A Perfect Cornish Christmas

by Phillipa Ashley

  ‘I’m afraid at that age the net was more important than the grown-ups, though I could hardly lift it in and out of the pools. Dad helped me find a crab and we looked at it then put it back in the water. I can see it scuttling off now with all its legs.’ He smiled. ‘That was the day when I realised I wanted to spend my life working with nature. Even then, I knew I could never go off to an office every day like my parents.’

  ‘Oh yes!’ Scarlett said enthusiastically. ‘I always liked reading and anything to do with words. I drove my parents mad for books, and I talk too much. So if I start going off on random tangents, or talking to myself, you know why.’

  He laughed. ‘Some people think my obsession with plants and nature is weird.’

  ‘I think it’s brilliant. You remind me of Dickon from The Secret Garden,’ Scarlett blurted out.

  ‘Dickon?’

  ‘The boy with squirrels in his pockets.’

  ‘Right …’ Jude screwed up his face.

  Scarlett coloured but rattled on. ‘Yes. They were called Nut and Shell. I know it’s probably not the best guide to squirrel conservation but it struck a chord with me.’

  Jude laughed. ‘I haven’t read it, but now I want to.’

  ‘There’s an old copy in the house if you want to borrow it. It’s a children’s book, but it’s so beautiful.’

  ‘I think I’ve seen the film. Why not?’

  He sounded genuinely keen. Scarlett unwound even more. Jude didn’t think she was weird, then, despite the stuff that often spilled out of her mouth straight from her brain. It must be a good sign if she felt relaxed enough to babble on in front of him.

  ‘I told you I could be random,’ she said.

  ‘I like random. I like different and diverse, so be as random as you like. After all, I’m the weirdo who asked a woman he’d only just met to come and pick weeds and dangerous mushrooms.’

  ‘Well, so far I’ve survived.’ Scarlett laughed. Jude was such a change from Rafa or any of the other guys she’d been out with. She felt refreshed when she was with him. She was also intrigued to know more about his relationship with Auntie Joan and surprised that he had – sort of – met her mother.

  ‘Jude. You probably already know some of this but I wanted to tell you that Mum and Dad are going through a bad patch at the moment. That’s why I was, um … slightly upset in the pub on Christmas Day. I know I said that we’d had a family row and everyone accepted that, but something more happened that I don’t want to talk about now. It was partly my fault and the family are still suffering the consequences.’ Had she ruined the moment by mentioning the horrible events at the lunch?

  ‘You don’t have to say any more. No family is perfect, believe me.’ He stood up. ‘Least of all mine. I’ve often wondered how or why my parents are still together. Maybe that happens in most long-term relationships. Who knows what really goes on?’ He paused before rubbing his arms. ‘Shall we pack up? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting cold.’

  Scarlett wasn’t that cold, but sensed that Jude wanted to put an end to the conversation. She was relieved, too, and vowed to steer clear of any more allusions to the past. Even so, his comments occupied her thoughts as they walked home, sticking to the safer topics of Jude’s work and her own. They laughed at the very different subjects of their writing and the atmosphere had lightened by the time the manor house came into view again. Jude was talking about the festival.

  ‘I’ve been to the summer food festival a couple of times while we stayed with Joan,’ Scarlett told him. ‘Obviously not this year’s though.’

  ‘That was huge. They pulled out all the stops for the tenth anniversary and it was such a success, they decided to try a winter event on solstice eve and combine it with a more traditional Christmas festival.’

  ‘Aaron and Ellie have been talking about it. It sounds different, that’s for sure.’

  ‘Oh, it’ll be different, if you’ve never seen a solstice festival before. I often go to the Montol night in Penzance. Obviously, it’s a great excuse to party, just like so many pagan festivals, but it’s great to see so many people entering into the spirit of things. The costumes are something else.’

  ‘What kind of costumes?’ she asked, even more intrigued than before.

  ‘Weird and wonderful ones. Animals, people dressed in “mock formal” – a kind of goth version of formalwear – devils, green men, folk icons. Porthmellow’s version won’t be as big as that, but we’ll have fire-eaters, jugglers and a parade. All the Christmas lights will be on around the harbour too.’

  ‘I never made it to the Montol festival but I used to love spending Christmas down here … Mum and Dad liked to visit the illuminated gardens and grand houses. We used to leave our shopping until the last minute so we could get our gifts in the pannier market in Truro.’

  ‘I’ve had a stall there a couple of times to promote my books and talks. Um … can you surf? The sea’s still warm, you know.’

  Scarlett burst out laughing. ‘I can fall off a surfboard brilliantly.’

  Jude laughed softly.

  ‘I used to go bodyboarding with Ellie and Marcus when we were kids, but not lately. I do like swimming though. I went swimming twice a week back in Birmingham, but that was in the local pool. I need to start again or I’ll be the size of a house with all this lovely food.’

  His eyes sparked with interest. ‘You should wild swim.’

  She wrinkled her nose, remembering the iron-grey waves breaking onto shingle in the cove. ‘At this time of year? It’s November. I can’t imagine even sticking a toe in!’

  ‘Yes, but the sea is the same temperature in May as now. The water’s relatively pleasant. It’s the getting out that’s trickier, but you can wear a thin wetsuit if you’re bothered. There’s a Porthmellow wild swimming group I join occasionally, so you could give them a try. They’re an eclectic bunch and they meet at least once a week, year-round … and then of course they organise the annual Boxing Day dip.’

  ‘I’ve seen that advertised but, funnily enough, I’ve never fancied it after all the turkey leftovers,’ Scarlett said, picturing herself shivering as she poked a toe in the surf. She’d probably look like a plucked turkey.

  Jude laughed. ‘It’s awesome. We get the swim over before lunch then we all head to the pubs to warm up. It’s a laugh and it raises money for the Fisherman’s Institute too. There were almost a hundred of us last year splashing around off the beach below Clifftop House. Gabe lives there now. Go on, sign up for it. You’ll enjoy it.’

  ‘Well, I suppose it has to be better than last Boxing Day,’ she said. ‘Can I think about it?’

  ‘Of course, but I promise you, it’s a lot of fun. You’d love it.’

  Hmm. She parked the idea for the time being and they walked on in silence for a short while, all the talk of Christmas plans having thrust her back to the previous year in a disturbing way. After Ellie had brought dry clothes and walked her home from the pub, Scarlett hid in her room while her parents argued. Marcus, Heidi and the boys had kept to the snug and driven off from the manor with hardly a goodbye on Boxing Day morning. Her parents had subsided into stony silence and left the day after too, together – Scarlett could only imagine their journey home – but her father had immediately moved into the spare room and since then they seemed to have lived almost separate lives.

  She didn’t know what their plans were this year, so perhaps that’s what her mother wanted to talk about: whether she could stay at the manor for Christmas – or longer? It was possible that her mum could move there permanently, if she could afford to keep the place. Both her mum and dad were retired and had pensions but Scarlett didn’t know if they could afford to run two households … maybe if she and Ellie stayed on and they all contributed it was possible.

  Things would be very tense with the three of them in the house. Which made Scarlett more determined to give serious thought to finding her own place in Porthmellow.

  They’d reached the manor and Jude s
eemed distracted by something large with a lot of legs that was crawling over the drive. Scarlett debated whether to ask him to the pub – or something – to avoid parting without making arrangements to meet again.

  As the beetle he’d been observing scuttled into the bushes, Jude turned his attention back to her. He scuffed the gravel with his boot before meeting her eyes. ‘Of course, you don’t have to join the swimming club … if you want to go wild swimming, I could take you. It’s safer than swimming alone, but I’d understand if you preferred to go out with a group first.’

  ‘I’m not sure—’ Scarlett started.

  ‘No, of course not. Stupid idea.’

  ‘I want to come swimming but I’m not sure about …’ Getting my kit off in front of you, my wobbly bits turning blue with cold … She hated to admit that her body confidence had taken a hit since the break-up with Rafa and that joining a few female mates at the local pool was different to stripping off in front of a fit hunk like Jude. ‘I don’t have a wetsuit,’ she said, limply.

  ‘Oh, that’s easily solved. I can find you one from somewhere. I can get a hire suit from the local surf-hire place. They owe me a favour.’ His expression brightened, and his enthusiasm infected her.

  ‘I guess if I can wear a wetsuit, it might be OK.’

  ‘I wasn’t expecting you to go natural. You’ll love it, I guarantee it, and I know exactly where I can take you for your first time.’

  Scarlett couldn’t stem a giggle. ‘Well, if you put it like that.’

  ‘Argh!’ Jude did a face-palm. ‘Jesus, no. I didn’t mean it like that. Talk about you spouting random things, what am I like?’

  ‘It’s f-fine,’ Scarlett said through her laughter. ‘I know what you meant.’

  ‘Yeah, well, I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to pass, after that comment. We can go down to the main beach, where there are lots of people. But I was thinking of a kind of secret cove I know where it would be just us.’

  She raised her eyebrows.

  ‘I’m digging an even deeper hole, aren’t I? Look, let’s set a date and you can decide where. I’ll bring a wetsuit. I think I can guess your size.’

  ‘Really?’ She cringed.

  ‘Yes.’ His face fell again. ‘Argh. I’d better get out of here before I really drop myself in it. I’ll call you with the details.’

  ‘Thanks for the lunch,’ she said, still stifling laughter.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ Jude called, and then he hot-footed it in the direction of the coastal path back to Porthmellow.

  Scarlett went inside, but watched him from the safety of her room for a while, his head emerging now and again above the hedges on his way to the cliff top before disappearing again. She couldn’t stop grinning at his unintentionally funny comments. It made a change for someone else to put their foot in it. More deliciously, she had a glow that had been missing for a long time after being in his company. Jude was gorgeous and intriguing, and she didn’t the least mind the sound of heading to a ‘secret’ beach with him. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know more about him and his family – even if she did have to take the plunge into cold water to do it.

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie flipped over her desk calendar, marvelling at how fast the first week of the month, and the whole turbulent year, had raced by. She was alone in the front office of the sailing trust, sorting out some admin, when Aaron walked in off the harbour front. Immediately, her mood leapt, and it was impossible to stop herself from grinning like an idiot.

  He slid her car keys over the desk with a smile. ‘Well, Ms Latham. I’m pleased to report that your car has passed its MOT.’

  She blew out a breath. ‘Thank you, Mr Carman. I call that bloody amazing.’

  ‘You still doubt my skill with a spanner?’ He turned down the corners of his mouth, making Ellie suppress a laugh.

  ‘No, not at all. I just thought the patient was terminal, but you’ve obviously worked a miracle, otherwise there’s no way it would have got through. Now, how much do I owe you?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  She shook her head. ‘I can’t have that. I pay my way.’

  ‘OK. I can show you the invoice for the parts, though I got them at cost. The labour is free.’

  ‘Come on, you’ve spent hours of your time on that rust bucket of mine.’

  ‘OK, if you really insist on paying me, how about a bit of bartering?’

  Aaron leant on the counter. He had a very cheeky glint in his eye. Even though she was on her own, she lowered her voice. ‘Bartering? What with?’

  ‘What about dinner?’

  ‘You want me to cook you dinner?’

  ‘Not really, but you keep insisting that you want to repay me somehow. It was only an idea.’

  ‘It’s a good idea,’ she said, realising with a nervous thrill that she was being asked out on a date, albeit one where she had to cook.

  Aaron became more serious. ‘Look. Let’s not dance around the issue, I’d love to see more of you so why don’t you come over to Cove Cottage for dinner? Honestly, you don’t have to cook. I’m not up to professional standards but I can rustle up some grub.’

  ‘Hmm,’ Ellie sighed and rubbed her chin. ‘I tell you what, as we’re grown-ups. Why don’t we go halves? You provide the main course and I’ll bring dessert and the wine.’

  ‘You drive a hard bargain. Shall we try for next week sometime?’

  Aaron left the office, whistling some jaunty tune. Ellie had trouble concentrating on her work for the rest of the day, she was too busy wondering where the dinner might lead. She had known Aaron for almost a month now and they’d spent many hours in each other’s company without anything going beyond a look or accidental touch.

  When she got home, she confessed to jitters about the date to Scarlett while her sister rustled up a stir-fry.

  ‘I obviously said yes, of course, but I keep thinking, you know … gorgeous lovely guy moves next door and is immediately attracted to you? It all seems too good to be true.’

  ‘Oh, Ellie, that’s how people meet. Randomly. Auntie Joan always said that her books weren’t about happy endings but happy beginnings. Two adults can meet and have a great life together, you know. It happens.’ Scarlett broke off to tip the chicken and noodles onto plates. ‘Even if our parents are having a hard time …’ Scarlett’s words faded and she was silent for a while but Ellie could imagine the cogs of her sister’s mind turning.

  At this early stage, Ellie mused, it might be crazy to think about settling down with someone, long-term commitment, a family even, but she’d grown to think that Porthmellow could be her forever home – and what a great place it would be to bring up children. She didn’t need a partner to do that, of course, but Aaron was kind and principled and seemed as if he might make a good father.

  Damn. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t even kissed him, let alone got onto any of the stuff that might lead to making babies.

  Laughing at her leaps of imagination, she carried their trays into the sitting room to have dinner in front of the fire. Ellie was starving so she dived in straightaway, but Scarlett’s fork hovered over her plate. ‘This may sound like a funny question,’ she said, ‘but do you know much about Jude Penberth?’

  Ellie was mid-mouthful so had a few seconds to consider the question. ‘Not loads … why do you ask?’

  ‘No reason in particular, only he mentioned that he used to come to the house and see Auntie Joan from time to time.’

  ‘I knew that. Joan liked him because he shared her love of nature. I think she knew the family pretty well, but then that’s no surprise as they’ve all lived in the area for donkey’s years. Everyone knows everyone round here.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Scarlett mused. ‘I had the impression that his dad knew Joan well, and Jude was talking about Mum, too. Apparently, she was down here for a visit when he was a little boy. He didn’t say you and Marcus were here, or Dad.’

  ‘When was this?’ Ellie asked.


  ‘Jude says he was about four years old, so I think you would have been around five and Marcus must have been a baby.’

  Ellie was intrigued. ‘Maybe Dad was looking after us,’ she said, then kicked herself when she realised where the conversation might be heading.

  ‘Jude didn’t give any details because he was way too young to be interested in what the grown-ups were doing but he did remember Mum being here.’

  ‘And?’ Ellie asked, now convinced that Scarlett’s brain had been working overtime.

  ‘I had been wondering if my dad – my biological father – might be from around here.’

  Ellie’s antennae twitched. This was a new tack from Scarlett. Where had it come from? She suspected it had to be linked to what Jude had told her. ‘What makes you think that, lovely?’

  Scarlett shrugged. ‘It’s probably me putting two and two together and making a hundred. It’s only something Mum said, during one of our heated conversations about the DNA test. It doesn’t mean anything on its own, but then I remembered something I found when we were sorting out Auntie Joan’s books and other stuff. I didn’t take too much notice at the time, but added to what Mum said …’

  Ellie gave her some space, although her stomach had tightened. ‘What did she say?’

  ‘That Dad wasn’t blameless in the whole thing and he should look at his own conscience. Trouble was, she didn’t say why he was to blame, or what he should be guilty about. She clammed up and told me I was reading too much into her words.’

  ‘OK. That could have meant anything,’ Ellie said, abandoning all hope of eating her food while it was even lukewarm.

  ‘It could, but then I remembered the book.’

  ‘What book?’

  ‘Treasures of the Cornish Seashore.’

  ‘Um … You’ve lost me now.’

  ‘It was in the alcove in my room – I mean, Joan’s room – and it had a postcard between the pages,’ Scarlett explained carefully, as if Ellie was a toddler. ‘I’ve looked for it all over the room but I can’t find it.’