Home for Christmas

Chapter 3

I spent the rest of Saturday happily settling back into the house and sorting through potential fabrics, buttons and ribbons for the suddenly imminent workshops, and Sunday thrillingly dawned with the promise of a visit to a home I loved almost as dearly as my own.

I had been invited to Wynthorpe Hall, the family seat of the Connelly clan. The huge and stunning hall was set in the Fenland countryside, and in spite of its size, it still managed to feel cosy, warm and always welcoming, most likely because of the wonderful people who lived there. They might not all have been related by blood, but a few of the residents had been drawn to the hall by some seemingly invisible thread and had settled there to form one very happy household.

Dear Catherine and Angus, the owners of the hall, both felt like family to me. They had been friends with my grandparents and a part of my life for as long as I could remember. They had also helped when I undertook the house conversion, suggesting an architect and builders, and had been on hand from the moment Mum moved abroad to advise and support me if I ever needed a more mature listening ear or the benefit of their combined wisdom – which, on occasion, I had.

That Sunday, I was visiting in a professional capacity, but it didn’t make any difference to my reception. I had barely taken a seat at the huge kitchen table before a lunch invitation had been issued and Tink had been absorbed into the eclectic doggy gang which was comprised of a ginormous wolfhound, a miniscule chihuahua and an average-sized spaniel.

‘It’s roast beef and all the trimmings,’ Dorothy, the hugely talented cook, told me as she hung my red wool coat on a peg. ‘And you know I always cook for dozens rather than the actual dozen who are likely to descend, so there’ll be more than enough to go around.’

‘In that case,’ I responded, as she opened one of the Aga doors and treated my senses to a wonderfully warm waft of what was already cooking, ‘I’d love to stay. Thank you.’

‘And there’ll be a bowl for Tink, too,’ she added with a smile.

My little friend looked delighted.

‘Hello, Bella!’ Archie, one of the Connelly sons and the partner of Molly, who I had come to see, beamed as he rushed in, red-faced and looking even more like his father than the last time I saw him. ‘You’re here to see my girls, aren’t you?’

‘Hello, Archie.’ I smiled back. ‘Yes, I am.’

‘They shouldn’t be too much longer,’ he told me. ‘Demelza slept late, so we’re a bit behind this morning.’

‘Lucky you,’ said Jamie, his brother, as he came in from the other end of the kitchen carrying his son, Alby. ‘This little blighter had us up half the night, so I’ve taken him to give Anna a break. She’s feeling all-in thanks to this teething lark. And not to mention the early start Dad kindly gifted us all…’

I wondered what that had been about but didn’t ask.

‘Poor little man,’ Dorothy crooned at Alby, who grinned, his cheeks glowing. ‘And poor Anna, too. I’ll do her a tray if you like. Treat her to a late breakfast in bed.’

‘And I’ll head over to the cottage, if that’s all right, Archie?’ I suggested, standing up again and reaching for my coat. ‘I can just as easily talk to Molly there.’

It would probably actually be easier now that the Connelly kitchen was filling up.

‘Absolutely.’ He nodded. ‘But watch the courtyard path. The frost is lingering this morning, and it’s a bit slippery out there.’

I pulled my coat back on and made my way through the woods to the cottage where Molly, Archie and Demelza lived. It was truly a hidden gingerbread gem. Perfect for someone with white witch heritage, which I knew Molly had. Generations of her female relations had lived in the cottage before her, and I felt a twinge of excitement as I spotted smoke from the chimney curling up into the sky and pushed open the wooden gate, which creaked fittingly.

Molly opened the door even before I had knocked.

‘Bella,’ she said warmly. ‘You looked like Little Red Riding Hood coming through the trees just now.’

‘As long as that doesn’t make you the wolf, I don’t mind that description,’ I laughed.

‘Absolutely not,’ she said, smiling. ‘I’m sorry I’m so late. Did Archie tell you we slept in?’

‘He did, and it’s fine,’ I reassured her.

‘You don’t have anywhere else you need to be?’

‘Only seated at the Connelly kitchen table,’ I explained as I crossed the threshold into the incense-scented interior and closed the door behind me. ‘I’ve just been invited for lunch, so there’s no need for us to rush.’

‘Well, thank goodness for that,’ she said, scooping up Demelza, who giggled ecstatically. ‘I won’t have to blame you for Mummy’s tardiness after all, my little cub.’

Demelza was identical to Molly. From her red, curly, flyaway hair to the mole on the bottom of her left foot. The cutest clone I’d ever seen. She beamed at the sight of me, and I felt warmed right through as a result.

‘So, Molly,’ I said, stroking Demelza’s chubby little arm. ‘Tell me what sort of fairy you have in mind for me to make for this special one.’

I held Demelza while Molly made us warming mugs of spiced cacao, and then we sat in front of the fire, with Demelza between us, as Molly painstakingly described all of the elements she wanted me to include in the keepsake fairy she had asked me to create. She was hoping I would be able to complete it in time to gift it to her daughter at the beginning of Yule.

‘And if you can manage it in the few weeks available,’ she went on, as I finished scribbling notes and suggesting fabrics I thought might work for the fairy’s dress, ‘I’d like you to make one for Anna, too.’

‘I’m sure I can fit it in,’ I said, even though I knew I was committing to working even more hours than were probably available in the run-up to Christmas. ‘Is Anna okay?’ I asked. ‘Archie said that Alby’s teething, among other things, was taking its toll on all their sleep.’

My concern for Anna was the reason I had agreed to taking on the extra commission. One of my fairies might be a welcome highlight at such an exhausting time.

‘It is,’ Molly agreed, discreetly not answering my enquiry about Anna. ‘And of course, Alby takes after his grandfather,’ she added. ‘So he’s already creating mayhem up at the hall, in spite of the fact that he’s still a babe in arms with sore gums. That similarity is going to be a blessing in the future, but for now, it’s heavy going for both Anna and Jamie.’

‘I see,’ I said, easily imagining that it must be and again hoping Anna was okay.

I knew Angus well. His projects and schemes were either completely over the top or entirely eccentric (or even a combination of both), and he was relentlessly full of energy and exuberance, too. I did love him dearly, mostly in small doses, but I could see how his personality presenting itself in baby form could be… challenging.

‘An extra special fairy for Anna, then,’ I decided, making yet more notes.

‘Which I’ll add some extra special magic to myself,’ Molly added mysteriously.

Back in the hall, we were greeted with an even busier kitchen and, as Dorothy bashed the brass gong, I counted settings at the table for ten adults, one baby and umpteen dogs. The only thing missing was a partridge in a pear tree. And Angus.

‘Here he comes,’ said Catherine, releasing me from the wonderful hug she’d enveloped me in the moment she saw me. She readjusted her silk shawl, just as a rousing rendition of ‘Joy to the World’ broke out in the corridor beyond the kitchen.

‘The Lord is come!’

Angus charged in, making the adults either smile or roll their eyes and Demelza jump. I thought she might start to cry, but rather than crumple, her little face broke into a smile when she spotted Angus, and he beamed straight back.

‘Here we all are, then,’ he said, taking his seat at the head of the table. ‘Bella!’ he then boomed. ‘I didn’t know you were going to be here.’

‘I came to see Molly,’ I said, smiling. ‘And I didn’t expect to be fed—’

‘Well, you should have,’ said Dorothy as she began doling out vast Yorkshire puddings. ‘That’s one thing you can always rely on here. I know Anna and Jamie are eating later, but has anyone seen Jude?’ she asked, having spotted that the chair next to mine was still empty.

‘I think I heard his car heading down the drive a few minutes ago,’ said Hayley, the hall housekeeper.

‘Well, he might have said,’ Dorothy tutted.

‘Who’s Jude?’ I asked, not recognising the name.

I wondered if the hall had collected yet another clan member since the last time I’d visited, but Catherine’s subsequent explanation suggested not. Not a full-time clan member, anyway.

‘He’s the young man Angus has commissioned to write a book for us about the architecture and history of the hall,’ she told me.

‘Oh wow,’ I said, smiling. ‘How exciting is that?’

That was bound to make interesting reading.

‘He started out as a historical buildings inspector but has turned his hand to writing about properties as well as surveying them,’ Angus added. ‘And he’s a cracking chap. Really knows his stuff. He’s already unearthed some fascinating documents from the archive in the loft that we’d never taken much notice of before.’

‘Dad’s right,’ Archie joined in, adding piles of crispy roast potatoes to his and Molly’s plates. ‘He is a decent chap, but he doesn’t seem to hang around here much if he can help it.’

‘Is it any wonder?’ Dorothy said reasonably as Angus began pulling silly faces to make Demelza laugh.

‘He just needs drawing out of himself a bit, that’s all,’ Angus said when he realized we were all looking at him. ‘Then he’ll join in a bit more.’

‘Perhaps he doesn’t want to be drawn out,’ Molly said softly. ‘Maybe he’s happy as he is, keeping himself to himself and quietly getting on with the job he’s been employed to do. He might simply need some peace and calm to focus on his work.’

Angus looked astounded at the thought of that.

‘He takes himself right off and away when it all gets too noisy for him to handle here,’ Catherine continued to elaborate.

‘Which, as you can imagine, Bella, is quite often.’ Archie winked at me, and I wondered where Jude took himself off to.

‘But not usually when one of my dinners is on offer,’ Dorothy pointed out.

‘No,’ Catherine frowned, ‘you’re right, Dorothy. But he told me earlier that he isn’t sure he’s going to be able to see the project through. Apparently, the early start you treated us to this morning, Angus, felt like the final straw. He was just about to settle down to start writing the opening of the book when you… roused us all.’

I wondered how the household had been woken. I’d bet that Anna and Jamie, already worn out from a night with a fractious Alby, hadn’t appreciated whatever had happened.

‘I needed to be sure the bugle still worked before I tried to sell it,’ Angus said defensively, before Catherine shot him a censorious look.

‘Is it really so important that Jude stays on site?’ I asked as I helped myself to Dorothy’s rich and flavoursome gravy. ‘Couldn’t he research here and write up what he finds elsewhere if he needs peace and quiet in which to do it?’

Personally, I loved the busyness, fun and mayhem that happened at the hall, but then I didn’t have to live and work in it, did I? I could appreciate that those small doses I experienced were all well and good, but living with it all, full-time, when you were trying to concentrate on something important would be a different matter, and it was only going to get even busier in the run-up to Christmas. The Connellys were hosting a fair as well as the Winter Wonderland weekend in December, and preparations for both would begin soon.

‘Perhaps he needs a proper bolthole,’ I suggested. ‘Rather than just some time out in his car. That is, assuming he just drives around for a bit before coming back.’

Catherine turned her gaze to me, and her expression immediately softened.

‘It’s funny you should suggest that,’ she smiled warmly.

‘Oh?’ I swallowed, for some reason feeling like a rabbit caught in blinding headlights.

‘I know you don’t generally have guests staying in your house beyond the end of October, Bella, but would you consider putting him up?’ she practically pleaded.

I felt my heart sink in my chest.

‘Angus would be prepared to pay double what you usually charge,’ she quickly added.

‘Oh, would he?’ Angus laughed. ‘That’s the first he’s heard of it.’

‘Given that he’s predominantly the reason behind the problem, I’m sure he’d agree that it’s the least he could do,’ Catherine said pointedly.

‘Well, yes,’ he relented, clearing his throat. ‘I suppose so.’

‘He’s meticulously tidy,’ Dorothy told me. ‘Jude, not Angus. And quiet as a mouse.’

‘Again,’ Archie laughed, ‘Jude, not Dad.’

‘You wouldn’t even know Jude was there,’ Catherine said beseechingly. ‘And it’s only until the first of December. That’s the day he’s finishing up and leaving.’

Having only just moved back into the house, I couldn’t bear the thought of squeezing into the apartment again, especially when I had so much extra work to do and fairies still to make. Though I supposed there was no reason why I couldn’t put Jude in the apartment and keep the house for myself. And if Angus really was offering to pay double my usual fee, it would be a most welcome boost to my bank balance just before Christmas.

‘But don’t feel obliged to say yes,’ Catherine said sincerely when I didn’t give an immediate answer. ‘I’m sure there must be other places I could try. Is there anywhere you could recommend, Bella?’

I thought of all the times that she and Angus, and even Jamie and Archie, had rushed to help me when I’d needed them, and all the kind words and company Catherine had offered as I became acclimatized to living in the house alone when Mum left for France and I was still getting used to her being so far away. Surely, I could do this simple thing for them in return?

‘I can’t think of anywhere off the top of my head,’ I therefore took pleasure in saying. ‘But that doesn’t matter, because he can stay with me.’

Catherine dropped her cutlery and clasped her hands together.

‘Are you sure?’ she gasped.

‘Yes.’ I nodded. ‘I’m sure. I can tell how much seeing this project through means to you, and I’ll be fascinated to read whatever Jude writes for myself.’

‘But surely you’ve only just moved back into the house, haven’t you?’

This was from Molly.

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘literally this weekend.’

I was just about to explain that I would put Jude in the apartment, but I didn’t get the chance.

‘And that makes your decision even more generous,’ Catherine said. ‘There’s no way Jude could spread out all the papers, drawings and historical documents he’s unearthed and make sense of them in your tiny apartment, Bella, so I truly appreciate you letting him have the run of the house. He’ll certainly need the space it will give him.’

I swallowed hard, wondering if I could go back on my promise, but the look of relief on Catherine’s face halted the thought and Hayley’s next comment further banished it, too.

‘And that means I can have my studio back,’ she said gratefully, referring to the conservatory the family had adapted for her to draw and paint in. ‘Jude commandeered it the other day, and now there’s not an inch of empty surface to be seen and I need to get in there to finish my Christmas designs for Jemma and Lizzie. I’m already way behind.’

I knew the hall wasn’t short of rooms or space in which Jude could spread out, but guessed that he’d hoped the conservatory, which was a little out of the way, would be quieter.

‘So that’s settled, then,’ said Angus, clapping his hands together. ‘Shall we say that Jude can come to yours on Tuesday, Bella? That’ll give you time to move back into the apartment again, won’t it?’

‘Yes,’ I squeaked, then cleared my throat. ‘Yes,’ I repeated a little more clearly. ‘Tuesday will be fine.’