A Rose Petal Summer

by Katie Fforde

  Scarlet and David exchanged glances. ‘We really want to get married soon but we can’t decide about the wedding. I mean, my parents, if they could even bring themselves to think about me marrying David, would want one sort of wedding thing, and Hollywood would like another. We don’t like either of those options. But whatever, I’m not going back to their house while they are being like this, and I don’t want David going there either.’

  ‘Well, it looks like I’ll have to manage to recreate this perfume without smelling it then,’ said Alec.

  ‘How on earth will you do that?’ asked David.

  Alec gave a half-smile. ‘I may have a secret weapon.’

  ‘What?’ asked Scarlet. Everyone looked expectantly at Alec.

  ‘A friend who has an encyclopaedic interest in old perfumes,’ he said. ‘Trouble is, he lives in Grasse. Which is where a lot of perfume is made,’ he added.

  ‘You have to go there!’ said Scarlet. ‘How exciting! Do you speak French?’

  Caro, not allowing herself to think first, said, ‘I do! If you need a translator—’

  ‘Oh yes! You should totally go with him,’ said Scarlet. ‘You speak French, and you know which perfumes I don’t like.’

  Caro didn’t speak. She was regretting inviting herself along on Alec’s trip to France and she was hoping he would forget it. It assumed their relationship was far closer than it was.

  ‘Supposing this special perfume doesn’t suit you?’ asked Alec, who obviously wasn’t thinking about anything except the job in hand.

  Scarlet sighed deeply. ‘I can’t believe it won’t. I’ve loved the smell all my life. And if it doesn’t, I’ll just have to have something else. There are about a million to choose from, after all.’ But the prospect of choosing from the million seemed to make Scarlet sad.

  ‘But I want your wedding perfume to be really special, not just something anyone could buy,’ said David.

  ‘I could make something for Scarlet,’ said Alec. ‘But let’s focus on working out what is in this old one first. It’s such a romantic story.’

  For some reason he looked at Caro as he said it and their eyes met. There seemed to be something in his expression that made it significant, she thought. She looked away instantly, worried that she’d got it wrong. It could have been her wishful thinking after all.

  ‘Do you think we should eat?’ she said, getting up. Just at that moment she had no idea what time of day it was. It could have been breakfast as far as she was concerned.

  She relaxed when everyone was sitting down and tucking in. Scarlet appeared to have no food issues and made enthusiastic comments about everything on her plate.

  David and Alec discovered a mutual interest in sailing.

  ‘Scarlet is a little nervous around boats at the moment, but I’m sure we can sort that,’ said David.

  ‘The secret is to go sailing with someone who never raises their voice and keeps strictly within the comfort zone of the person who’s anxious,’ said Alec.

  ‘You have a boat yourself?’ asked David.

  Alec nodded. ‘In Scotland. I never get enough time to take it out though.’

  ‘I’ve usually sailed in much warmer waters,’ said David, ‘but I gather the wildlife you see in Scotland is amazing.’

  Alec nodded. ‘It’s well worth putting on a few extra layers for. Whales, dolphins—’

  ‘I’d love to see those,’ said Scarlet.

  ‘You must come and stay with us,’ said Alec. ‘I’ll take you sailing and show you Scottish wildlife at its best.’

  ‘We’d love that!’ said Scarlet.

  ‘We’ll arrange it,’ said Alec. He turned to his daughter. ‘Now, sweetheart, perhaps it’s time we talked about you?’

  Chapter Nine

  Caro was relieved when Scarlet managed to turn the conversation away from Rowan’s immediate future and by the time Scarlet and David went home (the leaving process took half an hour) and Alec had been shown his cabin (recently vacated by a Hollywood starlet) Rowan had also gone off to bed.

  Caro and Alec went back to the saloon and sat in silence for a few moments. Caro was tired and she realised it was more for emotional reasons than the normal cooking and cleaning.

  Alec seemed happy not to talk too. They obviously had lots to discuss – the perfume, Rowan, Scarlet and David, Murdo – but both were happy just to let things rest.

  ‘Drop more?’ Alec held the bottle hovering over Caro’s glass.

  ‘Go on, then.’ Caro knew she’d probably regret it in the morning but wanted to live in the moment.

  ‘This really is a lovely home,’ said Alec, indicating the barge with a gesture. ‘It has such a great atmosphere.’

  ‘It’s the people who create the atmosphere,’ said Caro, although she knew in truth that there was something else provided by this special place that had been home for most of her life.

  ‘But the right atmosphere makes people relax.’

  She nodded. And then, without warning, she yawned enormously.

  He laughed. ‘You’re tired! So am I, actually, and tomorrow I’m going to have to talk to Rowan. It won’t be fun.’

  ‘She’s such a lovely girl. I’ve loved having her. I like girls. I suppose I miss Posy. Although she’s having such a good time I’d be upset if she suddenly wanted to come home.’

  ‘She’s a bit older than Rowan?’

  She nodded and got up. She was worried if they went on down this path they’d end up discussing Rowan, and Caro felt strongly that Rowan should be present when that happened. ‘I think I’ll head off to bed now.’

  Alec got up too. ‘Good idea.’

  There was a moment when it looked as though Alec might kiss her. While Caro wanted this, she didn’t want their first proper kiss to be at risk of being interrupted, so before he could move closer she fended him off with instructions about the shower and the marine loo. She said goodnight while he was still figuring out the details and shortly afterwards she was in bed, wondering if Alec really had been going to kiss her and what would have happened if she hadn’t got nervous and stopped it.

  Caro had got up early and felt well ahead with the day before the others appeared. She made pancakes and defrosted blueberries to go with them. A bowl of crème fraîche to go on top and she felt her breakfast was worthy of an Instagram post, had she been that way inclined.

  Her houseguests were appreciative. ‘This looks amazing!’ said Rowan, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

  ‘It does,’ said Alec. ‘I haven’t had pancakes for breakfast for years.’

  The pleasant inanities went on as long as Caro felt she could draw them out, but at last she stopped, knowing the difficult conversation couldn’t be put off forever.

  ‘Sweetheart? We can’t avoid talking about this any more. You’re going to have to come home with me,’ said Alec.

  ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ said Caro. ‘I need to go and see if there’s post, anyway.’

  ‘No!’ Rowan grabbed her arm. ‘I want you here!’

  ‘There’s nothing Caro can do to change what has to happen, darling,’ said Alec. ‘You’re going to have to pack your things and be ready to come home with me tonight. But we can have a lovely day first.’

  Rowan’s stricken expression made Caro think it was more than just having her fun stopped that was upsetting her.

  ‘Listen, Skye did say that Rowan could stay for a week,’ said Caro. ‘Why don’t you let Rowan stay with me while you’re in France? That will give her a few more days and then she can go home with you. There’s no reason why she shouldn’t, is there?’

  ‘But I thought you were coming with me to France?’ Alec seemed put out.

  ‘Well, it would have been lovely but hardly necessary! I was only going as a translator and with your experience I’m sure you speak fluent French.’

  He smiled. ‘I did study there for some time and so yes, my French is OK.’

  ‘But Scarlet wanted you to go with him!’ said Rowan. ‘You
know what perfume would suit her.’

  ‘I can’t be in two places at once, love,’ said Caro. ‘That would mean you couldn’t stay here any longer.’

  ‘Your mother is very keen to have you back,’ said Alec.

  Rowan made a sound that was half a sob and half a cough. Caro was terribly torn.

  ‘I do understand,’ she said. ‘But is there any particular reason? Apart from Skye really missing her daughter?’

  ‘She’s worried about her,’ said Alec. ‘She thinks London is the devil’s armpit.’

  ‘It’s really not!’ said Rowan. ‘At least, not the bits I go to.’

  ‘Skye would think it’s just a matter of time before you start taking drugs and having sex with every man who asks you.’ Alec obviously didn’t agree with his wife but was stating her case. However, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was a little bit worried too.

  ‘Listen, you’ve obviously got to go back to Scotland now and get your things. Rowan can stay here while you do that. I will look after her,’ said Caro earnestly. ‘Posy’s a London girl, through and through, but while I can’t know for certain, I don’t think she’s ever done the things that Skye is so worried about Rowan doing.’

  Alec thought for a moment and then he sighed. ‘OK, I’ll go home without you, Ro, and explain to your mother why you’re not with me.’

  Rowan giggled. ‘You mean you’ll stand there while Mum rants. She’s a good ranter.’

  ‘Great to have skills!’ said Caro, feeling slightly uncomfortable about what could be thought of as Rowan’s lack of respect, although she was probably completely right. ‘So what are you two going to do with your day?’

  ‘Aren’t you coming with us?’ said Alec. Rowan looked anxious too.

  ‘No, I’m going to give you a Tube map and a bus map, and Rowan is going to prove to you, Alec, that she’s fine in London without someone holding her hand all the time.’ She smiled encouragingly. ‘What time is your flight? Don’t be late back or I’ll fuss.’

  She was going to spend her day thinking about what jobs she might go for. She’d had a lovely interlude since Posy had gone to Australia but she needed to make a living.

  Caro found she had several options for future employment but none of them excited her. She really wanted to help Alec with his perfume project. She not only loved it herself and had a knack for knowing what scent suited whom, but she loved his daughter. And although the part of her brain that was sensible told her this couldn’t be the case, she was pretty sure she loved him, too.

  She went shopping in between job-hunting on the Internet and, among other things, bought the ingredients for her favourite chocolate cake and a big tub of cream to go with it. So when Rowan and Alec arrived back, exhausted but happy, she was ready and happy to see them. Chocolate cake, it turned out, was one of Alec’s weaknesses. Secretly, she was utterly delighted and was very glad she’d made one. It was after Alec had been seen off to the airport and Rowan and Caro were eating left-over lamb turned into a biryani that Caro felt it was time to do a little tactful probing. They’d all picked over the enjoyable father-and-daughter day together but now Alec had gone, there were things Caro needed to find out from Rowan.

  ‘So.’ Caro made sure she had Rowan’s full attention. ‘I got the impression that it wasn’t only that you weren’t ready to go home that made you so keen to stay on for a few days?’

  Rowan put down her fork. ‘I would have told you but not in front of Dad because he’d tell Mum.’

  ‘Is it something bad?’ Caro was fairly confident it wasn’t or she wouldn’t have asked.

  ‘No, it’s good!’ Rowan’s enthusiasm for her plan made her abandon the left-over lamb. ‘I’m having an interview at an art school!’

  ‘Oh, that’s brilliant!’ Caro was about to ask which one but decided it didn’t matter at this stage.

  ‘Scarlet helped me. She’s so confident. She’d put some of my sketches in her bag and made them agree to see me. Of course I am too young, really, but they agreed to see if I had enough talent and, I suppose, qualifications, for it to be worth me applying.’

  ‘So when is the interview?’

  ‘Next week—’

  Caro didn’t reply instantly. She had agreed to stay here with Rowan although her heart yearned to go with Alec to Grasse. Rowan’s interview had to take precedence over her own desire to go to France. And she’d be more use to Alec taking his daughter to an interview.

  ‘I know you want to go to France with Dad, so Scarlet will come with me instead. She’s got her acting course but we could arrange a time to go in her lunch break or something.’

  ‘It’s OK, I can take you,’ said Caro, sounding calm, feeling devastated. ‘Your dad doesn’t need me in France and we wouldn’t want to make Scarlet miss any of her course.’

  Rowan looked put out. ‘Scarlet did seem to really want to come with me – and she wanted you to go to France with Dad!’

  ‘Well, let’s not talk about it now.’ Caro smiled. She knew she didn’t need to remind Rowan that next week she might well be back in Scotland with her mother and her best chance of getting to that interview was letting Caro take her.

  Caro and Rowan had a very pleasant time together while Alec was back in Scotland. They met Scarlet for lunch on one day and she confessed she was a little anxious about being lonely when David went back to the States.

  ‘Don’t forget you could always come and stay with me on the barge,’ said Caro, ‘although I don’t suppose you’d want to. It’s fine for a short time but the Ritz is definitely better!’

  ‘And I might have to go back to Scotland next week,’ said Rowan.

  ‘Oh no!’ said Scarlet. ‘But we have your interview!’

  ‘We’ll try and persuade Alec to let her stay on for it,’ said Caro. ‘But we might not be able to swing it.’

  Rowan bit her lip and Caro saw she was fighting tears. She realised that Rowan had been very grown up and mature being with her and Scarlet, but she was still very young and having a good cry was a reasonable way to behave at times.

  Scarlet obviously spotted this too. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll make it happen somehow!’

  ‘Sorted!’ said Caro, not half as confident as she sounded. ‘Now, let’s get the menu. We don’t have to have pudding, but I always have to read about it.’

  ‘Pudding? I love that you call dessert pudding!’ said Scarlet. ‘I’m definitely having it.’

  A few days later, Caro and Rowan were nervously waiting for Alec to come back. They’d thoroughly enjoyed themselves, although Caro felt she never needed to set foot in an art gallery again. They’d also gone on open-topped busses, queued for Madame Tussauds, and generally ‘done London’. Now, Caro was tempted to open a bottle of wine to relieve their tension but it was only five o’clock, it would look bad. Alec knew the code to get in so he didn’t need to text to say that he was about to arrive, and to Caro’s secret disappointment, he hadn’t done it anyway.

  ‘The barge is looking lovely, anyway,’ said Caro, making conversation. ‘You arranged the flowers beautifully.’

  ‘It’s only sunflowers in a jug. It’s quite easy to make them look like a Van Gogh.’

  They fell into silence again.

  Caro’s nerves were at breaking point when they heard a noise – someone was getting on to the barge. Both women jumped up and teetered, as if they couldn’t decide if they should rush up into the wheelhouse or not.

  The footsteps coming down the steps were light. They frowned; it couldn’t be Alec. Then the door opened and Scarlet came in.

  ‘Hello? Is it really all right for me to come and stay while David is away?’

  Caro and Rowan laughed with the relief of tension and Caro fetched some wine. It was so lovely to see Scarlet when they were expecting someone possibly bringing bad news.

  Caro had almost forgotten they were expecting Alec when they heard angry voices coming along the pontoon. As they got nearer and nearer Caro noticed there was a distinct Scottish
edge to them. They all froze, listening hard.

  Rowan went white. ‘It’s Mum!’

  ‘I think I’ll go and use the bathroom,’ said Scarlet and fled.

  Caro rushed up the stairs to the wheelhouse, almost as if she was repelling boarders.

  Skye and Caro arrived in the wheelhouse at the same time. ‘You!’ she said in furious tones. ‘You have corrupted my daughter and put her life in danger!’

  Alec followed his ex-wife in, silent now and tight-lipped.

  ‘Where is she?’ Skye went on. ‘Where is my daughter? Let me see her instantly!’

  Caro opened her mouth to speak.

  ‘You’re all the same, you London people! Corrupt, wicked, dishonest—’

  ‘Skye!’ said Alec sharply. ‘Don’t speak to Caro like that!’

  ‘Really, there is absolutely no need to be so worked up,’ said Caro, keeping a very calm appearance, although she was beginning to shake. ‘Your daughter is absolutely fine!’ Although Caro did wish Rowan would demonstrate this fineness by coming up to the wheelhouse. Had she discovered the fire escape next to the bathroom and scarpered? She wouldn’t blame her, but it would make things extremely awkward.

  ‘Really? I’ll be the judge of that!’ said Skye, slightly calmer now but just as angry.

  ‘Follow me,’ said Caro, and went downstairs.

  Rowan was standing in the middle of the room looking like a deer in the headlights, not sure which side of the road to rush to.

  Skye rushed to her daughter and took her in her arms. ‘My baby! My baby! You’re safe!’

  ‘Yes, Mum.’ Rowan returned the hug and patted her mother’s back. ‘I’m quite safe.’

  Skye then thrust Rowan away from her so she could get a proper look at her. ‘But are you damaged?’

  ‘Of course she’s not damaged,’ said Alec. ‘You can see! She’s absolutely fine.’

  ‘Really, Mum, I am,’ said Rowan, obviously not expecting to be listened to.