Coming Home For Christmas

by Julia Williams

  Marianne was on her way home from the nursery run, on a cold and dank day, when she saw the diggers slowly coming up the road, which led to their lane, Blackstock Farm and the woods.

  ‘Oh no,’ she said. ‘Oh no.’ After everyone’s hard work the inevitable was happening. A white heat overcame Marianne suddenly. Filled with fury – how dare they do this to the place she called home, how dare they? – she flew home without even thinking about what she was doing, grabbed some chain and padlocks, and raced towards the gate. She promptly chained herself to the gate post and then rang Pippa.

  ‘Pippa?’ she asked. ‘Are you free? Only I’m doing a one woman protest here, and it’s rather lonely.’

  The diggers were travelling in slow convoy up the lane, which was narrow and today quite muddy. They halted suddenly as they came to the gate and saw Marianne chained to it.

  The guy in the lead digger hopped out.

  ‘Look, we don’t need any trouble,’ he said.

  ‘And I don’t want to cause any,’ said Marianne sweetly, ‘but here we are.’

  ‘Hands off our woods!’ She suddenly heard shouting from behind her and turned to see Batty Jack leading a group of the protesters who were still camped out in the woods, making their way to the gate, from the far end of the fields waving placards and shouting loudly.

  Marianne had never been so pleased to see anyone, because standing here all alone, now the first wave of adrenaline had worn off and the results of her impetuous actions were being taken so seriously, she felt a bit daft. Not a natural campaigner, she wasn’t entirely sure what to do next. She needn’t have worried. Imperiously and unsteadily up the lane, came Miss Woods on her mobility scooter, along with Vera and Albert, and even Diana Carew. Good grief. She’d never seen Diana Carew as an anarchist.

  The two groups met, one crowding round the tractors, waving placards, the other setting up a noisy and raucous chorus of, ‘We shall not be moved’.

  The first digger guy looked unsurprisingly out of his depth. He immediately got on to his mobile phone.

  ‘Looks like we’ve got trouble, boss,’ he said. ‘With a capital T.’

  There was obviously not a very happy response from the other end, when he’d finished explaining what was happening.

  ‘You said there’d be no protesters,’ the digger man was saying unhappily, ‘but there are loads of them, waving their banners, and everything.’

  The boss was clearly angry and making it apparent it was up to Digger Man to sort things out, as the phone call ended abruptly and he started to try and demonstrate his authority.

  ‘Ok, you’ve had your fun, people,’ he said. ‘Time to move on now, this is private property, we have a legal right to be here.’

  ‘Ah, but do you have a moral right?’ said Marianne, fired up by the sight of Miss Woods berating Digger Man’s companion.

  ‘I’m just trying to do my job,’ pleaded Digger Man.

  ‘That’s what the Nazis said, and look how that turned out,’ said Marianne, ‘but I’m afraid we’re not going anywhere. So put that in your pipe and smoke it.’

  Chapter Thirty

  Two hours later, Marianne was really not quite so sure of her ground. They seemed to have reached an impasse, with Digger Man and his mates standing off to one side, having called the police, who weren’t in any hurry to show up, and Marianne and the protesters on the other. The people on the ground were sitting quietly not causing any trouble, so even when the police did show up, they were reluctant to remove a bunch of old ladies, particularly one on a mobility scooter, and were equally reluctant to deal with Marianne. But time it seemed would not wait for the great cogs of business to stop turning, and Digger Man was getting a series of phone calls which were getting increasingly irate.

  ‘Right … yes I know … well, nothing,’ Digger Man was saying, ‘I mean the police say they can do nothing. Oh. So you’re coming here? Right. Thank you.’

  Digger Man looked like he might be sick.

  ‘Problem?’ asked Marianne, flashing him a brilliant smile.

  ‘No,’ said Digger Man, but he looked rattled. ‘My boss is on his way,’ he said, clearly trying to look assertive. ‘Then we’ll see how far you lot can stop things from happening.’

  ‘Hmmph,’ said Miss Woods, who’d parked her scooter next to the fence, and was standing looking fierce leaning on her stick. ‘You do realise this is only a temporary measure, don’t you? They’ll get rid of us today, and be back again tomorrow.’

  ‘I know,’ said Marianne, ‘but every day we cause disruption, means another day when they can’t start work. Maybe if we keep it up long enough they’ll get fed up.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Miss Woods. ‘Oh, look Pippa’s bringing us refreshments. Marvellous.’

  In fact, Pippa was doing more than that. She’d clearly been busy in the time since Marianne had phoned her. She was being followed not only by another gang of protesters, but also Cat’s film crew, several journalists and the local MP.

  ‘Thought you might need some back up,’ she said with a grin.

  Cat got to work immediately. She thought she’d got enough footage, but this was too good an opportunity to miss for the campaign, and would be a nice extra to put in the programme, to show how much people cared about the development.

  ‘Things are coming to a head here in Hope Christmas,’ she said to camera. ‘With planning permission on Blackstock Farm granted, the local residents are getting desperate. We’re here with Marianne North who has chained herself to a gate to prevent the developers coming in. This seems a bit drastic, Marianne, what do you hope to gain from it?’

  ‘Time,’ said Marianne firmly. ‘More time to talk to the developers, and make them see this isn’t the way forward.’

  Marianne talked for several minutes more, till Cat called a halt.

  ‘That’s great,’ she said.

  She turned to Miss Woods, who gave her typical succinct and clear cut version of events, followed by Diana Carew who as usual wanted to get into the action and declared that it was ‘jolly exciting’. For the sake of fairness, she turned her attention to some of the Yummy Mummies, who’d got wind of the situation and driven up in their people carriers, and were tottering down the lane in unsuitable heels. They were very loud and angry about the fact that Marianne might ruin the plans for their precious spa. ‘Some people are so selfish,’ Keeley Jacobs declared with such a flounce it was all Cat could do not to burst out laughing.

  Managing to just about contain her composure, Cat turned to the man leading the first digger, and asked, ‘So how do you feel about destroying the natural habitat of so much wildlife, particularly the rare birds of prey which nest here?’

  ‘Piffle,’ a voice came from behind her. ‘We all know there are no birds of prey here. They’d have been spotted months ago. You lot are doing what people like you always do, stopping ordinary decent business folk going about their legitimate business. Now Marianne,’ the voice continued, ‘you’ve made your point. Do be a good girl and unchain yourself from that fence.’

  Cat turned round and couldn’t disguise her surprise any more than Marianne who’d just said, ‘Oh fuck,’ to the camera.

  There, in top to toe Armani, stood Luke Nicholas.

  Pippa turned to Luke and said, ‘She doesn’t have to listen to you. None of us do.’

  ‘I think you’ll find she does,’ said Luke, brandishing a bit of paper. ‘The police have informed me they’ll arrest anyone who stands on the land of LK Holdings, which includes your little friends on the other side of the fence, and Marianne if she doesn’t unchain herself. Now be sensible and give it up.’

  ‘Yes give up!’ shouted the Yummy Mummies en masse.

  ‘Get this on camera,’ shouted Cat to her cameraman, and he moved in to get a close up of Marianne looking desperate and determined, saying ‘Never!’

  ‘Never,’ shouted Miss Woods, waving her walking stick and looking as if she was having the time of her life.

  ‘Nev
er,’ declared Vera and Albert.

  ‘Never!’ boomed Diana Carew, who looked so out of place it was all Pippa could do not to laugh out loud.

  ‘Never!’ shouted Batty Jack, before yelling to his friends, ‘let ’em out, folks, let those babes run.’

  As if by magic, all the people from the camp released turkeys, hidden in baskets they’d brought with them. Gobbling away like mad, the turkeys veered in every direction, causing at least two of the Yummy Mummies to go arse over tit, and Luke to momentarily lose his cool and shout, ‘Where the fuck have they come from? Get rid of the bloody things!’ as Cat obligingly held the microphone to his face. For several glorious moments, pandemonium ensued, but gradually the turkeys were caught and order was restored.

  Then it was all over brutally quickly. The police simply cut the chains Marianne had used to tether herself to the fence.

  ‘I’m not going to go quietly,’ said Marianne, ‘this is harrassment.’

  ‘Quiet or not,’ said the copper who had freed her, ‘you’re coming with us.’

  ‘You, what?’ asked Marianne.

  ‘You heard, I’m arresting you for disturbing the peace.’

  ‘You’re kidding me?’ said Marianne.

  ‘’Fraid not,’ the officer said.

  ‘Can you pick the kids up for me?’ she shouted at Pippa as she was escorted to the waiting police car. She was soon joined by Miss Woods, who had been most vociferous in her objections, and hilariously by Diana Carew, who not to be outdone by Miss Woods, called one of the policemen a little gobshite. Then Vera and Albert placed themselves on the ground in front of the diggers and also had to be dragged away. As the patrol cars drove off one by one, Cat ran after the police with a microphone shouting, ‘How does it feel to arrest old ladies and mums?’

  But it was to no avail, the protesters were cleared and the diggers finally made their way into the farm, to the sound of many boos from both sides of the fence, though the protesters on the farm side had the sense to scatter in the fields, to escape arrest.

  By this time it was nearly 2pm. At least there wasn’t a lot more the diggers could do today.

  ‘Face it, Pippa, this is over,’ Luke said with a smug grin. ‘You’ve given it your best shot, but it’s time that we got on with our work.’

  Just then a bird flew out of the wood and past Luke’s shoulder, leaving a messy deposit on his coat as it did so.

  It was small and swift, with a sharp beak and a blue head, and it soared through the sky and then hovered above them. Pippa was so busy laughing at Luke’s irritation as he tried to clean off his coat, that at first she didn’t quite realise the import of what she’d seen.

  A small bird – a small hovering bird.

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ she said, as the bird swept down and picked up a stray mouse with its claws. Quickly she took a photo with her phone.

  ‘Your boss still keen on merlins?’ she said.

  ‘He has a bit of a bird obsession,’ said Luke, ‘but you know as well as I do, Pippa, there are no merlins here. That’s why he greenlighted the project.’

  ‘Really?’ said Pippa with a smile. ‘I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you.’

  My Broken Brain

  I have no idea how long I’ve been doing this … 8pm

  It’s taken me nearly two years to see it. But every day as I look across at Blackstock Farm, and think about what they’re planning, then I look at the farm and think about what we had together, it’s slowly hitting me that I’ve got it completely wrong.

  I thought I was helping Pippa, and maybe I am, because she seems to be managing fine without me. Whenever I see her she’s bright and breezy and full of plans and ideas for the future. A future which can never include me.

  Well, as my nan would have said, wagging her finger at me, when I’d got into trouble, You’ve only yourself to blame.

  And I do blame myself. What seemed like the best idea at the time has turned out to be the worst. I pushed Pippa away when she wanted to help me. It’s too late to eat humble pie and ask her back.

  Why would she want me anyway? After what I did to her.

  She is better off without me.

  The trouble is: I’m worse off without her. And there’s nothing I can do about it.

  Only yourself to blame, Holliday. Only yourself.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ‘I still can’t believe you got yourself arrested,’ laughed Pippa. ‘All the campaigning I’ve done, and I’ve never seen the inside of a cell. I’m impressed.’

  She had popped in to see if Marianne was all right after her ordeal, as she felt quite guilty, particularly as Gabriel had been a bit snotty with her when she’d brought the twins home.

  ‘I’m really sorry, I didn’t think even Luke Nicholas would be such a dickhead as to get people arrested. Honestly you and three old ladies, and Albert, what a good day’s work for the boys in blue.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ said Marianne. ‘It was quite funny really. Especially seeing the look on Luke’s face. Besides, all that happened was I sat in a police car for twenty minutes, and in a cell for half an hour. As soon as they had word that the diggers were in the farm, they let me go. All very polite and British.’

  ‘Was Gabe ok about it in the end? He seemed a bit cross when I took the children home.’

  ‘He wasn’t best pleased, mainly because of me leaving them,’ said Marianne. ‘He was quite happy for me to make my protest, less happy that I got arrested.’

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Pippa. ‘Auntie Jean was there too, and she seemed to think it was quite funny.’

  ‘Bless her,’ said Marianne, ‘she did think it was funny.’

  ‘Have you and Gabe sorted out your differences about Steven?’ asked Pippa.

  ‘We’re just not talking about it,’ said Marianne, ‘which is mature. And now for reasons I can’t fathom, he’s got a bee in his bonnet that I only did this protest thing to get nearer to Luke. Quite why I don’t know. Ever since we met him at the spa, he’s been a bit funny about Luke. I’ve told him he has nothing to be jealous of, but there you go.’

  ‘Men!’ said Pippa. ‘They can be so stupid. Do you want me to have a word?’

  ‘No, I don’t think it will help, to be honest,’ said Marianne, with a sigh. ‘He’s cross with me at the moment, but he’ll get over it.’

  ‘Well, I’m really sorry if your efforts to stop the diggers caused more problems for you,’ said Pippa, ‘but thanks for trying.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ said Marianne. ‘Gabe would still be angry even if I hadn’t got arrested. It’s a shame that it hasn’t done any good, though. They’ve been out in force all week ploughing up fields.’

  ‘Maybe not,’ said Pippa, ‘but I’m sure we can find other delaying tactics. In the night some of the campers broke in and put wheel clamps on all the diggers. It won’t stop them, but it’s another spanner in the works.’

  ‘But they’ll get over that, and the next hurdle,’ said Marianne gloomily. ‘Whatever we do, this hotel is going to get built.’

  ‘Oh I don’t know,’ said Pippa. ‘I wouldn’t give up, just yet.’

  ‘Why?’ asked Marianne.

  ‘Because after you left that day, a bird flew over and crapped on Luke’s head.’

  ‘So?’ said Marianne looking puzzled.

  ‘Not any old bird,’ said Pippa. ‘A merlin. Ralph was right, there are merlins in the woods. So I sent a photo to Felix Macintyre, and a message asking him to hold off digging until we can investigate further.’

  ‘And have you heard back?’ asked Marianne.

  ‘The bugger’s abroad doing some deal,’ said Pippa. ‘But until he gets back, I’ve got the guys on diversionary detail. At the very least it will come to his attention fairly soon that work isn’t progressing as it should. Time is money and all that. It might bring him back and this time we really can show him some merlins.’

  ‘It’s a bit of a long shot,’ said Marianne.

  ‘I know,’ sighed P
ippa, ‘but it’s all I’ve got. If we can delay them till the weather turns, it will be Christmas before you know it. You never know. Miracles have happened in Hope Christmas before.’

  Miracles have happened at Christmas. Marianne wondered if Pippa were right about that, as the twins ran ahead of her, shrieking with delight. They were on their favourite walk through the muddy woods where the wood carvings lived. The twins squealed with pleasure when they came across statues of owls and otters, and even a crocodile.

  ‘Mummy, Mummy, there’s a new one!’ Daisy came running back, and dragged her towards a gap in the path, where a new clean carving stood. It was of a pair of nesting birds. They looked like, yes they were, merlins, and someone had carved Save The Woods in the tree next to them. Marianne laughed out loud – that cheered her up enormously.

  Maybe Pippa was right about Christmas. It was true that she and Gabe had first got together at Christmas, the year she’d put on her first Nativity in Hope Christmas. It had always felt doubly special to her since. And only two years ago, when Eve and her then partner Darren had been threatening to take Steven away from them, it was at Christmas that they discovered Eve had changed her mind. But surely that was coincidence.

  ‘Don’t believe in miracles myself.’ Michael Nicholas was parked in the lane, as they emerged from the wood, the children chattering nineteen to the dozen about their favourite statues. It was uncanny how he and Ralph always seemed to appear out of the blue. Uncannier still how they always seemed to know exactly what you were thinking too …

  ‘I hear you had an encounter with the boys in blue,’ continued Michael. ‘Bit radical for you?’

  ‘Maybe a bit,’ said Marianne, ‘and I’m not sure it was worth it. Your cousin is determined this hotel is going to get built.’