Coming Home For Christmas

by Julia Williams

  But on the way back home, she was dismayed to see a couple of diggers coming down the lane. Work was still going ahead, despite the weather, and despite the protests it was looking increasingly unlikely that Luke Nicholas could be stopped. Feeling infuriated, Marianne burst onto the site, where she found Luke instructing his foreman.

  ‘You really don’t get it, do you?’ she said angrily. ‘You don’t live here, Luke, you don’t even really like it here, you just want to exploit it. I wish you’d bugger off.’

  ‘Oh Marianne, you say the nicest things,’ said Luke. ‘But you’re wrong, I’m here to help Hope Christmas. We’re going to make things better, not worse. And if you don’t get off this property, I’ll have you arrested again.’

  ‘I don’t see how,’ said Marianne. But all the drive soon left her when she saw Gabriel standing in the corner of the field opposite, looking furious.

  Oh no, he’d probably read that completely wrong. Bugger, bugger, and bugger again.

  ‘So today, we’re making and icing the Christmas cake,’ said Cat smiling to the camera.

  ‘Kissmass Cake,’ agreed Lou Lou, standing on a stool next to her, waving a wooden spoon rather wildly.

  ‘Now I know amazingly organised people will have done this weeks ago,’ continued Cat, ‘but if you’re like me and have left it far too late, this recipe will get you out of a hole. And if you really don’t have time, buy one in Marks and I’ll show you how you can jazz it up.’

  ‘That’s great,’ said Giles, the director. ‘Now if we can just pan out over the ingredients, we’ll get started on how it works.’

  Several gruelling hours later, with plenty of stops to accommodate Lou Lou (who’d been roped in when Cat had been unable to find a babysitter, and Giles had decided she added cute factor: her starring role amounted to stirring the cake and making a wish), Giles pronounced himself satisfied. ‘That will be up next week,’ he said, ‘for December 1. This afternoon we’ll do decorating the cake.’

  ‘Right,’ she said, ‘but madam here needs a proper break and so do I. Fancy some lunch?’ To make the programme feel more homely, Giles had insisted on filming at Cat’s house, which suited her as it meant less for her to organise.

  ‘That’s kind,’ said Giles, ‘but Finn’ (the cameraman) ‘and I will pop out to the pub, if that’s ok.’

  ‘No problem,’ said Cat, thinking it gave her time to tidy up.

  It was going to be a long week, filming these short segments every day, but she hoped it was going to be worth it.

  Just as she was settling Lou Lou down to lunch, her phone rang. Angela. Cat’s heart sank. Now what?

  ‘Cat,’ said Angela. ‘You have to help me. I came over to have a sensible discussion with Kay, and she’s locked me in the house and won’t let me out. You have to come and rescue me, now.’

  Pippa was in the woods, surveying the earthworks which had been dug so far. The diggers still hadn’t got very far thanks to the bad weather. On top of that, Miss Woods was still organising those campers left to employ delaying tactics. Sooner or later, someone was going to break the law. There had already been a discussion about putting sugar in petrol tanks, and Pippa was worried they’d get themselves arrested, and in serious trouble. So far things had been fairly amicable, and she didn’t want things to turn nasty. From what Marianne told her of their last encounter, Luke Nicholas was losing the plot fast. They might not have much time left. They could possibly stall things up to Christmas, but after then, who knew what would happen? All Pippa knew was that they were on borrowed time.

  ‘So nothing doing today then?’ Pippa asked Miss Woods, who was standing surveying the scene when she arrived.

  ‘They’ve come out, sniffed about a bit and gone back into their huts,’ said Miss Woods, with a satisfied grin. ‘I believe the weather forecast is for more rain, with snow and sleet to follow.’

  ‘But we can’t stop them forever,’ said Pippa gloomily. ‘I just wish I’d had a response from Felix Macintyre, and that we could have the chance to make him change his mind.’

  ‘You never know,’ said Miss Woods, ‘I gather from the troops that Luke Nicholas is getting an ear bashing from Mr Macintyre about the lateness of the project, and maybe planning to inspect it himself.’

  ‘That would be brilliant,’ said Pippa, ‘because I think I’ve found where the birds are nesting and it’s bang near where he wants to pull down some trees and put up his spa. If nothing else will persuade him to change his mind maybe that will.’

  ‘… And this might,’ Ralph Nicholas appeared as if by magic. He was holding an envelope in his hands. ‘Sorry, I’ve been away so long. As you know I went to London to see about an ancient right of way which runs through the woods. The original documents disappeared from the safe at Hopesay Manor, and there was a cryptic note in the file about Blackstock Farm belonging to the Nicholas family. So I’ve been investigating and I turned up more than I bargained for. My uncle Zach had lodged certain documents with the family solicitor, and it appeared they’d gone missing too. Luckily Uncle Zach was a wise old bird and he’d stored another copy elsewhere.’

  ‘I wonder who could have taken them?’ said Pippa, puzzled.

  ‘Yes, I wonder,’ said Ralph, as a black car could be seen entering the field from the other end. Pippa could just make out Luke Nicholas, who got out and was obsequiously pandering to a figure clad in wellies, souwester and hunting hat, sporting a pair of binoculars round his neck. Could it be? It was. Felix Macintyre.

  ‘So what are these documents?’ asked Pippa, as they watched Luke and Felix struggle across the muddy field.

  ‘Proof that the Nicholas family gave this land over to the Blackstock family, until such time as it was no longer required. When the final farming member of the family dies, it reverts to us. The family own the house and gardens, but this part of the fields and woods, apparently belongs to me.’

  ‘Does Felix know this?’ asked Pippa.

  ‘Not yet,’ said Ralph, ‘but I am looking forward to telling him.’

  Felix Macintyre strode up to Ralph extending a hand.

  ‘Well hello there. Where do I find these magnificent birds I’ve been hearing so much about? I gather they do exist after all. Your damned nephew told me they didn’t.’

  ‘First things first,’ said Ralph. ‘I believe you and your diggers are trespassing on my land.’

  ‘Your land?’ Felix looked astonished.

  ‘Afraid so, old chap,’ said Ralph.

  ‘But Luke told me he’d got the deal sewn up,’ said Felix.

  ‘Well my nephew has been known to make mistakes in the past,’ said Ralph, ‘and I believe he might have accidentally lost these papers.’ He showed them to Felix. ‘I think you’ll find everything in order here.’

  ‘Apparently so,’ said Felix after he flicked through them. ‘Luke!’ he roared, but as if by magic, Luke had disappeared.

  My broken brain

  I’m so done with this diary-keeping. 12am

  I’ve been writing this damned diary for the best part of a year, and it’s got me nowhere.

  Because I’m the biggest idiot in the world.

  I wanted to tell Pippa how I really felt. How badly I’ve got things wrong. How I wish I could get her back. So what do I do instead?

  Idiot, idiot, idiot.

  Give her the impression that I’m not single any more. Why the fuck did I do that? To stop her feeling sorry for me? To make her worry about me less? After all she’s getting on with her life, I didn’t want her to think I’m not getting on with mine.

  All I’ve done is given Pippa the chance to be independent of me, and made her think I still want to be independent of her.

  Well done, Holliday. Even by your standards, that’s spectacularly inept …

  December

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  ‘This is fantastic!’ said Cat, as she joined Pippa and Marianne at the Town Square for the annual putting up of the Christmas tree and turning on of the Chris
tmas lights. The place was milling with people drinking mulled wine and browsing in the Christmas market stalls. The word had quickly spread about the woods being saved, and the whole event had turned into a great big party.

  ‘And so was the Winter Wonderland,’ she continued, ‘Lou Lou loved it.’

  ‘The twins have not stopped talking about Santa’s reindeer,’ confirmed Marianne.

  Cat and Marianne had visited Pippa’s Winter Wonderland that afternoon. She’d done a grand job of turning the hay barn into Santa’s grotto, and the children had been entranced as, to the sound of ‘Jingle Bells’, Santa in the form of Ralph Nicholas had turned up on a sleigh driven by four reindeer. The reindeer had been such a hit, the presents Santa gave out had been immaterial. It had been a thoroughly magical afternoon, and Pippa had told them she had bookings up till Christmas and was hoping to make even more money than she had at Halloween.

  ‘I’m so glad,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s all turned out rather well, hasn’t it? Diana certainly seems to think so.’

  Diana Carew was rather drunkenly sitting on a bale of straw regaling some rather baffled teenagers with her account of being arrested; in her account she’d practically single-handedly stopped the diggers coming in by lying flat on the ground in front of them.

  ‘Funny I don’t remember that bit,’ grinned Marianne.

  Batty Jack had a stall selling the first of his turkeys, or his ‘heroines’ as he put it. ‘Without them the battle of the woods would have been lost for sure.’

  Even the Yummy Mummies seemed reasonably happy. Felix Macintyre had found an old manor house five miles away going to rack and ruin, and it looked like he might be planning to put his new complex there instead. He had become quite a character in the town, and was often spotted in the woods birdwatching.

  While Jenny Ingles, also rather tipsy, confided in Cat that, ‘I only went along with the idea of the hotel because Tom thought it would get him a job, but he’s managed to find work in Shrewsbury now, and it’s much better paid. So we’re saving for a house and looking to buy in the New Year.’

  ‘And the woods are definitely safe?’ Cat asked Pippa, sipping at her mulled wine.

  She and Noel had just come back from a fractious weekend at Kay’s, and had missed most of the excitement. When they got to Kay’s after the last dramatic phone call it turned out Angela had got the wrong end of the stick. She’d spent the day with Kay, and had a little snooze after lunch, at which point Kay had popped to the shops without telling her, so it was all a storm in a teacup. But Noel had insisted on having a family meeting for Angela to tell them what she wanted.

  After much wrangling, it had been agreed that Angela would look for a warden-assisted flat (of which there were plenty) in Hope Christmas. Kay, it turned out had been under the mistaken impression that her mother wanted to be at home all the time, and it had driven her mad, whilst Angela was frustrated because she didn’t know anyone in the area and couldn’t get out unless Kay drove her places. In Hope Christmas, she’d be able to walk. On top of all that, Kay had discovered her husband Dave had been having an affair (‘I’m not at all surprised,’ Noel had snorted unsympathetically). ‘I just can’t cope with Mum too,’ she’d wailed rather dramatically given that the situation was entirely one of her own making. As family rows go, it had been a humdinger, but Cat was hoping once the dust settled, her sister-in-law would calm down and accept that she and Noel weren’t trying to muscle in, and just wanted to make sure that Angela was happy.

  ‘Yup,’ said Pippa with a grin, ‘Felix Macintyre is going to build his hotel complex, but a few miles away in a more suitable spot. Here he’s come up with a scheme similar to something they’ve done before: planning affordable holiday chalets, in keeping with the environment, for people who want to walk and see the local wildlife. Given that he doesn’t own as much of the land as he thought, it’s scaled down too. And he’s so thrilled about the merlins, he’s even talking about buying a place of his own here. Though knowing him, he’ll have to be dissuaded from building some monstrosity on top of the hills. Who’d have thought?’

  ‘Brilliant,’ said Cat, ‘I’m so pleased.’

  ‘And,’ continued, Pippa, ‘when Ralph told him about my plans for the farm, he’s prepared to give me some backing, so I can finance my new ideas without worrying so much about the bank loans, if I give over some land for camping overspill. So I can afford to go bigger than I thought I could.’

  ‘Woo hoo!’ said Cat. ‘This gets better and better. I feel this Christmas is going to be a brilliant one.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Pippa. ‘The Winter Wonderland tickets are going through the roof. It’s succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.’

  ‘I’m really glad,’ said Cat. ‘Things seem to be looking up all round. My little Christmas programmes apparently are a huge hit on the internet. Mind you, that’s probably because everyone loves Lou Lou so much.’

  ‘Way to go,’ said Pippa, ‘so you’re not so old and past it after all.’

  ‘Apparently not,’ said Cat.

  She felt a warm festive glow settle over her as the crowd jostled around them. Christmas was coming and all would be well.

  Pippa sat at the kitchen table, looking through the books at the figures from Winter Wonderland, which were very pleasing. Thanks to Felix’s input, Pippa was able to afford some staff to run things, so she and the boys could have a break. The Halloween Spooktacular had been fun but exhausting, and it wasn’t as though all the other jobs on the farm had gone away.

  She’d also spoken to her bank manager, who was more than happy to give her a mortgage when he saw the figures on the table. It was time to move on, and in the New Year, she could buy Dan out, she could afford to employ a farm manager, and Dan could get his new job and start planning a future with his new girlfriend. From where she’d been at the start of the year, her feelings about Dan aside, it felt like a miracle. So why did she feel so sad? Since Richard, she’d been determined to be a strong single woman, and she was.

  What’s the point in being strong if you’re lonely? a voice said. And you miss him, even now. Two years since they’d split. Maybe she was never going to be over Dan.

  Willing herself out of her despondency, Pippa decided she needed some fresh air.

  ‘I’m just popping out for a walk,’ she told Nathan and George who were ensconced in front of the fire in the lounge, watching TV, while Lucy sat in her chair in the corner.

  ‘Look after Lucy for me.’

  ‘More like me looking after them,’ typed Lucy grinning.

  ‘Whatever,’ said Pippa, giving her daughter a kiss. ‘All be good now.’

  Donning her wellies, a coat, scarf, woolly hat and a thick pair of gloves, she set off. It was a cold and crisp day, with a hint of snow in the air. Without realising it, she found herself wandering down a path she rarely used these days. It was the one that took her to the place she and Dan used to call theirs. Where they’d got together, had family picnics … and finally called it a day. Even now, she wasn’t entirely sure why Dan had made that decision, but it was what he wanted. Somehow, after the accident, he didn’t feel they could be together, whereas it had made Pippa want to be with him more.

  She did a double take as she came to the riverbank. A familiar figure was sitting there … alone.

  Dan turned to face her with a look so melancholy, she wanted to run into his arms, but that wasn’t allowed. Not anymore.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ they said simultaneously.

  The sky was growing dark and cloudy with the promise of snow. Gabriel had been out all afternoon, trying to get the pregnant ewes inside. Though many of the farmers let their animals lamb in the fields, Gabriel preferred to keep them indoors. It was more work in terms of keeping everything clean, but it was easier than scouring the hillsides for missing sheep.

  Marianne had fetched the children from nursery, and been glad she wasn’t working today. Gabriel was still being moody with her, and she worried about what it
meant. She couldn’t believe that he was so stupid as to think anything was going on with Luke – particularly as the latter had turned on his tail and left Hope Christmas again – but he was still sulking about something. She couldn’t get through to him.

  Eventually, Gabriel came in looking exhausted.

  ‘Did you get them all?’ said Marianne.

  ‘There’s one missing,’ said Gabriel, ‘and I’m worried she’s about to lamb. Yesterday she was very restless, and she wasn’t where I last saw her.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’ asked Marianne, knowing full well what Gabriel would do – Gabriel the shepherd would never let one of his flock go. That was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

  ‘Find her of course,’ said Gabriel.

  Marianne suddenly came to a decision. She didn’t want to spend another few hours alone with the children, fretting about Gabriel. At least if they were together, he’d have to talk.

  ‘Not on your own, you won’t,’ she said. ‘It will be dark soon and the weather looks as though it’s on the turn.’

  The louring clouds were looking heavy and ominous.

  ‘Sit there for five minutes, have something to eat and a cup of tea, and I’ll organise a babysitter and come and help you.’

  ‘But—’ said Gabriel.

  ‘But nothing,’ said Marianne.

  Ten minutes and several stressful phone calls later, she ushered Eve through the door. Gabriel looked surprised, so Marianne said, ‘Your mum wasn’t available, ok? Eve wants to help.’

  ‘Eve!’ the twins looked delighted to see her and threw themselves on her. Marianne was pleased to note the pleasure on Eve’s face, and she loved her children for their lack of discrimination. They loved Eve for who and what she was. Maybe grown ups should learn from them.

  ‘Right, Gabe,’ she said, once they were ready and heading down the lane to the field where they kept the sheep, ‘where do you think this missing sheep’s gone then?’