A fleeting image of her former housemate sneaking the expensive cream from her bathroom flashed through Ellie’s mind. She had let it happen after discovering it would cost £460 to replace, content with using the £4 Nivea Cream she had liked for a decade.
“Of course, Mum,” Ellie lied. “It’s lovely. Can’t you tell the difference?”
“It’s why I asked, dear,” she said, lifting Ellie’s chin with the tip of her forefinger so her cheek caught the light. “You’re looking radiant.”
Ellie suppressed a smile, knowing her mother’s response would have gone the other way if she hadn’t whipped up a little white lie like her mother had whipped up her hair into rollers. Above, the floorboards creaked, and Ellie wondered if there was still a little dog running about the place; her mother had never been without one.
Carolyn’s eyes widened at the sight of her sister as though she’d only just noticed her. “Penny, darling, you clash terribly with... well, everything. I do hope you’ll change for the party.” Ellie winced at the sound of a new affectation in her mother’s voice. She sounded awfully like Sylvia all of a sudden. “But never mind that now. We have this emergency on our hands, so Ellie, darling, it’s a miracle that you’re in the village.”
Ellie raised an eyebrow, sceptical there was any emergency after all. “What’s happened?”
“The caterer for the party has dropped out,” Carolyn announced, planting both hands against the island to steady herself as though she’d been delivered a lethal blow. “I need to rustle something up, but I simply cannot at such short notice. I have to finish doing my hair and getting ready for the big announcement from my agent, and I have my nail lady coming around in—”
“You don’t know what the role is yet?” Ellie interrupted.
“Oh, I’ll find out before the business day is over.” She ducked to check her rollers were still in place in the sheen of the oven door. “But that’s not important right now. What matters is that we have a party to prepare for. I’m expecting the great and good from near and far in my front room tonight, and they’re going to need something to eat.”
“Don’t you think the party might be a little… premature?”
“Nonsense!” Carolyn exclaimed. “It’s on television, darling. The BBC, I imagine. And I’ve already booked the job, sweetheart. According to my agent, they took a single look at my audition tape and offered me the part without question. It’s the role I was born for.”
“Which is ironic because you said you thought you did dreadfully after the audition,” Penny said with a wagging finger. “I told you to have more faith in yourself!”
“Perhaps I finally tapped into something new,” Carolyn continued, half-talking to herself now. “Something raw. Something I didn’t have during my soap opera days. This could be my chance for red carpets. The next Meryl Streep…”
Ellie exchanged a glance with Penny, but they were on different pages. Ellie recognised the pattern of her mother’s heady optimism and was already bracing for the crash. Penny was on tiptoes, floating along with her bigger sister, just like she always had.
"So, Ellie, can I leave this in your capable hands?" her mother announced, waggling her fingernails with a slightly out-turned bottom lip. "Help Mummy out with her big important party so I can have my nails rescued?"
“Do you have a plan?”
“A plan?”
“Ingredients?”
“You can sort that, can’t you?” She pulled a knife from the drawer and checked her teeth in the reflection before wafting it in her sister’s direction. “Penny will help, won’t you?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, sidling up to Ellie. “I’m ever so excited about this party.”
“I’m sure it’ll be great no matter what you do,” Ellie said, raising her hand in protest. “But I’m here in Meadowfield for a reason—to get the bookshop sorted. And there is still a lot to do there so I can’t waste time on finger food.”
“Oh, party-pooper!” Carolyn huffed, whipping around in her robe. “What to do? Perhaps The Old Bell can do something?”
A loud clatter came from outside, like something heavy falling over in the garden. Ellie turned towards the sound, her mind going straight to burglars sneaking about the place. “Did you hear that?”
“Oh, that’ll be Daniel,” Carolyn said with a dismissive wave. “His cantankerous nan lives next door, but he’s a sweet gem. He offered to tidy up the garden for me since I’ve been so busy with auditions lately. Oh, this is it, darling!” She clasped her hands together, eyes shining. “My way back to fame and fortune, just like the good old days. I can feel it.”
Ellie gave her mother an incredulous look. “Mum, your soap only ran for a few years, and it got cancelled because of poor reception and ratings.”
“And is now a bona fide cult classic!” Penny piped up, nodding vigorously.
Turning to her aunt, Ellie arched an eyebrow. “How busy is the fan club these days?”
“We had thirty-six people open our newsletter last month!”
“Pish posh, none of that matters now.” Carolyn had a far off look in her eyes. “This new role is my big break. It’ll make my soap days as a teenager look like nothing. Less than nothing. But enough about me for now—I simply must introduce you to young Daniel, Ellie. I’m sure you two went to school together back in the day, and he’s turned into a rather handsome gentleman.”
“Which Daniel? There were two.” She shook her head, stepping back towards the door. “I’m sorry. I don’t have time for this.”
“You never visit and then you can’t wait to leave?” Carolyn planted her hands on her hips. “I raised you better than this, Eleanor Elizabeth Swan.”
“Isn’t your nail girl coming soon?”
“Oh, humbug.” She ducked to catch her reflection in the mirror before running for the hallway, shouting back, “Penny, just do something!”
“I will, Carolyn!” she called after her. “We’re going to have an amazing party, Carolyn! I can feel it in my waterydoos.”
Not wanting to know what a ‘waterydoo’ was, Ellie swiftly made her exit. She hurried back around the corner, leaving her mother’s cottage behind. Past The Drowsy Duck pub with its thatched roof and leaded windows, past the village pond where ducks lazily floated, and towards the ghost of Meadowfield Books.
As Ellie approached the corner of South Street, she saw Maggie hobbling up the path from the opposite direction, leaning on an ornately carved wooden cane.
“Gran, what are you doing out?” Ellie asked with concern, hurrying to her side. “Did you walk all the way here?”
Maggie patted her arm reassuringly. “I just wanted to see how you were faring with the shop. The doctor said one short walk a day would be sufficient exercise, so this is it. My one short walk. You won’t begrudge me that, will you?”
“Gran, I don’t begrudge you—”
“Please, I beg,” she said, drooping slightly, and offering out her shaking palm. “Just one small walk a day, then you can keep me locked up the rest of the time. I promise.”
