Page 101 of The Girl from the Tea Garden
‘It’s Belgooree tea,’ Adela pointed out, ‘to remind you of your old home.’
‘I prefer Ceylon,’ Olive said, ‘and I don’t want reminding of Belgooree. It hasn’t been home for most of my life. My home is here with Jack and George.’
‘And Jane,’ Adela reminded. She was embarrassed that Jane was in the room, but not even mentioned.
‘Aye, and the lass.’
Adela had been asking all week if Jane could go with her to StAbb’s, but her aunt had stubbornly refused permission. She chose that moment to ask one last time.
‘No,’ said Olive. ‘We Brewises don’t take holidays; we can’t afford it.’
‘I’ll pay for her train fare, and she won’t need money for anything else,’ Adela offered.
‘And who will cook for George and Jack? No,’ Olive said, quite adamant, ‘she’s needed here and at the café.’
Adela was tempted to retort that her aunt could do the cooking for once, but Jane’s anxious look prevented her. Later Jane said, ‘It’s not worth the bother; Mam will only get upset.’
‘You’re twenty-three!’ Adela protested. ‘You’re entitled to have a social life. Why don’t you stick up for yourself? You won’t even let Wilf take you out, though it’s obvious how keen he is on you.’
‘It’s all right for you,’ Jane retaliated. ‘You’re only here for a few weeks. You can swan in and do what you want, and then you’ll be off back to India. This is my home, and I have to live by my parents’ rules whether I like it or not.’
‘Aunt Olive’s rules.’
‘Well, that’s the way it is. Mam can’t cope without me. She’s frightened of being left on her own; that’s why me and George take it in turns to be here. She can’t help the way she is– she’s always been delicate– and it doesn’t help you stirring things up.’
Adela was taken aback by her cousin’s sudden outburst. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to upset Aunt Olive; I just want you to have a bit of fun.’
Jane looked away. ‘I know you do and I appreciate it. But we’re different you and me– we want different things. I’m happy with my life as it is.’
Adela left the next day. She wasn’t totally convinced by Jane’s protestations that she was content with the life she was leading, but perhaps she didn’t know her very well after all. Soon she was too excited about seeing her Robson family and Sophie again to dwell on her unfathomable cousin. George dropped her off at the station with a cheery wave.
‘Have a grand time,’ he said, ‘and send us a postcard.’
Adela took the Belgooree tea as a present for Tilly and Sophie, who accepted it with cries of pleasure. The sun shone most of the week, and the days were filled with picnics, clifftop walks, boat trips and swims from the sandy cove at Coldingham. They met up with Tilly’s good friend Ros, who had them all to tea at the house of her parents-in-law, nearby.
Sophie was full of chat about her time in Edinburgh staying with her old employer, Miss Gorrie. They had gone on a tour of the Highlands with two of Miss Gorrie’s friends and got as far as the island of Iona, where Saint Columba had first brought Christianity to Britain in the sixth century.
Both Sophie and Adela did their best to occupy Libby and keep her away from Tilly’s fretful attention. Got on her own, the girl was good company, with a quick sense of humour and a lively interest in everything. She wanted to know what they thought of Hitler’s aggressive stance towards the Sudetenland and the likelihood of going to war over Czechoslovakia.
‘We mustn’t go to war with Germany again,’ Sophie replied. ‘The last time was too terrible.’
‘But we can’t stand by and let Hitler and his bully boys walk into other people’s countries, can we?’ Libby challenged.
‘Let’s hope to heaven it won’t come to that,’ Adela said. ‘They say Chamberlain is going out to Germany to talk some sense into Hitler.’
As the week came to a close, tension from the outside world seemed to seep into the carefree holiday. Tilly became fiercely demonstrative towards Mungo, which made him uncharacteristically clingy. Libby squabbled with Jamie when he baited her about having a crush on George. But when Mungo unburdened his fear of starting at Dunelm School, it was Libby who reassured the anxious boy.
‘You’ll be in the same house as Jamie, so he’ll look out for you and we’ll meet up at half-term at Aunt Mona’s– that’s only five weeks to wait. Then we’ll be together for Christmas. And I’ll write to you every week. StBride’s is only an hour away from you by train, so perhaps I could come through to see you one weekend.’
On the final evening Sophie took Adela aside and asked, ‘Have you decided if you’re going to stay in Britain longer or come home with us in October?’
‘I’m still not sure,’ said Adela. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can carry on living at Aunt Olive’s– she’s growing tired of having me around, and I don’t want to outstay my welcome. But from Mother’s letters, she seems to be coping fine without me.’
She had told her aunties about Sam’s visit to her mother, but didn’t say how much the news of his settled life with Pema had upset her. She was plagued by thoughts of them being together, working side by side, laughing over meals, sharing the same bed ... Jealousy clawed at her insides. But she was powerless to change the situation. Now that Sam was quite out of her reach, there was even less reason to go back to India.
‘So?’
‘So, I’ve been thinking. When I go back to Newcastle, I might try and see if I can join the local repertory theatre, even if it’s just to give a helping hand behind the scenes to start with.’
