Scarlett gave Ellie a gentle hug. ‘Sounds like a good idea.’
Their mother got up. ‘I’ll fetch them from the kitchen and bring a glass of water.’
‘You’ve had a shock,’ Scarlett said soothingly. Ellie’s head pulsed again and she wondered if she might throw up, but wanted to make sure her sister was OK.
‘How are things with you and Jude?’ she said to Scarlett. ‘I haven’t had chance to talk to you since the festival. I thought you seemed like you were having a good time when I left.’
‘Oh, with me being out all day, I haven’t spoken to him.’
‘But everything’s OK?’ Ellie closed her eyes.
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Thank God for that. I couldn’t stand it if you were miserable too. This family has had enough troubles with men to last a lifetime.’
Chapter Thirty
Only two days to Christmas and it was shaping up to be almost as miserable as last year’s, Scarlett thought, watching seagulls squabble over the remains of a turkey pasty on the quayside.
While her mother was queuing in the post office, she’d been wandering around the harbour. A local choir was singing carols, accompanied by some members of the town band. Holidaymakers admired the boats, sipping hot chocolates or even eating ice creams. It was a mild December morning and while some people were wrapped up, the kids were chasing around on the wet sand of the harbour. A toddler had a bucket and spade, his father helping him to build a sandcastle, dressed in cargo shorts and a fleece.
Scarlett smiled to herself: her dad had always insisted that while he was on holiday, he would wear his shorts. It didn’t matter that it was raining or blowing a gale. He wasn’t at work, and he refused to wear trousers. He’d have loved being here this morning in the December sunlight that bathed everything with a mellow glow.
It looked like that wasn’t going to happen this year.
Heaving a sigh, Scarlett told herself to cheer up. The last thing Ellie needed was her acting like a wet blanket. Realising she was almost level with her favourite gallery, she decided to pop inside and splurge on a bracelet that Ellie had had her eye on for ages. Ellie deserved a treat. She’d been so shocked and hurt about Aaron’s deception, and no wonder, even Scarlett herself had thought he was a nice, straight bloke – one of the good guys.
So was Jude … which was why it was tearing Scarlett apart to back off from him. She’d heard nothing else from him since last night, and had sent a quick reply to his text, letting him know she was home safe.
Anna waved from the opposite side of the harbour and Scarlett turned back to meet her halfway, only a few yards from the Harbour Café.
As she approached Anna, Scarlett’s pulse quickened. There was only one way out of this situation: take her courage in both hands and ask her mother straight out if Hayden Penberth was her father. Immediately the thought of the answer being ‘yes’ made her feel sick.
Anna reached her, a smile on her face. She really had no idea how bad Scarlett was feeling, did she?
‘Hello. What’s that you’ve got?’ she said, nodding at the gallery bag.
‘Something for Ellie,’ Scarlett replied. ‘A bracelet she liked.’
‘That’s a lovely idea. Look, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t we grab a coffee at the Harbour Café and say hello to Ellie at the same time?’ Anna suggested.
‘Good idea,’ Scarlett said, meaning it.
They’d barely taken a step towards the café when Anna stopped and frowned. ‘Actually, why don’t we go into the Seagull Coffee Shop instead?’ she said, taking Scarlett’s arm.
‘Why?’
‘It looks like it could be very busy in there today. We might not be able to get a table.’
Scarlett was puzzled. There were a few people lingering outside the café. A family with three young boys had gone in ahead of them; she could hear the parents begging their excited brood to calm down and be careful as they piled through the door. They were followed almost immediately by a couple with a baby buggy. The man held the door open so his partner could wheel the buggy inside.
‘It might not be so busy inside,’ Scarlett said hopefully, looking forward to a few words with her sister, to show support.
‘I think it will be,’ Anna said firmly, linking arms and steering her away. ‘And besides, we don’t want to interrupt Ellie in her work. She’ll be rushed off her feet.’
‘OK.’ Scarlett shrugged, disappointed but not ready for any further conflict. Her eyes and thoughts kept drifting to Jude’s blue cottage on the other side of the harbour. Her mother marched onwards, seemingly in a hurry to get to the Seagull Coffee Shop, which had plenty of space. They found a cosy corner and Scarlett gave their order before returning to their table to await the cappuccinos and festive treats.
‘Hmm. I haven’t been in here since it changed hands,’ Scarlett remarked, admiring the freshly painted walls and local artwork. The door swung open, and a family walked in, taking a newly vacated table not far away from theirs. Scarlett spotted a striking picture of Lizard Point that she guessed her mother might like. ‘They’ve done a nice job with it, don’t you think? There are some gorgeous pictures.’
Her mother was staring into space and didn’t seem to have heard Scarlett at all. She reached out to touch her arm. ‘Mum?’
Anna snapped back to the present.
‘What’s the matter?’ Scarlett said in a low voice.
‘Nothing. I – I must have been on another planet. I was thinking about Christmas Day.’
‘Ah. Me too.’
‘That turkey we ordered is far too big for the three of us.’
Scarlett swallowed a lump in her throat. ‘You don’t think there’s any chance of Dad coming down?’ she said, thinking better of telling her mother that she’d already asked him.
‘I don’t know. I’m not sure I want him to. Marcus says he’ll have him until they go skiing after Christmas.’ Anna smiled.
Scarlett was saved from replying by the arrival of the waitress with their order.
They chatted about the food and the gifts they’d bought Ellie, but Scarlett also had half an eye on the other customers. She wasn’t convinced her mum had been staring as aimlessly as had first appeared, and was sure that something or someone in there had transfixed her mother. She scanned the customers again. There were a couple of locals she recognised from the town, including Evie Carman with some of her bingo pals, and Chloe Farrow with her daughter, Hannah, and little granddaughter, Ruby. All had nodded and smiled as she and Anna had entered, making Scarlett realise how fast she was becoming part of Porthmellow life.
There were strangers, too, including the couple with the buggy who had gone into the Harbour Café but obviously changed their minds, deciding the Seagull was nicer. They weren’t far away at all, and Scarlett could now see that they were probably a little too old to have a young baby. Even though the woman was very smart and glamorous, she had to be of a similar age to Scarlett’s mum.
The man was still handsome, though in his late fifties. Scarlett thought his hair was suspiciously dark compared to her own father’s. He reminded her slightly of Hayden Penberth, although Hayden’s thick silver hair was a more natural colour. This man had finer features than Hayden and no year-round tan, as if he spent his time indoors.
She supposed he could possibly be the baby’s father, but it was far more likely he and his wife – if it was his wife – were grandparents.
There was something about him that fascinated her; and made her want to look at him, though the slight ripple in her stomach wasn’t entirely pleasant.
She thanked the waitress and turned her attention back to the cakes. Her mother sipped her coffee while Scarlett attacked her carrot cake with a fork. She hadn’t eaten much since the festival but the smell of spices had re-awakened her appetite. Behind her, she heard Chloe and Hannah exchanging pleasantries with the visitors about the problem of getting children’s buggies into shops and cafés.
‘We tried
the café on the harbour front but it was so busy, we walked straight out again,’ said the older woman. ‘I’d forgotten what a palaver it is to bring one small person out for a walk.’
‘Tell me about it!’ Chloe exclaimed. ‘They need a whole entourage, don’t they, Ruby?’ Chloe laughed and the toddler giggled and said ‘Nana!’
‘This one needs her own caravan of porters,’ the man said in a cultured voice. He and his wife carried on chatting to Chloe. Scarlett had heard on the grapevine that Chloe and her family had only recently been reunited after years of estrangement, and the joy in her voice was unmistakeable.
Scarlett shot a smile at her mother, who also knew the story, but Anna seemed distracted, poking at a morsel of cake with her fork.
‘Is your strudel OK?’
‘Hmm. It’s lovely, but I’m not terribly hungry.’ She smiled at Scarlett. ‘Thank you for the treat, though.’
‘Are you feeling OK?’
‘Yes. Fine. Let’s ask for a box and take it home. You could give some to Jude, if you like.’
‘I could …’ She lowered her voice. ‘Jude and I aren’t that friendly at the moment.’
‘Oh no! I am sorry. I hadn’t realised you’d fallen out.’
‘I wouldn’t say we’d fallen out … it’s just something we need to work out on our own. Shall we go?’
Hoping she’d put off further questioning about Jude, Scarlett excused herself and asked for a cake box at the counter, taking it back to the table before popping to the bathroom.
She came out and almost bumped into the glamorous granny.
‘Oh. I’m sorry!’
In the time-honoured way, they both apologised profusely and Scarlett stood back to let her into the bathroom before opening the outer door back into the café. She stopped halfway, catching sight of her mother and the baby’s grandfather intent on each other. He was smiling, showing a dazzling set of teeth and murmured something but her mother shook her head and glanced away, her lips pressed together.
Anna noticed Scarlett watching them and snatched up her bag from the floor. Before Scarlett could make it to the table, she’d grabbed her coat from the back of the chair, knocking the table. It wobbled and the cake box slid to the edge.
Scarlett rescued it just in time. ‘Wait, Mum, don’t forget your cake.’
‘Yes. Sorry.’ Anna picked up the white box and dropped it in her bag. ‘It’s so hot in here. I’m going outside for some fresh air.’
She wove her way around the tables, muttering apologies without looking at the man. He exchanged a glance with Scarlett and smiled politely but immediately switched his attention to his wife, who had come back to the table. They started cooing over the baby.
Anna was some way along the quayside when Scarlett caught up with her, her back turned and staring out over the breakwater at the open sea.
‘Mum, are you OK? You rushed out of there. Did that bloke with the baby upset you? I saw him talking to you.’
Anna turned, her face as white as sea foam. ‘What? No … to be honest, darling, I don’t feel great. It was so stuffy and oppressive in there. Can we please go home?’
‘Oh … of course. You do look pale and it was very warm,’ Scarlett said, worried that her mum was about to keel over. ‘Come on, let’s take it steady.’ She kept close to her mother on the way to the car, worried that she might be unwell, but suspecting that Anna’s desire to get away had more to do with the over-familiar, dark-haired grandfather than the overheated café.
Chapter Thirty-One
Scarlett had an agonising journey home as Anna refused to say anything until they were at the manor. She was sure that there was a lot more to her mum’s distress than feeling a bit under the weather. She had to leave her mother in the car while she collected the turkey from the farm shop. It all felt so grim, doing the festive traditions with her mother silently waiting outside.
She joined a long queue of people at the farm shop, all of whom seemed patient and jolly, accepting the free glasses of mulled wine. She had to make conversation with a couple of locals she recognised, pretending that everything was fine and discussing how many were coming to dinner, what they were having and so on until she wanted to weep with frustration.
While she queued, her mind kept jumping to the man in the café. He had upset her mother and she was sure it wasn’t a random row.
Jude sent her a WhatsApp message that launched her mind into overdrive.
Are you OK? Have I done anything to upset you? Are you still doing the swim on Boxing Day and coming over? I might have a small surprise for you.
‘Oh God.’ Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut in despair. She couldn’t keep Jude dangling like this. She had to ask her mother for the truth, whether to rule Hayden out, or in.
‘Here you go, my lover. It’s a whopper.’
The farm shop man handed Scarlett a box that almost made her stagger under the weight.
‘Popped your veggies in a bag on top. Expecting an army, are you?’
Scarlett muttered a thanks, threw the man a weak smile and escaped. Even the bloody turkey mocked her: they’d surely still be eating it until Easter, it was so large, but she guessed her mum hadn’t lost the habit of catering for a houseful.
She put the giant bird in the boot and got into the car.
Once they got home and the fridge shelves had been rearranged to accommodate the turkey, she took a cup of tea to her mum, who was sitting on the sofa staring out into the garden.
‘Feeling any better?’ she asked, despite guessing the answer from her ghastly pallor.
‘A bit.’ Anna’s voice wobbled.
‘Mum, what’s the matter? I saw you arguing with that man in the café. What was he saying?’
‘Nothing. We weren’t arguing.’ Anna left the cuppa untouched.
‘Right.’ A wave of frustration and anger broke.
‘Mum, I’m sorry you don’t feel very well and this is probably the wrong time but I have to say this. I can’t keep it in any longer.’
‘Scarlett …’
‘No. Please let me finish because there’s something bad – really bad – bothering me about Jude. About the two of us. I really like him but I’m worried that he might be …’ She could not say the words out loud but she had to ask the question. ‘If you can remember anything, anything at all about my father, for the love of God, you have to tell me. Because if it’s Hayden Penberth, I think I’ll have to leave Cornwall and never ever come back!’
Anna stared at her. ‘Hayden?’ she murmured.
‘Yes. I need to know. Please try to remember, or if you do know, tell me. Or if you can, say it wasn’t him. Tell me. Why else would you keep trying to warn me off Jude? Was it Hayden Penberth?’
Anna found her voice at last. ‘Scarlett, I can promise you that Hayden is not your father. What makes you think he had or has anything to do with us?’ she asked quietly.
‘What? But he must be.’ Relief washed over her, followed by disbelief. ‘I don’t understand … I was so sure he had to be.’
‘He isn’t. Why do you think that?’
‘You’ve been so cagey about who you slept with at that party and you obviously don’t like the idea of me and Jude getting together. When we were sorting out Joan’s stuff here at the house, I saw a postcard written to you, hidden in a book. It mentioned a special night and was signed H. Then during the festival, while I was at Jude’s I found the card in his house in the book.’
‘Treasures of the Cornish Seashore …’ Anna murmured, then frowned. ‘Though I’ve absolutely no idea why Jude had it. Oh God, he must have seen it and read it and put two and two together.’
Scarlett’s pulse beat hard. ‘So it was from Hayden?’
‘Yes. He gave it to me years ago when I was down here one summer. I hid it in the book, meaning to get rid of it but I forgot about it. It had nothing to do with the night of the party.’
‘Is that true, Mum?’ Scarlett demanded. ‘Are you sure you didn’t sleep with
Hayden that night?’
‘Yes. It’s true. I swear it.’
‘But what about the conversation I overheard by the bins?’ Scarlett still wasn’t convinced by her mother’s explanation and refused to let go until she knew everything.
‘The bins?’
‘Before I dropped the bottles, I heard you and Hayden talking about the night you spent together at a party. What else was I to think, but that it was the night you conceived me?’
Anna let out a cry of anger. ‘Oh my God. Bloody Hayden. I loathe that man. He is the source of so much trouble. I swear to you on my life that it isn’t Hayden and I do know who I slept with.’
‘Then, w-why have you lied?’ she burst out.
‘Because I’m ashamed and telling you would cause you – everyone – even greater hurt and anger than I have. It isn’t him.’ Anna covered her face with her hands. ‘I’m so very sorry that you thought it even for a moment.’
Scarlett closed her eyes, remembering the look on Jude’s face the previous evening and his desperate messages since. ‘Oh, Mum, I pushed Jude away last night. He must wonder what the hell was wrong with me. Why do you hate Hayden? What did he mean when he said you’d had a night to remember?’ Tears of relief stung her eyes, mixed with angry ones at how she’d misled herself. ‘Did you actually have an affair with Hayden at all?’
‘No. What kind of person do you think I am?’
She joined her mother on the sofa. ‘I don’t mean to be horrible to you but I’m desperate to know the truth. I spoke to Dad before my phone died yesterday. He sounded sad and he said … he said it wasn’t my fault what happened, and it wasn’t yours either, and he should take the blame … and I don’t know what was going on between you and Dad at the time, but I’m guessing there were things happening on both sides. Stuff that none of us know about.’
Her mum took her hand. ‘Hayden has always had a soft spot for me, but he’s had a soft spot for a lot of women. I’ve never kidded myself I’d be any different. He is – was – a very attractive man, just like his son, though far more confident. He knows how handsome he is – or was. He’s had several affairs; poor Fiona probably knows about most of them. Auntie Joan warned me off him the very first time she saw us chatting.’
A Perfect Cornish Christmas Page 25
