Home for Christmas

Chapter 6

Ridiculous as it was, given that I barely knew Jude and didn’t particularly like him, I had, for some unfathomable reason, felt unaccountably jealous when I’d spotted him and Jeanie walking out of the woods together at the Wynthorpe Hall bonfire party. However, with so much fairy-making to get through and the two workshops to finish planning, I soon forgot all about my uncharacteristic reaction.

Jude and I had barely said a word to each other on the drive back to town, so there had been no further conversation between us for me to subsequently ponder over. And during the days that followed, I focused solely on the work I needed to get done.

By the end of the week, I had settled on colour schemes for both Demelza’s and Anna’s fairies and had selected the fabrics, tiny charm embellishments and intricate details I would painstakingly include. Demelza’s fairy was going to be as light and ethereal as her and her mum, and the colours I picked out were from the soft green, pale cream and silver palette.

By contrast, and somewhat influenced by my conversation with Anna about her current feelings, I decided to make hers feel more grown-up and grounded. Everything about Anna’s fairy was strong and bold; her dress would be created in a rich plum velvet, with lots of hand-sewn gold embellishments included, reflecting a true warrior spirit.

I felt that both would complement the magic Molly would imbue them with ahead of passing them on, and they would consequently become even more powerful talismans for and representations of their recipients.

Some might say that was a whimsical way of thinking, but it was an important part of who I was, and you could love me or loathe me for it. Had I had any reason to get to know Jude better, I couldn’t help thinking that he would most likely have fallen into the ‘loathe me’ camp. Or something close to it. Just like some of my school classmates had.

From what I had been able to make out, there was nothing fanciful about Jude. Not that I was supposed to be thinking about him. I had barely glimpsed him during the week, but I had still deciphered enough to know that we had very different characters.

The few times we had bumped into each other, he was either staring at his phone or looking stressed and in a rush. I was obviously far more laid-back than him, even with the pressure of my looming deadlines. A few times, I had heard him taking delivery of meals from local takeaways; each to their own, but I much preferred to settle down to a home-cooked meal at the end of the day and save the takeaway option for an occasional treat.

It was another apparent difference between us, and it was galling to think that Jude was the one with access to the beautiful kitchen my grandad had handcrafted, but he wasn’t making use of it beyond boiling the kettle, whereas I was doing my best to cook up a nightly feast in the cramped galley space in the apartment.

I supposed I could have invited Jude up for dinner, so he could see the limitations of what I was working with, but as he didn’t strike me as the type to take notice of anything that didn’t directly impact him, it would most likely have been a waste of time.

Having immersed myself in fairy-making, the week flew by, and it was with a skittering heart that I loaded the crates I would need for the first Cherry Tree Café workshop into my car. Quite a lot was required, but I was an expert at making things fit in my little Fiat and I wished Jude had been around to witness the amount I easily packed in, even with his seat still pushed back into the position he had fixed it in for the trip to and from the bonfire party.

Having settled Tink in the apartment with the radio playing quietly for company, I drove the short distance to the market square and practised some mindful breathing as I went. I kept reminding myself that what I was about to do was a far cry from the bungled high school presentation and subsequent teasing and taunts I had endured as a result, but it didn’t make me feel any better.

‘Don’t look so nervous,’ said Lizzie, when she rushed out to help me carry the boxes in ahead of me going to find a parking space for the car. ‘Everyone is going to have a wonderful time.’

‘Even me?’ I squeaked.

‘Even you,’ she laughed. ‘It’s not like you to be anxious, Bella, is it?’

‘Not at all,’ I agreed. ‘You know me, I have a tendency to throw myself into things and I have great faith in my fairies.’ As I said that, I realized that Faith would be the perfect name for Anna’s fairy. ‘But ordinarily, it’s just me and them. Me creating them at home and then selling them online or sending one out to an individual client.’

With the recent decision to sell at Christmas fairs and on the market, that was something else that was about to dramatically change, too. Talk about flying by the seat of my pants!

‘Having first filled them with your own brand of magical intention, of course,’ Lizzie said seriously. ‘Don’t forget that part.’

It was on the tip of my tongue to fill her in about what had happened at school, but I stopped myself. It was bad enough that I was already thinking about it; I didn’t want it to be on Lizzie’s mind, too.

‘I think that’s the part I’m stressing about,’ I said instead. ‘When it’s a commission piece, the magical fairy aspect is all discussed one to one with the client, so I know they get it. Quite often that’s the reason why they’ve picked me to make what they want. But what if everyone here thinks I’m mad when I start talking about adding magic and setting intentions with every stitch?’

Lizzie shook her head.

‘I think you need to give the people who have signed up to take part more credit than that,’ she gently scolded me. ‘For some of them, you might not have been their original workshop choice, but I didn’t spot a single non-believer on the list.’

‘Well, that’s a relief,’ I said, smiling.

I did genuinely start to feel better once Lizzie had taken my concerns to heart, rather than dismiss them, and had kindly tried to allay them.

‘Now come on,’ she cajoled me. ‘Go and park your car, and then you’ll have time for something to eat and drink before everyone arrives.’

By the time I’d set the table up for the six attendees and eaten one of Jemma’s delicious signature chocolate and cherry cupcakes (which I was certain had a magical ingredient of their own), my nerves had practically taken flight and I was feeling far more confident and settled. I loved the café’s homely and cosy aesthetic, and the pretty surroundings had given me a boost right when I needed one.

‘I made you this,’ said Lizzie, handing me a parcel wrapped in pink tissue paper. ‘Everyone who teaches workshops here gets one, but usually a plain one. However, when I spotted this fabric, I couldn’t resist putting it to use for you.’

I tore open the paper and inside found a cotton work apron, complete with two patch pockets and wide straps that crossed over at the back, meaning that the apron could simply be lifted over my head with no fastenings.

‘Oh, Lizzie,’ I said, immediately putting it on and giving her a twirl. It was more like a dress, really, and absolutely ideal. ‘It’s perfect. Thank you so much.’

‘The material is vintage,’ Lizzie said as she twizzled me around again, this time to check the fit. ‘But it was in great condition, so it should last.’

The fabric was covered in fairies, similar to those created by Cicely Mary Barker. My love of fairies had first been instilled by her beautiful artwork courtesy of a set of seasonal books gifted to me by my grandparents one Christmas. I had never been able to pick a favourite from Cicely’s extensive collection, because I loved them all.

‘And I’ve made trays of extra-special fairy cakes for everyone to snack on when you take a break later in the morning,’ Jemma said, coming out from behind the counter to tell me. ‘That sweet sugar hit should tide you all over until you finish.’

Knowing the generous size of Jemma’s cakes, I didn’t doubt that. I wholeheartedly appreciated that she and Lizzie had gone to so much trouble to help the Lion character that I had portrayed at Hallowe’en find his courage right when I needed it.

‘I can feel the magic in here already,’ I sighed happily, and that was just as well because the bell above the door tinkled right at that moment and the first participants arrived.

I didn’t feel at all nervous by the time almost everyone had taken a seat and I had run through what we were going to be making, how we could give each fairy a completely different personality and, for those who wanted to, how they could add a wish or intention as they stitched, stuck and embellished.

It turned out that everyone wanted to add something, so Lizzie had been right. There were no non-believers in today’s group, and I was delighted about that.

‘Sorry I’m late!’ panted Holly as she practically burst through the door, making the bell clang loudly rather than softly chime.

‘I didn’t know you were coming!’ I gasped as she dumped her coat into my arms and, completely out of puff, sat down heavily on the only empty seat.

‘I wanted to surprise you.’ She smiled, once she’d caught her breath. ‘And I would have been here ages ago, but I had Jasper issues. Don’t ask,’ she added darkly.

‘I wasn’t going to,’ I said, grimacing, then set to catching her up on the instructions while everyone else made a start.

The time flew by, and before I knew it, Jemma was beckoning me over to the counter and suggesting that it might be a good time to take a break.

‘Oh my goodness,’ I laughed, ‘it’s practically too late for lunch. I had no idea.’

‘Well, that’s good.’ She smiled. ‘It shows how much you’ve been enjoying yourself.’

Everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves, too. They had all started off chatting together, but when I later reminded them that they could make their fairies even more special by thinking about the person they were gifting them to, or adding a wish for themselves, as they worked, the table had settled into a companionable silence. The arrival of Jemma’s perfectly decorated cupcakes soon got them all chatting again, but I could tell the spell hadn’t been broken.

‘How’s it going?’ asked Jeanie, who had popped in for a cake on her brief break and offered to make a quick detour to mine and let Tink out into the garden so I didn’t have to rush off myself.

‘It’s been brilliant,’ Holly said, before I had a chance to answer. ‘Bella’s a natural.’

‘Well, of course she is,’ Jeanie said. ‘I don’t know why you were getting yourself so worked up,’ she added, giving me a nudge and a knowing smile.

‘Demons definitely slayed.’ I smiled back, feeling flattered by what they had both said.

‘Demons?’ Holly asked with a frown.

‘Story for another day,’ I told her.

‘In that case,’ she said mischievously, ‘let’s talk about one of the take-aways from the bonfire party, shall we?’

The mention of takeaways annoyingly reminded me of Jude, and Holly’s next words put him further at the forefront of my mind.

‘Take-aways?’ Jeanie frowned.

‘You and Jude,’ Holly said, eyes twinkling. ‘You seemed to be hitting it off with him at the party. Didn’t she, Bella?’

‘Um,’ was all I said.

‘Well,’ Jeanie said pointedly, her words fired towards me, ‘I thought one of us should give him a warm welcome.’

Holly laughed at that, and I wondered how warm things had got.

‘He seemed lovely to me,’ Jeanie continued. ‘Even if his arrival at yours did cause a rumpus, Bella.’

‘In that case,’ said Holly, leaning forward in her seat, ‘have you seen any more of him this week, Jeanie?’

So much for her being on Team Tim with me. I had been about to suggest that everyone start working on their fairies again but lingered to hear Jeanie’s answer.

‘I have,’ she said, making me feel something I couldn’t pinpoint right when I wanted to feel absolutely nothing. ‘But not in a social capacity. He’s come into the pub a couple of times when it’s quiet in the afternoons but has been so immersed in the work he’s brought along with him that he hasn’t bothered to chat.’

It said a lot about Wynthorpe Hall that a popular pub in the middle of town was a quieter place to work. Though not as quiet as my house. I supposed Jude could have felt in need of a change of scene when he went to The Mermaid, but it still rankled that he wasn’t constantly utilising the space I’d sacrificed for him.

‘Well, that’s disappointing,’ Holly said sulkily.

‘Not for Tim,’ I hastily pointed out. ‘Have you seen anything of him, Jeanie?’ I asked meaningfully.

‘No,’ she said, sounding suddenly so grumpy that I almost got whiplash. ‘And there’s no need to go bringing him up just because I’m winding you up about Jude.’

‘You’re not winding me up.’ I shrugged, feeling my cheeks turn pink as she gave me a look.

‘No?’ she said sardonically. ‘The thought of me watching him work all afternoon while he’s looking studious in his dark-framed glasses doesn’t turn you green with envy?’

‘Hardly,’ I tutted. ‘Why on earth would you think that? Brusque, rude men have never been my type. You should know that. Not even for the brief encounters I go in for.’

‘Jude hasn’t been either brusque or rude to me,’ she said mildly.

‘Well, he has to me,’ I huffed.

‘And I also know,’ she carried on as if I hadn’t said a word, ‘that you’re a sucker for blue eyes and long, thick lashes on a guy.’

I rolled my own eyes at that.

‘Right then, everyone,’ I said loudly, mindful that time was moving on and also feeling keen to draw a line under the conversation about my current lodger. ‘Gather round, and I’ll demonstrate again how to give your fairies their wings.’

‘You’d better give Jeanie your apartment key first,’ Holly reminded me. ‘Then she can go and see to Tink and maybe discover if Jude is in a brusque and rude frame of mind today.’

It was a blessing to have had such a positive experience to gently ease me in the day before, because the next workshop was much harder work. Rather than setting me up in the café again, Lizzie had moved me into the gallery next door that she and Jemma ran together, showcasing the work of all kinds of local creatives, which could accommodate the extra numbers. The change of venue also meant that we weren’t taking up the tables Jemma needed to accommodate the usual Saturday rush in the café.

‘I’m going to be popping in and out,’ Lizzie told me while I put the finishing touches to the tables, ‘but just message me if you need anything urgently.’

‘Like an extra pair of hands?’ I suggested. ‘I could definitely do with growing those.’

Lizzie laughed at that, but I was being serious.

‘How about coffee with an extra shot?’ she offered instead. ‘That’ll keep you going.’

‘Yes, please.’

‘Have you made arrangements for Tink today?’

The workshop the day before had run to coincide with school hours, but this was a longer session and included a picnic-box-style lunch. That was a great option because it meant we wouldn’t have to tidy too much away to make the space for it.

‘Yes,’ I told Lizzie. ‘Holly is going to bring Jasper with her into town and then take him and Tink for a long walk.’

‘Perfect,’ Lizzie said, smiling, then rushed back to the café next door.

It was perfect, but if fairy workshops became a regular part of my working week, then I would need to make alternative arrangements for Tink. I knew I could rely on my friends, but obviously I didn’t want to take advantage. I would have been happy to bring Tink with me to the gallery, but not everyone was a fan of dogs, even impeccably behaved, pretty ones. It was all further food for thought.

‘I’m here for the fairy-making workshop,’ a nervous voice behind me spoke up just as I was mulling it all over.

‘In which case,’ I said, turning around with a smile, ‘you’re in the right place.’

That day passed with the same speed as the workshop the day before, and I was delighted to wave the participants off with a clutch of fairies that ranged from traditional to funky and everything in between. Quickly glancing through the feedback sheets, I was thrilled that they all thought the session was good value for money, that I had provided first-class supplies and guidance and that, in spite of my business name, I wasn’t away with the fairies myself. Well, not completely, anyway.

‘Don’t sit down,’ said Lizzie as she bustled in again and caught me about to take a pew, ‘and don’t even think about taking your shoes off. I know from years of experience that now is the time to power through, pack up, maybe sink a pint in the pub and then, and only then, relax.’

I had to laugh at that. I was still feeling worn out from the day before and even more so now as a result of having to tutor extra participants. I wanted nothing more than to immediately take a load off, but I could see the sense in what Lizzie was saying and bowed to her experience.

‘Have you had fun?’ asked Holly as she unexpectedly arrived, thankfully without Jasper.

‘Do you know what?’ I said, looking at the table where everyone had been so happily settled. ‘It was hard work, but I really have.’

‘Well, I don’t know why you sound so surprised,’ Lizzie tutted as she fiddled about with the gallery till. ‘We’ve said for months that you’d be a natural. It’s all to do with the passion you feel for your craft, and you’ve got that by the bucketful.’

‘I know you’ve wanted me to come onboard for a while,’ I said, nodding, feeling flattered by her kindness and relieved that I had finally, properly moved on from the mortification over what had happened at school. ‘And now I’m delighted that I have.’

‘Months!’ Lizzie laughed. ‘We’ve waited literally months.’

‘Come on, then,’ said Holly. ‘I’ll help you pack up, and there’s something I want to talk to you about, Bella. It’s actually why I’ve come back into town after taking Jasper home.’

‘Was everything okay with Tink?’ I asked.

‘Oh yes,’ she said, ‘she was fine. Sorry, I shouldn’t have panicked you like that. She was a joy, as always. Showed Jasper right up when we met some other dog owners who were also out taking a stroll.’

‘So what is it you want to talk about?’ I asked as Lizzie slipped out again, turning the old-fashioned ‘open’ sign on the door to ‘closed’ as she went.

‘It’s a work thing,’ Holly surprised me by saying. ‘A potential work thing,’ she clarified.

‘I’m intrigued,’ I said as I began to gather the piles of fabrics together and fold them. ‘Tell me.’

‘Well,’ she began, taking her time to explain, ‘I’m wondering if you’d be interested in creating a fairy who I could feature in my Tall Tales from Small Dogs .’

‘Oh wow!’ I gasped.

I hadn’t been expecting her to say anything like that.

‘I’m not sure of the details yet,’ she added, ‘but I felt so inspired during the workshop yesterday and fell to thinking that a fairy would be a wonderful addition to Monty and Queenie’s world.’

‘A fairly fanciful addition,’ I laughed.

‘Well, as you know,’ she reminded me, ‘the tales are about two dogs living in a human-free world who travel about together, righting wrongs and championing tolerance and kindness while wearing outlandish outfits. So it’s pretty fanciful already.’

‘That’s true,’ I chuckled. ‘And you’re right, a fairy would be a fun addition. I would be honoured to create one for you. Do you have any ideas about them yet? What their role would be, for example? Or how you might want them to look?’

‘None at all.’ She frowned. ‘Not yet, anyway. I’m sorry to be so vague.’

‘From one creative to another,’ I said, smiling at her, ‘I know how the process works. By which I mean, I know it isn’t straightforward or the same for any two projects.’

Sometimes inspiration would strike me lightning bolt-style and on other occasions I had to wait literally weeks for an idea to properly form. As a result, I knew that the art of creation wasn’t as simple as just sitting down and getting on with it. There was no rhyme or reason to the process, and one project was rarely like another.

‘I’m not sure if the fairy will be someone Monty and Queenie have already helped,’ Holly said thoughtfully, ‘or if they might be a hero in their own right, waiting to make an appearance.’

‘Well,’ I told her, ‘my fairy kingdom caters for everyone. They’re completely inclusive, so take your pick, as well as your time over their development.’

‘That’s perfect,’ she said, nodding, ‘and I already know about them being inclusive. The woman who made her fairy with one big wing and one tiny one yesterday told me she felt wonderfully represented as a result of you encouraging her to do that.’

I felt a lump form in my throat when Holly told me that.

‘She wrote that on the feedback form, too,’ I said huskily. ‘I hadn’t realized she’d talked to anyone about it.’

‘You’re doing good work, Bella,’ Holly said, pulling me in for a hug. ‘And if you really do like the sound of my idea…’

‘Oh, I do,’ I told her keenly as she released me again. ‘I love it.’

‘In that case, I’ll properly get my thinking cap on and give you more details as soon as I come up with them.’

Even though the two days of teaching had worn me out, I was feeling in a wonderful mood after my chat with Holly and didn’t even let my smile slip when I arrived home and had to work around Jude to stack my boxes because he was lingering in the hall and taking up most of the space.

‘Hello, Jude,’ I said brightly, self-consciously aware that my face was flushed from the cold and my hair was most likely an unruly tangle of curls thanks to the Wynbridge winter wind. ‘How are you? It feels like I haven’t seen you for days. How’s the writing coming along?’

‘Pretty well,’ he said, but he didn’t sound particularly thrilled. ‘I’ve finished drafting the introduction now and have just about put into date order all of the documents relating to the initial building and the subsequent changes to the hall.’

‘I didn’t realize there had been any changes,’ I said.

‘Just a couple,’ he told me. ‘And additions, too. But so thoughtfully done that they’re barely noticeable to the untrained eye.’

‘How interesting.’

I wondered which parts had been added after the initial build. I would take more notice the next time I visited.

‘It really is,’ he agreed.

‘I hope you find a publisher for the book,’ I said. ‘I’m sure there’d be lots of interest in it, especially locally.’

I’d often thought a camera crew should film both the hall and the Connelly clan. It would be every bit as entertaining as watching the MacCarthy family in Normal for Norfolk . I was certain that Angus was even more eccentric than Desmond, who owned Wiveton Hall.

‘That would be wonderful,’ Jude said wistfully, but then added more seriously, ‘but I’d have to get the book finished first.’

‘Well, now you’ve started, I’m sure—’

‘Now I’ve made a start,’ he interrupted sharply, ‘I need peace and quiet to carry on with it, and that’s what I thought I was going to get here.’ I guessed his brooding presence in my hallway wasn’t to welcome me home.

‘I don’t understand,’ I said, frowning.

I quickly bit my tongue to stop myself saying that the house must at least be quieter than the pub. The last thing I wanted was him knowing he’d been the topic of conversation. I had been about to ask him if he’d like to join me for a drink in The Mermaid, but his change of tone had quickly made the idea take flight – and along with it, some of my earlier excitement about the success of the workshops and what Holly had said.

‘Your dog,’ Jude said, not using her name even though he knew it, as he knocked yet more wind out of my sails, ‘has been barking practically all afternoon.’

‘Tink?’ I frowned more deeply. ‘Tink has been barking?’

I found that highly unlikely but, given that I hadn’t been anywhere near the house and that I couldn’t ask her, I could hardly refute what Jude was saying.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She was fine all morning, but then someone took her out around lunchtime and she hasn’t settled since.’

There was no sound from her now.

‘And it was the same yesterday,’ Jude went on. ‘But not as bad as today.’

Tink had never been much of a yapper, but perhaps she hadn’t appreciated my absence or being disturbed in the middle of the day. Perhaps I should have just left her on her own, but it would have been a long time to make her wait.

‘In that case,’ I said, ‘I’d better go and check she’s all right, and I’ll make sure you have an uninterrupted evening.’

I stood on tiptoe and at full stretch to stack the last of the boxes, then made a hasty retreat before I said anything further, because it would most likely be something I’d regret.