by Fay Keenan
‘I’m thankful my daughter Meredith’s well past that stage!’
Anna was surprised for the second time in as many minutes. ‘You’re Meredith’s dad?’ Glancing at him again, she noticed the same dark hair, the height, and, she thought unguardedly, the same smile. Matthew’s eyes were a deep hazel brown, though, whereas Meredith’s were ice blue.
Matthew nodded. ‘She did say she’d met you. I hope she didn’t make a nuisance of herself.’
‘Not at all.’ Anna took Ellie’s hand as her little girl started jumping up and down on the spot. ‘Come on then, Munchkin, let’s go and find a loo.’
‘See you soon,’ Matthew said as he put Sefton back on the lead.
Saying their goodbyes, Anna began the walk back home. Imagine Matthew Carter remembering that tour, after all these years, not to mention footing the bill for the oil tank. It was probably pocket money to him, but it was still a nice gesture. When she got home she was surprised, looking in the mirror in the hallway, to see the colour in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes. The walk must have done her some good, after all.
6
Before she took over The Little Orchard Tea Shop, Anna concentrated on getting Pippin Cottage as she and Ellie needed it. She was amazed at how little furniture she had, in the end, brought with her. Finding homes for things became a peculiar kind of therapy, and Anna found herself to be if not exactly happy, then at least content in this new home and life.
Meredith Carter popped over once more before her term started again. She formed an instant rapport with Ellie, and spent a couple of hours entertaining her while Anna continued to get the cottage into some kind of order. Meredith, as Anna had surmised from her accent the first time they had met, was indeed a student at a public school. She was a day girl, returning home at varying times in the evening depending on the activities she was taking part in, and although the school gave her the option to board, she felt more suited to living at home with her father.
‘Dad would die of a coronary in weeks if I left him to live up at St Jude’s,’ Meredith said, by way of explanation. ‘He never cooks for himself, and barely eats during the day, so I need to make sure he doesn’t end up at the chippy every night.’
‘But don’t you miss something by not living on site?’ Anna asked. She was fascinated by the idea of life at a private school, and imagined hours of lacrosse and sticky, heavy puddings for tea.
‘Not really,’ Meredith replied. ‘I’d rather not spend my nights there as well as my days.’
‘But you enjoy it?’ Anna asked.
‘Oh sure!’ Meredith replied. ‘But I like coming home to my own space, too.’
Anna smiled to herself. As Meredith was an only child, she wondered how she had so much patience with Ellie.
‘I’ve always wanted a little sister,’ Meredith said. ‘And she’s sweet.’
‘When she’s behaving herself, or asleep!’ Anna replied.
‘Why don’t you bring her to the wassail on Saturday?’ Meredith asked. ‘She’ll love it. Singing, dancing, shotguns—’ she laughed at Anna’s panicked expression. ‘Don’t worry, they’re only fired into the air!’
‘What exactly does it involve?’ Anna asked, curious.
‘Well, Dad’s arranged it every year since he took over the business full time. The Morris Men dance around a bit, everyone drinks mulled cider and eats a hog roast, and the trees get blessed.’
‘Sounds like fun. Is it an open invite?’
Meredith looked thoughtful. ‘Well, sort of. It’s a kind of friend-of-a-friend invite, if you see what I mean. And you’re my friend, so I thought I’d invite you.’
‘Are you sure your dad won’t mind me coming along?’
‘Not at all – after all, you practically live in one of the orchards, so why shouldn’t you come and celebrate?’
Anna smiled. ‘That’s kind of you, Merry – we’ll certainly think about it.’
‘And you’ll need something to do to wind down after your first full week at the tea shop,’ Meredith said. ‘If you want, I can take some flyers up to St Jude’s for you and leave them around.’
‘I don’t know if me, or the tea shop, could handle an invasion from St Jude’s!’ Anna laughed. ‘Although I’m surprised some of the students at least haven’t been in before.’
Meredith grinned. ‘Ursula can be pretty scary. After a group of kids in the year above me started a food fight, she barred them.’
‘Perhaps I’ll hold off on the leaflets for now, then,’ Anna said, ‘and just rely on you bringing in some rather more sensible students.’
‘Fair enough, but one bite of your lush cakes and you’ll have a riot on your hands, I reckon.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ Anna said wryly, as Meredith reached for another slice of vanilla and orange carrot cake.
7
Anna woke early on the Monday morning of her first shift at the Little Orchard Tea Shop. Her stomach fluttered; not just for herself but for Ellie. She had been to a couple of sessions at the village nursery the previous week in order to settle her in, but Anna still felt a little bit nervous. She hoped her friendly and outgoing little girl would soon settle in the environment where she was going to be spending so much time.
That morning, Lizzie would be opening up, giving Anna plenty of time to drop Ellie off. Then, Lizzie would work alongside her for the day. This would be the pattern for the first week, while Anna familiarised herself with the premises and its equipment. Ursula had also arranged a crossover period with the cake supplier so that Anna could find her feet before taking on the baking.
As it was, Ellie ran straight into nursery, without a backward glance, so Anna got to the tea shop as Lizzie was unlocking the door.
‘Hi there,’ Lizzie was softly spoken, with a distinct Somerset accent, long on the vowel sounds. Her smile was equally welcoming. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you for at least another hour.’ She turned back to the door. ‘Couldn’t wait to start?’
Anna smiled back. ‘Something like that.’
As they walked into the tea shop, Anna took another look around. The tables, dressed in varying combinations of floral and polka dotted oilcloth, were all clean and tidy. Lizzie had brought some fresh flowers in to put in the small vases that would adorn each table by the time the shop opened. The coffee machine lay gleaming and silent off to the left of the high counter, which had a wooden top and a glass cabinet to display the cakes and scones.
Seeing it all this time felt different to when she’d met Ursula here a fortnight ago. Now, she was the one who would be making the day-to-day decisions, making sure the business not just stayed afloat but thrived for the next year. It was a huge responsibility, but one she suddenly knew she was ready to take on.
‘Everything OK?’ Lizzie asked as she came back through from the small kitchen that led from behind the counter.
Anna smiled. ‘Just getting used to the layout, and psyching myself up to actually doing this job.’
Lizzie smiled back. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said, putting out the first of the small vases that she’d brought back from the kitchen and starting to arrange the flowers. ‘You’ll get the hang of it in no time. I’m glad you’re going to be the one taking care of the baking and the books. For a while there, when Ursula told me she was going to look for another manager, I thought she was going to ask me to take it all on, and I really don’t have a head for figures. Or baking!’
Anna felt relieved; she was worried Lizzie would feel resentful about a newcomer taking over, but clearly this wasn’t the case. She wandered over to the set of hooks behind the counter, took one of the dark green aprons with ‘The Little Orchard Tea Shop’ embroidered on them, and popped it over her head. Glancing somewhat nervously at the chrome coffee machine again, she prepared to go on her steepest learning curve since university.
*
By Friday morning, Anna was finally starting to get the hang of the Italian coffee machine, as well as the infinitely more complex t
ask of preparing Miss Pinkham’s pot of Earl Grey. On her first day, Anna had made four pots before the old bat was satisfied, but by now it was down to two. Luckily, the other customers weren’t so fussy. She’d mastered slicing the exquisite cakes into perfect portions, and got a few tips added to the jar on the front of the counter. She’d even exchanged a bit of banter with the vicar and his wife when they’d come in for a cuppa after matins.
‘Morning, Sid,’ she called as Sid Porter, who Pat Davis, her next-door neighbour, had informed her was a renowned breeder of Gloucester Old Spots and would be supplying the hog roast for the wassail that evening, walked through the front door. ‘A cup of your usual?’ Sid came in every day at the same time, and sat at the same table with the same order of a large Americano.
‘Ta love,’ Sid replied. ‘But can you put it into one of those takeaway cups today? Got a consignment of feed coming in at ten so I need to be back down the yard ASAP.’
Anna smiled. ‘No worries. Fancy a slice of apple tart to take with you?’ Upselling was, of course, the key to a successful business, even a village tea shop.
‘Not this morning, but I might pop back in later.’
Anna busied herself with wrestling the coffee machine to produce Sid’s Americano. Taking the proffered cash, she handed Sid his coffee and his change, and with a smile, bid him farewell. Then, she went out to the kitchen to grab a cloth to wipe down the tables and check the oven to see when the next batch of scones was due out. Although the current supplier was still providing the more extravagant cakes and confections, Anna had managed to whip up a batch or two of scones for the cream teas.
The brass bell over the door of the tea shop jangled as she finished wiping the last table. Her stomach fluttered as she realised it was Matthew Carter, dressed in a smart pinstriped suit and white shirt. As he approached the counter, Anna smiled. Ever since their encounter on the Strawberry Line, she’d seemed to see Matthew everywhere; on the High Street, at the local pub when she’d gone for a meal with Ellie and her parents, and now, here in the tea shop. She figured it was inevitable that their paths would cross, but she was still surprised by how often she’d noticed him. They’d not spoken since the Strawberry Line, but he’d been there, on the edge of her vision, and every time they’d seen each other in passing, they’d exchanged friendly smiles.
‘Good morning,’ she said. ‘What can I get you?’
‘What would you recommend?’ Matthew asked. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve actually bought coffee in a shop, I’m at a loss as to what to have.’
‘The Americanos are good,’ Anna said. Actually, all of the coffee was good, but she was most comfortable making that particular one at the moment.
‘I’ll have one of those, then,’ Matthew said. ‘I wanted to pop in earlier this week to wish you luck but I’ve been frantic at work. If there’s anything I can do to help you to settle in, let me know.’
‘Thanks,’ Anna said, touched by the offer. ‘It’s a bit of a learning curve, but I’m getting the hang of things slowly.’ She glanced at the price list by the till. ‘That’ll be two seventy-five, please.’ She was about to ask if Matthew fancied some of the apple tart, but then remembered she was serving a man who made a living growing apples. He was probably sick of the sight of them.
‘Well, good luck,’ Matthew said as he picked up his coffee from the counter. He paused for a moment, and Anna wasn’t sure what he was waiting for. ‘Any chance of my change?’
Anna’s cheeks started to flame. ‘Oh God, sorry. I’m still learning!’ Hurriedly, she opened the till again and fumbled out Matthew’s change for the fiver he’d handed over. Passing it to him too quickly, she dropped the coins all over the counter. Scrabbling for them, her hand brushed Matthew’s. ‘Sorry. I’m not usually this clumsy, I promise!’
Matthew laughed. ‘Don’t worry. It must take a bit of getting used to. I grew up in the family business; you’re taking this all on new.’
‘Have a good day,’ she said as he pocketed his change.
‘You too. See you soon.’
As the bell swung again to signal Matthew’s exit from the shop, Lizzie came out of the kitchen, from where she’d been washing up. ‘Well that’s a turn-up for the books.’
‘What do you mean?’ Anna asked, grabbing a cloth from under the counter and wiping the small spills from the coffee machine.
‘I can’t remember the last time Matthew Carter came in. He’s certainly not been through the door since before his marriage went up the spout.’ She gave Anna an appraising look. ‘Something must have caught his interest.’
Anna felt her cheeks getting warmer for the second time in as many minutes. ‘He probably wanted to make sure I’m not turning the place into a speakeasy or something.’
‘Hmmm,’ Lizzie said, before she turned away to check the tables over for stray crockery. ‘I’m sure you’re right.’
Anna didn’t know her well enough yet to be sure if Lizzie was implying anything, but she was sure she hadn’t imagined the knowing tone in her voice. She dismissed the thought, though; she had enough to think about without adding cider farmers to the mix, no matter how attractive they were when they smiled.
*
That evening, Anna and Ellie wrapped up warmly and set off for Carter’s Cider. As they reached the farm, Meredith raced up to Ellie and pulled something out of the bag she was carrying. ‘Here, squirt, these are for you.’
Ellie squealed in excitement as Meredith popped a pair of pink Hello Kitty earmuffs over the toddler’s woolly hat.
‘They used to be mine,’ Meredith said. ‘I thought you might like them.’
Anna smiled. ‘Say thank you, Ellie.’
‘Fank you,’ Ellie chorused.
‘You’re welcome. I’ve got to go and get ready for the anointing of the trees, but I’ll see you later, OK?’ Grinning at the toddler, Meredith wandered off.
Anna looked around and realised, thanks to her first week at the tea shop, she was beginning to recognise a fair few people. By the main barn there was a group of mothers and children, all wrapped up against the chilly January air, and a little further down the courtyard there were the fathers, all sipping pints of Carter’s and chatting. Off to her left she heard the fizz and crackle of the hog roast cooking, and she could smell its delicious aroma. Then the assembled bunch of Morris Men caught her eye. Resplendent in their whites, with bells attached to their elbows, and knees, they were warming up ready for the main event. In the midst of the group was the Green Man in a ribbon-bedecked hat. Later on in the evening he would present a slice of toasted bread to the Wassail Queen, who would place it in the branches of one of the slumbering apple trees as a gift to the gods for a good harvest in the coming year. Meredith, whose turn it was this year to be Wassail Queen, was across the yard, putting on a headdress of holly and ivy leaves. The colours stood out beautifully against her long dark hair.
The cold seemed to lessen as Anna watched the centuries’ old ceremony take place. Row upon row of cider apple trees, bare and spindly-fingered in the fast descending frost reached out into the blue-black of the night sky. They gave the impression of slumber; the hushing of a vibrant life force under the soil. The troop of Morris dancers, headed by the Green Man, jingled and sang their way down the rows of trees. With one hand Anna clutched Ellie’s gloved fingers, and with the other she held her own glass of sweet mulled cider.
She was somewhere in the middle of the group, and Matthew was standing off to her right-hand side, chatting to locals and applauding the singers and dancers. Still in his customary dark blue cable knit jumper, tonight he was also wearing a Barbour jacket that was somewhat the worse for wear, and had a soft, dove grey scarf wrapped around his neck. Anna knew that the scarf had been a present from Meredith for his birthday a week ago, and while it looked vaguely incongruous, he had obviously been touched enough by his daughter’s effort to wear it tonight. As she was musing on this, she heard the singers start up with the traditional song.
You many a Plum and many a Peare:
For more or lesse fruits they will bring,
As you do give them Wassailing.
The song was hearty, and the villagers joined in on the second chorus. As the dancers and singers passed, there was much cheering and laughing. The Green Man paused as he reached Meredith, and, dipping a slice of toast into the wassail cup, he handed it to her. Then, the Morris Men gathered her up and, smiling gamely, she speared the toast onto one of the spiked branches of the nearest apple tree. Adjusting her crown as her feet touched the ground once more, she grinned at her audience. ‘Thank the gods, or whoever, that’s over!’
Eventually, the singers and dancers paused, and Matthew stepped forward.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming out on this very cold January night to help us in our celebration of the apple crops for the coming year. As many of you will know, there has been wassailing on this site for well over four hundred years, and my family’s celebration of the custom is just the most recent in a long succession of celebrants of the land, its power and its ability to give us the crops we so desire.’ Matthew paused and looked around at the assembled villagers. The polite smile turned to one of delight and surprise when his gaze lingered on Anna for a moment.
‘We at Carter’s Cider are thankful to the forces that provide us with such bountiful apple crops year after year, and we are equally thankful for the help and support of the village of Little Somerby. As a gesture of our appreciation, please feel free to partake of some more of our famous mulled cider, and a slice or two of the hog roast Joel and the boys are cooking up for us. May the apple crop be plentiful once again this year. Wassail!’ The wassailers had reached Matthew now, and he took the proffered wassail cup and poured it onto one of the sleeping apple trees. Another cheer went up from the villagers and then they gratefully retreated to the warmth of the hog roast and another glass of mulled cider.