He hoped what went well? The festival? Her life?
A moment later, he was gone, leaving Ellie with a queue of customers to serve. How could she keep working after that? But she had no choice and stumbled through the next twenty minutes on auto-pilot while her mind seethed with emotion. Had he recognised her or had she been reading too much into that final brief look they’d exchanged? Had she changed too much from the naïve young student he’d known so intimately?
She couldn’t help imagining what might have ensued if he’d introduced her to his wife … introduced her honestly.
‘This is Ellie, one of my old students …’
‘This is Ellie, who I said I’d leave you for. I told her I loved her and she fell for it, the gullible, silly girl.’
‘This is Ellie, who I told it was “for the best” and “a brave decision” when she told me she was quitting her course to go travelling.’
Mercifully, they ran out of food and drinks as the festival wound down and her colleague suggested they call it a day. By now, she was desperate to get off the boat and go somewhere she could be on her own and take a breath. Julian should have been consigned to the past but she’d vastly underestimated his power to turn her world upside down.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Wow, talk about being thrown in at the deep end. Scarlett was floundering as people drifted past the stall with no more than a cursory glance or lingered at a safe distance in case they were pounced on. It was funny to see them deciding whether to approach, or the kids dragging reluctant parents up to the food. Jude had a large family-friendly poster by the stall, entitled ‘Can I really eat this?’
He was bolder than her, engaging the families in conversation but soon Scarlett grew more confident too; offering samples to the waverers was an easy way to lure them to the stall itself.
Slowly, she began to relax into her role and enjoy the atmosphere. Strains of music drifted in along with the misty tendrils, and soon were joined by the town band playing carols. Kids shrieked and danced around, whipped up by the sight of so many weird and wonderful costumes. The smells were to die for. The fruity richness of Jude’s figgy pudding and cherry brandy competed with the scent of hot chestnuts and the tang of the pie van opposite.
A woman in a studded leather jacket adorned with metal logos and badges passed the stall. She was trying to restrain a Rottweiler whose claws clattered as he strained to reach the stall.
‘He-el, Sacha!’ she boomed. ‘Keep away from the puddings!’
Scarlett giggled as the dog almost snaffled one of the samples.
‘No, Sacha. How many times do I have to tell you that human food is bad for your delicate tummy? But these silly people will keep leaving it lying around.’
‘Who’s that?’ she asked Jude once the woman was out of earshot.
‘Bryony Cronk.’ Jude rolled his eyes. ‘She owns the local dog-grooming parlour and emporium.’
Scarlett giggled. ‘Emporium? This place is priceless.’
‘Haven’t you realised yet that we’re all barking mad?’ Jude’s eyes twinkled behind his mask. Scarlett almost melted in a puddle of drool. It was impossible not to fancy the breeches off him.
They attracted more and more visitors, who asked about the books and courses, chatted to Jude and tried the samples. Scarlett was alarmed to find that people assumed she was an expert too, so she did her best to answer the questions that she could, realising she’d picked up more snippets than she’d expected while out on Jude’s foraging trips, reading various books or helping him in the kitchen. However, she had to refer anything tricky – ‘Can I eat the funny mushroom I found in my garden’ – to him. She’d caused enough mayhem for one year, she thought wryly. You really had to be an expert to tell your chanterelle from your destroying angel or funeral bell, even if the names were a bit of a giveaway.
‘It’s great to see Porthmellow packed on a winter’s night. We’ve already sold more books than I expected.’ Jude’s voice held quiet pride.
Scarlett replenished the pile of softbacks on the stall. ‘They’re keen on the free food samples too.’
He laughed. ‘People are always up for free stuff. I’ve taken a booking for a foraging course and sold a couple of vouchers, but we could do even better.’ He cast her another lingering look. ‘Thanks for doing this.’
‘I don’t mind. I’m enjoying it so far.’
A few moments later, their attention, and that of the people milling around the stall and nearby, was claimed by the arrival of the Christmas lantern parade.
The parade was led by the town band playing what Jude explained were old Cornish Christmas carols. The younger children were carried or held their parents’ hands while the older ones jigged up and down, carefully clutching their lanterns with the tea lights flickering inside.
‘Oh, look, it’s Rita the Octopus!’ Scarlett burst out as the giant sea creature passed by, supported by several people.
‘Do you recognise your lantern?’ Jude asked her.
‘Not sure yet … I gave it to Ruby.’ Scarlett scanned the line of kids and parents for her ‘star’. ‘Oh, hang on. Yes! There they are.’
Ruby was in her buggy being pushed by Chloe while Hannah held the lanterns that Chloe and Scarlett had made.
‘There’s Mum,’ she said, spotting Anna with her lantern, alongside a couple of people from the art class.
A few minutes after the lantern parade had passed by, the carols drifted away to be replaced by less familiar sounds. Through the fog came the deep boom of a drum, overlaid by high-pitched sounds of a fiddle, a tin whistle and a wail that reminded Scarlett of bagpipes.
The noise grew louder and soon the eerie music filled the air.
Bellows and roars echoed across the street and there was an acrid smell of smoke on the night air. Bells tinkled and the roaring grew louder. Fathers hoisted their kids onto their shoulders while others craned their heads to try and see where the mysterious sounds were coming from. People moved aside to clear a path as the parade came into view, heralded by jugglers swinging balls of fire and licking flames from sticks of fire.
Sparks flew into the air and parents grasped their children’s hands tighter.
People adorned in festive greenery, papier-mâché masks, top hats, tatters and motley strolled by, playing instruments and waving at the crowds. Shrieks rang out as a fantastical beast decorated with holly and fir branches stopped in the cleared space opposite the stall. Tongues of fire shot from its side, accompanied by bellows and roars. Most of its minders had pints in their hands and seemed to be getting into the traditional and pagan festivities with a vengeance.
The creature was followed by members of the various groups of revellers from pubs and trade associations, known as ‘guises’, all in their solstice outfits. Jude pointed out a couple of people but admitted even he didn’t recognise most of them.
‘Well,’ Scarlett said, raising her voice to make herself heard above the din. ‘You certainly don’t see this every day in the Bullring in Brum.’
Jude laughed. ‘I bet.’ He eyed her costume, a long lingering look that made her tingle all over. ‘You’re definitely part of Porthmellow now.’
After ten minutes or so, the parade had passed by and Fiona Penberth turned up at the stall. On the brief occasions that Scarlett had met Fiona, she’d seemed tense and embarrassed by her husband’s comments. Without him around, she was definitely more relaxed, joking with Jude as he signed his books.
Jude left to do a short wild-food cookery demo in the food marquee, so Fiona helped Scarlett hand out the samples and answer questions. With her son out of earshot, Fiona seemed happy to chat away about him.
‘It’s great to see him so relaxed about the whole thing these days, compared to how nervous he was when he had to do a cookery demo at the summer food festival a few years ago, now he’s a pro. Stepping into the spotlight doesn’t come naturally, but I think he comes across well when he’s talking to people about his love of nature.’
>
Scarlett smiled to herself. Jude’s mum was obviously very proud of him. She was sure his dad was too, but there was so much unspoken tension between father and son that Scarlett found it very uncomfortable to be in Hayden’s presence. Jude clearly took after Fiona more than Hayden, in personality if not in looks.
When there was a brief lull in the queue of customers, Fiona lowered her voice.
‘He’s had some tough times lately, so it’s great to see him happy again,’ Fiona said. ‘I don’t expect he’s told you about his fiancée, has he?’
The word hit Scarlett like a punch in the chest. At first, Scarlett thought she’d misheard.
‘F-fiancée? I’d no idea …’
She faltered, desperately trying not to sound as shocked as she was. Jude had a fiancée? He had been engaged all along, which must be why he hadn’t seemed interested in taking the relationship further.
Fiona rolled her eyes. ‘Typical of our Jude. He likes to keep everything to himself. Actually, not too many people know about the situation – the real situation – which is amazing for Porthmellow.’
‘He’s never said anything to me.’ It was a miracle she got the words out at all, her throat was constricted with shock.
‘It happened a couple of years ago. He and a woman from the college where he lectures were mad about each other, or so it seemed. They planned to get married and she was about to move into the cottage with him, then she changed her mind. She said she was “suffocating” down here in Porthmellow and that she’d accepted a job in London.’
‘So they’re not engaged now?’
‘Oh no. Not now.’
Scarlett let out a huge inner sigh of relief. The fiancée was an ex … yet still, she wished she’d known about her, before Fiona had dropped the bombshell. ‘I had absolutely no idea. Poor Jude.’ She tried to recover her composure, hoping Fiona hadn’t noticed how stunned she’d been to think he might have been about to marry another woman. Still, she’d suspected a couple of times that Jude was hiding some hurt in his past, just not that it was something as big as a broken engagement.
‘He was very smitten with her,’ Fiona went on. ‘He even offered to move but she was having none of it. She said he’d never be happy in the city – which was right – and then left him. He was devastated, especially after he’d offered to give up the place he loved to be with her.’
‘I can’t imagine Jude in London,’ Scarlett said, astonished that he’d been so much in love he’d offered to make such a drastic move.
‘Nor me, but he felt that strongly about her. It knocked him for six, I can tell you, but there was worse. Last year, not long before Christmas, he heard that she was engaged to someone else. It wasn’t a happy festive season, I can tell you. We usually go to my sister’s house and have a big family do together. Jude decided he couldn’t face it – not with some of his loved-up cousins about – and told us he’d volunteered for the Lunch for the Lonely at the pub.’
Scarlett hoped Fiona wouldn’t notice her cheeks reddening at the memory of that day, but Fiona blundered on anyway. ‘That was where you met Jude for the first time, wasn’t it?’ she asked, with a smile.
‘Um. Yes. It wasn’t the best circumstances to meet anyone.’
‘These things are sent to try us, love.’ Fiona patted her arm. ‘I’m sorry to hear about your mum and dad. Jude says they’re going through a bad patch.’
‘You could say that,’ Scarlett murmured, feeling like she’d ridden a rollercoaster of emotions in minutes and was still dizzy from the highs and lows.
‘Don’t worry, I haven’t shared the details with Hayden. He can be a bit insensitive.’ Fiona pursed her lips. ‘And that’s putting it mildly.’
‘Thanks,’ Scarlett said, liking Fiona more by the second, even if she did feel uncomfortable about the reference to her parents’ troubles.
‘Anyway, I probably shouldn’t have said as much as I have, but I wanted you to know that if you ever notice Jude can be a bit down and moody, that might be why. His ex left a deep scar on him. You know how it is. When someone we love and thought we could trust lets us down, these wounds cut much deeper than we think.’ Fiona sounded as if she had first-hand experience of being let down.
‘I do know what you mean. It can be hard to put your trust in someone again,’ Scarlett said, thinking of Rafa, but more tellingly, about her father and mother. It sounded as if Jude’s ex had at least been honest with him, even if it had been a brutal shock.
‘Yes, he took it very hard because he’s a sensitive, deep-feeling lad. Or man, rather.’ Fiona sighed. ‘On the other hand, I do think Jude’s been much happier of late,’ she went on, with a significant lift of an eyebrow. ‘I wonder why that should be?’
‘Probably his business going so well?’ Scarlett shot back. ‘We’ve been very busy tonight.’
Fiona’s eyes glittered with amusement. ‘You could be right, although I don’t think it’s the foraging that’s put such a spring in his step.’
The loudspeaker crackled into life and the announcer started to speak. Scarlett instantly recognised Evie Carman’s rich Cornish burr. ‘Now, my lovers. Do we have a treat for you! If you haven’t visited the food stalls yet, and you’re looking for a Christmas present, why not go along to see Jude Penberth. Porthmellow’s own wild-foods expert is about to do his stuff in the cookery marquee,’ Evie purred. ‘The luscious Jude will be rustling up some tasty seasonal delights from ingredients you can find in your own backyard – all for free!’
People immediately turned around, peering at the stall.
‘We’ll have a queue again soon!’ Scarlett said, struck by Evie’s description of the ‘luscious Jude’. She wondered if Fiona was trying to match-make between her and Jude, not that it would be a hardship to be matched with him, especially in his tricorn and mask. The image sent a delicious shiver through her. Fiona had opened up a whole new side to Jude that Scarlett hadn’t envisaged. If he’d been badly hurt in his previous relationship, she would have to be extra sensitive towards him. He must have felt very raw to decide he couldn’t even face a family party.
Still, it was almost two years since the split, and a year since his ex had announced the engagement, so perhaps there was hope of him being ready for a fresh start again. At least she hadn’t been engaged to Rafa, Scarlett thought, on her way to the festival marquee. If she was honest, she probably hadn’t loved him, not in any deep and lasting sense. He’d been glamorous and fun to hang around with, but she now acknowledged that they’d never shared the same values or been destined for a long-term future.
Jude had helped her realise that and regain her old spark to an extent.
A while later, she saw him making his way back to the stall, exchanging a smile or a ‘hello’ with locals on the way. He looked absolutely gorgeous but, more importantly, at ease and happy in his beloved Porthmellow. Perhaps Fiona was right: he was now over his broken heart. There was nothing to stop them from getting together … a fuzzy feeling in her stomach reminded her of just how much she’d love that to happen.
However, there was no chance to talk because a dozen people had gathered around the stall. Fiona stayed on, helping Scarlett hand out samples while Jude talked to his fans and signed books. She heard him telling people how to create a nut roast from the chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts he’d gathered over the autumn.
Scarlett’s own mouth watered and she could see the crowd itching to taste the sample pots and cups after seeing the demo.
He poured a ruby liquid into two tumblers. ‘Something I prepared in the spring. Cherry brandy. If you’d like to try some figgy pud or brandy, feel free.’
Soon the queue snaked around the stall and they were swamped with adults wanting the cherry brandy samples.
‘You’ve got them eating out of the palm of your hand, love,’ Fiona told him, when he slipped behind the stall for a quick swig from his water flask.
‘I wish,’ said Jude, obviously embarrassed. Scarlett smiled to herself at
his reaction to his mum’s fulsome praise.
‘Shall I hang around for a little while until the rush has died down?’ Fiona asked.
‘Thanks, Mum.’ Jude kissed her, then mouthed, ‘Thank you’ to Scarlett before launching into the book-signing queue.
The next twenty minutes flew by, and eventually supplies of brandy and books were running low. Hayden texted Fiona and demanded she went back to their catering stand to help him, so she had to leave. Even though they were busy, Scarlett knew they’d have to get fresh stock in the next few minutes and alerted Jude.
‘There’s another box of books in the cupboard under the stairs at my cottage. I didn’t think we’d need this many,’ he said.
‘We’re almost out of brandy too.’
‘You’ll find a few more bottles and more recyclable cups on the worktop. It’s my entire stock.’ He grimaced.
‘Think of the samples as a loss leader. We’re doing so well,’ she said, delighted to see him happy.
‘Yes. Way better than I hoped.’ Jude handed over the key and Scarlett wove her way through the crowds to the cottage.
She opened the cupboard under the stairs and found a bag containing a dozen copies of his book. It was heavier than she’d expected so she went to look for a strong bag that she could fit the bottles in. She recalled seeing an oversized jute carrier in the kitchen and had a quick rummage for it in the walk-in pantry off the kitchen.
As soon as she switched on the light she saw the jute, and went in deeper to retrieve it from the bottom shelf. But she must have dislodged another item at the same time, and there was a thud as the object fell onto the tiles. Scarlett bent down and fished a book from under the shelf.
Not one of Jude’s foraging guides but a much older, smaller book with a title she recognised instantly.
Treasures of the Cornish Seashore.
Her heart pounded. This had to be the book she’d been looking for and Jude said he hadn’t seen – but where was the card?
She looked down at the tiles but could see nothing, so she crouched down and felt under the shelves in the darkest corner of the pantry, and felt a thin piece of card that had obviously slid out of the leaves and across the tiles when she’d dislodged the book.
A Perfect Cornish Christmas Page 20