Wedding Cake and Woes

by Agatha Frost

  “Never claimed it.” Flora shrugged. “They kept trying to put me in places. They never wanted to help me, they just wanted to put me away. Timothy, my brother, wanted to put me away. He called me a ‘problem’. They kept sticking labels on me, saying I had ‘this’ and ‘that’. I knew it was all just a way to keep me being ‘Freaky Flora’, so I turned my back on them. I found this place, and I knew nobody lived here. I kept coming back and watching, but no one ever passed by.”

  Julia’s heart broke for Flora. She was sure one of those labels had been ‘kleptomaniac’, but she didn’t want to push Flora over the edge, so she bit her tongue.

  “Did you take the church items?” Julia asked calmly.

  Flora nodded, her eyes dropping to the floor.

  “Why?”

  “They were my biggest treasures,” Flora said, a smile flicking momentarily across her lips. “They spoke to me for years, but I never touched them. I knew they were forbidden. They were the only items I’d ever resisted. It was a way of knowing that I was still okay. I still had control of the feeling. But then William died, and I lost control. When I woke up on the morning of your wedding, I knew I had to have them. They told me to stop resisting.”

  “And Rita caught you.”

  “She thought I was going to sell them!” Flora cried, casting her eyes around her home. “Why would I sell my treasures? They’re worth more than money.”

  Julia joined Flora in looking around. She wanted to see things through her eyes, but it was a difficult task. She wondered if Flora recognised the irony of living in such extreme poverty while also being surrounded by items worth a fortune.

  “Rita blackmailed me,” Flora continued, looking at Julia for the first time since they had ventured into the woods. “She demanded that I sell the stuff I took and give her half the money. When I refused, she said she’d call the police. I didn’t know what to do. I panicked.”

  “So, you tried to poison her?” Julia prompted. “With arsenic?”

  “I took it from a museum,” Flora explained. “Years ago. I didn’t think it was even real. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, so I sprinkled a few bits into her water when she was in the bathroom in the pub. People have never paid me any attention. I move around this village unseen. People always look the other way. It’s made it easy to find my treasures.”

  “A few drops are all it takes,” Julia said with a sigh. “It’s extremely toxic to human beings.”

  “I know that now.” Flora sniffled and wiped her nose. Tears flowed freely down her mucky cheeks. “I didn’t know what to do when Gloria took Rita’s water bottle. That wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. I tried to tell her, but she was getting in the zone for the performance. She batted me away and wouldn’t listen. She kept drinking it for her throat. When nothing happened, I thought it’d been a prop. I thought everything was going to be okay.”

  “But then the coughing started.”

  “I tried to warn her!” Flora sobbed. “She wouldn’t listen. She never listened.”

  “Why did you come to see me?” Julia asked. “If you were behind Gloria’s death, why did you ask me to find the culprit?”

  “Because they said you were the best!” Flora’s eyes looked deep into Julia’s. “They said you’d get to the bottom of it. I thought if you looked, you might find another reason that she died. Or, maybe, you’d figure out what Rita was doing to me, and you’d help. I was confused.”

  Flora paused and inhaled. Rain began falling again, pattering on the plastic sheet covering the hole.

  “Rita must have known it was you who killed Gloria,” Julia said. “What happened next?”

  “She got worse!” Flora cried. “She kept telling me to sell the items or she’d tell everyone what I did. She didn’t even care that Gloria was dead. She thanked me. It was finally her time to take control. When she kicked me out of the choir in front of everyone, it was her way of sending me a message. But I wasn’t going to sell them! I couldn’t. They meant too much.”

  “So, you stabbed Rita?”

  “I didn’t want to.” Flora inhaled deeply. “I went to talk to her. I thought if I explained that they were my treasures, she’d understand I couldn’t sell them. She didn’t understand. She laughed at me. She called me ‘Freaky Flora’ over and over. It was like a chant. We were in the kitchen. I picked up a knife off the counter, and I pointed at her. She soon changed her tune. She backed away with her hands up. Part of me liked seeing her like that. She begged for her life, but I knew I’d gone too far. I needed to make it all stop. It was so easy. The knife just went in, and that was it. She dropped to the floor, and I ran.”

  “Not before taking her jewellery,” Julia added softly. “They were Rita’s treasures.”

  “She didn’t deserve them!” Flora spat. “A woman like that doesn’t deserve any nice things. I’d always known those pearls belonged to me, I’d just never had the opportunity before.”

  Julia reached into her handbag and pulled out the pearls in their handkerchief. Flora’s eyes lit up.

  “Why did you give them to Skye if they meant that much to you?”

  “Skye was nice to me.” Flora smiled again. “I kept my distance because I knew her father had infected my name, but when it mattered, she was nice to me. She let me back into the choir. I shared them with her because I knew she’d treasure them as much as I did.”

  Julia put the pearls away. She didn’t have the heart to tell Flora that Skye thought they were a cheap piece of costume jewellery.

  “And Father David?” Julia prompted. “Why did you frame him?”

  “I wanted all of this to go away,” Flora muttered, her eyes drifting down to her lap. “I thought killing Rita would make things stop, but I could feel the police closing in. I’m ashamed of what I did to him. I overheard him talking on the phone about owing money weeks ago. I knew I needed to give back the church treasures. They’d caused so much trouble. I didn’t want them anymore. I knew I should never have taken them, so I returned them.”

  “With the arsenic, and a letter pushing the police to search his vestry.”

  “I told you, I’m ashamed of that.” Flora wiped away more tears. “Father David is a good man. He was kind to me, but I did what I had to do. I regretted it the second I heard he’d been arrested, but it was too late. That’s why I was returning your rings to you. You’d been so kind to me, so I knew they didn’t belong to me. I wanted to do something right.”

  Julia was grateful to have her rings back, but she didn’t like what had to come next. They sat in a comfortable silence as the minutes passed by. As Flora rocked back and forth in her chair, Julia hoped she was coming to terms with the consequences of her actions.

  “You know you have to tell the truth to the police?” Julia explained gently, breaking the silence. “You need to tell them what you just told me, or Father David will suffer for what you did. They’ve already charged him, and that’s not fair, is it?”

  Flora shook her head.

  “What’s going to happen to me?” Flora asked in the timid voice of a child.

  “I don’t know,” Julia admitted. “I honestly don’t know, but I hope they give you the help you need.”

  They sat in silence again until the rain finally stopped. When it did, the clouds cleared, and the bright sun broke through the trees. It shone down on Flora through the gap in the roof. She leaned back in her chair and tilted her face up to the sunlight, a smile on her face. Julia let her sit there until the sun hid again. When it did, she stood up and walked over to the door. She opened it and waited for Flora to follow.

  “I think I might have a problem,” Flora mumbled faintly as she climbed off the rocking chair. “Gloria was right. She was always right. She’d think this whole thing was so silly.” Flora shuffled to the door and looked up at Julia. “Will you come with me?”

  “Of course.”

  Flora reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver locket. Julia grabbed at her neck and realised the lo
cket Jessie had given her to celebrate a year of being together wasn’t around her neck. She cast her mind back, but she couldn’t remember when she had last worn it; things had been so hectic.

  “I found it down the side of your chair.” Flora explained as she dropped the locket into Julia’s hand. “All the best treasures are down there, you just need to remember to look.”

  Julia accepted the locket and fastened it back around her neck. They climbed back up the muddy slope and set off through Haworth Forest. They walked in silence towards Flora’s fate. Julia had no idea what Flora was thinking about, but Julia was praying that the powers in charge of Flora’s fate treated her with some compassion.

  15

  Christmas Day

  For the first time in her life, Julia spent Christmas morning at church. She sat at the back of the congregation and joined in with the hymns she knew. It was a cathartic and blissful experience, and by the end of the service, she was glad she had attended. She was also glad to be in attendance for Father David’s return as official vicar of St. Peter’s Church.

  As people filed out of the church in an orderly line, Julia joined Father David at the front, where he was busy gathering his papers.

  “Merry Christmas, Father.”

  “And Merry Christmas to you, Julia!” He beamed from the pulpit. “I can’t tell you how happy I was to look out and see your face. I owe you my life.”

  “I did what anyone would have done.”

  “I’m not so sure.” His smile softened, and his eyes drifted away. “But thank God you saw the light. Thank God, indeed.”

  “Did you enjoy your break?”

  “I did!” Father David clapped his hands together. “After my official pardon and the apology from the police, some rest and recuperation were exactly what I needed! The Church was kind enough to allow me some time off, and I heard Father James did a splendid job in my absence. I spent a jubilant month on a beach in Lanzarote! I never thought I’d enjoy such a trip, but do you know what I realised while I was locked up for those few days? I realised I’d never had a holiday at the beach! I’d always go to cities, or to stays with friends in Wales. Contemplating a future behind bars made me re-evaluate life. I vowed to God that if I were given a second chance at freedom, I wouldn’t waste a second of it.”

  “It sounds like you had a great time.”

  “I’m glad to be back!” he announced. “Back in my home and back in my church. And what better day to return than on the day of Jesus’ birth? A day of hope, renewal, and fresh beginnings. You can almost taste it in the air, can’t you?”

  “I can.” Julia smiled, affected by Father David’s new zest for life. “Have you heard anything about Flora?”

  “Ah, poor Flora.” He pulled off his glasses and rubbed them on the edge of his robe. “I must admit, it pains me to know she’s taken my place. I’ve been allowed to visit her numerous times, and she seems to be in high spirits!”

  “Do you know what’s going to happen to her?”

  “They’re evaluating her as we speak,” he said as he perched his glasses back on his nose. “I pray the judge sends her to a hospital instead of a prison. It’s her only chance of salvation from her demons. I spoke to her lawyer, and he’s hopeful the result will swing her way. I’ve volunteered to be a character witness to show that I’ve forgiven her transgressions.”

  “I’m praying too,” Julia admitted, a little sheepishly. “I don’t know who to. God, an energy, the clouds. I feel like I need to do something.”

  “And I’m sure whoever you’re praying to is receiving loud and clear.” He offered her a warming smile. “Have faith, my dear. You’re a good woman. In fact, you’re so good, you’ve been stood in front of me for five minutes, and you’ve yet to ask me why I owed so much money.”

  “I wasn’t going to.”

  “Then you’re the only person in the village who won’t.” He chuckled before inhaling. “But I feel I must be honest. I have a younger brother, Harold. Like Flora, Harold has had a troubled life. I’ve tried to bring him into the light many times, but my help always falls on deaf ears. Still, I keep trying, as God would want me to. Harold fell into online gambling a while back, and it’s been getting worse and worse every year. He wrote me a gut-wrenching letter begging for my help. I knew it wouldn’t fix the problem, but I couldn’t turn away when my flesh and blood was crying out. I called the company he owed the money to, and I paid it off using my savings. I’m not a rich man, but I’m frugal, so I had a nice nest egg. I’m afraid that after paying his debt and taking my month-long holiday I don’t have much left, but I’m at peace with that. I have air in my lungs, and I’m able to walk around as a free man. Not everyone can say that.”

  “It’s really good to have you back, Father.”

  “It’s good to be back!” He looked around the church and grinned. “I have a feeling everything is going to be all right. Are you still wanting to do that thing you asked of me?”

  “Only if you can.”

  “Everything is in place.” He gathered his things and set off towards the vestry. “I think it’s about time, don’t you? See you at two!”

  Julia left the church and returned to Dot’s cottage, where the entire family were gathered for Christmas lunch.

  “There you are!” Dot cried, oven gloves covering her hands. “I was about to send out a search party. You said you were going for some fresh air. Where did you go? To the Himalayas and back?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, you’re just in time,” Julia’s father called from the kitchen. “Turkey’s almost done!”

  “Ugh, I’m starving,” Jessie wailed.

  “You haven’t stopped eating all day,” Barker reminded her, prodding her in the stomach. “I didn’t even get a look in on that box of chocolates.”

  “It’s Christmas!” she cried. “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

  “At least share, sis.” Alfie swiped at the box of chocolates cradled on Jessie’s lap. “You’ve eaten all the good ones!”

  Julia collapsed on the sofa next to Barker and snuggled into his side. She gave him a thumbs up to let him know the plan was still going ahead. He kissed the top of her head, and they turned to the TV and watched a re-run of a classic Christmas episode of The Royle Family.

  When Brian announced that lunch was served, they all crammed around Dot’s tiny dining room table. Sue and Neil’s twins, Pearl and Dottie, who had been born on this very day one whole year ago, had birthday hats and badges on, but everyone else wore Christmas hats and knitted jumpers except for Julia, who wore a simple, white, comfortable dress.

  They stuffed themselves with the delicious Christmas dinner Dot and Brian had spent the whole morning arguing over. When they were finished, Dot immediately brought out the giant Christmas pudding Julia had made. She placed it in the middle of the table and poured a whole pan of boiling hot brandy on top. Before Julia could say anything, Dot lit the pudding with a match, and a giant fireball flew up from the cake, lighting the hanging decorations on fire.

  “Two to three tablespoons, Gran!” Julia cried as she wafted the smoke.

  “Well, I didn’t know!” Dot cried, shaking the pan in the air as she stormed off into the kitchen. “Maybe you should have written it down some—oh, you did! My mistake, dear!

  The flaming Christmas pudding burned like a campfire in the middle of the table. Julia should have been disappointed that her creation had been ruined, but it was just another Dot moment to add to the memory bank for later laughter.

  As they tucked into mince pies instead, the front door opened, bringing in a gust of cold air.

  “Ho, ho, ho!” Percy announced, walking into the dining room dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, complete with a giant sack. “Merry Christmas, one and all!”

  Pearl and Dottie’s faces lit up at Santa’s arrival, but Vinnie threw his head back and wailed. Katie bounced him up and down on her knee while Percy laughed and rubbed his fake belly.

>   “I come bearing gifts!” He shook the red sack. “Take one and pass it along. They’re all the same, so don’t be picky.”

  Julia took the sack first and passed it down to Barker. She waited until they all had a matching oblong, wrapped box before ripping back the paper.

  “A VHS of my famous performance at the Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre!” he announced. “Recorded in 1987!”

  “Percy,” Julia said as she turned the outdated videotape over in her hands. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “How do we even play this?” Jessie whispered to Barker.

  “We don’t,” Barker whispered back. “Just say thank you and never bring it up again.”

  “Thanks.” Jessie waved it over her head. “Love it.”

  “No-ho-ho-ho problem, young one!” Percy patted his stomach, chuckling at his own joke. “Where’s my Dorothy at?”

  “Hanging her head in shame for turning the Christmas pudding into a meteor,” Julia said, leaning on her chair to investigate the kitchen. “Gran? Percy’s here?”

  “Percy?” Dot hurried out of the kitchen, a smile on her face. “Oh, you made it!”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, my dear.” Percy leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “You look divine. Christmas suits you.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Dot pulled at her jumper. “I knitted it myself.”

  “Liar!” Jessie coughed under her breath. “You couldn’t knit a sock for a cat.”

  “Well, I thought about knitting it,” Dot said with pursed lips, “but I realised my time was better spent giving to charity.”

  “When have you ever given to charity?” Barker asked.

  “You’re all here, aren’t you?” Dot fired back with an icy glare. “Eating my food under my roof. Yes, I thought so.”

  “Well, either way, you look as beautiful as always.” Percy gave her another kiss on the cheek. “Are you ready for your Christmas gift, Dorothy?”