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Perhaps just a cup of tea,she thought.Then if I hate it, I can go back home and get into bed just like I planned.
She pushed open the heavy wooden door to the centre, on which someone had stuck a piece of yellow A4 paper with a handwritten sign that said: CHOIR PRACTICE, THURSDAY 1PM–3PM, ALL WELCOME.
Inside the centre’s small hall, a group of about twelve people were milling around, talking and laughing. To one side of the hall there was a no-frills stand-up wooden piano, and on the other, a wooden trestle table half covered with a floral sprigged tablecloth. On the table were a variety of mismatched mugs, a large teapot covered in a knitted cosy, an open carton of milk and two Tupperware containers – one full of what looked like large handmade oatmeal and raisin cookies, the other one full of thick, walnut-studded brownies. Carrie’s stomach grumbled, despite the fact that she’d just had lunch.
At the back of the hall, rows of plastic chairs were stacked against the wall, and a number of children’s paintings were displayed proudly around the windows. Many of them depicted flowers, huge yellow suns and the wide expanse of the loch as a simple blue line at the bottom; some of them had included the castle, opposite, daubed in grey or brown or with stick people painted with thick brush strokes.
Carrie smiled as she looked at the pictures, a warm feeling in her heart.
‘Hello.’ An elderly black woman with bright eyes and grey hair approached her. ‘Here for the choir, dear?’
‘Ummm. I don’t know. Maybe? Angus said it was okay to come in.’ Carrie felt a little self-conscious among this group of people who all clearly knew each other very well.
‘Of course, of course! I’m June. Unofficially, I run the choir, mostly because I’m the only one that can play the piano,’ the woman explained, smiling kindly. ‘And you are—?’
‘Carrie Anderson. I’m just staying in the village a while. I’m renting Gretchen Ross’s cottage.’
‘Ah, I see. You’re Angus’s neighbour, then?’ June’s bright eyes were inquisitive but kind; Carrie could tell she was being assessed, but found that she didn’t mind that much.
‘Yes. For a while, anyway.’
‘And how long is a while?’ June asked.
‘I’m not sure,’ Carrie confessed, but she held back on the full story. June didn’t need to know that, right now. Or indeed ever, probably.
‘I see. I’ve lived here forever, so I’m always interested in a new face. I was the local district nurse for most of my career, so I pretty much knew everyone,’ June continued.
‘Oh, a nurse? That was what I wanted to be when I was a kid.’ Carrie smiled, thinking of all the times Claire had let her bandage her leg or her arm; of the hours she’d spent making her own little pretend boxes of medicine and adding them to her play medical bag. Her heart tugged, thinking of her sister.Not now,she reprimanded herself, and with an effort pushed the feeling back down inside her.
‘Really? You should do it, then. The profession needs a lot more nurses.’ June gave her another speculative look over, as if she was imagining Carrie in a nurse’s tunic and trousers.
‘Oh, well. I don’t know. I’ve never thought about doing it, seriously. I just… always liked the idea of helping people, I suppose.’ Carrie was aware that her answer sounded like a cop-out.
‘Think about it seriously, then,’ June replied, crisply. ‘It’s not the easiest of jobs, but it’s rewarding, and sometimes you get to be the person that can make the worst day of someone’s life into the best one, or at least, not the last one they’ll ever know. Nursing’s hard, but you’ll also experience things no one else can because you’ll be in intimate situations with people that are outside of the everyday. People trust you, and they need you.’ June nodded. ‘I was a nurse for forty-five years. Don’t regret a day.’
‘That’s… inspiring, June.’
‘It’s just the truth, dear. If you ever want to talk more about it, I’m here every week. Always glad to share my wisdom, such as it is. I could even take you around my old hospital, if you liked. To get a feel for it.’
‘That’s incredibly generous of you.’ Carrie was touched. ‘I’m nowhere near giving it any kind of serious thought, but perhaps I will, then.’
‘Hm. You should.’ June looked serious for a moment, then smiled. ‘Now, as far as the choir’s concerned, we’re an informal gang, so you’re very welcome to join us, as and when you like, really. We rehearse every Thursday and there’s always cake. Do help yourself, by the way,’ she said, pointing to the trestle table. ‘Have you ever sung before? I mean, in a choir, in a band, that kind of thing?’
‘I sang in the choir at school. Always really enjoyed it. Not since then, though.’
‘Ah, wonderful. A professional!’ June trilled, and Carrie smiled, despite her nervousness. ‘Right, then. Get a quick cuppa and a cake or a cookie, and we’ll get back to it.’ June rubbed her hands together and tapped a tall woman with a long black plait draped over one shoulder, on the arm. ‘Zelda! Say hello to Carrie. She’s joining us today, and she’s staying up at Gretchen’s old place, just like you did.’
‘Oh, hi, Carrie! Great to meet you!’ The woman turned around and grinned. If Carrie hadn’t already felt mortifyingly under-dressed in her joggers and sweatshirt, then she certainly did now: Zelda, as well as being perfectly made up, was wearing tight, high-waisted jeans with knee-length heeled boots over the top, and a loose T-shirt that, Carrie thought, probably would have looked like a sack of potatoes on her, but on Zelda looked casual and elegant in a way that could only be achieved with expensive clothes and a tiny figure.
‘Oh, you’re American,’ Carrie replied, and then corrected herself. ‘Sorry. What I meant to say was, hello! Nice to meet to you too.’ She held out her hand.
Zelda shook it. ‘That’s okay. Yes, I am, so I know I’m kinda the odd one out, right?’ Zelda laughed. ‘So what d’you think of Loch Cameron? Cute, isn’t it? I came here for the first time, like, a year and a half ago. Stayed in Gretchen’s cottage, like Junie says. It still blows my mind places like this exist.’
‘Oh, how strange! You stayed at the cottage too! Yes. It’s very beautiful here,’ Carrie agreed, reaching for a brownie and putting it on a plate. ‘Actually, I used to come on holiday here as a kid. My great-aunt lived in one of the cottages next to Gretchen’s.’
‘No kidding? Small world. Crazy small, in Loch Cameron,’ Zelda laughed. ‘That’s insane. So, your great-aunt was friends with Gretch?’
‘A bit. I’m not sure they were best friends, but they definitely knew each other, yes.’ Carrie bit into the brownie, which filled her mouth with the perfect sweet sludginess combined with chunks of walnut. ‘Oh, my god. This brownie is so good!’ she exclaimed.
