Chapter Fourteen
'If I'd known they were arriving early this morning I would have made sure I had been here,' Mia said when Ella informed her of Cathy and Christy's arrival, not more than fifteen minutes after Cathy had left.
'I tried to call you, but Jet said you'd already left. Did you walk here? It's freezing out there. Why didn't Jet give you a lift?'
Mia grinned. 'You're right. It is freezing. I don't suppose there's any coffee, is there?'
'I'll make some fresh,' Gill offered.
'To answer your other questions,' Mia continued, pulling out a kitchen chair and sitting at the table. 'Jet offered to bring me, obviously, but I wanted to walk. Even though it's bitterly cold, it's such a lovely morning. The snow was so crisp, pristine and sparkly, and it was unbelievably peaceful this morning. I simply wanted to take it all in. The foxes' footprints across the fields. Plump robins feasting on holly berries. The seagulls soaring across the sky which was almost ice blue, with merely a puff or two of fluffy white clouds. It was beautiful.'
Ella gave her an odd look. 'Meanwhile, back on planet Earth.' She grinned. 'Cathy didn't want to use a credit card, which is probably just as well because I don't think you have the facility to take them, do you?'
Mia shook her head. 'That didn't even occur to me. The Hardmans paid their money directly to my bank.'
'Nor me. Anyway, she wanted to pay cash. Which she did. And she also paid another one hundred pounds for extras.'
'Extras? What extras?'
Ella laughed. 'That's exactly what I said. Apparently, when people rent holiday cottages they pay for things like electricity, gas, and breakages at the end of their stay. I gave her the key, and Gill, who was half naked at the time...' She rolled her eyes. '... Don't ask. Anyway, Gill explained how the Aga and the heating worked. He also reminded her that there was no TV and no mobile reception, but that there was a landline and also reasonable broadband. She seemed pretty happy. And I think she really liked the decorations. She said both she and her friend were astonished that we'd put them up. You see. I told you they'd like the snowmen and the candy canes.'
Mia grinned. 'Are you sure that's what she meant by “astonished”? Thanks for explaining all that, Gill. I'll pop in and say hello later this morning, once they've settled in. At least, if we do get the blizzard predicted for today, they won't have to worry about getting to the shops. The welcome pack of food we left should cover the essentials for a day or two.'
Gill handed Mia a cup of coffee. 'I reminded her that the shops were a good fifteen miles away, and explained about the welcome pack, but she said they'd brought quite a few things with them. Although she needs to get all the food for Christmas dinner, and stuff like that. I also told her about Lake's Bakes, and that she could get milk, butter, eggs and cheese from Little Pond Farm.'
'Well, I don't think I need to do anything then, do I? Other than say hello and give her Jet's landline number in case of emergencies. And I'll mention the charity carol evening, too, in case they want to come along to that. How old were the kids?'
Ella shrugged. 'No idea. They were in the car with her friend.'
'Didn't you go out and say hello?'
Ella raised her brows. 'Are you mad? It's bloody freezing out there? I'm not setting foot outside this cottage today. Not for anything or anyone. Besides, we need to do some packing today because you know what this means, don't you?'
Mia beamed at her and nodded. 'Yep. It means I'm moving in with Jet.'
'We're moving in with Jet,' Ella corrected. 'And it's only for the holidays, don't forget.'
Mia let her shoulders slump dramatically before grinning broadly and sitting up straight. 'Unless I continue renting out Corner Cottage, and you continue making mistakes and double booking.' She winked at Ella and grinned at Gill. 'Or do you think that might be pushing my luck?'
Ella took the coffee Gill handed her and gave a little frown. 'Do you want to push your luck? Are you saying you would actually like to move in with him? Are you ready for that? And more importantly, do you honestly think he's ready for that? This is the man who, only a few months ago, swore he would never ask any woman to move in with him. Although that was before he realised he was madly in love with you, of course. But even so, that's one hell of a step, Mia.'
Mia shrugged. 'I know it is. And to be completely honest, I don't know if either of us is really ready for such a major step. But the thing is, we haven't spent one night apart since Halloween. Either he's here, or I'm at his place, so we are almost as good as living together now. And I really loved the supper party and decorating the house for Christmas. It simply felt so right. I'm joking though. I wouldn't really try to trick him into letting me stay.'
'Letting us stay, you mean.' Ella nudged her arm. 'You keep forgetting me and Gill.'
'How could I possibly do that?' Mia pulled a face and laughed.
Gill sat at the table and cradled his coffee, a serious expression on his face. 'I think you need to see how these two weeks go before you make any long-term plans. Christmas can be hell for relationships.'
Mia and Ella looked at one another, then glared at him.
'Thanks for that, Gill,' Ella said. 'Nothing like a positive outlook to make the festive season bright.' She shook her head and sipped her coffee.
'And on that cheerful note,' Mia added, letting out a little sigh. 'I'd better phone Jet and give him the good news.'
Chapter Fifteen
In spite of the bitter cold, or possibly because of it, it didn't take more than a few hours to move Mia, Ella and Gill's belongings to Little Pond Farm. Jet said it needed to be done that day and during daylight hours because Thursday was rugby practice and in any event Mia and Ella together with Hettie, wanted to spend all day Thursday preparing Sunbeam Cottage for the Hardman's arrival. That meant Mia, Ella and Gill only had Wednesday morning in which to pack, but Lori came over and helped, so even that didn't take as long as Mia had expected.
'Don't forget the rowing machine in the dining room,' Mia reminded them as Jet, Gill and Franklin carried the last of the boxes to Jet's battered old Land Rover and the spacious trailer attached. It was just as well he had those, because none of their belongings would fit into his new car and they would never be able to hire a van at such short notice. Even if they had used Mia's car and Gill's and Franklin's, it would've taken far, far longer.
Jet rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'Have you ever used that thing?'
'Yes,' Mia said, indignantly. 'I just can't remember when.'
'Then it's going in the cellar.'
'Fine.'
The truth was, Mia had always meant to use it, but somehow she just didn't seem to get around to it. It was a bit like two years ago when she had paid a fortune for gym membership, but never went to the gym. Last year she had bought the rowing machine to save herself the expensive fee, and the hassle of going out in the cold to get to the gym. But since she had been in Little Pondale, she got quite enough exercise without it. Swimming, running, kite flying and all the other activities she, Ella and Lori had participated in – not to mention all the sex the three of them had had this year – helped to keep them all in better shape than they had ever been in London.
Or perhaps, in Mia and Ella's case, it was because they were eating far more healthily these days. Garrick and Lori had cooked for them, save for the few weeks after Garrick left, when Lori moved in with Franklin, and they reverted to their old ways of cooking frozen pizza or various ding dinners before Gill arrived in October. They hadn't had a ready meal or frozen pizza since.
And that had been on Mia's mind rather more than usual recently. She had never really learnt to cook and nor had Ella. When Mia had lived at home, Lori had cooked every meal. Lori hated messy kitchens and the moment Mia stepped into one, more often than not, it would look as if a troop of monkeys had tried to prepare a meal. Living in her bijou, rented flat in London meant the kitchen was tiny, and it was far easier to eat out. Once, she had tried to cook a four-cour
se meal to impress a particular boyfriend, but three courses were inedible and even the salad starter was limp.
It had already been decided that Gill would be cooking Christmas dinner, but Mia had started wondering if, perhaps, it was time to work on her kitchen skills. Wouldn't it be wonderful to place the golden bronzed, basted turkey in front of Jet to carve, and to be able to say that she had prepared it with her own hands? Well, that she had put it in the oven, set the correct temperature, and cooked it for the required amount of time to ensure it sliced to perfection and melted in the mouth.
But she didn't have time to worry about that right now. She needed to get her things to Jet's and get them all unpacked.
'Is there any chance we could drop in at Corner Cottage before we head to yours?' she asked, as Jet and Gill carried the rowing machine to the trailer. 'I wanted to say hello to Cathy and her friend and to give her your landline number in case of emergencies. Is that okay?'
Jet shoved the rowing machine in place and tied sturdy straps around it to make sure it didn't fall off. 'No problem. Do you want me to come too?'
'I think it might be nice if you just said hello.'
'We could all say hello,' Lori said. 'Show them some friendly faces and let them know who's who, and what's what.'
Mia grinned at her. 'Rather than let Hettie tell them, you mean?'
Lori shrugged. 'It did cross my mind.'
Less than five minutes later, Mia rang the bell at Corner Cottage.
After an anxious sounding, 'Who is it?' from a female voice within, the door was opened by a woman who looked a similar age to Mia, with long, shiny hair the colour of melted toffee, pale skin drawn tightly over high cheekbones and possibly the palest blue eyes Mia had ever seen, but currently filled with concern.
'Hello,' Mia said. 'I'm Mia and this is my boyfriend Jet, my mum, Lori and her partner, Franklin. Ella and Gill you've already met. Sorry to disturb you but we just wanted to introduce ourselves and I wanted to give you a new contact number in case you need anything, or in the event of an emergency. We're going to be staying at Little Pond Farm from today, and another party will be renting Sunbeam Cottage.'
'Oh, hi. I'm Cathy. Pleased to meet you all. Thanks for this,' she said, as everyone welcomed her, and Mia handed her a sheet of paper.
'It gives you the new phone number, my email address and the address of Little Pond Farm, together with directions of how to get there. I believe Gill's already told you that the farm sells milk, butter, eggs and cheese, and take it from me, you've never tasted cheese like it.'
'She means it's good, I hope,' Jet said, smiling.
'You know I do. That's why I love you. It's for your cheese.'
'Oh? Not my abundance of charm, my wonderful sense of humour, good looks and fabulous personality then?' He raised an eyebrow in mock indignation.
'Those too.' Mia grinned at him before turning her attention back to Cathy. 'Ella's very kindly drawn you a little map of the village, showing Lake's Bakes, where you'll get the most delicious bread, cakes and other baked delights. That's Rupert's cottage,' she said, pointing at the map. 'He's the local vet but he's also a first responder slash paramedic, so he's the man to go to if you have an accident. Which I'm sure you won't, but it's good to know he's there. We all call him Bear. The vicar's cottage is marked with the word 'vicarage' beside it. His name's Glen and he's fairly new to the village. This is his third week, I believe. There are arrows pointing to the top of the church steeple and also to the top of Frog Hill. They're the only places for mobile reception, but there's broadband, so you can keep in touch via email and although there's no TV, you can stream stuff if you've got suitable devices. And finally, it shows The Frog and Lily. Ella's helpfully written the word, 'pub' beside that, in case you're in any doubt.' She threw Ella a grin. 'I think that's everything you need to know, but please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I hope you're settling in and that you have a lovely stay.'
Cathy scanned the sheet of paper and smiled. 'Thanks again. I think this covers everything. The cottage is beautiful and so is the village. It's exactly what we hoped it would be. I'm sure we're going to have a wonderful time. I apologise for arriving early this morning but we wanted to get here before the blizzard they forecast. Not that's it's arrived.'
'No need to apologise. We're usually early risers. Well. We'd better leave you to it.'
'What about the carol evening?' Lori asked. 'Weren't you going to mention that, darling?'
'Oh yes. Thanks, Mum. I don't know if you and your friend are interested but on Saturday night the choir and some others from the village will be going to every house, singing carols for charity. There's a buffet in the pub afterwards. Most people will be there and you're welcome to come along and join us. Don't feel you have to though, if you'd rather not, but you'll find this is a very friendly, welcoming place. Ella, Mum and I only moved here this spring, and we already feel like locals. So does Gill, and he only arrived in October.'
'That sounds great,' Cathy said. 'I'll mention it to Christy. Sorry. She's giving the kids a bath at the moment. The minute they saw this cottage backs onto a beach, they were on the sand, even though most of it's still got a cover of snow. Needless to say, they got very cold and wet. But they loved it, and that's all that matters.'
Mia was certain she saw sadness in Cathy's eyes, even though the woman was laughing.
'Children do love to play on a beach,' Lori said. 'How old are they?'
'My daughter, Daisy is six and Dylan, Christy's daughter is four.'
'Do they still believe in Father Christmas?' Gill asked, and Ella gave him a very odd look.
Cathy stiffened visibly. 'Dylan does. Daisy was told by … someone recently that he didn't exist, but Christy and I have told her that he does exist, if a person wants him to. If that makes sense.'
'It makes perfect sense,' Mia said, beaming. 'I believe in him and so does Ella.' She winked. 'And perhaps I shouldn't say this, because it's not definite yet, but we may be getting some genuine reindeer for Little Pond Farm, for Christmas. And possibly a sleigh. We'll let you know how it goes.'
'Reindeer? And a sleigh? Wow. The kids would love that.'
The sun suddenly disappeared behind a bank of clouds and large, white flakes fell from the sky.
'And here comes the snow again,' Ella said, her excitement evident for all to see as she held out her hands to catch the massive snowflakes.
'We'd better get going,' Jet said, as a gust of wind sent the snowflakes spiralling. 'I think that blizzard may be on the way. Don't forget where we are if you need anything.'
They all hurriedly said goodbye and dashed towards their vehicles, but Lori grabbed Mia's hand and pulled her close as Cathy closed the front door.
'I may be wrong, darling,' she whispered. 'And anything could have caused it, but unless I am very much mistaken, Cathy had the remnants of what was once a black eye. And did you see how anxious she looked?'
'A black eye? I didn't see that, but she did look a little worried, I agree with you on that score. And extremely pale. Although if you're right about the eye, perhaps that was make-up. God, Mum. Are you saying you think she may have been the victim of some sort of domestic abuse? I'm sure Ella told me that Cathy said there had been some big changes at her home recently. Perhaps she's left her husband.'
Lori shrugged. 'I may be jumping to conclusions, but I've seen that look before.'
Chapter Sixteen
The forecasted blizzard arrived. Mia and the others had just enough time to get everything inside the farmhouse before it set in with a vengeance. The wind was verging on gale force and outside, the candy canes and Norway Spruce bent at precarious angles and myriad lights swayed wildly to and fro. The snow was so heavy that Mia could not see as far as the wooden gate halfway down the drive, and the Georgian windows rattled and moaned against the onslaught. Little M lay curled up in her bed beside the fire but every now and then she raised her head and barked, her large brown eyes darting towards
Mia as if the dog was saying, 'I'm okay if you're okay, but if you move, I'm outta here.'
'I've never seen snow like this,' Mia said, huddled between Ella and Lori on one of two large sofas in the sitting room, this one facing towards the double set of front windows, with the fireplace to her right.
A roaring fire crackled beneath the evergreen-covered marble mantelpiece, as wind whistled down the chimney, making the flames dance and sputter in the hearth.
'Neither have I,' said Lori, cradling a mug of steaming hot chocolate. 'It was kind of Jet to suggest we stay here until this storm abates. I know our farm cottage is less than a mile away, but I'm not sure we would find it in this weather.'
'I hope the snowmen and reindeer don't get blown off the roofs of the cottages,' said Ella. 'Imagine the damage they could do if they hit someone on the head. Although I suppose it would give the kids in Corner Cottage a bit of a thrill to see flying reindeer, even if Father Christmas was nowhere in sight.' She grinned and blew on her hot chocolate.
'I just hope we don't see flying men,' Mia added. 'Do you think we should go and see if they're all okay?'
Gill and Franklin had remained outside helping Jet and Pete secure the barn doors and anything that might take flight in such strong winds, but they'd been out there for over twenty minutes, and Mia was getting a little worried, especially as it was getting dark. At this time of year it was dark at half past four, but because of the blizzard it seemed to be darker even earlier today.
'Perhaps we should,' Ella agreed, but no one made a move.
'I'm sure they're fine,' Lori said, the wind howling so loud that it almost made Mia jump.
Christmas on Lily Pond Lane: A fabulously festive, heartwarming romance (a standalone in the Lily Pond Lane series) Page 8
