Chapter 6
SIX
I slept deeply that night and when I woke up, the headache had all but gone, although I still had that unpleasant, foggy feeling I get left with. The best thing for it was a blast of fresh air, and, looking out of the window at the steely moors, I could imagine that fresh was what it would be. I pulled on several layers of warm clothing and went down the huge oak staircase. Douglas was in the large entrance hallway with the door open, collecting some newspapers that had been left on the step.
‘Good morning, Fallon, I hope you slept well? You must think me terribly old-fashioned still having my papers delivered, but I can’t seem to shake the habit. Alexander thinks I’m mad – he reads everything on his tablet.’
‘I totally get it. I always buy magazines rather than reading them online. It’s fairly harmless, as vices go.’
He smiled.
‘Well, quite. Are you coming to get breakfast?’
‘Actually, I was wondering whether I could get something in the village? I could do with a walk.’
‘Yes, absolutely. Lingfoss is surprisingly well-resourced for such a tiny place. There’s a little café which will be open at this time and won’t mind the dog, just head out of here, turn right and keep going, you can’t miss it.’
I nodded my thanks and reached for my coat.
‘Fallon, I also want to thank you for offering to help Alexander with the Christmas Fayre. It was a tremendous blow to him, Hetty going away like that. I don’t know how much Jacqueline has told you, but he’s not had an easy time of it over the past few years. This new venture is doing him good already, but if the launch goes well, it could be the start of a desperately needed new chapter.’
‘I’m glad to help. I’m sorry I was lukewarm last night; I was brewing a headache. I’m sure it will all go well.’
We bade each other goodbye, and I set off to the village, Runcible tucked into my coat. There was a delicious smell of woodsmoke in the air, but the wind was biting, and although my top half stayed reasonably warm, by the time I got there, my legs were tingling with cold and my ears painful; I would need some warmer clothes if I was going to be outside much while I was here. As Douglas had said I would, I spotted the café easily, a charming, whitewashed cottage with a tiled roof and two fat bay windows with wooden frames and small panes of glass, some with round ‘bullseyes’ in them. Both were abundantly decorated with fat swags of holly and ivy, which were hung with dozens of red and gold baubles and had twinkling fairy lights strung through them. They flanked a deep porch with a paned wooden door; when I pushed it open, I was gratified by the light ‘ting’ of the bell above me and the baking-scented steamy warmth that enveloped me. The inside of the café was as beautifully decorated as the windows, with a tall tree in one corner, smothered in decorations, a pile of wrapped presents beneath it and more greenery, tinsel and fairy lights hanging from the walls and above the doors. Even in my fragile state I felt the warmth of Christmas cheer wash over me. A tall, slender, smiling woman in a pale-yellow apron came round from behind the counter.
‘Morning,’ she said. ‘Welcome to Meg’s. Breakfast, is it?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘Sit down, I’ll be over.’
There were a couple of people already there, but I was glad to see that there was a free table in one of the bays and I went to sit down, divesting myself of a couple of layers of clothing as I did so and settling Runcible onto my lap. I picked up the menu and ordered a full English breakfast and a pot of tea, the latter of which materialised almost immediately. I had been expecting a small metal pot with a single tagged bag, but instead was presented with a large Brown Betty and a strainer.
‘Just what I needed,’ I said to the woman, who grinned.
‘We know how to do proper tea up here,’ she said. ‘I’m Meg, by the way.’
‘Fallon. I’m staying up the road with Douglas and Alexander Knight. My mother is dating his father,’ I added quickly, in case she thought there was any intrigue. I was aware of the speed at which news travels in a small village.
‘Oh aye, we’ve been expecting you. No doubt we’ll see you and your mam around a bit.’
I was doubtful whether my mother would be visiting the village much, and, when my breakfast arrived, delicious and headache-relieving though it looked, I wasn’t sure it was the kind of fare her Instagram wellness followers would approve of. I tucked in greedily and was just cutting into a particularly golden and crispy hash brown when a small green bus pulled up at the stop opposite. I watched idly as it disgorged a few passengers. The last person off was not someone I expected to see in a sleepy Yorkshire village: a tall, beautiful girl in, I guessed, her mid-twenties, with waist-length, silvery lilac hair. She was wearing a fabulous pair of purple patent Doc Marten boots and a long tapestry coat and carrying a huge backpack. I looked hurriedly down at my plate as she pushed open the door of the café, setting the bell ringing. I didn’t want to be caught staring, but she was striking and with such a sense of life about her – a sort of energy, I suppose, that I hadn’t had myself for a long time. I surveyed my reflection in a spoon; could I carry off hair that colour?
‘Meg!’ the girl shrieked, and threw her arms around the proprietor, who hugged her delightedly.
‘Coco! What are you doing here? I didn’t think we were going to see you again for a while.’
‘No, well, you weren’t meant to, but I couldn’t have stayed another second at that restaurant. Fancy it may have been, but the head chef spent more time trying to grope my bottom than doing any work, while I got stuck on peeling onions for weeks at a time to make me learn my place.’
‘It sounds terrible, duck. Come on, let me get you a coffee.’
‘Meg, you’re an angel. I’ve been on a coach half the night, followed by that bus and I’ve got to go and face Daddy and Alexander now. They’ll be furious – or, worse, just deeply disapproving – that I’ve ditched the job, but honestly, I couldn’t have put up with that sexist pig a moment longer.’
As she turned to find a table, I stood up quickly.
‘Excuse me? Are you going up to Blakeney Hall?’
Coco smiled at me warmly. ‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘I’m staying there myself, do come and sit with me,’ I said, surprised at my own daring.
She shot over and took the seat opposite.
‘That breakfast looks delicious. You don’t always expect to get such good food in a little village, but this is definitely more Meg’s than Greggs.’ I laughed at her cheeky grin, and she continued, ‘Meg! Please can I have whatever – sorry, I don’t know your name?’
‘Fallon,’ I supplied.
‘Whatever Fallon is having?’ She turned back to me. ‘I’m going to need to keep my strength up. Why are you staying at the Hall? Are you a friend of Alexander’s?’
I laughed at the open curiosity in her face.
‘No, sorry, nothing like that.’
‘Oh, that is a shame. He needs to meet someone nice, and it might have distracted him from my latest woes and given us all a happier Christmas.’
‘I’m Jacqueline’s daughter – Douglas’s…erm, girlfriend?’
‘Oh, how wonderful! Then if they get married, we’ll be sisters!’
I raised an eyebrow.
‘Oh, sorry! Douglas is my father and Alexander is my half-brother. Dad married again after Alexander’s mother died – a long time after – and I was the result. Mum and Dad divorced when I was tiny, and I lived between them growing up. Mum’s not far from here, she’ll probably pop in at some point – knowing her, she’ll probably stay for a month, since she loves Christmas and she’ll be dying to meet Jacqueline.’
I couldn’t imagine that Mum would be dying to meet her , but I refrained from saying so.
‘I think Mum mentioned that Douglas had a daughter. The job you had sounded awful – sorry, I couldn’t help hearing what you were saying to Meg. I’m sure they won’t be cross with you for chucking it in.’
She sighed.
‘I hope not. It’s not what I want to do, anyway, work in a restaurant, but Dad thought it would teach me stuff. He’s probably right, but I’ve done it in various places for a couple of years and now I’m ready to set up on my own.’
‘Sounds great – a catering business, you mean?’
‘That’s right. I want to specialise in private parties and show everyone how delicious local produce is. There’s a lot of work to do, though, getting flyers and a website and working out menus and stuff. I’m hoping I can stay at the Hall and get working on it.’
‘It sounds like a brilliant idea,’ I said warmly, then added impulsively, ‘I’m in PR – I can help you get started while I’m up here, if you like?’
‘Would you? That would be amazing.’
I wasn’t doing very well with my relaxation plan – that was two jobs I’d taken on now in the space of twenty-four hours, but I just couldn’t help myself. It couldn’t be as bad as London, and maybe a sort of cooldown would be better for me than going cold turkey? I do love work, just not the headaches and sense of existential dread that have gone with it recently. We finished breakfast, chatting nonstop, and paid Meg. I lifted Runcible up from where she had been snuggling on my lap.
‘Time to face the music, I suppose,’ sighed Coco, hoisting her bag onto her back. ‘Oh! Is that a dog?’
She stroked Runcible’s little head gently and I introduced them.
‘If you don’t mind being delayed by a few minutes, I have to pick up a parcel from the Post Office,’ I said. ‘I wasn’t sure about having things delivered to the house, so I had it sent there.’
‘The more delay the better, as far as I’m concerned,’ said Coco, grinning.
‘Thanks. Oh, I should tell you about what’s happening. The parcel is a dress that a friend of mine made me for the party tonight – Douglas is having a James Bond-themed party to welcome Mum to Yorkshire. You’ll need to find something to wear!’
Coco waved her hand breezily.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll put something together. I’m used to Dad and his bonkers Bond thing – I’ve probably got something in my bedroom I’ve worn before, since he can’t resist theming whenever he can. What are you wearing?’
‘It’s the long black dress with the diamanté neckline that Barbara Bach wore in The Spy Who Loved Me . I wanted something simple and forgiving, neither of which are words that usually come to mind when you think of women in Bond films.’
Coco laughed.
‘It sounds divine – I’m sure you’ll look fabulous. I can help you with your hair and make-up, if you like? I trained in that before I went to catering school.’
‘A woman of many talents!’
‘A woman who can’t make up her mind, more like!’
‘Well, I’d love you to help me, thank you.’
I felt sorry for Coco when we got back to Blakeney Hall. I’m sure she had been hoping to slip in and deal with her brother and father – and, eventually, my mother who would probably soon be her stepmother – separately, but, as luck would have it, everyone was right there when we opened the front door.
‘Coco!’ shrieked Theo, the first to notice her. He ran over and gave her a huge hug, which she returned. ‘Auntie Coco, it’s so good to see you! Are you staying for Christmas? Oh, please say you’ll stay for Christmas! The nicest dog has come to stay, her name is Runcible, and she is so funny – she holds her biscuits between her front paws!’ He suddenly noticed me and looked guilty. ‘Fallon and Jacqueline are staying as well, and they’re nice too.’
I burst out laughing.
‘Don’t worry, Theo, I’m more than happy for Runcible to steal the limelight and,’ I added naughtily, ‘I’m sure that Mum feels exactly the same.’
I’m sure only I noticed the momentary thinning of her lips, but, to her credit, my mother managed to summon up a slightly bilious-sounding laugh as well.
‘I suppose if I must be upstaged, then I’m glad it’s Runcible,’ she said. I refrained from further comment.
‘Well, I’m thrilled to see you, Theo, and I’ve already met your doggy friend,’ said Coco. ‘As well as Fallon, down in the village; glad to meet you, too, Jacqueline.’
She gave Mum a little wave, and received the most gracious of smiles in return, then hugged Alexander.
‘Well, this is all very cosy,’ said Alexander, no doubt wondering who all these mad people were who had invaded his house, ‘but what are you doing here? I thought you were working at that restaurant in Manchester?’
Coco glanced at me, and I gave her an encouraging look.
‘I was, but I couldn’t stay. The chef…’ She broke off and looked at Theo. I helped her out.
‘The chef wasn’t a suitable colleague. I’m sure Coco can fill you in later.’
‘Yes,’ she said, with relief in her voice. ‘Can I do that? Alexander, Dad, I was hoping I could stay over Christmas? You said that Stephen and Chrissie are away…I’ll do all the cooking…’
Nobody needed anything further to be said as the relief-o-meter zoomed to the top. A chorus of voices agreed warmly, only dying down when Alexander cleared his throat.
‘That is a very kind offer, Coco,’ he said, his face serious but a telltale smile touching his lips, ‘but are you sure you shouldn’t be at work? Maybe you should ring them, offer to finish your contract or something? And besides, as you can imagine, we’re all very happy sharing the cooking, we don’t need to be rescued from ourselves. Maybe we should take some time to think about it…’
Nobody spoke, all desperately hoping, I’m sure, that the time he needed was about three seconds.
‘Okay, I’ve thought about it. Oh, come on everyone, stop looking so desperate! Of course you can stay, Coco, this is your home as well as ours, you don’t even need to ask! And we’ll be bloody grateful to have you cook, although’ – he looked round at us all – ‘everyone was very polite about the prospect of takeout and pesto for the next month and God only knows what would have happened to Christmas lunch.’
Now it was Coco’s turn to fling her arms around him. I could have done the same myself, and not just because I’d been saved from hell’s kitchen. He was looking particularly dishy in the cold morning light and a freshly laundered shirt, and since poor Annabel’s banishment, he seemed to have lightened up considerably.
‘Thank you!’ she cried. ‘I’ll look after you all brilliantly, I promise. Have you had breakfast?’ Everyone nodded disappointedly. ‘Cereal and toast, I imagine. Well, if I can borrow the car, I’ll go shopping. You won’t be sorry I turned up.’
‘Never that,’ said Douglas, taking his turn to hug his daughter. ‘It’s always lovely to see you, darling. You haven’t got your mother in tow, have you?’ he added.
‘Not yet,’ she replied, grinning. ‘Not yet.’
‘Might she come here, do you think?’ asked Mum, ever so casually. I wasn’t fooled, but I was interested to see her look slightly worried. She must really like Douglas , I thought.
‘Oh, probably!’ said Coco. ‘She’s a total homebody but does like to pop by every so often.’
‘She never liked this house,’ said Douglas. ‘Always said it was too big and cold. But, as Coco says, she comes and stays every so often anyway.’
Mum’s lips tightened, just a fraction.
‘And is she given to staying for long…?’
‘She always says it will be a flying visit,’ said Coco. ‘But I’m afraid it does usually turn into a few days. Her husband comes with her, though,’ she added, and I saw Mum’s face relax.
‘Well, I’ll be delighted to meet them, if they do come. Douglas has told me so little about her, just that she is very interested in baking.’
I saw a lightning glance flash between Coco, Douglas and Alexander – what was going on there? Nobody explained, Douglas merely smiled weakly and said, ‘Indeed, she is. Now come on, Coco, I’ll take your bag up and you can tell me what you’ve been doing since we last saw each other.’
Everyone melted away, leaving Mum and me standing in the hall.
‘Are you all right?’ I asked tentatively.
‘Of course I am, darling, why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Well, it’s just that the prospect of one of Douglas’s ex-wives turning up for Christmas can’t exactly fill you with festive joy. I’d be in agony.’
To my great surprise, she clutched at my arm with her claret-painted nails.
‘ Would you? Oh, darling, you would! I have to admit I’m not super comfortable with the idea myself.’ She looked – and this was an absolute first for me to see – glum. ‘We all have our pasts, I don’t care about that, but – oh, Fallon, I do love him.’
Now it was my turn to surprise her, but I couldn’t resist a hug.
‘I know you do, Mum. And he loves you.’ I lowered my voice, grinning. ‘And anyway, how could she be a patch on you?’
Mum straightened up and smiled dazzlingly – tits and teeth, sweetie .
‘Well, Fallon, that is true. Now, shouldn’t you be nose-to-nose with Alexander over a glass of gin or something?’
I rolled my eyes. One thing you could say about Mum, she didn’t stay down for long.