‘I think we need to start this story right at the beginning, which was over sixty years ago. If that’s okay with you, Tom?’ suggested Dolores.
Tom nodded, and gestured to Dolores to go ahead.
Florrie didn’t have an inkling about what she was about to hear but she could see that there must be parts of this story that were upsetting for Tom, as he suddenly looked sad. She placed a comforting hand on his knee and he gave her a warm smile of appreciation.
‘Sophia, would you pass me that photograph?’ Dolores pointed to a framed photograph on the bookshelf. She smiled at the image before passing it on to Florrie. ‘Do you recognise anyone?’
‘There’s no mistaking you and Aunt Ada, you haven’t changed a bit. But I’ve no idea who the other two women are,’ Florrie answered honestly.
‘That’s Rose, William’s wife,’ Dolores said, pointing her out, ‘and this is Elsie, Sophia’s grandmother like I said, my personal assistant. She travelled with me everywhere.
‘The four of us were good friends, very good friends.’ Dolores swallowed and Florrie could see her eyes were suddenly glistening with unshed tears. ‘We lost Rose way too young, just like William. She was killed in a boating accident in the south of France. Edward was swimming in the sea and Rose was sunbathing on the deck when she looked up and saw a speedboat heading towards him. Instinctively, Rose jumped into the water to push her son out of the way, and though she saved Edward’s life, she lost hers.’
Florrie felt a sudden sadness bleeding through the room. ‘I don’t know what to say. That is so awful.’
‘A complete tragedy. It broke all our hearts, especially William’s. To be candid, I don’t think he ever truly recovered from her loss. For the rest of his days, there was never anyone else because no one could even come close. Instead he surrounded himself with his closest friends, and we did everything possible to support him.’
Florrie turned towards Tom. ‘I’m so sorry to hear this.’
‘It’s okay, I wasn’t even born when it happened but I know how deep their love was. There were love letters that they’d written to each other, and old diary entries, in the box my grandfather left me. It was the purest kind of true love.’ He held Florrie’s gaze as he said those last words and she bitterly regretted how she’d reacted eight years ago. She should have let him explain but back then she could only go with how she felt at the time. Tom gave her a heart-warming look and she put her hand back on his knee, already feeling they were becoming closer to each other.
Dolores continued. ‘Before she passed, William and Rose lived here in Heartcross, in the oldest cottage in the village.’
‘Rose Cottage,’ said Florrie, thinking out loud. ‘Oh my, was it named after Rose?’
Dolores smiled. ‘It certainly was. William’s business started when he bought his first rundown property and spent most of his time renovating it with his own two hands. He flipped that property within the space of six months and made a hefty profit, which he used to build another house, which he flipped in turn. He did this several times in a row. At first everyone thought he was mad, including Rose, but he proved us all wrong and within a couple of years they had enough money to purchase their dream home – which they called Rose Cottage. Rose had great plans for transforming the land around it into a special place but not long after, tragedy struck and Rose was killed. William found it difficult being in the cottage without her and so he spent more and more time in an apartment in Edinburgh. Edward went to boarding school, and William threw himself into helping others less fortunate than himself.’
Tom cut in. ‘He had a heart of gold.’
‘He was always about the people. Such a decent man,’ added Sophia, pouring everyone a mug of tea now that it had had time to steep.
‘Unlike his son.’ The smile had dropped from Dolores’s face and she looked at Tom, who held up his hands in surrender again.
‘I agree with you. You know my feelings about my father. You’re not saying anything I don’t know.’
‘Ada promised William she would turn the gardens into something wonderful,’ Dolores went on, ‘even suggesting a rose garden in memory of our beloved Rose.’
‘Forgive me for interrupting,’ said Florrie, ‘but I don’t understand why Edward would want to bulldoze the gardens to build houses if they have all these family memories, and that special garden was planted specifically in memory of his mother.’
‘Revenge,’ said Dolores, before dunking a biscuit into her tea and taking a bite. ‘Edward had always been a difficult child, driven by his own self-importance. He believed, and still does –’ Dolores gave a Tom a knowing look ‘ – that he deserves privileges and recognition for things he did not earn. He acts as if the world owes him something in exchange for nothing. As a child his attitude was challenging but everyone cut him some slack after Rose’s tragic death. But it was to his detriment and he became a man who cared nothing for limits or consequences. He used William’s success to get into the upper echelons of society, whether into clubs or onto the guest lists of exclusive parties where he would mix with the rich and famous. I know for a fact that it was Edward who sold stories about me to the press – including the story that I was dating royalty.’
Florrie raised an eyebrow.
‘William was at his wits’ end but then things started to calm down a little and Edward met Lucille.’
‘My mother,’ added Tom.
‘But sadly, Lucille passed away from breast cancer and Edward went back to his unruly ways. William stepped in to look after young Tom, as Edward’s behaviour began to spiral out of control. It was only when William hinted that he was going to strike Edward from his will unless he began to change his ways that Edward began to toe the line … or at least that’s what we thought.’
‘My grandfather at that point gave my father a role in the business and the charity foundation he’d set up.’
‘During this time, Ada became a volunteer at the hospital. I always said that if she hadn’t ended up as a florist, she would have made a fantastic nurse. Ada always wanted to give back, make someone’s life easier by having a chat, bringing in magazines and so on. She did as much as she could alongside her own job.
‘As I mentioned, William had moved into his apartment in the city and Rose Cottage was lying empty. Everything was overgrown, the gardens were neglected and the cottage was falling to rack and ruin. Ada asked if there was any possibility she and Ewart could rent it after the wedding and of course William said yes. Ada quickly began to turn the cottage around. She worked so hard in the gardens, created her gorgeous blooms and the stunning rose garden for Rose. The bonus that came with the cottage was The Vintage Flower Van, which – would you believe? – was William’s original building truck. He felt it was a lucky omen, so when Ada wanted to open up a flower business, it was included in the arrangement, which gave Ada instant business premises. She never looked back.
‘When William had his heart attack we thought we were going to lose him. Ada visited him on every shift and sat with him for hours. William was weak, and worried about the future, so he asked us to keep his charity foundation alive, wanting his legacy to live on. This was when I decided to perform at the bandstand in Primrose Park and I was able to donate all the money raised to his charity. While William was in hospital, Edward stepped in on the financial side of things to make sure all the donations were collected and deposited into the foundation.’
‘But the money never made it to the foundation?’ Florrie asked, looking around them all.
