Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 33
Lilian’s eyes sparkled and flew over the shelves, even after all these years.
‘Two flumps, two flying saucers and three soft vanilla fudge,’ she said, quick as you like.
‘Coming up,’ said Rosie cheerfully. ‘Oh, Lilian, I need your advice.’
Little was more likely to make Lilian happy. Even if her advice normally involved people getting on with things and not making a fuss and going back to pre-decimal currency and out of the European Union, which was apparently where everything bad had started.
‘Oh yes?’ she said, stirring two sugars into her tea. She stayed dainty as a mouse, Rosie often thought, because she ate nothing else at all. ‘You couldn’t possibly need advice from a useless old lady like me.’
Rosie rolled her eyes.
‘Okay, okay.’
She explained about Angie arriving the next day.
‘I was going to tell Stephen before,’ she said. ‘But then there was the awful business with the school, and I was so worried he was going to… react badly. And now, he just seems so happy that I hate to give him all this hassle and… well, it’s kind of got away from me.’
Lilian sipped contemplatively.
‘Have you ever,’ she said, ‘had a problem that got better by you ignoring it?’
‘Yes!’ said Rosie. ‘All the time! Loads of problems go away by themselves. Look at that weird lump I had on my leg.’
‘Well, all right. But this one won’t,’ said Lilian. ‘Short of a plane crash.’
‘Let’s not wish for a plane crash, okay?’
‘That’s the problem about falling in love with those Mr Darcy types,’ said Lilian.
‘Hmm,’ said Rosie. She sold some chewing gum to a gas man in a hurry.
‘But Rosie, you know you can’t expect someone just to love you when nice things are happening and everything’s cosy. If you dedicate yourself to making someone else’s life happy at the expense of your own… well, obviously I’m only a silly old idiot, but I don’t believe either of you can be happy like that.’
Rosie was silent for a while.
‘No,’ she said.
‘What do you think he’s going to do?’
‘Go all grumpy and weird.’
‘Well, he’s a grown-up. People have families, yours is nice, he has to understand that. Maybe he wants to meet your mum.’
‘She can’t be worse than his,’ said Rosie.
‘Exactly.’
‘But where am I going to put them all?’
‘What about that house of Stephen’s?’
‘Peak House?’ Rosie made a face. ‘It’s kind of closed up. He’s never there.’
‘Well you’re going to have to unclose it then, aren’t you?’
‘Oh God, I don’t think I can ask Lady Lipton for any more of her property.’
‘Why does she need to know? It’s technically where Stephen lives.’
Rosie giggled slightly hysterically.
‘Maybe I won’t tell Stephen either. Maybe I can just leave them up there for two weeks and no one will even notice.’
Lilian gave her a look.
‘I’m kidding, I’m kidding.’
‘At least they’re hiring a car,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m not sure I could get Angie on a bicycle.’
‘So you’ll have a job getting Peak House ready,’ said Lilian.
‘Oh crap, I know. Mrs Laird is too busy with Lipton Hall,’ said Rosie. ‘Great. I’ll be working all night.’
‘Whereas if you’d dealt with this problem head-on, you’d have been organised weeks ago.’
‘All right, all right, I know.’
‘You can go now if you like. I can take charge of the shop.’
Rosie looked at Lilian curiously. She’d given it up when she could no longer manage, but…
‘How will you get up to the high shelves?’ she asked. ‘If you fall off a ladder and break your hip, we’re all doomed.’
‘I’m not going up a ladder!’ said Lilian. ‘I’m old, for goodness’ sake, not an idiot. If anyone asks for something that’s up the ladder, I shall simply tell them no, and direct them to a more reasonable piece of confectionery.’
Rosie smiled and glanced at her watch.
‘Well, Tina’s in in about an hour…’ she said, wavering. ‘Give me your big phone.’
Lilian handed it over from a dainty knitted cover she’d made for it.
‘Very nice,’ said Rosie. ‘Okay, I’m going to make it call me and leave it on, okay? So it’s like a walkie-talkie. Are you sure…’
Lilian tutted.
‘I have actually run this place before, you know. Just for the seventy years.’
Rosie nodded.
‘I know, I know. Is it warm enough?’
‘Stop fussing!’
Anton the fattest man in town came in.
‘Anton!’ said Lilian, her face wreathed in smiles. ‘What can I get you?’
Anton’s mobility had improved so much in the last six months, he hardly needed his stick any more, though he was a little out of breath. He beamed wildly when he saw Lilian.
‘Hello! I missed you!’
‘I am still here,’ said Rosie, scooping up Mr Dog, who was snoring blissfully by the heater in the back room instead of manfully protecting their property.
‘What can I get you?’ asked Lilian.
Anton sent a sideways glance at Rosie, who stared at him crossly.
‘Ignore her,’ said Lilian. ‘I’m in charge today.’
‘In that case…’ said Anton. ‘Can I have a pound of mixed creams, please. And another pound of mixed creams. And that chocolate orange there. And another one, actually. And from the top shelf…’
‘Anton!’ said Rosie in exasperation. ‘Calm down. Come on. Don’t be daft.’
Anton shuffled his feet.
‘Lilian, no more than one of each thing he wants. And no more than five things.’
‘You’d better get on before your Australian family all arrives tomorrow!’ trilled Lilian. Anton’s eyes went wide.
‘Ooh, you’ve got family arriving?’
‘Great,’ said Rosie. ‘That’ll be all round the village in about five seconds.’
‘Two flumps, two flying saucers and three soft vanilla fudge,’ she said, quick as you like.
‘Coming up,’ said Rosie cheerfully. ‘Oh, Lilian, I need your advice.’
Little was more likely to make Lilian happy. Even if her advice normally involved people getting on with things and not making a fuss and going back to pre-decimal currency and out of the European Union, which was apparently where everything bad had started.
‘Oh yes?’ she said, stirring two sugars into her tea. She stayed dainty as a mouse, Rosie often thought, because she ate nothing else at all. ‘You couldn’t possibly need advice from a useless old lady like me.’
Rosie rolled her eyes.
‘Okay, okay.’
She explained about Angie arriving the next day.
‘I was going to tell Stephen before,’ she said. ‘But then there was the awful business with the school, and I was so worried he was going to… react badly. And now, he just seems so happy that I hate to give him all this hassle and… well, it’s kind of got away from me.’
Lilian sipped contemplatively.
‘Have you ever,’ she said, ‘had a problem that got better by you ignoring it?’
‘Yes!’ said Rosie. ‘All the time! Loads of problems go away by themselves. Look at that weird lump I had on my leg.’
‘Well, all right. But this one won’t,’ said Lilian. ‘Short of a plane crash.’
‘Let’s not wish for a plane crash, okay?’
‘That’s the problem about falling in love with those Mr Darcy types,’ said Lilian.
‘Hmm,’ said Rosie. She sold some chewing gum to a gas man in a hurry.
‘But Rosie, you know you can’t expect someone just to love you when nice things are happening and everything’s cosy. If you dedicate yourself to making someone else’s life happy at the expense of your own… well, obviously I’m only a silly old idiot, but I don’t believe either of you can be happy like that.’
Rosie was silent for a while.
‘No,’ she said.
‘What do you think he’s going to do?’
‘Go all grumpy and weird.’
‘Well, he’s a grown-up. People have families, yours is nice, he has to understand that. Maybe he wants to meet your mum.’
‘She can’t be worse than his,’ said Rosie.
‘Exactly.’
‘But where am I going to put them all?’
‘What about that house of Stephen’s?’
‘Peak House?’ Rosie made a face. ‘It’s kind of closed up. He’s never there.’
‘Well you’re going to have to unclose it then, aren’t you?’
‘Oh God, I don’t think I can ask Lady Lipton for any more of her property.’
‘Why does she need to know? It’s technically where Stephen lives.’
Rosie giggled slightly hysterically.
‘Maybe I won’t tell Stephen either. Maybe I can just leave them up there for two weeks and no one will even notice.’
Lilian gave her a look.
‘I’m kidding, I’m kidding.’
‘At least they’re hiring a car,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m not sure I could get Angie on a bicycle.’
‘So you’ll have a job getting Peak House ready,’ said Lilian.
‘Oh crap, I know. Mrs Laird is too busy with Lipton Hall,’ said Rosie. ‘Great. I’ll be working all night.’
‘Whereas if you’d dealt with this problem head-on, you’d have been organised weeks ago.’
‘All right, all right, I know.’
‘You can go now if you like. I can take charge of the shop.’
Rosie looked at Lilian curiously. She’d given it up when she could no longer manage, but…
‘How will you get up to the high shelves?’ she asked. ‘If you fall off a ladder and break your hip, we’re all doomed.’
‘I’m not going up a ladder!’ said Lilian. ‘I’m old, for goodness’ sake, not an idiot. If anyone asks for something that’s up the ladder, I shall simply tell them no, and direct them to a more reasonable piece of confectionery.’
Rosie smiled and glanced at her watch.
‘Well, Tina’s in in about an hour…’ she said, wavering. ‘Give me your big phone.’
Lilian handed it over from a dainty knitted cover she’d made for it.
‘Very nice,’ said Rosie. ‘Okay, I’m going to make it call me and leave it on, okay? So it’s like a walkie-talkie. Are you sure…’
Lilian tutted.
‘I have actually run this place before, you know. Just for the seventy years.’
Rosie nodded.
‘I know, I know. Is it warm enough?’
‘Stop fussing!’
Anton the fattest man in town came in.
‘Anton!’ said Lilian, her face wreathed in smiles. ‘What can I get you?’
Anton’s mobility had improved so much in the last six months, he hardly needed his stick any more, though he was a little out of breath. He beamed wildly when he saw Lilian.
‘Hello! I missed you!’
‘I am still here,’ said Rosie, scooping up Mr Dog, who was snoring blissfully by the heater in the back room instead of manfully protecting their property.
‘What can I get you?’ asked Lilian.
Anton sent a sideways glance at Rosie, who stared at him crossly.
‘Ignore her,’ said Lilian. ‘I’m in charge today.’
‘In that case…’ said Anton. ‘Can I have a pound of mixed creams, please. And another pound of mixed creams. And that chocolate orange there. And another one, actually. And from the top shelf…’
‘Anton!’ said Rosie in exasperation. ‘Calm down. Come on. Don’t be daft.’
Anton shuffled his feet.
‘Lilian, no more than one of each thing he wants. And no more than five things.’
‘You’d better get on before your Australian family all arrives tomorrow!’ trilled Lilian. Anton’s eyes went wide.
‘Ooh, you’ve got family arriving?’
‘Great,’ said Rosie. ‘That’ll be all round the village in about five seconds.’
