Page 9 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“You plan to stay for a while, then? Not just a holiday?”
Ellie put down her cup. “I think so. I want to be far away when my replacement moves into the house.”
“I can assure you she will not be welcome here,” Miss Smith-Humphries said angrily. “You are most treasured in this community. We do not approve of the way your husband is behaving.”
“Neither do I,” Ellie said, “but there’s not much I can do about it.”
“I hope he made a decent settlement on you.”
“He did,” Ellie said. “I think I can live quite satisfactorily, but not extravagantly.”
Miss Smith-Humphries nodded approval. She took a drink of her own tea.
“I envy you,” she said, putting down her cup. “A new start. New experiences. What an opportunity for you.”
“I’m so glad you see it like that,” Ellie said. “I’ve been a bit apprehensive about going all that way on my own, but you’re right. It is an opportunity for me to see what I’m made of.” She finished her tea and put the cup back on the tray. “I should not take any more of your time.”
She made for the front door, exchanged final pleasantries and left. Outside she let out a sigh of relief. That had gone better than expected. At least Miss Smith-Humphries did not think it was beyond her capabilities to go off to the South of France by herself. It was about time she went home, packed her bags and set off.
Mavis had left for the day, and Ellie was alone in the bedroom, wondering how many pairs of shoes one needed on the Riviera, when there was a knock at the front door. A decisive knock. Not the postman. He had already been. Ellie went downstairs, opened the door to see Miss Smith-Humphries standing there, pink cheeked and looking rather breathless.
“Miss Smith-Humphries, is something wrong? Did I leave something behind this morning?”
“Not at all.” She put her hand to her heart. “Might I come in and have a word?”
“Of course. Please do. Would you like a glass of water? A cup of tea?”
“Water, please. I’m afraid I walked a little too fast.” Her hand was on her heart.
She was shown into the sitting room and settled on the sofa. Ellie brought her the water, and she took a long drink before she spoke.
“You’re going to think it frightful cheek of me,” she said.
Ellie waited, wondering what was coming next.
“After you’d gone I started doing some serious thinking. I started remembering ... how wonderful it was there. The blue sea. The scent of the flowers. The bougainvillea spilling over walls. And the food ... Everything tasted so fresh.” Her face had completely transformed as she spoke, and she looked like a younger, softer version of herself.
“Yes.” Ellie nodded emphatically. “You’re so right. All those things.”
“So I wondered ...” Again a long hesitation. “Whether I could come with you. Oh, I know it’s awful cheek,” she went on, the words just spilling out now, “and you can be as rude as you like. But my doctor tells me I don’t have long to live, and I got this great urge to go to somewhere beautiful again, to a place I once loved.” When Ellie said nothing, she continued. “I wouldn’t be a burden, I promise. I’m not without funds. I’d pay my way, of course. And if I needed a nurse or assistant, I’d hire one. No, I guarantee you would not find me a burden.”
Her look was expectant, hopeful.
“I don’t know what to say,” Ellie said. She also hesitated, trying to digest this request. “This is so unexpected. But yes. Actually ... I’d welcome the company. And if, as you say, you don’t have long in this world, I’d be delighted that you’d be able to experience a place that had given you joy.”
“So kind.” The woman actually took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. “So very kind of you. You don’t know how much this means to me. When would you be leaving? I’d need a few days to get my things in order, see my bank manager, that sort of thing.”
“You have a passport, do you?”
“Oh yes. I’ve always kept a passport up to date, just in case, you know. When I was young, I travelled a lot with my father, the brigadier, and afterwards, too.”
“Then we’ll leave when you are ready. I’ve made no bookings. We’ll be fancy-free and open to any place that speaks to us.”
“How utterly splendid,” the old woman said. “I can’t wait. A few days, that’s all I’ll need. I’ll have to look at my French dictionary. It’sbeen years since I’ve had to use my languages. I’ll be rusty. Thank heavens my last cat died in the winter. So nothing to keep me here. Nothing to tie me down at all. Fancy-free, exactly as you say.”
As Ellie shut the door behind the departing Miss Smith-Humphries, she stood, frozen, in the cool darkness of the front hall.What have I just done?she asked herself.Agreed to travel with a difficult, critical older woman. She will share my compartment on the train. She might want to share my room at a hotel. Perhaps her health will deteriorate rapidly, and I’ll have to look after her.And she was going to die. Ellie had never had to handle a death. It was all she could do not to open the door again and yell after Miss Smith-Humphries that she had changed her mind and it wouldn’t work after all. But compassion overtook all other emotions. The woman didn’t have long to live. One good thing that Ellie could do was to make sure that her last days were pleasurable and that she didn’t die alone. She hoped someone would do the same for her.
Chapter 5
