The Marigold Scripture

Mrs Devlin looked up and smiled as she heard the jingle of the small bell above the door as it opened, but that smile promptly turned into a frown when she noticed Antonio sauntering in after Mara. The frown was there for a second before her smile flashed again. No sense in having any rash thoughts. She knew Mara would open up to her when she was ready.

“What would you both like, dears?”

Mara smiled at Mrs Devlin, grateful she hadn’t asked her why Antonio was trailing behind her like a lost boy. “An espresso and a slice of your tiramisu to wake me up should do the trick, Mrs Devlin. Could you get the same for Antonio please?”

“Of course. The both of you have a seat wherever you like. I’ll bring it over in a few moments.”

Antonio looked around at the interior of the cafe. It felt like home away from home. The smell of the baking, the warmth coming from the kitchen, the gentle murmur of an elderly couple sitting and talking near the window, looking out onto the ocean. He could see why Mara had fallen in love with this place and its charm. It was a small and beautiful village situated in a place where she could relax and get some peace. And while he felt guilty that he knew he would be taking her away from this, he still couldn’t help but feel a little happy at the fact that she would not leave this to anyone else.

There was a large wooden cabinet near the back of the main part of the cafe and Antonio found himself drawn to it, a moth to a flame. He could see strange old trinkets in there, what looked like an old music box, several photos and a couple of miniature oil paintings. There were some seashells and some sand dollars, the carcass of a starfish and some pretty old looking gold and bronze coins lying in a small tortoiseshell box inlaid with mother of pearl along the edges. Perhaps Mrs Devlin used to be a bit of a treasure hunter herself, he thought.

His eyes landed upon an old black and white photo. It looked to be a photo of exactly where the cafe was situated, except the area was a lot more sunk in and it was filled with a frozen pond, a few branches and twigs poking out of the ice and covered in snow. Next to the pond, stood a young girl and an older man, it looked as though it could have been her father, holding a pickaxe in one hand with his other arm flung around the young girl’s shoulders. He looked closer at the young girl. She was beaming a crooked smile and in her hands was a box, which was opened revealing the contents, a load of old papers and documents, as well as a few coins and necklaces made of what was either gold or silver. He couldn’t tell with the black and white photo. The box had seemed to come from a hole in the ground next to the pond, which looked as though it had been recently dug up and the box unearthed.

“I see you’ve found the picture of my mother and my grandfather.”

Antonio jumped when he heard Mrs Devlin’s voice. He hadn’t heard the old woman sneaking up behind him. “Your coffee and cake are ready and waiting, as is Mara.”

He looked back at Mara sitting in the same pink chair he had first seen her in, tucking into her tiramisu and looking like she had died and gone to heaven. He smiled. She hadn’t changed.

“I really should go and eat too. I was wondering, was your grandfather a fortune hunter?”

Mrs Devlin leaned forward and stroked the photo, smiling in remembrance. “He never called it that. According to my mother, he was a historian and had a fascination for finding things. He always managed to get lucky and strike it big. That box in the photo, that was what enabled him to build this cafe over that very pond after it had dried out a few years after that photo. He was fond of this area, and liked to call it his treasure.”

Antonio nodded. “He sounds like a wonderful man. So how long has this building been in your family?”

“Nearly seventy years, dear. I ended up adding to the collection my grandfather left. There is far more in my home, this is but a small portion of what I have found over the years. It’s funny, but this area has been rich in treasure and history of its own kind, which drew me to becoming a historian much like my grandfather. Of course, I’m retired now and enjoy the simple pleasures of baking now, but I’ve used that to make the cafe a success.”

Antonio looked at the lines on Mrs Devlin’s face, history visible to see. She had lived a full and rich life, one of exploration and treasure seeking herself. He could see the same passion in her eyes that he felt for this quest of The Marigold Scripture. He felt a kinship with the old lady and wondered if Mara would object to him telling her about their venture. They could certainly use her wisdom.

“Would you care to join us, Mrs Devlin? Mara and I have something important to discuss, but I think we would probably like to include you in this.”

Mrs Devlin raised an eyebrow. If Mara was just going to jump back into a relationship with him then she would speak to her first, before any decision was made. She could understand the need to give an old flame another chance, but he had only been here since yesterday. She nodded to Antonio.

“Of course I’ll join you both. I’m quite curious now and would love to see what the topic at hand is.”

Antonio cleared his throat and panicked internally for a second. He didn’t think she would actually agree to join them. He just nodded and walked stiffly back to Mara, waiting until Mrs Devlin was seated before sitting down himself. Mrs Devlin noticed his actions and her eyebrows rose again. A gentleman. Or trying to be in front of her. She didn’t want to judge Antonio too harshly, but she was having a hard time knowing what he had done to Mara.

Mara looked surprised as both Antonio and Mrs Devlin joined her at her table. She had been too focused on the cake to notice the exchange between the pair, so was caught completely off-guard when they both sat down. She would have choked on her tiramisu had it not been for the coffee in front of her.

“What are you two plotting?” She asked, an eyebrow raised quizzically.

“Bella, you wound me. What makes you think I’m plotting anything? I just asked Mrs Devlin to join us. You never told me she was an historian.”

Mara just looked at Antonio. “Well, that’s because it wasn’t relevant. And you never actually asked. You asked about her cakes and this cafe.”

“No, bella, if you’ll remember, you TOLD me about the cakes and the cafe. I merely listened, as any good man would do.” He grinned and he heard Mrs Devlin let out an unladylike snort.

“That sounds like Mara, dear. I can imagine she would talk about the food first.”

Mara’s cheeks heated as she realised she was being ganged up on by them both.

“Well, if the cakes weren’t good, I wouldn’t talk about them. They just happen to be amazing.”

Mrs Devlin beamed at her. “Thank you Mara. I appreciate that. Your stomach probably keeps me in business nowadays.”

Mara just shook her head in silent laughter and took a sip of coffee.

Antonio leaned forward a little in his seat. “Mara, might we include Mrs Devlin in our venture? I believe she may be interested in this and may also provide a great deal of help.”

Mara sat back and looked at Antonio. “Why would you say that?”

He looked at Mrs Devlin then gazed back at Mara. “Because, bella, she is like us. She has the same passion that we have for this quest. She has experienced more and she knows what it’s like.” He stood up in excitement and ran back to the big wooden cabinet, grabbing the same photo he had been looking at a moment ago then rushed back to the table. He held it out to Mara. “See? She comes from a long line of people with the fire for the hunt. Plus, having an extra head in this might help.”

Mara and Antonio both looked at each other in silent agreement and then turned at the same time to look at Mrs Devlin, who started in alarm and raised her hands while shaking her. “Oh no dears, you’ve got the wrong woman. I’m far too tired for such endeavours. Besides, that part of me no longer exists.”

Mrs Devlin could see her pleas were falling on deaf ears as both Mara and Antonio grinned and she was quickly struck by the thought of how alike they were in certain aspects. She would hear them out, see if there was anything of interest in this and then make her decision.

“Well, since you’re both adamant in me joining whatever this little quest is, you’ve got me all curious now. I suppose you’ll have to tell me so I can decide what to do...”

Mara and Antonio leaned forward, again at the same time, grinning like Cheshire cats.

To be continued...

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