Chapter 24
Hot mulled wine – the perfect Christmas drink to get the party started. Add brandy and cinnamon sticks to spice things up.
‘ I t’s so good to get out and indulge in something really Christmassy,’ Livvy said, squashing her woolly hat further down her ears and trying not to shiver.
Lullbury Bay’s main street thronged with people.
Shop windows glowed and above them a myriad of lights twinkled.
The light shimmered and reflected on the wet street surface and made the whole thing even more magical.
It was like being inside a shining, glittering Christmas snow globe.
Mark grinned. ‘Even though it’s about minus ten?’
‘Despite that. At least it’s stopped sleeting. That was quite a shower we had this morning. It was white over.’
‘How’s your mulled wine? Doing the trick?’
‘If you mean is it getting me into the Christmas spirit, then yes. If you’re asking, is it warming me up?
Then sadly no!’ Livvy stamped her feet in an attempt to get some feeling in them.
‘I like the music,’ she added, nodding to the brass band grouped around the Christmas tree and valiantly playing ‘Good King Wenceslas’.
Each band member wore a bright red Santa hat which matched their noses.
‘They must be frozen though. I’m surprised their fingers work.
Wonder if they’d like to come and play in the pub one night? It would be really Christmassy.’
‘Oi.’ Mark nudged her gently. ‘It’s your night off. No pub talk.’
‘Sorry. Force of habit. And how great they’ve closed off the high street to traffic.
’ She looked around at the stalls selling candy floss, burgers, falafels, glow sticks, roasted chestnuts, pulled pork rolls, giant gingerbread men on a stick, and Santa hats.
Scents of food cooking drifted in the breeze making her stomach growl.
‘The stall selling knitted hats and scarves is doing a roaring trade. I can’t believe how many people are here in this freezing weather.
Oh, and look at the knitted graffiti. On the bollards. ’
At the lower end of the high street was a cobbled section of wide pavement.
To prevent parking a row of bollards had been erected.
Over each was stretched a knitted figure: a penguin, a snowman, a robin and, for some reason, a luridly pink flamingo.
Knitted in bright colours, they were all wound round with flickering lights.
‘Wonder who went rogue with the flamingo?’ Livvy giggled, cupping her mulled wine, enjoying the Christmassy scents and the hot steam.
An elderly man stopped to say hello. It was Austin.
Dressed in a forest green coat, topped with a woolly red hat and matching mittens he looked not unlike one of Santa’s elves.
‘Going to be a cold winter, mark my words,’ he said, his breath misting out in the frigid air.
‘Reckon there’ll be snow before Christmas. ’
‘Hi, Austin,’ Livvy said. ‘Happy Christmas. Do you think we’ll have a white one?’
‘Happy Christmas, my lovely. Wouldn’t surprise me one bit. And I’ll be up to try your board games afternoon, by the way.’
‘Wonderful. I look forward to welcoming you.’
‘Told the missus it was a games afternoon, but she got the wrong end of the stick. Completely.’ He giggled and then shivered violently. ‘Not standing around in this. I’ll maybe see you down at the beach huts. Ta ta now.’
Livvy turned to Mark. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘Aggie, Austin’s wife, runs a vlog for erm… sex tips for the elderly. She’s a bit of a… how can I put it?… silver swinger. I imagine she thought the games were of a completely different sort.’
‘No way!’
‘Oh yes.’
‘Maybe I’ll put a silver swingers’ afternoon on? Brings a whole new meaning to community spirit.’ She giggled again. ‘I didn’t think anything would surprise me but Lullbury Bay constantly does.’
Mark laughed, his eyes brimming with mirth. ‘It’s a unique sort of place,’ he agreed. The band stopped playing and, over the sound system rigged up especially, came the blare of Slade. ‘It’s Christmaaaaaasssssss!’
‘Finished your wine?’ he asked. ‘Here, pass me your cup and I’ll pop it in the bin.
Just about enough time to get hot chocolate and find a good place to stand.
The lantern parade’s about to start.’ Mark joined a queue at a nearby stall, bought a couple of drinks from a vender dressed as Elsa from Frozen and nudged Livvy to some steps outside an imposing building.
‘It’s the solicitors. I’ve learned from experience that their top step is sheltered from the worst of the wind and gives a good view. ’
‘Brilliant.’ Livvy took her hot chocolate from him, grateful for its heat.
She tucked herself against the Beer stone wall which jutted out.
He was right. They were out of the wind and she instantly felt, if not warmer, then no colder.
Slade gave way to a jaunty rendition of ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’ and Livvy watched in amazement as two reindeer pulled Father Christmas down the hill on a sleigh.
‘It’s a proper sleigh. And real reindeer!
’ she exclaimed. They were led by a tall, well-built man dressed in jodhpurs and a jerkin, topped with a fur hat. ‘And who’s that? Kristoff?’
Mark leaned in to explain, over the noise of the music. ‘It’s Tom Catesby and his reindeers, Elsie and Morag.’
‘Of course they are.’ Livvy turned to grin at him, aware that he was very near.
‘I like their red tartan coats with the flashing lights.’ She followed his gaze as it lifted to the stone lintel above them.
His eyes crinkled in humour. Someone had hung greenery, dangling with fluttering red ribbons, above the sombre glossy black door of the solicitors. ‘Mistletoe. How seasonal.’
Mark waited, brows lifting. ‘Well?’ He threw a casual arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
She reached up and kissed him quickly on his cheek. It was cold but he smelled heavenly; something woody, cedar maybe with underlying amber, all mixed up with chocolate and mulled wine. She longed to taste his lips, but he simply grinned and backed away.
Turning her gently back to the parade, he asked, ‘Can you guess who Father Christmas is?’
Livvy squinted as the sleigh went past in a cacophony of ‘Let it Snow’ and flashing lights which clashed with ‘Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’ which was still playing. ‘It’s not!’
‘It is. He’s taken over this year after a rather traumatic experience retired his predecessor. Elsie and Morag did a runner and ruined the bowling green. Think it’s only just recovered.’
Darrell, despite the white beard and padding, was instantly recognisable. He waved and chucked a bag of sweets in their direction, which Mark caught with aplomb.
In the sleigh’s wake came a procession of children holding handmade lanterns hooked onto long poles.
Each lantern was lit and lent the dark skies a warm glow.
They inched along in a wiggly line to the soundtrack of ‘Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel’.
The children’s excited gleaming faces coupled with the poignant carol made Livvy choke up. She hadn’t anticipated being so moved.
‘That’s Honor at the front,’ Mark explained. ‘She runs a lantern-making workshop every year for the procession and this year has gone big. She got adults to make one too. See, here they come.’
Livvy gasped. The adults had gone all out.
Fantastical creations, some so enormous they had to be held up by a team of four, paraded past. Tropical fish, exotic birds, strange mythical creatures all bobbed and swayed their way down the street to the promenade at the bottom.
‘Magical,’ she whispered, stamping her feet again to get some blood flowing.
‘Hasn’t finished yet,’ Mark said, putting his arms around her hugging her to him for warmth. ‘Here come the floats. Now the fun really begins.’
They’d given in. The freezing weather had driven them into The Ship along with everyone else.
Mark squeezed through, leading Livvy by the hand, found them a table in a back room, then went to buy drinks.
He returned with a tray laden with two coffees, two mulled wines and two whiskies.
Putting them down, he began to take off his coat.
Unwinding a striped scarf and hanging his beanie on the corner of his chair, he eventually sat down.
‘I make no apology for the purchases. The bar is rammed five deep. Thought I’d stock up. Hang on, is that the choir gearing up?’
‘Choir?’
‘Community choir.’
‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ floated through.
They listened for a moment. ‘You know,’ Livvy began slowly, ‘I’ve never really thought of myself as a Christmas person.
I mean, I like it and everything, but I’ve never seen why some people go mad about it.
With the family being in hospitality, it was always a working holiday, putting the guests first, squeezing in any celebration where we could.
But tonight, with the lanterns and the brass band and now this, I totally get it.
And this Christmas really isn’t turning out as I expected.
I thought I’d be working all the time and have a few days off on my own.
’ She bit her lip, worried about how much she’d exposed. ‘I suppose I thought I’d be lonely.’
Mark reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘I hear you on the being lonely part. Why do you think I’m in The George so much?’
‘Just as well we’ve got our friendship then,’ she said brightly, removing her hand because it made her want to kiss him. ‘And, by the way,’ she nodded to the tray, ‘right choice with the drinks.’ She picked up her coffee and sipped. ‘It’s been such a good night, Mark. Thank you.’
He swallowed his whisky down in one. ‘Whatever for?’
‘For showing me the best place to stand to see the parade. I can’t believe some of those floats.’
He grinned. ‘They were really good this year.’
Livvy relaxed. Conversation about the Christmas carnival parade was a whole lot safer than revealing how vulnerable she sometimes felt.
‘That Van Helsing one with the moving horses! And the Fab Four float! I can’t get over how loud the music was.
’ She shrugged, mystified. ‘Not entirely sure how Christmassy some of them were but they were still extraordinary.’
‘I take your point. Think I mentioned before, Carnival is huge down here. The same floats get displayed all around the local carnival circuit and that usually begins in September. Suppose they thought they may as well trot them out for Christmas. The Polar Express one was good.’
‘It was amazing. Those little boys in dressing gowns and slippers and hanging off the sides. And the front made to look like a steam train, all lit up and blowing steam. How are they made?’
‘I’m not entirely sure,’ Mark admitted. ‘Think the base is a flatbed lorry and then they build the float on and around it and add the trailers at the back. A lot of hard work. Glad you enjoyed it, maybe we’ll make it to the Bridgewater Carnival?
That’s the big one, with loads of street entertainment. ’
‘You’re on.’ Livvy finished her coffee and started on her mulled wine.
She inhaled the scents of hot wine, orange, cloves and cinnamon.
‘Mm. Christmas in a glass,’ she said as she sipped.
‘And thank you for leading me down to the seafront to look at the decorated beach huts. It’s shocking.
I’ve been in Lullbury Bay three months now and I’ve only got to the sea once. That’s where I met Austin.’
‘That is truly shocking. Did you enjoy the beach huts? And the window display competition?’
‘I’m glad Bee’s Books won. Good old Bee.
The dancing penguins with their little reading specs all holding a children’s Christmas book were a joy.
The beach huts were,’ Livvy paused to find the right words, ‘let’s just say I’ve never seen anything quite like it ever.
I mean, one had a model railway running all round it and onto the outside.
And one had a swimming pool with real water, and polar bears.
And what was the knitted one all about?’
Mark laughed. ‘Lullbury Bay’s resident Ninja Knitters. They’re responsible for the bollard coverings too. Last year was Santa’s Grotto, this year they dedicated their entry to the RNLI.’
‘I know but who knits a lifeboat? It was nearly life-sized! Did it win?’
‘Think so.’
‘Mad.’
The choir’s carol came to an end to thunderous applause, after which they began to sing ‘Silent Night’.
‘Oh,’ Livvy said, on a sigh. ‘This is my favourite although I like it sung in German best.’ She closed her eyes and listened. The hectically busy pub hushed, the magic of the words casting a spell. Opening her eyes as the carol finished, she was aware of Mark’s gaze on her. ‘What?’
‘Nothing. Only sometimes you surprise me. You surprise me a great deal.’
Livvy blushed at the intensity of his statement. ‘You know what?’ she blurted out, in an attempt to diffuse the heat building between them.
‘What?’
‘It’s a Late Night Shopping Event, and we’ve not done any shopping!’
Mark pulled a regretful face. ‘I was going to buy you the life-sized knitted lifeboat, but you didn’t sound very keen.’
‘It would make an excellent talking point in the bar.’
‘It would.’
‘But…’
‘But?’
‘I’d bet good money that Skip would cock his leg all over it.’
For some reason, they both found this the funniest thing ever and laughed like drains.