The Seafront Tearoom

by Vanessa Greene

  “Oui,” she called back.

  “You’re sure you’re ready?”

  “No,” Séraphine said, nipping back into the kitchen. “I forgot this.” She held up a bottle of water and drank from it. “Do you want some? It’s hot today.”

  “I’m fine, thanks. Now?”

  Séraphine took a deep breath. “All set. I think.”

  A taxi tooted outside. “Come on, ma belle.” Carla smiled. “Let’s go.”

  Which one?” Letty asked Euan, holding two flowers up for him to look at.

  “The cornflowers,” he replied. “Blue’s always suited you.”

  She pinned the cornflower in her hair, behind her ear.

  “Perfect,” he said.

  “Are you sure this dress looks OK?” she asked, smoothing down the fabric.

  “It’s very elegant,” he said. “Works well with your tan.”

  “All that fresh air in France did me the world of good, you know.”

  “It shows, Mum. You seem way more relaxed.”

  “I had such a wonderful time with Kat. And Séraphine’s family couldn’t have been more welcoming.”

  “You deserved a good holiday,” Euan said. “I see Kat’s looking very happy too. Although I think there’s more than one reason for that these days.”

  “She and Adam make a good pair, don’t they?”

  “They seem very much in love. In fact, I barely get a look in these days,” Euan joked.

  “You have your own life to be getting on with,” Letty said, giving him a nudge.

  “I suppose I do.” Euan smiled. “Happens to the best of us.”

  “So, do I look OK?” Letty said again. “Only . . . it’s been a while.”

  “You look lovely. Come on, Mum. Let’s go.”

  Charlie arrived at the hotel and stepped out onto the terrace. Sunlight glinted off the black-and-white checkered floor where deck chairs were laid out. Between them, the aisle was strewn with red and white rose petals. She spotted Euan, in a pale gray suit, standing with friends. He caught her eye and smiled and she made her way over to him.

  “Hello there,” she said, kissing him on the lips. He squeezed her hand.

  “You look beautiful, Charlie.”

  The guests all took their seats, sitting back in the deck chairs, chatting to one another. The band played the opening of “Here Comes the Sun,” and a hush gradually fell over the crowd. This was it—the wedding was starting. Kat clutched Charlie’s hand.

  As one, they turned around.

  As she saw the couple walking down the aisle, Kat’s breath caught.

  “They look stunning,” she whispered in Charlie’s ear.

  Séraphine’s hair was swept up, with red roses pinned into it, strands falling loose around her face. Her warm smile was highlighted with scarlet lipstick. In an ivory dress that hung to just below her knee, and high-heeled satin sandals, she held hands with Carla—a red strapless dress setting off her tanned skin, chestnut hair falling loosely to her shoulders. Séraphine walked up the aisle, glancing around and smiling at friends, while Carla’s gaze was focused straight ahead.

  The brides reached the top of the aisle, and the celebrant greeted them warmly. “We are gathered today to celebrate the wedding of Séraphine and Carla . . .”

  Kat felt the tears build up in her eyes, and bit her lip. Charlie turned to her.

  “You’re crying already,” Charlie said, with a smile.

  “I can’t help it,” Kat whispered back. “Look at them. So happy.”

  After the ceremony, Charlie and Kat went up to congratulate the couple and Séraphine’s family. In Séraphine’s calls and e-mails since the start of the year, they’d heard about everything that had led up to that day—Séraphine’s long, at times fraught, conversations with her parents about how she felt. How she now realized she’d always felt. The first time she’d explained that Carla, who served her mother croissants each weekend in the local patisserie, was the woman she was in love with. There had been false starts and disagreements along the way, but with time they’d managed to smooth everything out. In spring came her mother’s full acknowledgment that her daughter had taken a different path to her own—with the welcoming of Carla into their family and a long lunch in the shade of the apple tree.

  “A beautiful wedding,” Kat said to Hélène and Patrick, kissing them both on the cheek.

  “This is Guillaume,” Séraphine said, introducing her brother to Kat. Dressed in a beige linen suit with sun-lightened hair, he smiled warmly. From everything that Séraphine had told her, Kat felt as if she already knew him, and she got the sense he felt the same way.

  “It’s lovely here, isn’t it?” Hélène said, interrupting Kat’s thoughts. “They had the choice of the Dordogne, or Barcelona—but no, they definitely wanted to get married here, in Scarborough. They said it had to be here.” She smiled.

  “We wanted to come to the place that brought us together, even while we were apart,” Carla said. “For Séraphine, there was no question.”

  Charlie held out her champagne glass, and the waiter dutifully filled it. “It’s brilliant to see you,” she said to Kat.

  “You too. And from the sounds of things I’m going to be seeing a lot more of you from now on,” Kat said brightly.

  “It’s looking that way.” Charlie smiled. “I can’t decide if what I’m doing is insane or not. Last month I had a steady job and a flat, now I’m moving cities and starting from scratch again.”

  “It’s fate,” Kat said. “The buyers pulling out of Euan’s development—you inheriting that money from your great-aunt. It was all meant to be.”

  “I still can’t believe I’m doing it. Starting up my own restaurant.”

  “It’s brilliant. I’m a bit envious, actually.”

  “You are? Well I have a sneaky suspicion we might find a way to get you on board, one way or another.”

  Kat smiled.

  “Let’s stay in touch on that. I’m not going anywhere, that’s for sure. I’m pretty settled round here these days.”

  “You seem it,” Charlie said warmly, glancing pointedly in Adam’s direction.

  “He’s part of that, yes,” Kat said. “But there’s Leo and my dad and . . . well, I’ve got more family here than I know what to do with.”

  Charlie laughed.

  “But it’s perfect that I can stay here and still write for Indulge. I’m really enjoying it. The feature I did about the patisserie course in France was a treat to write. They’ve asked me to do a similar piece on a sorbet-making course for the next edition.”

  “Does that mean it’s good-bye to the call center?” Charlie asked.

  “Yes. Thank God,” Kat said, laughing in relief. “I won’t miss that place. I’m doing a couple of shifts at the tearoom to give us a steady income, then the writing as and when that happens. Jake’s also doing a lot more to help these days.”

  “How are things with him?”

  “Getting there,” she said. “He’s had some counseling, which has helped I think, and the business is going well. There’ll always be a distance between us, but he’s regained my trust. He’s seeing Leo on his own now.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Yes. With one thing and another this year, Leo’s getting pretty spoiled,” Kat said with a smile. “My flat looks like a toy shop.”

  The band started up, and Carla took Séraphine’s hand, leading her to the dance floor for their first dance: Van Morrison’s “Moondance.”

  They’d been practicing the dance in Carla’s living room the past week, pulling back the rug and stepping barefoot on the flagstones, holding each other, sometimes serious, perfecting the movements, but usually laughing.

  Here, surrounded by family and friends, it felt different. Magical. Something that only six months before, Séraphine could
never have imagined. She drank in the cheers, the celebration of her new marriage, and then the sound seemed to fade. The only thing she was conscious of now was Carla. Her smile, the warm brown skin of her bare shoulders, the smell of her perfume. They held each other and danced, their bodies moving in harmony, effortlessly, to each note of the music. Together—the two of them. The way Séraphine hoped they would always be.

  After the first dance had finished, and Séraphine and Carla had taken a playful bow to the crowd, the wedding band struck up a Supremes tune. Other guests joined the newlyweds on the dance floor, and it began to fill.

  “Join me?” Euan asked Charlie, holding his hand out to her.

  She smiled. “I think there’s a spot on my card.”

  From the dinner table where they’d been seated, he led her onto the dance floor and brought her in close to him, running a hand over her hair.

  “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know,” he said quietly.

  Charlie pulled back and smiled.

  “Euan—I’ve accepted an offer on my flat, given in my notice at work and I’ve taken on a new restaurant—that you’re building. So I think it probably it too late.”

  “Well, yes, when you put it that way,” Euan said. “Please don’t back out.”

  She laughed. “I won’t. I can’t wait to get started. I’ve been dreaming up menus for days now.”

  “But, in all seriousness, what I meant was, it’s not too late to change your mind about moving in with me.” He looked her in the eye. “You said when I asked you the first time that you weren’t ready. I want to be sure that this time you are.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely ready,” she said. Thoughts had drifted into her mind as she’d shown potential buyers around her London flat. She didn’t want to lose her independence. She wasn’t sure if she could ever trust a man, even Euan, one hundred percent. She’d settled into her own way of doing things. And yet, those doubts and worries had drifted out of her head as quickly as they’d come. “But I do know it’s what I want. In fact there’s nothing I want more.”

  “That’s good enough for me,” he said.

  He leaned in and there, on the dance floor, with a dozen other couples around them, they kissed—and the uncertainties that had been there for both of them since the day they’d met didn’t seem to matter anymore.

  Epilogue

  Saturday, August 1

  In the garden of the riverside chateau, surrounded by spring flowers, we tasted the raspberry and chocolate tarts that we’d made. After a week of studying at Madame Yvonne’s patisserie school, we were now reaping the rewards.

  Adam smiled as he read the magazine on Kat’s sofa. “The course sounds amazing. How come you didn’t bring me anything back? I’m getting hungry reading about it.”

  “Those tarts would never have lasted the journey. Or any longer than five minutes with me and Letty, in fact. But don’t worry, it’s all in here—” She pointed to her head. “I’ll make some for you and Zoe next weekend.” She sat down next to him, curling her body in toward his. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair gently.

  “I suppose I can wait,” he joked.

  “And as for where Séraphine lives, you’ll see that for yourself soon enough.”

  They’d arranged to visit Séraphine and Carla in the early autumn, in their new house in Bordeaux. Zoe hadn’t stopped talking about the trip, and Leo hadn’t stopped talking about the airplane.

  Séraphine had found a job at a language school in the city, and Carla was setting up a bakery nearby. Séraphine had told Kat at the wedding that she and Carla still went back to see her parents for Sunday lunch each week, but moving out of the village had given her some breathing space. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, Guillaume had been the one who had stayed on in the village, working at a bike repair shop and rehearsing with a new band.

  Charlie and Euan had been invited to Bordeaux as well, but for the time being they were much too busy. Charlie had her hands full getting ready for the opening of The Dome, her new restaurant, and praying that the food critics would be kind. She’d been making changes to Euan’s flat, too, including—after finding her brand-new high heels in shreds—an outdoor kennel for Bagel.

  Despite their schedules, Charlie and Kat made time to meet every Saturday afternoon at the Seafront—a sacred appointment that Euan and Adam knew to stay well away from. There, over scones, they’d talk, and that time was precious to both of them.

  Kat got up and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. As it boiled, she got milk from the fridge. Pinned to the fridge door, among recipes torn from magazines and Leo’s paintings, was a card with a photograph of a lavender field on the front. She took off the magnet holding it, and flipped it over.

  Inside, in pretty, curled handwriting, was a message:

  Kat,

  Whether here in France, or at home in the tearoom, you bring sunshine into my life. What you might not realize is that, one way or another, you always have. Thank you for finding a way to forgive me.

  Letty x

  Kat brushed away a happy tear, and put the postcard back.

  Hello,

  I hope you enjoyed meeting Kat, Charlie, Letty and Séraphine in The Seafront Tearoom. All the women are passionate about baking, and it’s one of the things that brings them together. Here are some recipes for the cakes and treats that help shape their relationships, so that you can share them with your own friends and family.

  Happy baking (and brewing)!

  Love, Vanessa x

  Letty’s Classic English Scones

  MAKES 12 SCONES

  8 oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting

  1 tsp cream of tartar

  ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

  ½ tsp salt

  1½–2 oz butter

  ¼ pint of milk

  Oven: 425 °F for 12–15 minutes

  You’ll also need: a pastry cutter with a diameter of about 5 cm; plenty of jam and clotted cream—plus friends to share these with!

  Lightly butter a baking sheet.

  Sift the flour, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda or baking soda and salt into a bowl together. Rub or cut in the butter, rubbing the mixture until it forms large crumbs with a flaky texture.

  Mix in the milk and stir to form a soft dough.

  Roll out to a thickness of around 1 cm and cut into rounds with your pastry cutter.

  Arrange the scones on the baking sheet fairly close together, and dust them with flour.

  Bake until they rise and turn golden.

  Serve! These really are best when eaten warm from the oven with a good dollop of cream and jam.

  Séraphine’s Magnificent Madeleines

  MAKES 24 MADELEINES

  2 eggs, separated

  4 oz caster sugar

  4 oz unsalted butter, melted

  Finely grated rind and juice of half a lemon

  4 oz self-raising flour

  Oven: 375 °F. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes.

  You’ll also need: two madeleine trays (or muffin tins/jam tart trays will work too)

  Lightly butter the madeleine tins.

  Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they are thoroughly mixed but still bright yellow.

  Beat in the melted butter, lemon juice and rind.

  Sift the flour over the surface and fold in.

  Stir the egg whites with a fork, and then beat them well into the mixture.

  Spoon a small amount of mixture into each mold and bake in the center of the oven.

  Cool slightly in the molds before gently easing out onto wire racks to cool.

  Enjoy them with a hot drink while they are still warm.

  Charlie’s Deliciously Indulgent Florentines

  MAKES 12 FLORENTINES
<
br />   2½ oz butter

  4 oz caster sugar

  4 oz flaked almonds, chopped

  2 oz sultanas

  6 glace cherries, chopped

  1 oz cut mixed peel

  1 tbsp single cream

  6 oz plain chocolate

  Oven: 350 °F for 10 minutes

  You’ll also need: three baking sheets, parchment paper, palette knife/spatula.

  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

  Melt the butter in a large pan and stir in the sugar. Boil them together for one minute, then remove the pan from the heat.

  Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except for the chocolate.

  Drop small rounded heaps of the mixture onto the baking sheet, keeping them far apart, one in each corner, as they will spread quite a lot.

  Bake until they are golden.

  Using your palette knife or spatula, nudge the Florentines into their classic circular shape, then leave them to harden for five minutes.

  Transfer them to a wire rack, taking care not to break them.

  Leave them to cool.

  Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.

  Coat the flat side of each Florentine with chocolate, then trace a fork over it to make the distinctive wavy pattern.

  Leave them to set.

  Dive in!

  Kat’s Perfect Afternoon Tea

  YOUR BREW

  Choose your equipment carefully—a glazed china or earthenware teapot is best—and your tea even more so. A classic black tea from India or Ceylon, a Darjeeling or Assam, is a nice place to start, unblended so you can appreciate the flavor. If you are already a tea aficionado and fancy trying something different, then jasmine is a refreshing alternative, and some people enjoy the smoky flavors of Lapsang souchong.