A Rose Petal Summer

by Katie Fforde

  ‘Or maybe we could have it for your wedding favours?’ said Caro. ‘So people really get to appreciate it? It could be packaged beautifully and it would be a lovely present from you both to your guests.’

  ‘How many people do you think you could manage here?’ asked Scarlet. ‘We want to keep it small but you know how these things are, they always end up bigger than you hope for.’

  While Lennie was dealing with Scarlet’s queries (extremely efficiently, Caro thought), Caro was looking out of the window. She saw Alec’s car pull up, spraying gravel.

  She got up to forestall him. He’d find it embarrassing to walk into a room full of people he wasn’t quite expecting.

  ‘Caro!’ he said as she appeared in the doorway. ‘God, how good to see you, I can’t tell you.’

  ‘Good to see you too,’ she said, amazed by her ability to disguise her joy. ‘David and Scarlet are here, talking about the wedding. How did you get on?’

  ‘Good! Really good! It’s sorted. Frazer’s power of attorney is no more and I have it instead.’

  ‘Oh! Can you arrange that without Murdo’s say-so?’

  He smiled. ‘Murdo said so! We all trooped into the cottage hospital and he signed everything he was asked to sign. Really, all these years we’ve been like two bulls going head-to-head and now he’s turned into a lamb.’

  Caro couldn’t help laughing, partly from happiness that this horrible threat no longer hung over the family. ‘I’d never describe him as a lamb, Alec.’

  ‘Perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration, but we reached an understanding that we never have before. He was so appreciative of our efforts to get him into the hospital near home.’

  ‘You didn’t tell him it was to make sure he wasn’t bumped off by Frazer? Where the nurses all know him and won’t let him be alone for a second?’

  ‘Too much information! But I did say we’d get him home as soon as possible. Honestly, I thought I saw a tear in the corner of his eye. Something that never happens unless a dog’s died.’

  ‘Aw …’ said Caro. ‘Talking of dogs, where is George?’

  ‘You’ll never guess. Ewan took him in to see Dad in hospital. They were so pleased to see each other, I can’t tell you.’

  ‘There can’t be many hospitals where they let you bring your dog in to visit.’

  ‘It was all a bit under the radar, but it was wonderful for the old man. Of course, when he’s at home, George sleeps on Murdo’s bed all the time.’

  ‘Maybe get David and Scarlet’s wedding over before you bring him home? And they’ve got the perfume! You can smell for yourself if it’s different or not.’

  ‘Well, we weren’t happy with it when we had to leave, so certainly adjustments will have to be made.’

  They went into the house together, Alec’s use of the word ‘we’ making Caro feel as if she was walking on air, not very worn-out tartan carpet.

  David and Alec exchanged manly hugs and back-patting and, possibly hearing voices, Scarlet came tripping down the stairs. Caro couldn’t help noticing how much like a Disney princess she was to look at.

  ‘I love your house!’ said Scarlet. ‘It’s just perfect!’

  ‘Er – isn’t it a bit, well, shabby?’ said Alec, pleased but a bit taken aback.

  ‘It’s darling! Oh, sorry, that makes me sound like a ditz?’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Lennie. ‘You’re a very discerning client.’ She seemed more relaxed now, which was good. ‘But you need to see the Michael Kirk. Caro and I put flowers in it, to make it special.’

  ‘Is that a walk or a ride away?’ asked David.

  ‘A ride,’ said Caro after a second’s thought. ‘Although I wonder … Alec? Lennie? Do you know anyone who could arrange David and Scarlet to get from there to here by pony and trap for their wedding?’

  ‘My God, that would be amazing!’ said Scarlet, hands pressed against her cheeks.

  ‘We have a shooting brake,’ said Alec. ‘It’s pretty dusty but I’m sure we could have it brought up to scratch.’

  ‘My brother means, I will find someone to bring it up to scratch,’ said Lennie. ‘And I will. We know a very pretty Highland pony – dappled grey – to pull it.’

  ‘It sounds heaven!’ said Scarlet. ‘Now let’s go and see the church.’

  Alec stayed behind but Caro went with the party to inspect the little church on the hill. It was beautiful and while Caro never really thought about getting married these days, she decided this spot would be perfect. Close friends and family only and then a gentle walk down the hill to the house, walking behind the bride and groom.

  Lennie told Scarlet all she needed to know about visiting the minister and the technical side of weddings (a friend’s daughter had got married in the kirk the previous year and so she was up to date on such matters) while Caro was consulted on all things aesthetic. Simplicity was to be the watchword because it was appropriate, subtle and stylish, and a lot easier to arrange.

  As soon as they got back to the house Caro could see Lennie worrying about lunch. There was a vat of Scotch broth large enough to feed a troop of Boy Scouts, but was this a suitable repast for a starlet and her beau?

  David saved the situation. ‘Honey? We have a table booked for lunch and besides, we must bring Alec the perfume so he can finish making it.’

  ‘When would you like to have it?’ Alec said.

  ‘Which? The wedding or the perfume?’ said David. ‘Ideally in about a fortnight.’

  ‘That’s hardly time to get a dress organised!’ said Scarlet. ‘But I know you’re shooting soon and need to be back home.’

  For a starlet presumably used to getting her own way, Scarlet was being very calm about having her nuptials so rushed. Caro supposed it was because she knew about the film business and was prepared to make sacrifices. She might look like a Disney princess but she didn’t have to be treated as one.

  ‘We’ll come back after lunch with the perfume,’ said David to Alec. ‘Will you be here?’

  ‘I’ll be back by three at the latest. See you then?’

  The arrangement made, Scarlet and David shot off in their hired car.

  To Caro’s disappointment, Alec didn’t even wait to have soup. ‘I have to be at the bank. I’m arranging a short-term loan so we can buy back the land immediately. I won’t feel safe until it’s ours again.’

  ‘Have you put the police on to Frazer?’ asked Caro.

  ‘We’re not actually sure what he’s done is illegal. It was done with Murdo’s consent, after all. It’s more important to make sure he knows he can’t sell the land now and if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep well away from Glen Liddell and its environs in future.’

  ‘You sound very fierce,’ she said.

  ‘Do I? Well, I mean it.’

  ‘Good for you! And I’ll see you later.’

  She went back into the house, not wanting to see him drive away. She was never quite sure if or when she’d see him again and, inevitably, this made her sad.

  In the kitchen, Lennie was full of wedding plans, which for her meant decorating plans.

  ‘I know Scarlet says she loves it all just as it is, but this is my home. I’m determined it should look its best. We won’t change anything, much, but it has to look clean, at least.’

  ‘Are you going to prepare a room for Murdo?’ asked Caro.

  ‘I’d prefer to keep him in hospital until afterwards, frankly, but if Alec insists, and he’s well enough, I won’t do anything to stop him coming home.’

  Heather put a bowl of soup in front of Caro. ‘It’s grand to see them getting on when they’ve been at odds all these years.’

  ‘It is,’ said Lennie. ‘It would be awful for Alec if Murdo died when they weren’t on speaking terms. He’d never get over it.’

  ‘That’s very philosophical, Lennie,’ said Caro, impressed.

  She beamed. ‘It is, isn’t it? I can be, when I try. Now, Heather, how many lads can we get in to do the painting, do you think?
’

  ‘And we mustn’t forget the pony and cart,’ said Ewan. ‘Shall I undertake to arrange that?’

  Usually Caro would have relished all this discussion and would have longed to put on a boiler suit and move furniture and rearrange rooms, but this time her mind was on Alec. Soon, he would be smelling the perfume that Scarlet had brought with her and taking it to France to finish the recreation they had worked so hard on together. Pascal had everything he would need there, while if Alec stayed at home he’d have to send off for fragrances and wait for them to arrive. When the perfume was perfect he would come back and that would be that. Would she play any part in his life again? Murdo didn’t need anyone to guard him; Rowan seemed on the way to being reconciled with her mother. Caro would be around for the wedding, of course; she had promised Scarlet. Would she then just go home to the barge, back to her old life? It would seem very dull.

  David and Scarlet had arrived back from lunch so Caro went to greet them. She happened to walk back into the drawing room just as Scarlet was speaking.

  ‘I’m so sorry. You must think I’m dreadfully sentimental, but I can’t be parted from that little bottle again.’

  Caro saw the glass vial sitting on the table. Alec, David and Lennie were all looking at Scarlet, who seemed embarrassed and potentially tearful.

  ‘It’s going to be hard for Alec to match the fragrance exactly if he hasn’t got the original to work from,’ said David gently.

  ‘I know, but I’m getting married. It’s a stressful time. I need my grandmother with me and she’s in that bottle.’ Scarlet tucked an escaping curl behind her ear and sniffed.

  ‘Maybe I should just finish it as I planned before?’ suggested Alec. ‘It’s a really lovely scent and Caro says it would suit you beautifully.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be the same,’ said Scarlet, ‘and that won’t work for me.’

  ‘Then what’s to be done?’ said David. ‘We haven’t got time to go to France with Alec.’

  ‘We don’t need to,’ said Scarlet. ‘Caro will go. She can remember fragrances. She will know when it’s right.’

  Everyone seemed to relax a little except Alec and Caro. ‘Well?’ he said to Caro. ‘Will you come?’

  There was urgency and supplication in his expression as he asked her. He wasn’t taking her for granted.

  She shook her head. She couldn’t go. She had promised Scarlet she would be there for her wedding, which included the preparations, and also Lennie. How would Lennie cope without her there to promise that everything would be all right? ‘I don’t see how I can go. There’s so much to organise here.’

  ‘Really,’ said Scarlet, surprisingly firm all of a sudden, ‘the perfume is more important than whether the moose head is cobweb-free when it comes to the wedding breakfast. We call cobwebs hammocks for fairies in the States.’ Her serious expression made everyone laugh.

  ‘Of course you can go!’ said Lennie. ‘We can manage. And you won’t be long, will you?’

  ‘I hope not,’ said Alec. ‘We were nearly there with the perfume when we had to leave.’

  ‘But maybe don’t hang around and go immediately?’ suggested David. ‘I’ll sort out flights, Caro, you go and pack, and Alec, why don’t you ring Pascal so he’s ready for you when you arrive?’

  He didn’t so much give orders as make suggestions that no one would query. And as Caro went upstairs to do her part – and her packing – she understood why Scarlet loved him so. He made her feel safe, looked after, loved; and it was an irresistible combination.

  Scarlet joined Caro in the spare room shortly after Caro got there. ‘David’s on flight duty, Alec’s talking to Pascal and Lennie’s going to bring you up a drink.’ She sat on the bed, a very different young woman from the girl who couldn’t be parted from her grandmother’s perfume.

  ‘Scarlet, are you sure you won’t let Alec take the perfume to France?’

  Scarlet’s eyes opened wide. ‘Honey! If he took the perfume he wouldn’t take you! It was a no-brainer.’ Her smile was conspiratorial. ‘I was good, wasn’t I?’

  ‘You were very good!’ said Caro a second later as she realised that Scarlet had just put on a show and while she did love her grandmother and her perfume she wasn’t quite as attached to it as her performance downstairs had led everyone to believe.

  ‘I had to make sure that you got to go with Alec. You know what men are like. They need a bit of help now and again.’

  ‘Golly! Supposing he doesn’t want me?’ Caro was stricken. She wanted this so much but did Alec feel the same?

  ‘He wants you! He just didn’t know how to make it happen. So.’ Scarlet turned her attention to Caro’s carry-on. ‘I thought France was hotter than here, mostly?’

  ‘It is! I packed in a hurry and for Scottish weather.’

  ‘I don’t have many clothes with me or I’d offer to lend you something.’ Scarlet was obviously bothered by the humdrum nature of Caro’s jeans and sweaters, and not just worrying about her being hot.

  At that moment Lennie appeared with two glasses of whisky. She handed one to Caro. ‘Are you sure you don’t want anything?’ she said to Scarlet.

  ‘I don’t need a thing but Caro needs some clothes suitable for the Côte d’Azur. Can you help?’

  ‘Scarlet—’ Caro began and then stopped. Scarlet wasn’t listening and nor was Lennie.

  ‘I’d be more than happy to lend Caro anything she’d like,’ Lennie was saying. ‘Let’s go and have a rummage in the wardrobe.’

  The contents of Lennie’s wardrobe was pretty much as Caro expected. Lots of skirts and tops, the skirts being mostly tartan. They were nice clothes, and suited Lennie, but they were not Caro’s style and she wouldn’t feel comfortable in them even if they had been any cooler than her own clothes.

  ‘These clothes are pretty much for winter, no?’ said Scarlet.

  ‘Summer, actually, but in Scotland you very often can’t tell the difference,’ said Lennie. She paused. ‘Really, you’re probably better off asking Skye if she’s got anything. As long as you’re not allergic to cheesecloth, that is.’

  Caro would rather have sweltered in a tartan pleated skirt and Fair Isle sweater from Lennie than ask Skye if she could borrow so much as a scarf. ‘I’m sure there’s something here—’ she said, sounding as unconvinced as she felt.

  ‘I can see that none of this is really suitable but let’s have a look in another cupboard. It’s in the dressing room.’

  The dressing room was mostly taken up with a huge old Victorian wardrobe consisting of two mirrored cupboards and a chest of drawers in the middle. Opposite was a dressing table, obviously part of the same set.

  Lennie opened one of the cupboards. ‘This is where I keep things that I’m never going to get into again but can’t face getting rid of.’

  ‘Oh my God!’ Scarlet squealed and almost jumped up and down in excitement. ‘A Laura Ashley! You have a genuine Laura Ashley in your cupboard!’

  ‘I’m surprised you’ve heard of Laura Ashley,’ said Lennie, taking out the source of Scarlet’s delight and holding it up. ‘I wore this the first time I met darling Tarquin, in the early eighties.’

  It was a sundress in fine cotton in a flowery print in shades of violet, lavender and pale green. It was fitted at the waist and was divinely pretty.

  ‘I wore it with a big net petticoat – that’s somewhere here – and it’s slightly boned.’

  ‘Can you wear a bra with it?’ asked Caro.

  ‘Oh yes. The straps are quite wide. Try it on!’ Lennie held it out to Caro. ‘It’s a lovely dress.’

  ‘But even if I could fit into it, I’m not sure my arms are up to being bare, and how would I get it into my case?’ said Caro, looking longingly at the delicate print.

  ‘Try it on!’ said Lennie and Scarlet in unison, which made their demands difficult to ignore.

  Feeling slightly like a bride, Caro was zipped into the dress, which fitted perfectly. Lennie found the net petticoat and Caro stepped i
nto this too. Scarlet twitched and tugged and made sure the dress was on properly.

  ‘Now look!’ Scarlet said, and pushed Caro gently towards the mirror.

  It was a lovely dress. Caro felt pretty, girlish and, oddly, considering how quintessentially English the dress was, slightly French.

  ‘Mutton dressed as lamb?’ she asked her reflection.

  ‘No!’ said Scarlet.

  ‘Don’t wear the petticoat if you’re worried,’ said Lennie.

  ‘What about my arms?’ Caro turned to one side to see if they looked fat.

  ‘Wave!’ ordered Scarlet. ‘Fine. Not a wobble.’

  ‘I avoid waving now,’ said Lennie. ‘I’ve cleared tables with my bingo wings. But you’ve got lovely arms.’

  ‘Well, I love the dress, Lennie, and I am really touched you’re willing to lend it to me, but I’ll never get it in my case,’ said Caro, trying not to sound wistful.

  ‘Leave that to me,’ said Lennie, ‘packing is my special skill. Let’s have a look at your luggage!’

  Chapter Nineteen

  Less than an hour later, Alec and Caro were seated in the back of the vast, fast and luxurious hire vehicle, on their way to the airport. Alec had protested but as Lennie had said she’d drive David and Scarlet to their nearby hotel whenever they wanted to go, his protests were brushed aside.

  ‘It’s really kind of you,’ said Caro before Alec could think up any more reasons why they shouldn’t take David up on his kind offer. She loved the thought of sitting in the back of the car with Alec on the journey to Glasgow.

  Now Caro and Alec settled themselves in the car, but, possibly inhibited by the presence of a driver, neither of them wanted to talk much. Caro looked out of the window thinking about the whirlwind that had her on her way to France in such a rush. She had two fairy godmothers who had facilitated it. There was Scarlet, with her insistence that her perfume couldn’t leave her person, and Lennie who had a very pretty dress she insisted on packing into Caro’s case. Caro hadn’t had the heart to say she might not get a chance to wear it. Lennie and Scarlet had been so excited about it fitting her, and (Caro had to admit) it had looked so good on her. But would Alec even notice if she wore it? Was she just useful to him? Or did he care a bit? There was that kiss they’d shared in France. Perhaps going back there would recreate that mood? Although, she realised, that could just have been sex. However much she loved and wanted him, she didn’t want to be wanted just because she was handy.