a little nervous. She tried to get some conversation going, asking him how long he had lived at the castle, finding out that he’d been there all his life. It was a family property passed down through the generations. She didn’t dare mention her little semi back in Heaton. Their lives were
worlds apart. Yet here they were, talking over tea and cake. Hopefully he thought the fruitcake was okay, though he didn’t say much to confirm that. Just left with a polite thank you. She still had the feeling that he considered her a naïve young snippet, who would soon enough trip herself up.

  She had also met Derek and Malcolm, who did the guided tours and kept an eye on the rooms that were open to viewing. They had called in on the Saturday morning just before opening time for a ‘most welcome’ cup of coffee. And she’d been introduced to Colin, a smiley bald-headed gardener in his mid-fifties, who walked with a slight limp; he seemed to have young James as a helper much of the time.

  Deana worked long hours over the weekend, staying on until well after six-thirty. Ellie popped in to see her before heading up to her room, noting the light still on in her office. They had a nice chat. Deana was checking the admissions figures for the castle. She said that Joe had helped her get set up with a new computer system that would record them more easily, and takings were up on the year before for Easter, so she was pleased.

  ‘Been a busy weekend, hasn’t it? Goes from nothing to full throttle overnight for Easter. How have you found it, Ellie?’

  ‘Yeah, pretty good. Hectic at times, and I’m shattered, I must admit. My feet are throbbing. But yeah, I’ve enjoyed it.’

  ‘I’m pleased for you, pet. It’s a lot to take on. Especially when catering’s not really been your background. But I’ve been listening to people chatting as they leave and there’s been some great comments about the teashop already.’

  ‘Aww, thanks.’ That was so lovely to hear. And made her sore feet and aching back worthwhile.

  ‘So, Ellie, I’ve been wondering about getting a gift shop opened up here. What do you think?’

  ‘Oh, well, that’d be a great idea, I’m sure.’

  ‘What kind of things do you think we should focus on selling?’

  It felt nice that her opinion was being sought. ‘Well, I suppose the usual – mugs, tea-towels, quality local crafts, jams, honeys … Oh, and what about some castle-themed things for the children, books, colouring sets, dressing-up outfits – they always like those, like knights and princesses, that sort of thing.’

  ‘Ooh, that sounds a good idea for the kids. Thanks, Ellie. I’ll have a word with Joe to take things forward. But I think a shop will be a good addition to the castle facilities.’

  ‘Yes, definitely. Right, well I think I’ll head up for a bath and an early night.’

  ‘Yes, you do that, pet. Put your feet up. See you tomorrow.’

  ‘See you tomorrow, Deana. And thanks, it was nice to chat.’

  Ellie felt warm inside, the early stirrings of friendship with Deana giving her a little more confidence in her newfound surroundings.

  ‘Night, pet.’

  Back to the tasks in hand for this evening. Ellie would have to think about re-ordering from Breakers tomorrow and might need an early trip to Kirkton to visit the farmers’ market and get enough fresh supplies to see her through till Thursday, when they would next deliver. And she’d promised to ring Mum and Kirsty, and Gemma tonight; they were wanting regular updates. She yawned out loud, not able to keep it in as she mounted the spiral staircase.

  An hour and a half later she was in the bath, lukewarm thanks to the cranky castle hot-water system, with plenty of bubbles and a bottle of cider. It was the best she was going to get, and bloody lovely, to be honest. Her throbbing toes stuck out at the end of the tub. She might have to find a Clark’s shoe store and buy some sensible shoes to work in – now that would please her mother. Her flats were okay, but didn’t give any real support, and she’d be on her feet most days. Hah, she hadn’t been in a sensible shoe shop since the age of eleven, after which time she’d refused to shop for shoes with her mother, point blank. She couldn’t wait to snuggle up in her bed, with the telly on, and drift away. Her alarm would have to be set for seven o’clock, for the morning scone bake-off. But tomorrow was another day. For now she would just lie back and …

  Thank Christ she hadn’t fallen asleep in the bath – it had been a close call, her mobile waking her up, its ringtone droning from the windowsill in the bedroom. It was Jason, seeing how she was. Nearly drowned, she mused drily as she said, ‘Fine, it’s all going well. How’s life with you? Any developments with that Kylie you fancy? Any juicy local gossip I’ve missed out on?’ And as they chatted, she realised she missed him, her little brother, and the comforts of home; she’d do anything for a really hot bath in a centrally heated bathroom, and a big portion of Mum’s stew and dumplings right now. But he’d only feed that back to Mum and she’d be fretting, for sure, so Ellie kept the conversation light and fluffy and as positive as possible, enjoying hearing about the trials and tribulations of a teenager in infatuation, and avoiding any talk about her own emotions.

  The rest of the week slowed down a little. There was still a steady stream of customers to the teashop, but no one had to wait for a table, and the meal orders came in intermittently, with no pressure to get five done at once, as had been the case over the Easter weekend. It gave Ellie the chance to prep more for the next day, however, and get her baking done, though she’d over-estimated how much to cook for the second half of the week and had far too much left, having to throw three cakes and a whole batch of scones out. Working out what would sell and trying to avoid waste was going to be a minefield, as anything thrown out was just money down the drain. She did find out from Doris, though, that she could keep the food waste for a local farmer, who’d come and collect every couple of days – at least the pigs were going to be happy, growing fat on Victoria sponge and cherry-and-almond scones.

  11

  Ellie

  Week two, and by the Tuesday the castle was a ghost town. The schools were back, it was still early April and the visitors, bar a few hardy middle-aged ramblers, had disappeared. The weather didn’t help either, a steady cold drizzle had set in over the past two days, which settled as a dull, claustrophobic mist over the castle. Once she’d stopped working at a rate of knots, the tiredness flooded Ellie’s body, and it gave her time to think, which was never a good thing of late.

  Wednesday was a day off, so she didn’t need to get up. She snuck back down under the duvet, wondering what she might do with her day. Last Wednesday she’d been that shattered she’d spent most of it in bed and in her room, having a catch-up on iPlayer, and reading all her emails and texts, as well as doing a bit of tearoom prep late afternoon for the next day. She felt she ought to venture a little further afield today, or she was at risk of becoming another of the castle’s hermits.

  A message popped up on her phone that made her want to stay right there in the safe gloom of her bed: ‘We heard about the new venture. Hope all’s going well so far. Gavin and Nadine x’ Her stomach began to twist. Well, they were a bit late with the good wishes, weren’t they? And a kiss, hah, how touching! She pressed delete – didn’t want, or need, their kind of luck. But it put her in a sour mood, much as she hated the thought that they might still be able to affect her.

  Eleven-fifteen – she’d better get up now. She was hungry for tea and toast. She’d got a little kettle and toaster set up in her room, so she didn’t have to traipse all the way to the kitchen if she needed a snack. It was that cold in there the butter kept really well in the chill draught of the windowsill. So she had a quick bite of breakfast.

  She needed to get out. She had her car, so zipped off through the lanes to Kirkton; she’d buy a magazine, get herself a coffee – suss out the opposition, and just chill and let someone take care of her for a change. The mists finally lifted and a weak, watery sun filtered through the windscreen. Sitting there in the coffee shop on the small high street twenty minutes later was pleasant, and yet she longed for some company, just to chatter on with Gemma or Kirsty. There was no one much her age at the castle. Nicola was younger, at only nineteen, and had probably seen enough of her new boss all week. Doris, well Doris was a law unto herself – enough said. D
eana was really nice, though a different generation, but she had her own life and her husband to think of on their day off.

  And then there was Joe. Joe, she thought of him with a little sigh. He must be just a bit older than her, though maybe not that much – he looked late twenties, possibly early thirties, it was hard to tell. Anyway, she didn’t feel she could start asking him out for a coffee, or for lunch in the local pub or anything. He might think she was asking him on a date, and that wouldn’t do at all. Best to keep her distance there. Lord Henry? She laughed to herself at that one, clutching at straws now. Nah, she couldn’t picture herself sat on her day off, having a chat and a coffee with Lord H.

  Maybe she could nip home? It wasn’t that far, only the hour. Catch up with her family, her mates, but it just seemed too soon. It might unsettle her more, and her mother would be on at her with twenty questions, and she wasn’t settled enough to come across as happy and convincing yet. She was probably just tired, feeling a little emotional. She’d have a quiet day today, then get back to work tomorrow and get on with everything. That was bound to make her feel better. Maybe she’d visit home in a couple more weeks. She could put some spring flowers on Nanna’s grave then and have a little chat, tell her all about it. Yes, that’d be nice, but in a few weeks’ time.

  Flowers – she ought to get some more for the teashop, the Easter ones had wilted. There were just a few carnations left, which she’d gathered into a vase on the counter. But hey, the way takings were this week she could hardly afford flowers. But she might just nip in and say hello to Wendy while she was here in the town, anyhow, see if there was anything going cheap. She sipped the last of her latte and set off down the street.

  ‘Hello, pet.’ Wendy’s smile was genuine as Ellie entered the small shop that was fragrant with blooms; tall stems in pinks, creams and purples were bursting from large green pots. ‘How’s it going at the castle, then? I’ve been wondering how you’ve been getting on, been talking about you with Mrs Armitage here earlier. She used to do some cleaning at the castle a while back. So, how did it all go?’