Coming Home For Christmas

by Julia Williams

  ‘This farm has been in our family for over three generations,’ he had said gruffly, ‘I want my new grandson to be brought up here.’

  Dan still felt touched by the gesture, and by the faith his new father-in-law had shown him. He hoped he could live up to that expectation. At the moment it felt like an awesome responsibility. But equally it was a responsibility and adventure he got to share with Pippa. Pippa who lit up every day of his life. He could never go wrong with her by his side.

  ‘Come on, Dan, we’ve got to get a move on. We still have to get the Christmas tree decorated,’ said Pippa, giving him a dazzling smile. ‘I’m not missing carols in the square for anything.’

  She waddled towards the tree, and started decorating it with tinsel and baubles, and then turned round, aware that Dan was silently laughing at her.

  ‘What?’ she said crossly.

  ‘Nothing. You,’ he said, his heart swellling with love as he went over to kiss her on the head. ‘I was just thinking, even though you look like an uncomfortable duck, I still think you’re the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen in my life.’

  ‘Oh Daniel,’ she said, throwing her arms around him, ‘you do say the nicest things.’

  She leant against him, and he felt her mould into shape with him, as if she fitted there quite naturally. She stretched up to kiss him on the lips.

  ‘I do love you, Dan Holliday,’ she said happily. ‘I just can’t believe we’re here together in our very own home. It’s so perfect.’

  She kissed him again.

  ‘Happy Christmas, Dan,’ she said.

  ‘Happy Christmas,’ Dan echoed, pulling her close to him, and listening to the bells ringing out for Christmas Eve. He didn’t think he’d ever felt more content in his life.

  ‘Never mind, Fairy Tale in New York,’ he said, ‘I’ll settle with Fairy Tale in Hope Christmas.’

  April

  Chapter Ten

  Marianne sat in a small cubicle, close to the nurse’s station, sitting by her father’s bedside listening to his slow rhythmic breathing, and wondered, as she had every day for the last week, whether today would be his last. A week. A whole week of him being like this: comatose, apparently oblivious to the world. And it felt no easier than it had on that first day, when seeing her dad covered in wires and tubes had been a massive shock. Stupid really, but she’d never imagined a world without her father’s reassuring presence. He was so solid and there, it was impossible to think of life without him, and now she was staring the prospect starkly in the face. He lay there, a pale still figure, surrounded by monitors and with tubes attached to him, who bore little resemblance to the man she knew and loved. How could he possibly die?

  It would have been hard enough to deal with this anyway, but Mum had fallen completely apart. She appeared incapable of making decisions, and spent most of her time sitting beside Dad sobbing, which wasn’t, Marianne felt, the most helpful reaction. Initially she’d refused to leave Dad’s side, but as the situation stabilised and it looked as though he was going to pull through, Marianne had persuaded her to go home from time to time, to rest and occasionally eat, while she stayed with Dad alone. Guiltily, she preferred it without Mum. It allowed her to grieve for the father she was losing in her own private way.

  She kept trying to picture Dad as he normally was, bright, funny, full of life, but the image kept eluding her. The days of sitting here, looking at his pale face, listening to his stertorous breathing, day in and day out, were taking their toll. Try as hard as she might, Marianne couldn’t visualise her dad in any other way than this. It was as if the figure on the bed had obliterated a whole lifetime of memories, and it made her want to weep.

  To make matters worse, she felt terribly alone. Gabriel had to stay at the farm, and look after the twins – she hadn’t wanted them to see Grandpa like this – and her beloved brother Matt was travelling with his husband, Marcus, and they were trying to get a flight back. So it had been her and Mum, and occasionally, Mum’s sister, Auntie Vi, together all week. And Marianne had never felt so lonely.

  Marianne sighed, and held her dad’s hand. Willing him to wake up. She kept up a steady patter about what the twins were up to, filling him in on how Dolly the sheep was getting so big and was causing so much chaos that Marianne had had to fit a stair gate in the kitchen to keep her in.

  ‘You should see her, Dad,’ she said. ‘It’s quite ridiculous, we’ve got a semi grown sheep living in the kitchen. And she’s bonded so well with Patch, I swear she thinks he’s her mum.’

  Marianne knew that would amuse him. Dad had found the whole notion of a sheep in the house hilarious. She hoped he could hear what she was saying, and it was making him feel better, somewhere deep inside.

  The more she talked, the more she missed her family, but it was better they weren’t here, and thanks to Pippa and Jean, who were generously sharing childcare duties to help Gabe out, she didn’t have to worry about what was happening at home.

  ‘You just concentrate on your dad, love,’ said Jean, in a way that made Marianne love her mother-in-law even more than she already did, ‘that’s the important thing. You don’t worry about what’s happening here.’

  Even Eve had chipped in to help, and according to Gabriel, had been amazing. Marianne wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. Every night as she clambered into her childhood bed, in the room in the bland suburban house she’d grown up in, which Mum had scarcely changed since her teenage years, it felt all wrong. More than anything, she wanted to be at home with Gabe and the twins and Steven, and for none of this to have happened.

  But happen it had. She sighed again and squeezed Dad’s hand, desperate for some response.

  ‘I do wish you’d wake up, Dad, even if only for a minute.’

  But there was no reply. Just the laboured sound of his breathing. Marianne felt like weeping, but found she couldn’t. Besides, Mum was doing enough crying for the pair of them. She let go of his hand and got up and stared out of the window at the drab London streets, wondering how long this was going to go on for, wishing everything would be all right.

  The sound of her dad moving in the bed made her turn round to check he was all right.

  ‘Hello, love,’ a familiar and very welcome voice said, and Dad, her lovely dad, opened his eyes a fraction and was smiling at her. ‘What are you doing here?’ were his first words, and his second were, ‘I could murder a cup of tea.’

  ‘So what do you think we should do next?’ said Pippa. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m still really disappointed with the way that public meeting went. I thought more people would show up. And I’m worried how many of those that did seemed in favour of the hotel. Maybe we’re the only ones who are really bothered about it.’

  Pippa was hosting a creche today. Lucy was happily sitting playing with the twins, who were fascinated by the computer she used to communicate with everyone, and Lou Lou was tottering happily between them. Gabe had dropped the twins earlier. He looked exhausted, having taken a fleeting trip down south to see Marianne’s dad, who was slowly improving, but still not out of the woods. Marianne had been away for nearly a fortnight. Gabe was managing, but Pippa could see it was all getting a bit much. At her suggestion, the twins had cut their usual swimming class and were spending the day with Pippa instead. Steven was home for the weekend, and helping Gabriel on the farm, which was also a blessing.

  Cat had come round too, to give Pippa a hand, and also to prevent Lou Lou breaking into Mel’s all important revision time. Mel was apparently inclined to use playing with Lou Lou as an excuse not to study, so Cat felt the best thing was to take Lou Lou out. It was just like the old days having little ones around. Though Pippa had forgotten quite how exhausting it was, trying to have a conversation and entertain the under-fives.

  ‘I think,’ said Cat, picking Lou Lou up as she banged her head for the umpteenth time, ‘we should take the fight to them. I noticed on some of the brochures Noel brought back from work, that they’re
looking for local investors. Could we pose as some interested parties?’

  ‘Isn’t that a bit fraudulent?’ said Pippa.

  ‘That’s a point,’ said Cat. ‘Or we could go along and look, as interested locals. We don’t have to say we’re against the development. I believe they’re having a swanky gathering at one of their hotels which is just outside Shrewsbury. We can go and see what we can find out.’

  ‘It’s an idea,’ said Pippa, rescuing Daisy from where she’d got stuck behind the welsh dresser, in a three-year-old version of hide-and-seek, which seemed to consist of Daisy, Harry and Lou Lou all shutting their eyes and counting to ten (or in Lou Lou’s case saying ‘Two’ very often and very loudly), while Lucy watched them, laughing. ‘So long as we don’t do anything illegal.’

  ‘I wasn’t intending us to,’ laughed Cat. ‘Right time to go I think,’ she added, grabbing Lou Lou before she started investigating the dog’s food bowl.

  ‘I’ll find out more about this open house thing, and let you know,’ said Cat.

  ‘That would be great,’ said Pippa. ‘Thanks for being so positive. I was beginning to lose heart a bit.’

  ‘Don’t,’ said Cat. ‘It was just one meeting, and we do have lots of people on our side: Vera, Albert, Miss Woods, I even saw Batty Jack the other day and he’s very keen to get involved. We can do this, I know we can.’

  Cat was pushing Lou Lou’s buggy down the lane, when she heard a motorbike pull up beside her. It was Michael Nicholas, clad in his customary leathers, and distinctive flaming orange helmet. It was a while since she’d seen him around, Noel had told her he’d been working abroad for his uncle. It was good to see him back in town. As with Ralph, everything always seemed to turn out better when Michael was about.

  ‘I didn’t know you were back,’ she said.

  ‘Uncle Ralph decided to call in reinforcements,’ said Michael. ‘I gather the planning meeting didn’t go well.’

  ‘It was disappointing,’ admitted Cat. ‘Not very many people turned up. And a lot of those that did seemed to think it’s a great idea.’

  ‘Or maybe they were just thinking someone else would sort the problem out,’ said Michael. ‘People can be very apathetic, till they actually realise how things can affect them.’

  ‘Good point,’ said Cat, ‘we’ll have to show them what’s going on, won’t we?’

  ‘I think once people get wind of how big this complex is, they’ll think again. LK Holdings are holding an open house soon. Go and take a look.’

  ‘I had heard,’ said Cat. ‘Pippa and I are both going to try and be there. Just to see what we’re up against. I’m not sure how confident I feel though. I’ve looked into their previous developments, and ninety nine times out of a hundred, they seem to get planning permission.’

  ‘Let’s make this the one in a hundred, then,’ said Michael.

  ‘That sounds easier said than done,’ said Cat.

  ‘Nothing’s impossible, Cat,’ said Michael. ‘Don’t give up the fight too soon.’

  He turned the throttle of his engine, and was about to drive off, when he turned round and said, ‘Oh and by the way, Cat, rumour has it that the CEO of LK Holdings is going to be there. Name of Felix Macintyre. Big in to birds apparently, particularly birds of prey. I don’t know if that’s any help to you.’

  He roared off leaving Cat puzzled. She had no idea what Michael might have meant.

  It was only when she turned into her road and she saw a bird whistle overhead and land in the hedgerow that she got an idea. So Felix Macintyre was into birds. There were plenty of birds nesting in the woods near Blackstock Farm. Slowly a plan started to form in her head …

  Chapter Eleven

  As a well-known artist once put it, I feel like I’m not really here … Since I’ve hit my mid-forties I may as well be an invisible woman. No one tells you this will happen when you’re young. Back then you’re too busy fending off unwelcome attention from men to imagine what it will be like when no one NOTICES YOU AT ALL …

  Cat was in the middle of a rant on her blog, when the phone rang. It was Anna, trilling, ‘Good news, darling, good news. The TV bods have changed their minds.’

  ‘What, they do want to go ahead with A Shropshire Christmas?’ Cat was stunned. She’d spent weeks working on the book, maybe it hadn’t been a waste of time after all.

  ‘Don’t get too excited,’ said Anna. ‘They don’t want you to do another cookery show, they’ve decided on a different kind of programme. Less cooking, and more country.’

  ‘Meaning?’ said Cat cautiously.

  ‘They want it to be more of a celebration of all things rural, protecting wildlife, that kind of thing.’

  Cat wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Though she’d lived in Hope Christmas for over seven years, she was hardly an expert in the countryside. There must be loads more qualified presenters than her.

  ‘But I don’t know anything about wildlife,’ said Cat with a wail.

  ‘Well best you mug up, my dear,’ said Anna grandly. ‘If you say no, you do realise they’ll just give it to someone else.’

  ‘Yes, yes, I get it,’ sighed Cat. There wasn’t any choice. It was either take it, or see her career backslide further, and it was better than nothing.

  Noel was at least pleased to hear about it when he came home, ostensibly for lunch, but mainly to play with Lou Lou, on whom he completely doted. Cat loved seeing them together, and it made her laugh that he always kept up the fiction that he was just popping in, when she knew he wanted to spend as much time with their granddaughter as possible.

  ‘It is good news, Cat,’ he said, ‘and even though Lou Lou’s modelling is helping cover the nursery fees, it’s not like we couldn’t do with the money.’

  ‘I guess,’ said Cat. ‘I know I live in the country, but I’m singularly unqualified to talk about it.’

  ‘A mere bagatelle,’ said Noel. ‘We know plenty of people who are. Where’s your get-up-and-go?’

  Got up and gone, she felt like saying. She’d lost a lot of confidence when the cookery programme was dropped, could she do this instead? They’d need more nursery days for Lou Lou if she did, but Noel was right, they could do with the money.

  ‘Have you heard when this meet and greet thing that LK Holdings are having is yet?’ she asked, changing the subject.

  ‘In a few weeks,’ said Noel. ‘I haven’t got a date yet, but I think it’s going to be some time in May.’

  ‘Let me know as soon as you find out,’ said Cat. ‘Pippa and I have a plan. Starting with a girlie spa day.’

  Noel raised his eyebrows. ‘And this is going to help, how?’

  ‘We thought we’d make perfect spies, go in as guests and see what we can find out.’

  ‘Hmm, and who’s paying for that?’ said Noel.

  ‘My last book,’ said Cat. ‘I’m not entirely on the scrap heap yet.’

  Pippa was out walking, as she often did when life got too much. She found it therapeutic tramping over the hills of her childhood, particularly up to the waterfall which was a favourite spot. A good walk never failed to lift her spirits. Which today had been blighted by yet another letter from LK Holdings, actually inviting her and Dan to one of several meet and greets in May, to see things from the LK Holdings perspective, and get a feel for the plans in place for Hope Christmas. The subtext being, And your land, should you choose to sell. At least it gave her a legitimate reason to be there, she supposed.

  Richard had caught sight of the letter and hadn’t understood her reluctance to make the most of the opportunity being presented to her.

  ‘You work so hard,’ he said, ‘for so little. And how are you really going to keep this place running without Dan? You have so much to do already. You can’t do it alone.’ He was still struggling to see things from her point of view. It was incredibly frustrating.

  ‘The boys can help,’ said Pippa stubbornly, ‘and I can diversify.’ She really didn’t want this conversation now, or ever.


  ‘Diversify, how?’ said Richard, and in that minute, Pippa knew she couldn’t tell him her dreams for the farm, because he wouldn’t share them. How could she go forward with someone who she couldn’t share her dreams with?

  They’d argued, which made Pippa feel miserable and then Richard had left to go to work, and she’d come up here, to try and work out if there was a way she could sort things so that both she and Richard could be happy.

  Reaching the top of the waterfall, she sat down in the heather and stared across at the valley, hills and woods. They couldn’t build a hotel complex here, they couldn’t. It would change everything she loved and held dear. Their quiet lane would be busier, the fields would be destroyed and the hillsides marked with buildings which had no place being there.

  ‘If we all work together, I’m sure we can stop them.’

  Pippa was startled and scrambled up to see Ralph Nicholas, with his dog, standing on the brow of the hill staring in the same direction. ‘I hope we can,’ said Pippa. ‘But it worries me, I feel there’s so much against us this time.’

  ‘I know we can,’ said Ralph, doffing his cap as he made to leave. ‘Oh by the way, I believe there may be merlins nesting in the valley. Isn’t that lovely?’

  And he walked away whistling.

  ‘Aren’t they birds of prey?’ asked Pippa, but Ralph had vanished down the path.