Caroline Roberts - The Cosy Teashop in the Castle

‘Hello, there, it’s Ellie.’ She was just about to add that she was here for an interview when Deana appeared at the lad’s shoulder.

‘Ah, Ellie, lovely to see you.’ She was smiling broadly. ‘Well, don’t just stand there, James, let her in. And maybe give her a hand with that box. You can see she’s struggling.’ Deana’s tone was bossy but not unkind; it seemed the young man needed help to understand what was required of him. Though he looked adult physically, there was something in his face, his eyes, that suggested to Ellie that his mind wasn’t quite as advanced.

He made to grab the box. Ellie didn’t want to reject his help but urged, ‘It’s a cake, be careful with it. Please hold the box flat, thanks.’

He nodded, holding the box like a fragile gift, his eyes lighting up at the word ‘cake’.

Deana smiled again, ‘If it’s to be cut and there’s any left later, we might just save you a bit, James, if that’s alright with Ellie?’

‘Yes, of course. I thought it might be a good idea to show Lord Henry a sample of the kind of things I’d like to be baking for the teashop.’

‘Hmn, now that sounds good.’

They followed Deana into the courtyard and then into what seemed to be her office on the ground floor. It was small and crowded with files and paperwork.

‘Can I have a peek?’ Deana asked.

‘Yep, go ahead.’

Deana got James to lower the cake down onto her desk, then Ellie lifted a corner of the lid. They all peered in.

‘Wow! That looks amazing. Well, there goes my diet if you get the job. I’ll not be able to resist. It looks a darned sight better than anything Cynthia brought out at the end of last year when she was standing in, I must say.’

James stood there gazing in, eyes wide. He looked like he might actually drool.

‘I’m sure there’ll be some spare, James. Just ask Deana later,’ Ellie said.

He grinned widely, showing the gap in his front teeth.

‘Right, I’ll just give Lord Henry a call and see if they’re ready for you yet,’ said Deana.

Ellie felt the nerves tightening inside her. The clock on the wall said five to. James was standing quietly.

‘Thank you, James. Why don’t you go and see Colin in the yard. He had some wood for you to chop for kindling.’

The young man nodded and left, with a last longing look at the cake box. Once he was out of earshot, Deana began to explain, ‘He’s a nice lad. Lives in the village. He had an accident on one of the farms when he smaller, never been quite the same since. He’s a hard worker, mind. Lord Henry likes to give him some work when he can.’

That seemed a nice thing to do. Her opinion of Lord Henry lifted. He didn’t seem quite as scary.

As Deana dialled through, Ellie looked around the office. There was a portable gas heater that looked like something out of the seventies; she seemed to remember Nanna having a smaller version in her flat years ago. A romantic novel was open, pages splayed face down, on the antique wooden desk; it looked as though Deana had been reading just before Ellie had got there. There was also a mobile phone, a computer monitor, a small framed photo of what looked to be Deana and her husband, and a half-empty cup of coffee with a pink lipstick mark on the rim. Behind Deana’s head, on the wall, was a pen-and-ink print of the castle in former days, and a stuffed red squirrel in a glass box. The room was a curious combination of old and new.

‘Just letting you know that Ellie Hall’s here.’ Some muffled words came back down the line, ‘Okay, I’ll send her up, then.’

Deana gave a small thumbs-up signal, then placed the handset down.

‘You’re on. Good luck, pet. Can I give you a hand up those stairs with that cake? And I’ll make a fresh pot of tea and coffee and bring them up after, shall I? I assume you’ve brought the cake and scones to try, they’re not just for looking at?’

‘Yes, that was the idea. Thanks, Deana, that would be lovely. Perhaps if you can take these scones, I’ll manage the cake.’ She didn’t want any accidents at the last.

‘Of course.’

Ellie sensed that she had someone on her side. Back across the courtyard they headed up the stone tower, Deana first, to the second-floor study again. Ellie took each step cautiously. She was glad of the black polo neck she’d popped on under the grey suit, and the cerise-pink scarf gave her a splash of colour as well as warmth – she was learning.

Well then, this was it, Round Two.

‘Good luck.’ Deana’s smile was warm and genuine as she knocked on the office door, opened it, and gestured for Ellie to go in. Ellie tried to look her most confident, smiling as she placed the box carefully on Lord Henry’s desk. Both he and Joe raised their eyebrows inquisitively. Joe then gave her a small grin. She felt a little flip inside. Deana said she’d be back with some tea and coffee, taking the scones back with her to plate up. The two men stood up at the same time. They were roughly the same height. Lord Henry shaking Ellie’s hand first, ‘Good morning, Ellen.’

‘Morning.’ She still didn’t have the nerve to correct him. Then she turned to Joe.

‘Welcome back,’ the younger man’s tone was warm as he took her palm in his own for a second or two, which gave her a weird, tingly feeling, probably just the nerves. ‘Did you have a good journey?’ he continued.

‘Oh, yes, fine.’ She held back a grimace; if only they could have seen her wrestling with the cake box around the corners. ‘Except for some interesting cake-balancing in the lanes at the end,’ she added, deciding to break the ice with some humour.

‘Aah, I see.’ Lord Henry smiled.

‘Hmn, I hoped there might be something along those lines in there.’ Joe was smiling too.

‘Well, I thought you might like to actually taste my work, rather than me just tell you about it.’ Cos there isn’t much to tell . ‘Give you an idea of what I might be serving in the tearooms, should I be lucky enough to obtain the lease.’

They were nodding as though that were a good idea, so Ellie warmed to her theme, ‘Well, anyone can say they’re a good cook or baker, but as my Nanna always used to say, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”.’

‘Indeed,’ agreed Lord Henry.

Right on cue, there was a knock at the door and Deana reappeared with a tray laden with a teapot, cups and saucers, the scones piled enticingly on a plate, with a mountain of butter in a dish beside them, forks, tea plates, the works.

‘Thank you, Deana,’ Lord Henry’s tone was warm but still formal.

Ellie took this as the cue to unbox the choffee, spotting that Deana had thought to bring both a cake slice and large knife. ‘Wow!’ Deana exclaimed convincingly, despite having already seen the cake, ‘That looks amazing. You lucky devils.’ She grinned at the two men, in a show of envy.

Thank you, Deana. Ellie appreciated the support.

‘Well, I’d better be on my way. Enjoy. It looks delicious.’

Ellie sliced the cake carefully. It was deep, moist and very chocolatey. The chocolate-coffee frosting was more or less intact, as were the chocolate curls and decorations, even after the zig-zag journey. ‘Would you like to try some?’

Her hand was trembling a little as she placed a slice onto a tea plate.

‘Certainly,’ said Lord Henry. ‘Yes, please,’ Joe added.

‘Choffee cake,’ she announced, ‘A favourite family recipe.’

The ‘mmns’ that accompanied their eating cheered her, though she had no appetite and hadn’t taken any for herself, her stomach still suffering from the nerves that had gripped it for days now. Joe poured them all some tea.

The two men sat back in their chairs after polishing off the slices of choffee. Then the more intense questioning began.