The Seafront Tea Rooms (8 page)

The owner, seated behind the counter, caught Séraphine’s eye and gave her a sympathetic look. Séraphine smiled and went up to order. ‘Could we have some of your scones with jam please?’

‘Of course.’ She reached into the glass cabinet to retrieve a flowered plate piled high with them.

‘They look delicious.’

‘Thank you. My speciality. I’m Letty, by the way.’ Her voice was kind and welcoming.

‘Séraphine.’

‘You’re from France?’

‘Yes. And I wouldn’t mind being back there now. Is the weather always like this in September?’ Séraphine gazed out of the window, where the raindrops dripped heavily from the red awning on to the ground below.

‘Oh, we never know quite what we’re going to get. Only thing you can rely on is the chill wind.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ Letty continued, lowering her voice to a whisper. ‘Even in that rain you’d rather be out there alone than in here, trying to get Zoe to cooperate.’

Séraphine laughed in spite of herself. She wondered how old Letty was. Despite the papery-thin quality of the skin on her cheeks and around her eyes, there was a playfulness about her that defied age.

‘Yes. Is it that obvious?’

‘You’re not the only one to have your patience tested by her,’ Letty said, cutting the scones in two and placing them on fine china plates, next to a tiny dish of raspberry jam and another of butter.

‘How do you know her?’

‘Her father Adam and my son have been best friends since school. Nearly twenty years now.’

‘Adam’s a fantastic guy.’

‘Isn’t he? Life’s dealt him a tough hand, but you’ll never hear him complain. It can’t be easy for him, bringing Zoe up on his own.’

‘He’s patient. Maybe I need more patience,’ Séraphine said. ‘I always thought I was good with children. But this…’

‘Don’t be hard on yourself, sweetheart,’ Letty said gently, putting a hand on her arm. Séraphine felt the warmth of her touch, and it calmed her a little. ‘She’s a challenging girl, Adam knows that.’

‘Yes,’ Séraphine said, biting her lip. Now she’d started talking she was terrified at the way her feelings had come to the surface.

‘You miss home, don’t you?’

‘Very much,’ Séraphine said, her eyes filling with tears. ‘It’s the little things. I spoke to my family last night and my mum had made tarte tatin —’

‘Ooh, delicious.’

‘It’s one of our favourite dishes to make together. I can almost smell and taste it now.’ She recalled the sweet apple flavour and her mouth watered.

‘I’ve always wanted to be able to make that.’

‘You have? I can show you.’

‘Would you? That would be lovely. Why don’t you come by on Friday evening?’

Séraphine hesitated. ‘I think I’m meant to be looking after Zoe then.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll have a word with Adam, he won’t mind. And if you enjoy those scones’ – she pointed to the plates she had prepared – ‘I’ll share my secret recipe with you.’

‘You would?’ Séraphine said, her spirits lifting. ‘I’d like that very much.’

‘It’s a date, then. In the meantime,’ Letty told her, ‘there are a couple of people I’d like to introduce you to.’

Séraphine looked over at Zoe, who was still immersed in her game.

‘She’ll be OK for five minutes,’ Letty reassured her. She led Séraphine over to a table in the corner, where two women were huddled over an iPad. A blonde, in jeans and a black blazer, and a woman with cropped brown hair, dressed in a vintage flowered dress and biker boots.

‘Kat, Charlie – this is Séraphine. She’s an au pair, new to town. I thought I’d bring her over to say Hi.’

‘Hello. Lovely to meet you,’ Kat said, shaking Séraphine’s hand. Séraphine noticed the tattoo on the underside of her wrist; a bold, unbroken circle. Letty smiled and left them.

‘Hi,’ Charlie said. She put the iPad to one side. ‘Care to join us? That’s if you are up for being bombarded with chat about tea rooms.’

‘That sounds fun,’ Séraphine said, bringing a chair up to their table. ‘What are you working on?’

‘It’s for an edition of the food and drink magazine Charlie works on,’ Kat explained. ‘We’re going to be reviewing tea rooms, and we’re planning a trip to York tomorrow.’

‘How interesting. I love reading those kind of articles – you can almost taste all of the cakes and pastries, and yet it’s completely calorie-free,’ Séraphine smiled.

‘Exactly,’ Charlie said. ‘Although the same can’t be said when you’re doing the tasting.’

‘It must be a dream.’ Séraphine said. ‘I’m a bit fanatical about cakes. There’s a bakery similar to this in my village at home – you know that when you go in there you’re going to be able to try out something delicious.’

‘That’s exactly the kind of place we’re looking for.’ Kat said.

Séraphine glanced back over at Zoe, to check she was OK. She had put down her DS to eat her scone.

‘You’re on duty?’

Séraphine nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Where is it you’re staying in Scarborough?’ Kat asked.

‘Over by Peasholm Park.’

‘Nice. I grew up round there. Is it going well?’

‘Polite answer, or honest answer?’ Séraphine said quietly.

‘Oh dear,’ Charlie said. ‘I’m sure it’ll get better.’

‘Do you think so?’ Séraphine asked.

‘Now that you’ve found the Seafront, it definitely will,’ Kat smiled warmly.

‘I’ve got a day off tomorrow, so that will help.’

Charlie glanced at Kat, who nodded in silent agreement, and then they both looked back at Séraphine.

‘If you don’t have plans,’ Charlie said. ‘Why not come and join us?’

Séraphine smiled. ‘I’d love to.’

10

Thursday 11 September

‘Ready?’ Charlie asked. She and Séraphine were standing in the hallway of Kat’s flat.

Kat had a last look in the mirror. Her hair was pinned back on one side with a mother-of-pearl vintage hair comb, and she was wearing an oyster-and-black tea dress with T-bar heels.

‘I think I am, yes,’ she said. ‘What am I forgetting?’

She checked her handbag quickly. Mobile, lipstick, keys, notebook, pen – it looked so empty without the rice cakes and wet wipes that usually cluttered it up. Her heart contracted a little as she thought of Leo.

‘Nothing – as long as you’ve remembered your appetite,’ Charlie laughed.

‘I’ve brought mine,’ Séraphine said.

‘No problems there.’ Kat smiled and closed her door behind her.

They turned into the side street, and Charlie pressed the button on her keys. The lights flashed on a green MG convertible.

Kat drew in her breath. ‘That’s yours?’

‘Yep,’ Charlie replied proudly. ‘My pride and joy.’

Séraphine got in the back, and Kat climbed into the passenger seat and ran her hand over the cream leather. ‘Wow, this is nice.’ She leaned into the plush passenger seat, enjoying the sensation of the leather moulding to the shape of her body. ‘I’ve never been in a car like this before.’

‘Wait till we get going.’

Charlie turned the key, switched the stereo on and wound down the windows on both sides. A young man walking past on the pavement stopped to admire them, giving a nod of appreciation.

Charlie put her foot down on the accelerator and Kat instinctively held the sides of her seat.

‘Road trip, here we come,’ Charlie said, turning to Kat and Séraphine with a smile.

They listened to music on the journey, and Kat’s mind drifted as she gazed out at the fields. It felt strange to be in the company of two women she barely knew, but she was more comfortable than she’d expected. Séraphine, with her warm, down-to-earth nature, was immediately welcoming. Charlie – Kat hadn’t quite worked her out yet. She was friendly, of course, and impressively determined in her approach to work. Kat wondered what she made of her, if she thought less of her for not being as ambitious.

An hour later, in the early afternoon, they arrived in York.

‘First stop, Betty’s,’ Charlie said. They walked along the cobbled streets until they came to the tea rooms. ‘Not exactly secret, but an essential visit.’

‘So this is it,’ Kat said, peering in through the glass of the tea rooms in awe. Inside, the tables were made up with crisp tablecloths, waitresses serving in traditional black-and-white outfits. ‘I’ve always wanted to come here.’

They were greeted by a waitress who showed them to a table in a peaceful corner of the room.

‘Thanks,’ Charlie said. Without looking at the menu, she put in their order. ‘We haven’t got that long, but could we have full afternoon tea? With – what type of tea shall we get?’

‘Don’t look at me,’ Séraphine said with a smile. ‘You two are the experts.’

‘Darjeeling,’ Kat said, without hesitation.

‘Right,’ Charlie said. ‘That.’

A few minutes later, the waitress brought over a white teapot and teacups.

‘The champagne among teas,’ Kat said, lifting the lid of the teapot and drinking in the aroma. ‘Smell that. There’s a trace of blackcurrant in this one.’

‘Delicious,’ Séraphine said, leaning in.

A tiered cake stand arrived. Kat took in the finely crafted mix of savoury and sweet. Finger sandwiches with delicate layers of cucumber and smoked salmon were placed neatly on the bottom tier, above them a variety of cakes and pastries.

Kat poured the tea out carefully into two fragile white teacups. The light-coloured liquid was precisely the shade it should be.

‘Let’s get started, shall we?’ Charlie said.

The three women sipped tea, and each tasted one of the sandwiches, discussing their initial impressions. Charlie ordered a few extra things, and asked the waitress to bring them some water.

‘Should we be taking notes?’ Kat asked.

‘Definitely not,’ Charlie said. ‘We don’t want them to know we’re reviewing, so just relax and enjoy.’

‘If you insist.’ Séraphine smiled. ‘Shall we try these? She pointed to the macaroons. ‘They’re familiar territory for me.’

‘Rude not to, really,’ Charlie said, passing one to Kat and taking one for herself.

Charlie finished hers in two bites. ‘What do you think?’

‘Good – there’s an exquisite subtlety to the pistachio flavour,’ Séraphine said.

‘They haven’t gone overboard on the filling, either. A pretty perfect macaroon all in all,’ Kat said.

They drank their way through a pot of tea, enthusiastically sharing thoughts on the almond slices and chocolate éclairs. When only crumbs and tea leaves remained, Kat asked Charlie what the next stage of the process was.

‘We’ll pool our notes, then write up the reviews, and the final stage is to email them over for approval. I’m guest-editing this edition, but Jess, my boss, will still have the final word.’

‘That sounds good.’ Kat said. ‘Well, I’ve got a lot to say, already. I love this place.’

‘How come you haven’t been here before?’ Charlie asked her. ‘You only live an hour away.’

Kat toyed with her cup and saucer, stalling. Charlie waited for her to speak, her blue eyes kind, her expression open and relaxed.

‘I can’t afford this sort of thing,’ she said. ‘Since Leo arrived, we can’t stretch to much beyond the occasional trip to the Seafront. And even then Letty sometimes helps us out.’

‘I see,’ Charlie said. ‘Letty seems kind.’

‘Letty’s wonderful,’ Kat said. ‘She always puts other people first. She helped me out when I needed it most.’

‘When was that?’ Séraphine asked.

Kat paused, looking at Charlie and Séraphine. She barely knew them, but something told her she could talk to them honestly.

‘Messy break-up, with Leo’s dad.’

‘What happened?’ Charlie asked.

‘We weren’t ready to have a baby,’ Kat said. ‘We’d only been living together a couple of months when I got pregnant with Leo.’

‘How did he react?’ Charlie said.

‘Pretty badly. He missed our old life a lot, and I guess he responded by carrying on living it – going out with friends, drinking, coming home late. Having a child brings some people together, but in our case it drove us apart.’

‘That must have been very hard,’ Séraphine said.

‘It was a lonely time, yes. We didn’t talk enough.’

‘Are things any better now that you’re separated?’ Séraphine asked.

‘They are, yes. We’re finding a way, muddling through – he’s finally started to embrace being a dad. Leo’s staying with him up in Scotland at the moment, the first time that we’ve done that.’

‘You seem very forgiving, and strong,’ Séraphine said.

‘Ha ha,’ Kat said. ‘I’m not that strong. I just get on with things as best as I can. It does sometimes seem as if everyone else’s life is smooth sailing, though.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ Charlie said, with a wry smile. ‘Mine certainly isn’t. I thought I’d be getting married next spring – that didn’t exactly work out as planned.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Kat said. So Charlie’s life wasn’t perfect after all. It surprised her.

‘These things happen.’ Charlie shrugged. ‘But I won’t pretend it didn’t knock the wind out of me. I met him at work, and after a year we moved in together. For the first time in my life, it seemed as though everything was going according to plan,’ Charlie paused, thinking about Ben. ‘I’ve kissed enough frogs, and I was sure that Ben was different. He was a good guy – everyone told me so – and when he asked me to marry him I didn’t hesitate. This was it. He was The One. My happily ever after.’

She shook her head. ‘Obviously it didn’t work out that way.’

‘What went wrong?’ Kat asked, her voice soft.

‘One morning we got up, talked about our honeymoon to Italy over breakfast, and took the bus into the office. I sat down at my desk, ready to start work, same as any other day. Then Jess – my boss – called me and asked me to come into her office. All sorts of thoughts went through my mind – that I’d overlooked some detail or missed a deadline. But no – she’d heard from the sales guys about Ben sleeping with a lap dancer on one of their nights out. Apparently they were all talking about it.’

‘Ouch,’ Kat said, shaking her head. ‘Your boss told you?’

‘Yes. As if finding out wasn’t humiliating enough in itself. I broke up with him that night, and the next day I stuck every card he’d ever given me into the shredder at work.’