Aunt Bessie's Holiday (3 page)

“This is quite interesting,” Bessie said
after a while.

“It isn’t bad,” Doona replied.
 
“And at least we don’t have children
with us.”

Bessie exchanged glances with Doona.
 
In between watching the lorries, they’d
both noticed the woman in the car in front of theirs.
 
She was travelling with three small
children.
 
After the first fifteen
minutes or so, she’d climbed out of the car and tried taking a short walk with
the trio, but the oldest child, a small boy of four or five, kept running off
and dashing in between cars.
 
When
she finally caught up to him, dragging his two small sisters after her, she’d
returned them all to the car and shut them up inside.
 
For a moment, she stood outside the
vehicle with the three children shouting inside it.

“Do you think she’s imagining just running
away?” Bessie had asked Doona.

“I would if I were her,” Doona shot back.

Instead, the frazzled woman went into the
boot of her vehicle and emerged with a box of biscuits.
 
Bessie and Doona could hear the tears
turn to shouts of joy as she showed them to the children.
 
While Bessie and Doona didn’t mind the
long wait, it was clear to them that the poor woman in front of them couldn’t
wait to get on board the ship so that she could let the children run around.

“I’m even more grateful for that cabin now,”
Bessie remarked.

“Indeed,” Doona replied.

Eventually the long line of cars began to
move slowly towards the ferry.
 
Doona followed the car in front, making her way onto the ferry’s car
decks.
 
Bessie looked around.
 

“It’s not very passenger friendly,” she
remarked as several men directed Doona down the narrow corridor.
 
The cars were packed together tightly,
with barely enough room between them for people to get through.

Doona and Bessie climbed out of the car
carefully.
 
Cars were still making
their way onto the deck, so the women had to move cautiously towards the
nearest stairs.

“Help me remember that we’re on deck 5A,”
Doona told Bessie when they reached the stairs.

“I’ll try,” Bessie promised.
 

They climbed several long flights of metal
stairs before finally arriving at a door that said “Passenger Deck.”
 

“Let’s find customer service,” Doona
suggested.
 
“I’m ready for a bit of
peace and quiet.”

Bessie couldn’t have agreed more.
 
The main passenger lounge looked
completely full as groups of people claimed tables and chairs for
themselves.
 
In the small children’s
play area, it seemed as if twenty small children were fighting over half a
dozen plastic blocks.
 
A small sign
that read “Quiet Deck” was only just visible behind a man who was shouting for
everyone in his party to follow him.
 

The women made their way towards the
customer service desk.
 
It was
located next to a small gift shop where queues of people were waiting to buy
fizzy drinks and bags of crisps for the journey.
 
The woman behind the customer service desk
looked as if she was already worn out by the demands of the day.
 

“But we were told that we could all sit
together,” a tall man was shouting at her.

“All seating in the main lounge is
‘first-come, first-serve,’” the woman said.
 
“I’m sorry that you can’t find seats
together, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
 
There might be more seating in the quiet
lounge.”

“So if anyone complains when my six-month
old twins start crying in the quiet lounge, I can tell them that you told us to
sit there?” he demanded.

“Sir, if you’d just like to wait a few
minutes,” she said, “
once
everyone is on board the
seating tends to sort itself out.
 
I
might be able to get a few groups to share to allow you and your party some
space.
 
Unfortunately I can’t do
anything right now, though.
 
I have
to take care of our guests who’ve booked cabins or have other special
requests.”

“Oh sure, take care of them.
 
They’ve paid extra for special
treatment.
 
Don’t worry about the
rest of us!” he yelled.

“Sir, as I said, once the ship is fully
loaded, I’m sure we can do something, but you’ll just have to be patient.”

The man opened his mouth to shout again, but
he was interrupted by the arrival of a very pretty young woman.

“Dan, come on, stop shouting at the poor
woman.
 
Your mother and I found some
lovely people who are happy to share their space with us.
 
It’s all good,” she said.

“I won’t forget this,” he said crossly to
the woman behind the desk.
 
“Next
time we’ll fly.”

“I sincerely hope you do,” the young woman
behind the desk muttered as he stormed away.

The pretty blonde flushed.
 
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
 
“Dan needs a holiday very badly.
 
We both do, really.
 
The twins haven’t slept through the
night once in the last six months and we’re both exhausted.
 
He shouldn’t have taken it out on you,
though.
 
I’m terribly sorry.”

“If you need anything, just let me know,”
the woman told her.
 
“I hope you
enjoy your holiday.”

“We’re going to spend a fortnight with my
parents,” she replied.
 
“I intend to
hand the twins to my mother and sleep for the first week.”

“Good luck,” the woman told her with a
chuckle.
 
“What can I do for you
ladies?” she asked as she turned to Bessie and Doona.

Doona handed over their ticket and the woman
gave her two keys to cabin 319.
 
“You just need to go up the stairs on either side of the shop,” she told
them.
 
“There are lots of signs, you
can’t get lost.”

Having climbed what felt like five hundred
steps to get out of the car decks, neither woman was excited by the idea of
more stairs, but this was a much shorter flight and the stairs here were
carpeted.
 
The woman at customer
service was right, there was no way to get lost.
 
They followed signs down first one
corridor and then another before they found cabin 319.
 
Doona inserted the key and glanced at
Bessie.

“I hope this isn’t a disappointment,” she
said.

“I’d be happy with a small room with two
chairs in it,” Bessie told her.

“There is that,” Doona agreed.

The cabin wasn’t exactly a disappointment,
but it wasn’t quite as luxurious as Bessie had always imagined.
 
There were four berths, with the top two
folded against the walls.
 
Doona
folded them down and then found the small ladder that allowed easy access.
 

“I can’t resist,” she told Bessie.
 
“I’m going to climb up.”

She couldn’t actually sit upright on the top
bunk, but she
laid
down and put the small hard pillow
provided under her head.
 
“I suppose
I could sleep if I had to,” she said eventually.

Bessie had made herself at home on the bunk
on the opposite side of the cabin.
 
There was less than two feet between the two bunks and now she tucked
her feet under her to allow Doona the necessary space to climb down.
 

“I imagine you don’t want to climb up?”
Doona asked.

“Not even a little bit,” Bessie replied tranquilly.

As Bessie dug out a book and settled back
into the cushions, Doona explored.

“The loo is nice,” she announced when she
returned from inspecting it.
 
“There’s
even a shower if you feel as if you’d like one.”

“I can’t imagine why I would,” Bessie
replied.

“There are tea and coffee making things,”
Doona told her.
 
She’d made her way
between the bunks and was inspecting the small table at the end of the
cabin.
 
“And a few biscuits, as
well.”

“As it’s your holiday, you should have
them,” Bessie said generously.

“We can share them, as it’s our holiday,”
Doona replied.
 
She tore open the
wrapper and passed Bessie a biscuit.

“What can you see out the porthole?” Bessie
asked before she took a bite.

Doona looked out the tiny window and shook
her head.
 
“Nothing much,” she
replied.
 
“There are ropes and
things hanging in the way.
 
I can
just about make out a bit of Douglas.
 
Maybe, when we’re underway, we’ll be able to see the sea.”

“I’m more interested in seeing Heysham,”
Bessie replied, referring to their destination port.

“Only four hours or so of sailing time,”
Doona told her cheerfully.
 
“I’m
sure you brought enough books to last that long.”

Bessie patted her large handbag.
 
“Of course I did,” she answered.
 
“And a few snacks, as well.”

Chapter Two

A few minutes later, however, both women
couldn’t resist the temptation to go and stand on one of the outside
decks.
 
The ferry sounded its horn
and began to move slowly away from Douglas.
 
Bessie and Doona stood for a time
watching the town behind them getting smaller and smaller.

“It’s too cold to stay out here,” Doona said
eventually.
 
“I should have brought
a jacket.”

“It’s the wind,” Bessie replied.
 
As they’d made their way out of Douglas
Bay the wind suddenly seemed to start coming at them from every direction.
 

“I think we should go back inside and have tea,”
Doona suggested.

A strong breeze blew Bessie’s reply
away.
 
Instead of bothering to try
speaking again, she simply nodded.
 
The friends were settled back in their cabin a minute later.

“I brought the list of everything I signed
us up for,” Doona told Bessie as they waited for the kettle to boil.
 
“I think we’re doing everything we
agreed on when we had our planning session last week.”

The pair had both been busy for several days
with packing and making all of the little arrangements that have to be made
before a holiday.
 
They’d done
little more than chat briefly on the phone for almost a week.
 

“That was a week ago,” Bessie said with a
laugh.
 
“I can’t remember what we
agreed.
 
Tell me what we’re doing,
then.”

Doona dug around in her handbag, eventually
pulling out a small notebook.
 

“That looks like one of John’s little
books,” Bessie remarked.
 
The police
inspector always had a similar writing pad to hand for taking notes when he
talked to people.

“He keeps giving them out to everyone at the
station,” Doona told her.
 
“He’s
trying to get us all to be more organised.”

“Is it helping?” Bessie asked.

Doona shrugged.
 
“It was useful for planning our trip,
anyway,” she said.

“Maybe I should get one,” Bessie mused.
 
“I could keep track of all the books I’ve
read and the series I enjoy.
 
I read
so much these days that I tend to forget titles as soon as I’ve finished a
book.”

“I have about a dozen of them at home,”
Doona replied.
 
“I’ll bring you a
couple once we’re back.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“Anyway,” Doona said, flipping back the
cover of the notepad, “I thought we’d have a quiet night tonight.
 
Maybe have dinner at one of the
restaurants, or, if we’re too tired from the journey, get some takeaway or
something.”

“That sounds good,” Bessie agreed.
 
“Although I can’t see us being
tired.
 
All we’re doing is sitting
around and drinking tea.”

The kettle picked that exact moment to boil,
which made both women laugh.
 
Bessie
quickly fixed them each a cup of tea before the conversation continued.

“Tomorrow I’ve signed us up for an early
morning walk in the woods.
 
Their
specialist forest rangers do a number of different walking tours, but the early
morning one is the only one that is exclusively for adults.
 
He or she will be taking us through the forest
and talking about conservation and wildlife protection and what they do at the
park in both those areas.”

“That sounds a little serious for a holiday,
but at least we get to enjoy a walk in the woods,” Bessie commented.

“The woman who took our booking said that
it’s actually a really fun way to see the park and learn about the different
things they do to make the park a good place for people and for the animals who
live in the area.
 
We could see
badgers, squirrels, rabbits and any number of birds.”

“How long is the walk?” Bessie asked.

“It’s meant to take two hours, but guests
are welcome to stop at any time if they decide it isn’t for them,” Doona told
her.
 
“The only real downside is
that it starts at eight, which is awfully early for the first day of our
holiday.”

“I’ll be up,” Bessie said with a laugh.
 
She woke up right around six every
morning without an alarm.
 
Her body
clock paid no attention to things like weekends or holidays.

“I thought you would be,” Doona said with a
grin.
 
“But I do plan to have some
very lazy mornings while we’re there.”

“Just not tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, just not tomorrow morning,” Doona
agreed.
 
“Anyway, that’s the only thing
on the schedule for tomorrow.
 
I
thought we could explore the park and maybe try out the pools, if we get
bored.”

“Do we get busier then, later in the week?”
Bessie asked.

“We have at least one activity booked for
just about every day,” Doona replied.
 
“Tuesday afternoon we’re trying pencil sketching.
 
On Wednesday we get to attempt watercolour
painting.
 
Thursday I’ve left free
so we can splash in the pool or even try crazy golf.
 
I thought by then we might need a break
from everyone and everything.
 
We
could always go out and do some sightseeing around the Lake District, if you
want.”

“Let’s not plan anything now,” Bessie
suggested.
 
“Let’s see how we feel
as the week goes on.”

“Perfect,” Doona replied.
 
“On Friday we’re doing the second half
of the watercolour workshop in the afternoon and then, in the evening, we’re
taking that tour of Torver Castle that we discussed.”

“I’m glad we could fit that in,” Bessie said
happily.
 
“I’m looking forward to
seeing it.”

“I’ve booked us for something on Saturday
that you don’t know about,” Doona said now.
 
She flipped her notebook shut and sipped
her tea.
 

“Really?
 
What?”

“The woman I spoke to told me that they’ve
just added a book club to their schedule, especially for adults.”

“How on earth does that work?” Bessie asked.

“Apparently, when we check in we’ll each be
given the set of books, usually four or five
titles.
 
The book club doesn’t meet until
Saturday, to give everyone time to read at least one of the books.”

“What about the people who arrive later in
the week?”

“They only have check-in on Sundays and
Fridays.
 
The book club is only open
to guests who come for an entire week, not shorter breaks.
 
It runs on Saturdays for guests who
arrived the previous Sunday and on Thursdays for guests who arrived on the
previous Friday.”

“It sounds complicated,” Bessie said.

“They just started it a few weeks ago, and
apparently it’s proving very successful.
 
Some of the books are classics, so most guests will probably have
already read at least one of the titles.
 
She told me that Jane Austen is featured quite heavily, although they do
try to include at least one book that is more modern, maybe a mystery or a
romance.”

“What if I don’t want to read any of the
books?” Bessie had to ask.

“You don’t have to go to the club,” Doona
said promptly.
 
“From what I was
told, that hasn’t ever happened.
 
Apparently the sorts of guests who are interested in attending are also
the sorts of guests who love to read and will happily read and discuss just
about anything.”

Bessie laughed.
 
“That sort of sounds like me,” she
admitted.
 
“Although as I’ve grown
older I have less patience with books.
 
I used to force myself to read all of every book I picked up.
 
Now I’m quite happy to abandon a title
after the first three chapters if it doesn’t interest me.”

“I read everything Jane Austen wrote when I
was a teenager.
 
If at least one of
the books is by her, I won’t have to read anything else,” Doona said.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve read all of her books
as well,” Bessie replied.
 
“I hope
they might be able to introduce me to someone new, though.
 
I love discovering new authors.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Doona
said.
 
“Anyway, that’s our
week.
 
I’m hoping we can have a
lovely and very fancy meal on Saturday night.
 
Sunday we have to be out of our accommodation
by midday if we’re going to make it back to the ferry on time.”

Bessie nodded.
 
“Let’s not talk about Sunday,” she
said.
 
“I don’t want to think about
going home yet.
 
We’ve not even gone
very far away.”

Doona stood up and looked out the
porthole.
 
“I can’t see the island
anymore,” she said.
 
“So we’ve gone
some distance, anyway.”

“But we still have at least three hours of
sailing time,” Bessie pointed out.
 
“You did bring a book, didn’t you?”

Doona shook her head.
 
“I didn’t think about the ferry
journey,” she said sheepishly.
 
“I
knew we were going to get the books for the book club once we arrived at
Lakeview, so I assumed I didn’t need to bring reading material.
 
I think I’ll go down and grab a few
magazines from the gift shop.”

Bessie thought for a moment.
 
“I’ll come as well,” she said as Doona
swallowed the last of her tea.
 
“I
brought several books, but right now a magazine sounds good.
 
Something that doesn’t require a great
deal of mental effort.”

“So a glossy celebrity gossip magazine,”
Doona suggested.

“Exactly,” Bessie said with a laugh.
 
She rarely bought those sorts of magazines,
but lately she’d found herself picking them up a bit more often.
 
They were the perfect things to waste an
afternoon with when her mind was preoccupied with other matters.
 
Today she just felt like indulging
herself by whiling away the long sailing by reading about the over the top
wedding celebrations and extravagant parties that minor celebrities seemed to
live for.

The ship’s main deck was still cacophonously
noisy and chaotic.
 
The two women
didn’t waste much time selecting a few titles each and heading for the
tills.
 
They waited patiently behind
a harassed-looking couple
who
were each holding a
small wailing child.
 
The woman who
joined the queue behind Doona and Bessie had a crying baby of her own.
 
She also had a toddler who was covered
in something sticky attached to her leg.
 
The girl behind the till rang them up on autopilot, muttering
meaninglessly at Bessie when Bessie tried to start a quick conversation.
 
Back in their cabin, the two women
couldn’t help but laugh.

“Now I know why I never had children,” Doona
said, wiping at the purplish mark the toddler had left on her trousers as he
fell into her.

“Is it jam?” Bessie asked.

“I have no idea, but I’m hoping so,” Doona
replied.
 
“To think I actually
applied for a job with the ferry company a few years back.
 
I wouldn’t have lasted through my first
sailing.”

“School’s in session, so nearly all of the
families who are travelling are the ones with very small children,” Bessie
remarked.
 
“Children are very noisy
when they’re small.”

“And sticky,” Doona added, shaking her head
at the stain the little boy had made.
 
“At least I was sensible enough to travel in old clothes,” she told
Bessie.

“I didn’t even think about it,” Bessie
admitted.
 
She’d worn a pair of
trousers and a light jumper, nothing different from her normal attire.

“I was a little bit worried about being
seasick,” Doona told her.
 
“I wanted
to be as comfortable as possible.”

“I didn’t think about that, either,” Bessie
replied.
 
“It’s been years since I
went anywhere on the ferry, but I never used to get seasick.
 
The idea never even crossed my mind.”

“I took a tablet before we left this morning,”
Doona said.
 
“Although with all the
waiting around we did before we boarded the ship, it’s probably worn off by now
anyway.”

“Are you feeling okay?”