Scenes From a Country Bookshop, page 1
part #4 of Book Lovers Series
Scenes from a Country Bookshop
Victoria Connelly
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Victoria Connelly asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Cover design by J D Smith
Published by Cuthland Press
in association with Notting Hill Press.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2019 Victoria Connelly
To Rebecca, Patrick, Hudson and Figgy. Thank you for letting me spend the summer in your beautiful home where much of this novel was written.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Also by Victoria Connelly
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter One
Josh Nightingale stood in the centre of his bookshop, staring out of the window at the shop opposite and shaking his head at the noise.
‘What do you think they’re doing in there?’
Sam shrugged.
‘No idea who’s leased it?’ Josh asked.
‘No,’ Sam said, ‘although I heard a rumour it was going to sell lingerie.’
Josh frowned. ‘Lingerie? In Castle Clare?’
‘Apparently. Look at the letters.’
Josh looked out of the window again. As well as two workmen making a din with drills and hammers inside the shop, there was somebody outside painting the sign above the window.
‘A Little Bit Bloo,’ he read.
‘Bloomers,’ Sam said.
‘No! A Little Bit Bloomers doesn’t scan, does it?’
‘What else could it be, then?’
Josh shrugged. ‘Blooms? Could be a florist. But A Little Bit Blooms doesn’t make any sense either, does it?’
‘I suppose not.’
The two brothers looked on in wonder.
‘I take it it’s quiet at yours?’ Josh asked.
‘Grandpa Joe’s holding the fort for a bit while Dad’s taking Grandma to the doctors.’
‘She okay?’
‘I’m not sure. Dad says she’s getting worse. Forgetting things and getting angry and confused.’
Josh frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that. Their dear Grandma Nell was in the early stages of dementia and it was breaking the hearts of the Nightingale family to see those moments when she’d simply just slip away from them into another reality altogether.
‘We have to be strong,’ Josh’s mother, Eleanor, had told him when he’d asked if there was anything he could do. ‘We have to be there for your Grandpa. He needs us now more than ever.’ And Josh had done his very best to do just that. Everybody had, whether it was cooking or cleaning or driving his grandparents to appointments, the Nightingale family had pulled together to make sure needs were met.
As the middle child of the five Nightingale children, Josh was, perhaps, the most serious. Earnest was the word his mother used to describe him and he accepted that because he knew he’d never be as carefree as Lara or have the natural warmth of Sam. Out of the five siblings, he was the most studious, the most solemn, the most bookish. He’d often been teased for resembling some of his literary heroes whether it be one of Chekhov’s intense characters or a learned bachelor from an M R James story. But he took it in good humour and he was always the first to acknowledge his temperament.
It was around lunchtime that Josh noticed the sign was finished and he stared at it in wonder and smiled.
‘Well,’ he said to himself, ‘that’s a curious thing.’
After shelving three new copies of a Robert Macfarlane book that he was passionate about and frequently pushed with his customers, he scooted round to Sam’s shop.
‘Have you seen it?’ Josh asked above the melodious tinkle of the shop bell.
‘Seen what?’ Sam asked from the top of a step ladder.
‘The sign’s finished,’ Josh announced.
Sam quickly came back down to the shop floor and crossed to the window and they read the sign together.
A Little Bit Bloomsbury.
The two brothers looked at each other.
‘Does that mean what I think it means?’ Josh asked. ‘Bloomsbury as in the Bloomsbury Group?’
‘Could be Bloomsbury as in London.’
‘Yes, but wouldn’t that be odd?’
‘There’s a publisher called Bloomsbury,’ Sam pointed out.
‘You think they’re opening a rival bookshop?’
‘I’ve not seen any evidence of that. I saw someone taking some pieces of furniture in there before. I think that’s what they’re selling.’
It was as they were contemplating the meaning of the sign that the shop door opened and a young woman came out onto the pavement. She was wearing a long skirt in a sky-blue hue with a blouse in a bright floral print, over which she wore a necklace of chunky amber beads. But it was her long chestnut hair which really caught Josh’s attention. It was the most astonishing colour he’d ever seen and was held back by a wide scarf tied at the nape of her neck.
‘I’d say Bloomsbury as in the Bloomsbury Group for sure,’ Josh said, trying not to stare at her in case she turned around. ‘Just look at her clothes.’
‘Only one way to find out,’ Sam told him.
‘What’s that?’
‘Go and ask her.’
Josh looked flustered by the suggestion. ‘But I…’ He swallowed hard. He was, by nature, introverted, and always felt a little uneasy introducing himself to new people.
‘She’s the new girl on the block and her shop is directly opposite yours,’ Sam pointed out. ‘I feel it’s your civic duty to welcome her to Castle Clare, don’t you?’
Somewhat reluctantly, Josh nodded. He could see the sense in Sam’s argument and knew it would be the right thing to do especially when he saw her struggling to carry a large terracotta plant pot a moment later. Ever the gentleman, Josh was outside and across the road in an instant.
‘Can I help?’ he asked, his hands scooping around the pot.
‘Oh!’ the young woman exclaimed.
‘I’ve got it,’ he said. ‘Where do you want it?’
‘Just here, I think,’ she said, pointing to the spot on the pavement to the left of the shop door.
Josh placed the pot gently on the ground.
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he said. ‘I’m Josh. Josh Nightingale. I run the bookshop across the road.’
‘I’m April Channing.’
Josh nodded, noting the musicality of her name.
‘My brother, Sam, runs the secondhand bookshop and our sister, Bryony, has the children’s bookshop here.’ He pointed to the other shops.
‘A real family venture!’
‘Absolutely. You might see Polly around too. She covers for us all from time to time.’
‘Another sister?’
‘Yes. There’s Lara too, but she’s away at university.’
‘So there are five of you?’
‘Yes. Like the Bennet family. Only… with boys as well as girls.’
‘The Bennet family?’
‘Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.’
‘Oh, I see!’
‘Sorry,’ Josh said, loosening his shirt collar a little, ‘I use a lot of literary references.’
‘Well, thank you for the warning!’ She smiled and it was only then that he noticed the glasses she was wearing had pink lenses. Rose-coloured glasses, he thought, wondering if that said something about the way she looked at the world or if it was a fashion thing. It seemed a bit early in their acquaintance to ask.
‘So, you’re selling furniture?’ he asked instead.
‘Upcycling,’ April said. ‘That’s the popular word people are using now, isn’t it? Taking something old and unwanted and breathing new life into it.’
Josh liked the sound of that idea. ‘How did you get started?’
‘Basically, my family’s never had much money,’ she began. ‘All our furniture came from auctions or was handed down. One day, my mum bought me this really ugly piece of furniture for my bedroom and I thought, there's got to be a way to make this more beautiful! Of course, I didn't know what I was doing and used the wrong sorts of paint and glue, but it did ignite something inside me.’
‘And did you make the piece more beautiful?’
‘Well, it went from a rather dull brown to a very vivid pink, so it was definitely more beautiful to my twelve-year-old self.’ She smiled again. She was very pretty when she smiled, Josh couldn’t help thinking. Or even when she wasn’t smiling. He pulled at his shirt collar again and cleared his throat.
‘ So, the name?’ he began, looking up at the new sign above the door.
‘It’s as in the Bloomsbury Group?’
‘I thought it must be,’ he said. ‘Your attire too.’
‘They are a bit of an influence on me.’
‘Then you’re a Virginia Woolf fan?’
‘Of course!’
‘In that case, you might be interested in the book club we have here in Castle Clare. My brother, Sam, hosts it at his shop every other month. The next meeting’s in July and they’re reading Mrs Dalloway.’
‘Wonderful! I think that’s Woolf’s best work,’ April said.
‘I’m sure they’d be delighted to welcome you at the book club.’
‘Thank you. That’s kind.’
‘I take it you have a copy of the book already? Because I could order you one if you wanted. Or – well – any book.’
‘I do have one. Two or three actually.’
Josh smiled at that. It sounded very familiar. ‘I think you’re going to fit in here very well.’
‘I’m so pleased to hear that. It seems like a very special place.’
‘Oh, it is. So, where are you from?’
‘A little village just across the border in Norfolk.’
Josh sucked his teeth. ‘Don’t go telling people that around here!’
‘Oh, really?’ April suddenly looked anxious.
‘Only joking!’ Josh said quickly. ‘You know the old Suffolk–Norfolk banter!’
‘Yes. There’s quite a rivalry between the counties, isn’t there?’
‘All nonsense of course,’ Josh said.
‘Exactly.’
‘Suffolk is clearly miles better than Norfolk!’ He grinned and she grinned back.
‘You go on believing that!’ she told him, and there was that smile again. And there was that tight feeling in his throat.
‘Right, well I’d best get back,’ he told her.
‘Thank you for the welcome.’
‘If you need anything…’ he said, and then dried up.
‘I know where to find you.’
‘Yes!’ He pointed to his shop opposite hers and then gave her a funny little salute which he instantly regretted. Honestly, what was wrong with him?
He crossed the road quickly and disappeared into the sanctuary of his bookshop. He could still see her from the window and couldn’t help hoping that she’d go back into her own shop because she was proving an awful distraction and he had work to do.
Decidedly, deliberately, Josh turned his attention away from the window and back to his books, immediately going to the shelves and pulling out a single slim copy of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. Sam had placed an order for several copies on behalf of book club members and they’d arrived last week and been paid for and collected by all but two members: Winston Kneller and Honey Digger. Josh shook his head in disapproval at the name Honey. He’d written Hortense on the order form because that was her proper name. Honey just wasn’t dignified for a woman of her years or, indeed, for any woman as far as Josh was concerned.
He’d also ordered a couple more copies of the book for the shop in case there were any last minute requests and he opened one of them now, reading the famous opening line. Then he closed the book and put it back on the shelf and sighed in frustration.
As much as he hated to admit it, Josh couldn’t help finding the whole adoration of the Bloomsbury Group somewhat perplexing. Some of the art was very beautiful – he’d been to a recent exhibition in London and had admired some of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant’s paintings – but Virginia Woolf had never tickled his literary taste buds, he had to admit. Perhaps he shouldn’t readily admit that to April Channing, though. He wouldn’t want to put her off before they’d even become friends.
He turned and glanced out of the window again. She was still out on the pavement, primping some flowers in a little window box. The shop looked delightful with its newly-painted mauve-grey paintwork. It would be a pleasant change to look out at it rather than the vacant, unloved space which had greeted him over the last few months since the previous owner had vacated. It had been a bit of an eyesore for years if Josh was honest. More of a junk shop than an antiques shop. The owner had been quite an unpleasant man too. Basically, he didn’t like customers, which wasn’t a great trait in a shopkeeper. Well, the customers hadn’t liked him either or his goods and he’d shut up shop and moved away. Castle Clare didn’t miss him.
Josh was just wondering if he should make some sort of Bloomsbury window display, not only to please the new arrival but to coincide with the next book club pick, when Sam walked in.
‘Hey! You spoke to her!’ he said, a big smile on his face.
‘I did.’
‘And?’
‘She’s nice. Very friendly.’
‘Well, that’s good to hear. What’s her name?’
‘April.’
‘Where’s she from?’
‘Norfolk.’
Sam sucked his teeth just as Josh had.
‘I know. I teased her about that,’ Josh admitted. ‘She loves the Bloomsbury Group and is interested in the book club.’
‘Excellent!’ Sam said and then gave his brother a look.
‘What?’ Josh asked.
‘Anything else?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Did you – I don’t know – ask her out for a drink or something?’
‘No, of course not!’
‘But you want to get to know her, right?’
‘She knows where I am if she needs anything.’
‘Oh, I see,’ Sam said. ‘Playing it cool.’
‘I’m not playing it any way,’ Josh said, moving across the shop to distract himself with a display that wasn’t arranged quite to his satisfaction since a customer had randomly moved all the books earlier that morning before leaving the shop without buying anything.
‘But she’s pretty and you said she’s nice,’ Sam continued.
Josh sighed. ‘Look, just because you’re all happy and cosy with Callie, it doesn’t mean I’m looking for a relationship too. I’m quite happy being single.’
‘I wasn’t talking about getting married or anything, Josh. Just going out for drinks. You know – chatting, laughing, getting to know someone!’
Josh straightened a neat pile of prize-winning titles. ‘She’s probably seeing someone. I mean, how could she not be?’
‘You won’t know if you don’t ask.’
‘It’s too soon. We’ve only just met.’
‘That’s when to do it,’ Sam said. ‘And before anyone else steps in. I can tell you it won’t be long before she samples Colin the baker’s goods and he’s single again after our Bryony broke up with him.’
Josh glanced out of the window. Sooner or later, everyone in Castle Clare discovered the goods sold at Well Bread, and Colin was a handsome man. Still, Josh wasn’t convinced and shook his head.
‘I knew the minute Callie walked into my shop,’ Sam went on. ‘The second I saw her sniffing one of my books.’
Josh couldn’t help smiling at that. Sam and Callie had seemed destined to meet each other with their love of books, and he was so happy for his brother after the disastrous ending of his marriage. Sam deserved to be happy. He was a good guy. But Josh was happy on his own; he was one of life’s natural bachelors. He had a set routine, a small home which was neat and orderly, he enjoyed cooking and eating on his own, and he took a pride in his work. He led a fulfilled life. He didn’t feel he lacked anything or needed anyone, and yet the arrival of April Channing had definitely rattled something inside him, and Sam had obviously noticed too.
Josh would simply have to deny it, he decided.
‘Look,’ he began, ‘I’m single. She might be single. But that’s no reason to fling us together within five minutes of us meeting each other. It’s presumptuous and – well – embarrassing.’
‘I wasn’t flinging anybody together,’ Sam said. ‘I just noticed the sparkle in your eyes when you saw her.’
