A Family For Christmas (40 page)

Read A Family For Christmas Online

Authors: Linda Finlay

‘Most definitely. I want them to be a
tribute to Fae, you see.'

‘Commendable, and it could also be a good
trade symbol to distinguish you from your competitors. That's important, too. However, I
would recommend you buy the smaller size ones first to see how that perfume sells. Is that
agreeable to you?'

‘Yes, that makes good sense, Grandfa Sam.
Thank goodness I have you to advise me.'

The old man smiled. ‘Well, we'll see
Mr Sharp at the bank on Tuesday and get his professional advice,' he said, snapping the
ledger shut.

Eliza opened her mouth then shut it again.

‘Got something on your mind?' Grandfa
Sam asked, shrewd as ever.

‘I'd like to make a donation to the
lifeboats,' she
answered. ‘James
mentioned they desperately need more cork lifebelts and I would like to use some of my legacy to
buy some.'

‘I think that's an admirable idea,
Eliza,' Nan said, coming into the room.

‘It is, but your legacy, while generous, is
not a huge amount, and you will need a fair bit of it to set up your perfumery,' Grandfa
Sam pointed out. ‘When you first start a business your outgoings exceed your income, and
you will need to have some put by to live on.'

‘I know, but I would like to give them
something. Grampy always said if you had three pennies then you should spend one, share one and
save the remaining one.'

‘Quite right too,' Nan applauded.

‘You're not doing this to curry
favour with James?' Grandfa asked, staring directly at her with wise eyes.

‘Of course I'm not. I don't
even want him to know. Donations are anonymous, aren't they? Besides, if you give it to
them, nobody will be any the wiser,' she said.

Sam was silent for a few moments. ‘In that
case, I will make the appropriate arrangements and get them to issue a receipt so that you have
an audit trail. That's another thing you need to understand. Everything you spend,
purchase or sell must be accounted for in the ledger.'

Exhausted from recent events, yet excited by the
future, Eliza curled up on her bed and flicked through the notes she'd brought with her
from Monsieur Farrant.

A light, fresh, delicate fragrance can be
centred round the top note … may contain less base notes than a heavier
one. Consider … citrus for freshness. The character of the
finished fragrance will be determined by the proportions of each … Blend can be what you
choose … Experiment until your nose tells you it is right. Remember the
je ne sais
quoi
! Once you have learned the rules, you can then begin breaking them.

Of course! She'd been concentrating on the
base and blindly adhering to the rules. As she mentally sniffed her way through the different
plants and flowers she'd tried, something Nan had said clicked in her mind. Hurrying
downstairs, she snatched up her basket and made her way to the undercliff where she'd
picked the yellow flowering plants earlier in the year. Now they'd deepened to orange and
were bearing berries. Sea berries, Nan had called them. Splitting one open, she inhaled, then
smiled. It just might work!

Her first attempts came close to the smell in
the bottle, but were still not perfect. Knowing she was on the right track, she continued
experimenting until she was boggy-eyed from concentrating.

Determined not to give up, she spent the next
week refining the proportions of her
je ne sais quoi
, until, finally, she managed to
recreate the fresh, invigorating aroma she'd been seeking. James was busy with his
training and she was feeling so much better now they'd made up she could concentrate fully
again.

Thank heavens Grandfa Sam had advised buying
small bottles otherwise she'd never manage to make enough, Eliza thought, as she lined
them up ready for filling. In her
mind, it had
already become the Fae Sea Breeze Fragrance and eagerly she began scripting the blue labels. One
day she might be able to afford jewel-blue stoppers too, she daydreamed. Only when the perfume
was bottled and labelled, did she let the others test the fragrance.

‘Well done, Eliza, you have finally found
the last note to finish your symphony,' Amos beamed.

With Nan's help, she added the Sea Breeze
fragrance to the soaps, salts and salves for sale in her shop. Her artistic window display of
little black bottles nestling in beds of shiny green moss surrounded by bright orange sea
berries aroused great interest. She continually had to replenish the tester flagons depleted by
ladies eager to sample the new scent. Even customers visiting the dispensary were intrigued,
many leaving with little bottles of the perfume or soaps alongside their tablets or
embrocation.

As word of the new fragrance spread, ladies
visiting Salting Regis or staying on holiday were drawn into the fragrant little shop, often
leaving with gifts for friends as well as purchases for themselves.

‘Suppose I'll have to book an
appointment to see you now?' James moaned good-naturedly, after he'd had to wait
whilst Eliza wrapped yet another customer's purchases.

‘Oh, James, I'm sorry. I had no idea
these summer months would be so busy. I'm sure it will quieten down in the autumn and then
we'll have more time to ourselves.'

‘Don't knock it, Eliza. You make the
most of it. Grandfa Sam was saying only yesterday that with you turning over a good profit and
Amos doing well in his training, it won't be long before he can put his feet up in style.
By the way, we had a surprise of our own today. Six new lifebelts were
delivered to the lifeboat station. Six! That's going to
make such a difference to the men's safety.'

‘Oh, I am pleased,' Eliza said,
clapping her hands. James looked at her with eyes of the same shrewd blue as his
grandfather's.

‘Don't suppose you have any idea
where they came from?' he asked.

‘Me?' she asked, feigning surprise.
‘It's good to know the men will have some protection, though, isn't
it?'

‘It is,' he agreed, his lips
twitching. ‘I guess you're so busy these days you would hardly notice when the
maroon's fired.'

Eliza kept quiet, for hadn't she promised
she wouldn't stand in his way or make a fuss? The trouble was, the stronger her feelings
for him became, the worse she felt.

41

One morning Eliza had just turned the sign to
open when the shop door burst open.

‘So, Mademoiselle, you think you can rival
Monsieur Farrant's sublime perfume-making skills?'

As his weird smell pervaded her space, Eliza took
a step back. If only he could do something about his own particular brand, she thought, forcing
her lips into a smile.

‘Good morning, Monsieur Farrant, how may I
be of help?' she asked.

But he ignored her, lifted the stopper from the
tester flagon and wafted it round in front of him. Inhaling deeply, he stared at her over the
glass tube, his eyes narrowing. ‘You never made this?' he barked, all pretence of
his French persona disappearing.

‘Indeed I did,' Eliza protested, her
voice rising. He stared at Fae's pictures that Grandfa Sam had framed and hung on the
walls behind the counter.

‘Those are Miss Beaumont's pictures.
I recognize her style from the receipt book. So, you did keep some of her receipts and used one
to make this fragrance,' he accused, leaning over the counter and waving the tube in front
of her, nearly sending a dish of soaps flying in the process.

‘No, my perfume is my own receipt,'
she cried.

‘Is everything all right, Eliza?'
Amos asked, hurrying over from the dispensary.

Monsieur Farrant stared at him in surprise. ‘So, it is a
conspiracy,' he hissed. ‘You think you can steal my business? Well, let me tell you,
Monsieur Farrant, he is the one wanting the warrant from the Queen and he is the one who will
get it. Your little business, it will go pouf,' he said, waving his hands in the air.

‘I think …' Eliza began, but he
was already storming out of the shop.

‘Remember, there is no smoke without
fire,' he warned, pausing on the doorstep and shaking his finger at them.

‘Pompous idiot,' Amos said.
‘Take no notice. He's obviously jealous.'

‘But how did he know about my perfume and
why has he sought me out after all this time?' she asked, clutching the counter for
support. ‘He gave up before.'

‘Ah, but now you are hitting him where it
hurts most, Eliza – in his pocket. Everyone is talking about your perfume, saying it
smells like an energizing sea breeze. My landlady was telling me only the other night that her
daughter, who lives in Bath, has asked her to take two bottles of your uplifting scent when she
visits at Christmas.'

‘Energizing perfume? Great heavens,
I'd never thought of it like that,' she replied, automatically rearranging the soaps
in her dish on the counter. Then the little bell tinkled and, snapping into business mode, she
turned to greet the customer.

‘Good morning, my dear, I'm sure you
will remember me. ' Eliza stared at the well-dressed woman, something about her overdone
appearance chiming in the recesses of her mind.

‘Of course, madam, how lovely to see you
again,' Eliza
gushed, deeming deference the
reaction someone of her stature would expect.

‘Last year, when I was looking for a
Christmas present for my future daughter-in-law, Daphne, you were particularly helpful.'
At the mention of the name, a chord struck.

‘Of course, madam, and I seem to remember
you were most generous in your choice. I trust she liked her green velvet-lined box tied with
that gorgeous gold bow?'

The woman's face lit up. ‘You do
remember, clever girl. Daphne was indeed impressed. In fact, her gift was the talk of the town.
Therefore, I would like you to make up boxes of the new perfume I have heard so much about,
along with all the matching products. I take it you are still offering the same
service?'

‘Indeed, madam,' Eliza assured, her
spirits soaring. This year she would be able to buy quality material and ribbons, and really go
to town with her wrappings.

‘Good. I know it's early to be
thinking of Christmas, but we shall be over-wintering
en famille
in warmer climes, so
if you could have ten boxes made up in varying coloured materials, all with elaborate bows,
I'll have Jenson call to collect them in a week's time. I shall, of course, give him
the means by which to settle my account. Present buying
en masse
can be such a headache
and I can't tell you what a relief it is to have everything sorted in one go. Good day to
you.' She swept from the shop, leaving Eliza staring after her. An order for ten boxes
might be remarkable but it had made Eliza realize she was nowhere near ready for the lead-in to
Christmas, as Monsieur Farrant had called it.

Hearing a chuckle behind her, she turned to see
Nan grinning.

‘Well, you've started something there, Eliza. I
reckon you're going to be busier than ever once people see your pretty boxes displayed in
the window.'

Eliza gulped. ‘But I haven't even
begun to organize things,' she said, grimacing as she stared round at her rapidly
diminishing stock.

‘Want a hand?' Nan asked.

Eliza brightened then frowned. ‘But
you're meant to be retired, Nan.'

‘Pah, I'm bored stiff idling my time
away upstairs alone. Decide what materials you want and I'll go to the market later this
morning.' She glanced over at the grandmother clock in the hallway. ‘It's
almost ten o'clock, let's go upstairs and draw a plan of action over a pot of tea.
We will hear the bell jangle if someone comes in,' she said, bustling towards the
stairs.

Heads together, they discussed which colours
would best complement the little black bottles of perfume, jars of salts and tablets of soaps.
Eliza wanted something festive yet reminiscent of the sea, and they settled on turquoise with
coral for the different lining materials then silver and gold ribbons for contrasting bows. Over
a second cup of tea, they decided what sizes of boxes they would use and the pricing of them.
Then Nan snatched up her basket and happily took herself off, leaving Eliza to work out how much
extra stock they'd need. As she worked, she couldn't help thinking about
Farrant's threats. He blew hot and cold so she just hoped they'd been empty
ones.

With her plan worked out, she discussed it with
Grandfa Sam over supper. Although she'd taken delivery of her
new equipment some weeks before and could distil in larger
quantities, she now required more plant material. With the promise of extra pocket money
provided he behaved, Luke was dispatched at the weekend, under the watchful eye of Sam, to
gather as much as he could.

Meanwhile, Nan undertook the lining and making up
of the boxes. Mindful of people's differing means, these ranged from small ones containing
a couple of soaps, to the largest which included every product in the Fae Fragrance range. Then
they set to, stocking shelves and arranging the window. Keen to keep to the seaside theme, Eliza
set the festive boxes around a mirror to depict water then sat little mermaid figurines on
pebbles and shells in the middle. Finally she draped an old fisherman's net, entwined with
the sea berries Nan had crystallized, around the sides.

The artistic display soon drew attention from
people walking by and the shop bell tinkled constantly. The uplifting fragrance of sea breezes
wafting around the shop was pleasing to the customers, enticing them to linger longer and to
buy. At times it was hard keeping up with the demand.

Sam joked it was turning into a family affair,
for even Amos found himself serving more in the shop than the dispensary, while James helped
replenish the shelves in his spare time.

‘I think Mr Sharp is going to be very
pleased with your takings this month, young lady,' Grandfa Sam chuckled one evening.
He'd just finished entering the figures in the ledger and stood there rubbing his hands
together with glee.

‘Yes, but I must pay you all a wage after all that hard
work,' Eliza pointed out.

‘Stuff and nonsense,' Nan scoffed.
‘That's what families are for.'

‘Oh, Grandfa Sam, you don't know how
much that means to me. To hear you referring to me as family is like a dream come true.' A
lump filled her throat as she stared at them all.

‘Yes, well, let's go upstairs and
have supper,' Grandfa Sam said gruffly. ‘You joining us, Amos?'

‘No, thanks, Mrs Nell's got a nice
pie waiting for me. Couldn't ask for a better landlady,' he winked.

Although they were tired, the meal was convivial
as they relaxed and discussed the events of the day.

‘Who would have thought our little shop
would be so busy?' Nan commented, stifling a yawn.

‘You go and sit by the fire, Nan, while I
clear away,' Eliza said, collecting their dishes together.

She carried them through to the little scullery,
poured water into the bowl and added flakes. Too tired to do any more, she left the dishes to
drain. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to putting her feet up and
relaxing.

Making her way down the hall, she stopped in her
tracks. What was that smell? She sniffed, went to the top of the stairs and sniffed again.
Smoke! Without stopping to think, she hurried down the stairs and gasped. Flames were licking at
the door.

‘Fire!' she screamed, snatching up a
rug from the floor.

‘Here, give that to me,' James
ordered, bursting in
through the shop door and
taking her by surprise. ‘Saw the smoke from the street,' he gasped, throwing the rug
over the fire. ‘Quick, get that other one.'

When both rugs had been thrown on top of the
flames, they stamped on them and then stood back and watched. After a few minutes, when nothing
happened, Eliza went to lift the rugs to have a look.

‘Leave those there,' James
instructed. ‘Lifting them might cause a draught and fan the flames back into life.
Luckily, I don't think the fire had time to do much damage. Are you all right?' he
asked, placing his arm around her trembling shoulders.

‘Yes … Monsieur Farrant came here
threatening to set fire to our business. You don't think this was his work, do you?'
she whispered.

‘I shall make it my business to find
out,' James assured her.

‘What's going on?' Grandfa Sam
asked, shuffling into the room. ‘I heard shouting but it took me so long to get down those
dratted stairs.'

‘Been a bit of a fire, Grandfa,'
James said, pointing to the charred rugs. ‘It's out now but I'll keep an eye
on it just in case. You go back upstairs and tell Nan there's nothing to worry about. Make
sure young Luke doesn't come down, though. Go on, before Eliza has us restocking her
shelves,' he teased, when the older man hesitated.

‘No chance of that tonight. What a good job
you were passing, James. It could have been so much worse,' she muttered, staring around
the shop filled with their precious Christmas stock.

‘You look all in. Go upstairs to bed.
I'll stay here and
make sure
everything's safe,' he said, putting his arm around her and gently kissing her
cheek.

‘I can't just leave you here,'
she argued, stifling a yawn.

‘You'll be no use tomorrow if you
don't get some rest,' he pointed out, pushing her towards the stairs. ‘Sleep
tight and I'll see you in the morning. Don't worry, I'll snatch some sleep on
Grandfa's consultation couch,' he grinned.

It was only after she'd climbed into bed
that she remembered there wasn't any couch in the dispensary. Too exhausted to get up
again, she closed her eyes and fell into a heavy sleep. She dreamed of huge balls of fire
rolling around the shop, bouncing over the counter, until the whole place was a mass of blazing
red and orange.

Unsurprisingly, she was late rising the next
morning so that by the time she went downstairs James had gone home and Grandfa Sam was deep in
conversation with Amos.

‘Seems like someone had it in for
us,' Grandfa Sam said, holding up two strips of burned rag. ‘James reckoned these
were doused in paraffin and thrown in through the door. Of course, it would normally have been
locked by that time, but we've all been working late and …' He shrugged but he
was obviously anxious.

As Eliza looked at his ashen face, anger rose up
inside her like a roaring dragon.

She'd make that fiend pay if it was the
last thing she did. Her thoughts were so vivid she was sure she'd spoken them aloud but
Amos was still staring around the shop.

‘There doesn't appear to be too much
damage,' he said.

‘Only the rugs that were used to contain
the flames and
James took those out to the yard.
He also cleaned up the floor while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. You haven't
noticed anybody loitering outside, have you?' Grandfa Sam asked. Amos shook his head.
‘Well, keep a lookout, we don't want any repetition.'

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