Page 6 of Whispers from the Past

‘Right, where shall we start?’ Eleanor clapped her hands together, turning to smile brightly at Rose.

‘All my bags are still in my car at the garage along with my phone. Do you think Luke will mind bringing them down for me?’

‘I’ll give him an hour or so to calm down and then give him a call. I can be quite persuasive when I need to be.’

‘Ok, well if we’ve got an hour, I’d love some dinner. I’m starving!’

‘All in hand Rose. Follow me.’ Eleanor led to the back of the shop. To the left was the door that led up to the flat upstairs. To the right was another door, which Rose knew led to the annex that Eleanor had moved into. It was a simple space with a small kitchenette and living room and another couple of doors which she assumed led to a bedroom and bathroom. Rose expected to see photos of children and grandchildren lining the walls. But there were no photos whatsoever. One large painting of the Yorkshire moors stood in pride of place above a small fireplace. Rose settled herself on a small floral settee and glanced at the bookshelves lining the other walls. If she was surprised at the lack of photos, the abundance of books didn’t disappoint her.

‘I hope you like cottage pie. I’ve made enough for ten!’ Eleanor said as she came over to the settee with a tray of food in her hand. The food looked delicious and her stomach groaned in anticipation.

‘How are you adjusting to living in the annex?’ Rose asked between mouthfuls of dinner.

‘Surprisingly good. I’ve all the space I need here and I’m still so close to the shop.’

Pointing to the painting, Rose said, ‘I love the painting. Is it local?’

‘It’s of the headland at Ravenscar, which is just along the coast here. My husband was a bit of an amateur artist and that was one of his favourite places to hike to. He painted that one just a few years before he died, honestly I’m surprised it took him that long to paint it, he painted just about everything else around here! There are lots more of his pieces in the loft. Please feel free to hang any up that you like upstairs.’

Rose moved over to the painting and gently ran her fingers over the acrylic brush strokes. ‘He was very talented,’ she admired.

‘Yes. Yes he was. Taken far too soon. I always wanted him to paint The Book Nook but he never got round to it. And you’ll understand my frustration at that, when you see just how many other places he painted when you tackle the loft.’

As promised, after dinner Eleanor phoned Luke. The one sided conversation amused Rose no end.

‘Yes I know it’s raining again.’

‘Yes you probably will get wet.’

‘Yes, we’d like the bits tonight.’

‘Excellent.’

Eleanor hung up and smiled. ‘He’ll pack up the bits in his pick up and bring them right over.’

‘How annoyed is he on a scale of 1 to 10?’

‘Probably about an 8. But he’s normally running at around a 7 so don’t let that bother you!’

Rose laughed. It was lovely being around Eleanor like this. They had somehow settled into a comfortable rapport so quickly. She reminded her a little of the ladies who would frequent the library back in London. They were always so keen to chat and she had realised recently that she enjoyed listening.

Ten minutes later, the horn of Luke’s pick up truck shouted to them in the quiet annex. Rose rushed out so as not to keep him any longer than necessary. Although she’d heard the rain dancing on the roof whilst they ate dinner, the sharp droplets still surprised her as she stepped outside. Rain dripped from Luke’s hair as he handed her the numerous bags that had been stuffed into her car.

‘Sorry to be such a pain, but I don’t suppose you saw my phone as well? I thought it was in my bag, but I can’t find it anywhere,’ Rose apologised as rain water dripped from his nose.

He didn’t respond. When all the bags were out of his truck, he climbed back in and drove off up towards the garage without another word. Suddenly Rose wasn’t getting bitten by the rain anymore. She looked up to see that Eleanor had appeared with a large umbrella.

‘Remember. He forgets about feelings. Don’t take his manner to heart,’ she said as she gently squeezed Rose’s arm.

She tried to smile back, but couldn’t quite manage it. She was wet and tired and just wanted to curl up in bed. She picked up as many bags as she could manage and struggled back inside.

After a quick hot shower, she’d rid herself of the cold wetness from the Yorkshire rain. Feeling much warmer now, she found herself staring out the window onto the little square outside. With the rain finally stopping, and the night sky clearing, Rose could see Luke pacing outside below on his phone. Quietly slipping out of the flat she went to join him outside in an attempt to smooth over the fractious nature of their first encounters. Her denim jacket was once again futile in keeping her warm, but it was all she had for now until she found out where the nearest proper shops were. As she stepped closer, Luke obviously heard her and abruptly finished his conversation.

‘She’s here. I need to go’.

Stuffing his phone into his jacket pocket, he took hers from the other side of his jacket.

‘Oh thanks so much! I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused today.’ She took her phone back and turned slightly to slip it into the back pocket of her jeans. Looking back up to continue her attempt at building bridges, she found that he was walking away. With that, Rose realised it clearly wasn’t the night for bridge building then.