A Perfect Cornish Christmas

Scarlett laughed. ‘Expecting trouble, are you?’

‘Oh, I’m sure the seagulls can kick off big style.’ He grinned. ‘But security is something the organisers have to take very seriously, even though it’s not usually a problem. Mum and Dad have said that they’re not expecting it to be anywhere near as big as the summer food festival so my team probably won’t have much to do.’

‘Even so, it might be more work than you think,’ Ellie said.

‘Yes, and my parents will make sure I don’t slack.’ He glanced at his watch, a chunky rubber affair with a tonne of dials. ‘I’d better go. I’ve got a meeting with a potential client this evening. Maybe we’ll see you both down the Tinners’ tomorrow? A bunch of us are meeting up there for a few drinks. Could be a great way for Scarlett to meet the locals?’

‘Sounds good,’ Ellie said, adding, ‘if it’s OK with Scarlett?’

Scarlett nodded. Even though she wasn’t hugely looking forward to meeting the Christmas Day lunch gang again, she didn’t want Ellie to miss out on the chance of seeing Aaron, even if it was in a group. ‘Sure. I’ll drive if you like, Ellie.’

‘If you don’t mind.’

‘No problem.’

‘Great. Sorted.’ Aaron got up and Scarlett decided to make herself scarce while they said goodbye.

‘I ought to finish my unpacking. Nice to meet you, Aaron. See you tomorrow night.’ With a smile, she headed for the stairs, intent on leaving Ellie to see him off the premises. She caught a snatch of Aaron saying something she couldn’t quite make out and Ellie replying, ‘Oh, I promise to let you know if either of us need you.’

Scarlett closed her bedroom door to give them some privacy. Nevertheless, while she unpacked her clothes, she could still hear laughter and the rise and fall of animated voices for a few minutes until the front door shut again.

Ellie obviously had a tank-sized crush on the guy and Scarlett didn’t blame her. But even if her sister hadn’t fancied him, she wouldn’t have dreamed of going after Aaron. She had enough on her plate looking after her new customers, and trying to build up the business.

She had another moment of misgiving, wondering if she should have come to Seaholly at all. The vanishing postcard and arrival of Aaron had been a sobering wake-up call. She’d been so wrapped up in her own insecurities since last Christmas, it had blinded her to her family’s worries. She should have thought more carefully before landing on Ellie, but now she was here, she had to make the best of things while trying not to disrupt her sister’s life. Scarlett was sure that the clue to her heritage lay in Porthmellow and she could still look for her father without the postcard, though it was going to be a whole lot harder. It could have been thrown out, of course, or her mum might have moved it.

On the upside, perhaps some of the older locals who’d known Joan might remember her parents visiting – particularly her mother. The pub might be a great place to start her quest to find out more about her father.

Chapter Five

The Tinners’ Arms was the newer of Porthmellow’s two pubs; new being only two hundred years old rather than four. The solid granite tavern, built for workers in the nearby mines, was situated on the opposite side of the harbour to the whitewashed Smuggler’s Tavern, the scene of Scarlett’s Christmas Day meltdown. Like its ‘rival’, it was one of the main social hubs of the town and even on a dark October evening, was surprisingly busy with locals.

‘Oh, look. The festival committee is in here. You can meet everyone all at once,’ Ellie said as they walked inside.

‘What?’ Scarlett followed Ellie’s gaze with a sinking feeling. The group of people squashed around tables by the fire turned their collective gaze on her and an unpleasant memory flooded back. ‘Oh my God, no. Aaron didn’t mention they’d all be in here. There’s loads of them.’

She tried to turn around, but Ellie was right behind her.

‘Don’t worry,’ she soothed, ushering Scarlett further into the dim interior. ‘It’s only Sam Lovell and her sister, Zennor, and her fiancé, Ben. They’re all lovely. So’s Drew, my boss, and his partner, Chloe.’

‘Oh, so not many people then!’ Scarlett whispered as they queued at the bar. ‘And you forgot the elf man!’

‘What do you mean?’

‘That guy. The tall one with the surf-dude hair. He was in the pub when I rocked up on Christmas Day, along with Sam and Evie and her husband. They all were.’

Ellie gave their drinks order before replying. ‘So?’

‘So? Have you forgotten I was wearing a pair of bunny slippers and acting like a crazed escapee from a maximum-security institution? This is a terrible idea. The elf man covered me in his fleece … like a pensioner or a poorly hamster.’ Scarlett stifled a groan of shame.

Ellie glanced again at the elf man. ‘Oh, you must mean Jude Penberth? He’s not a surfer, as far as I know, but it’s just like him to help you out. He’s lovely, and as I’ve said before a dozen times, there’s no shame in having asked for help. They know you were very upset. They won’t judge you. Sam’s had problems of her own.’

‘Really? Like finding out her father isn’t her dad after all and running off to a bunch of strangers in her slippers?’

‘Much worse,’ Ellie said quietly. ‘Sam’s father left the family when she was little. Then her mother died, leaving Sam to look after Zen and her brother, Ryan. Ryan tried to rob some of the villagers and did a runner for over a decade. He’s back now, though, and if he can come home to Porthmellow, I’m sure you can. It’s not as if you did anything wrong.’

Scarlett looked at Sam and winced. ‘Well, I suppose if you put it like that … mind you, I feel even worse now for making such a fuss.’

‘It was a shock.’

Ellie’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my, Gabe Mathias is here too. We’re definitely not leaving.’

‘Gabe Mathias? What? The Gabe Mathias, the TV chef?’

‘Yes, he’s Sam’s partner.’

Scarlett saw a tall, tanned and very handsome man rejoin the group of committee members.

Ellie handed her a glass of Pinot Grigio. ‘Come on, you know you’d love to meet him. He’s a sweetheart, too.’

‘Everybody seems to be in this town.’ Scarlett sipped her wine sedately, determined to show she could be restrained around alcohol.

‘Er, not quite. But this bunch are all right. All you need to do is smile and say hello. Everyone knows you’re sane normally.’

Scarlett almost choked on her wine. ‘Thanks!’

Despite her misgivings, she decided that she’d better get the introductions over with. Fixing a smile on her face, she followed Ellie. This was going to be like taking a plunge into an unheated pool and Scarlett decided it was best to dive straight in, live with the pain and get used to it. It was better than bumping into each person individually over the next few weeks and having to go through the whole excruciating, ‘Yes, it was me,’ ‘Yes, I’m fine now,’ ‘Thanks for being so kind,’ over and over again. More importantly, if she wanted to have a chance of discovering some clues to her biological father’s identity, she was going to have to bite the bullet and swallow her pride.

The gang around the table was an eclectic mix. Sitting next to Troy and Evie Carman were Ben and Zennor, a gawky young couple in goth make-up, matching purple hair and biker leathers who were intertwined like vines. You couldn’t slot a beer mat between the festival chairperson Sam Lovell and Gabriel Mathias, whose arm was draped around her shoulder. At the end of the booth, Scarlett recognised a ponytailed older guy as Drew, Ellie’s boss from the sailing trust, and his partner, Chloe, whom Ellie had said was a London events organiser. Apparently, she was over fifty, but Scarlett thought she looked at least ten years younger.

Then there was the elf man, perched on a barstool, minus his hat of course, his tousled blond hair brushing his shoulders. She was determined to act naturally and do everything she could to prove she wasn’t always as weird as this lot must think she was.

‘Oh look, there’s Aaron.’ She pointed to the man carrying a tray of drinks from the bar to the committee table. Ellie’s eyes lit up. Aaron mouthed hello and nodded to the group, signalling that she and Ellie should join everyone.

‘Come on.’ Ellie led the way and all heads turned in their direction.

Aaron put the tray on the table. ‘I’ve invited Ellie and her sister to meet everyone. If we’re nice to Scarlett, I thought we might have another new recruit for the festival team.’

‘Um. I’m not sure I’d be of any use …’ Scarlett began, trying not to live up to her name as she came face to face with her rescuers.

People smiled and nods were exchanged. ‘Hello, Ellie. Hi, Scarlett.’ The chorus of greetings was warm and friendly.

Troy, wearing his cap minus the tinsel, peered at her. ‘Eh. You’re the maid who wandered into the pub on Christmas Day. We were proper worried about you until Ellie came to take you home.’

His wife nudged him. ‘Troy. That was ages ago, she won’t want to be reminded of that tonight. She was just having one of those days. We all do.’

Evie was spot on. Scarlett summoned up the biggest grin she could find. ‘I’m fine now and you’ll be pleased to know I’m not wearing my bunny slippers.’

Everyone burst out laughing.

Troy chuckled. ‘Pleased to see you have a sense of humour, maid. It’ll stand you in good stead around here. Jude, stand up and give one of these ladies a seat.’

‘No need, because we have to go soon.’ Drew pulled out his chair.

‘It’s nothing personal. We promised to babysit my granddaughter,’ Chloe said. ‘Hopefully we’ll see you again soon, if you’ve moved into Porthmellow?’

‘I’m sure you will,’ Scarlett replied, keen not to wash any more of her dirty linen in public.

Sam and Gabe began to chat to her. Sam was funny and kind, and being close to Gabe Mathias was no hardship, as he was even more gorgeous in the flesh than on the TV. Wait until her friends back in Brum heard about it … when she eventually returned there – if she did. Looking around the pub, surrounded by strangers – apart from her sister – she had a panicky moment. She hadn’t really thought of any plans beyond moving in with Ellie and hunting for her real father. It was ironic that before the momentous events of the previous Christmas, she’d been the queen of forward planning. The revelation about her parentage had changed that, and perhaps made her live for the moment more. Soon, the talk turned to the festival and Scarlett was very happy to have the focus shift away from her.

As Aaron had briefly outlined, the event was to be a joint Christmas and solstice festival, which brought together the traditional and pagan elements of the season, celebrating the passing of the shortest day and the festivities to come. It was scheduled for the night of the twenty-first and Scarlett was surprised to hear that several thousand people were expected. She loved visiting the German Christmas market in her home city, and though this event was on a toy-town scale compared to that, it sounded charming. There would be street entertainers, a solstice parade with people in fancy dress led by fire-eaters. The town band would be playing festive music and stalls would sell gifts and seasonal food. Gabe was doing a cookery demo of festive grub.

‘We’re always looking for more volunteers,’ Evie said. ‘If you wanted to help.’

Troy tutted. ‘Eh, don’t rope the girl in. We’ve only just met her.’

‘It’s OK. I’m not sure how I can help, but I’ll be happy to lend a hand if you like.’ Scarlett decided that this was another way to show she was prepared to be a good citizen. And probably also a good way to find out more about her father.

‘I’m sure we can find you something,’ Sam said. ‘When you’ve settled in, let Ellie know if you want to join in, or give one of us a call.’

A few of the younger committee members went to the bar, and Troy vanished to the loo, leaving Scarlett next to Evie, while Aaron, Jude and Ellie chatted.

Evie shuffled closer. ‘Are you feeling any better these days?’ she asked in a low voice. ‘Ellie’s told me that your mum and dad are still having a few problems, not that she’s shared the details – or that it’s any of my business.’

Scarlett baulked at the open mention of their issues, however, Ellie had had to make some excuses for her behaviour the previous Christmas. Evie was so sweet and genuine that Scarlett didn’t mind too much. She was determined to be cheerful and show her festive meltdown had been a one-off, and besides, this was an opportunity to make a few enquiries of her own.

‘It’s OK, and you’re right, Mum and Dad are going through a difficult patch … um, do you know them well?’

‘Not very well. Obviously, your auntie Joan was a stalwart of the village. Such a clever lady. I loved her books.’ Evie winked. ‘She used to give me a signed copy when a new one came out, even the racy ones. Did you know about those?’

‘Joan didn’t think Ellie and I knew, but we found the copies hidden away even before she died.’

‘She was one of a kind, was Joan. So refined and ladylike but with a wicked sense of humour, and very open-minded.’

‘Hmm …’ Scarlett replied, wondering if it was an open secret that Joan had been having a relationship with her ‘handyman’. ‘We all loved her to bits and miss her a lot, especially my mum … she used to spend a lot of her time here, particularly when we were young.’

‘No wonder. Seaholly Manor is a beautiful place.’

‘Mum found it peaceful and soothing. With my dad working away such a lot, she liked to bring us here for holidays when we were little … and she used to come with Ellie before I was born.’ Scarlett felt like she was treading on wobbly stepping stones, not sure if she should venture any further. ‘Do you remember those days? Mum says they had a lot of fun.’

‘Gosh, I remember the parties, not that I went to any of the wilder ones. Me and Troy were too busy bringing up Aaron and Gemma. I was Joan’s age, so still a lot older than your mum, obviously.’

‘Wild parties?’ Scarlett gave a laugh. ‘That doesn’t sound like Auntie Joan,’ she joked, knowing her great-aunt had loved entertaining but intrigued to know what Evie meant by ‘wild’.

‘Oh, she had a few at the manor with her arty friends from London, authors and artists and such like. She’d host them and invite all and sundry from the village … I could have gone, but they weren’t Troy’s scene, as you can imagine. They went on late. Joan’s friend – Lawrence Guise, the gardener – said Joan would stay up until late but the younger ones would party ’til dawn on the beach in the summer.’

‘Sounds like a real blast.’

‘I do think some turned a bit on the lively side … you know, wacky baccy, skinny dipping and shenanigans in the dunes …’ Evie’s eyes glittered with mischief. ‘Like I say, I only heard the gossip. You should ask your mum about it all. I’m surprised she hasn’t told you more about it already.’

‘She probably didn’t want to be a bad influence on us,’ Scarlett replied, dying yet dreading to hear more of the juicy details.

Evie giggled. ‘Oh, go on. I bet you’ve done some stuff you don’t want to tell her.’

Scarlett smiled. ‘We all have to have a few secrets, don’t we?’ She tried to make it sound light-hearted, but she felt disturbed by Evie’s revelations. Had her mother been involved in some of the ‘shenanigans’?

‘I doubt very much she’d have been involved, with you little ones to look after, and anyway, I don’t think Joan had that many really rowdy dos after the seventies. She was growing out of all that herself.’

Troy arrived back from the gents.

‘Sorry I’ve been a while. Pickled herrings for lunch. I love ’em but they play havoc with my digestion.’

‘That’s way too much information, Troy!’ Evie cried. ‘I think we should be getting home. My knee’s stiff. I had a new one in the summer,’ she told Scarlett. ‘Come on, you old devil. Take me home.’

Ben and Zennor left the pub along with Troy and Evie, and shortly after, Sam and Gabe finished their drinks and went home too, which left Ellie and Scarlett alone with Aaron and Jude.

Scarlett wasn’t sure how much she’d really learned about her mother’s past other than that Joan’s parties were even ‘wilder’ than she’d imagined, by the sound of them. Short of asking Evie straight out if she’d known if her mum had shagged anybody local, she couldn’t see how she was going to get that much further forward.

With the departure of some of the others, Jude had moved from the stool to the bench seat next to her. While Ellie and Aaron chatted away like old mates, Jude was much quieter. Scarlett had only met him once before and the previous occasion had hardly been conducive to small talk.

Scarlett was gradually adjusting to seeing him minus his ears and thinking of him as an ordinary bloke rather than the elf man who’d rescued her. However, ‘ordinary’ perhaps wasn’t quite the word for him. His hair was thick and bleached into many shades of blond by the sun, but his eyes were his most striking feature by far. They were green, but not some common or garden hazel colour but actual green flecked with amber. So maybe he was one of the elf people after all. Scarlett stopped herself from laughing just in time …

‘Everything OK?’ he asked.

‘Why?’

‘You were away with the fairies for a moment there.’

She almost choked on her gin. He could read minds, too. She laughed. ‘Sorry, I was only thinking how strange it is to be here in Porthmellow after all that’s happened.’

He thought before replying. ‘Tonight must have been a baptism of fire. It took some guts to walk in with us lot here. Assembled Do-Gooders of Porthmellow.’ He added a gentle smile and Scarlett, expecting to be embarrassed at the reference, instead felt relieved that he’d mentioned it in a low-key and humorous way that she could live with.

‘I never thought I would come back, to be honest. And there’s nothing wrong with doing good. I just didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of it.’

‘There’s no shame in needing help. Ellie said you’d had a bit of a family crisis on Christmas morning. Please, you don’t have to tell me any more. Unless you want to, of course, but I’m guessing you’d rather forget the whole thing?’

‘Walking into the pub in my slippers, yes. Unfortunately, the other stuff is more complicated.’

‘Things always are.’ Jude had a wistful look in his eye, then he smiled. ‘Your glass is empty. Another one?’

‘I’ll have a small G&T, thanks, but let me pay. I insist.’

Jude nodded. ‘OK.’

Aaron and Ellie still had half-full glasses, so Scarlett went to the bar and returned with Jude’s half a bitter and her gin. They chatted about her job and she told him some of her plans.

‘Did Ellie tell you Zennor and Ben run a graphic design company? They might need a copywriter. It’s worth asking them. Probably only small clients, but still.’

‘Any new client would be good, but I’d feel awkward about approaching them for work when I’ve only just met them …’

‘They wouldn’t mind at all. I’m not sure they’re swamped with top copywriters like you in Porthmellow.’

Scarlett searched his face for any sign of irony but decided he was being serious. Once upon a time she’d have had no qualms about chatting up a potential new client immediately, but her foundations had been rocked in so many ways lately that she was no longer so confident. She felt she needed to get her feet under the table in Porthmellow first. ‘I’m not sure there are any top copywriters here, even now.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll definitely get in touch when I’ve settled in. Thank you.’

‘No problem. I’m sure they’d be delighted to have you.’

Jude seemed to glow with pleasure. Despite his eyes, there was nothing fey about the rest of him. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt over dark chinos and a leather bracelet with a silver clasp. He was about her age, she guessed, and striking rather than gorgeous in the way of Gabe, Aaron or Rafa. Yet Scarlett wanted to look at him, and looking at him gave her pleasure. It was silly, but she felt that he had an inner luminosity. Unless she had her gin goggles on, of course. She pushed her glass away, deciding that she was at a stage of pleasantly relaxed and didn’t want to tip over into the dangerous area of wanting to tell him her life story.

‘So, what do you do in Porthmellow?’ she asked, resisting the urge to ask if it involved casting spells.

‘Not a lot, according to some people.’ His lips tilted in a smile. ‘Actually, we have something in common, because I’m in the writing business too.’

‘Please don’t say I’m not the only copywriter in the village?’ Scarlett wasn’t joking. She couldn’t handle the competition.

‘No, I don’t write copy, although I do contribute to magazines. I write about natural history. Wildlife, plants and flowers. I’m a forager.’

‘A forager? As in picking plants to eat?’

‘Flowers, plants, wild seafood, fungi. Anything and everything you can make into a meal or drink. I run foraging and wild cookery courses and I’ve published a couple of books on the subject. I also teach part-time at the local college.’

‘Wow. You’re the first forager I’ve met. How did you get into that?’

‘I’m from Porthmellow. Mum and Dad still live here. I have a PhD in Botany and I worked for a university in London for a while but, well –’ he hesitated a little too long before continuing – ‘let’s just say I couldn’t keep away from the bright lights of Porthmellow. I must be getting old, longing for a quiet life.’

‘You don’t look that old!’ she blurted out, but immediately regretted the personal remark. ‘Sorry!’

‘I won’t see thirty-six again,’ Jude said solemnly.

‘Still very young,’ she replied hastily, also suspecting there was more to his return than he’d admitted. She’d only just got to know him, so she certainly wasn’t going to pry. ‘So, you’re Doctor Penberth. I’m impressed,’ she said, shifting the focus to his unusual job.

‘Yes, and actually,’ he said solemnly, ‘I do prefer people to use my title unless they know me very well.’

Scarlett was floored. He hadn’t seemed pompous but perhaps she’d misread him. ‘Oh, erm … I see …’ she floundered, not sure how to react.

Suddenly his stern expression melted into a grin. ‘I’m joking. I only use the doctor thing for occasional academic stuff; conferences and so on. Jude will do fine between us.’

‘You – you …’ She dissolved into laughter, her cheeks warming at being taken in.

‘I shouldn’t have teased you. I’m sorry.’

‘It’s fine.’ She laughed. ‘I should have guessed you were joking.’

A burst of laughter from across the table caught her attention. Ellie and Aaron were very close. It seemed like they were all getting on well together.

Jude sipped his pint and replaced it on the table. ‘Um … talking of work, you might see me foraging in the grounds of the manor. Your auntie Joan was very kind and let me collect plants from the gardens, and I carried on picking them after she passed away. Ellie said it was OK to continue, unless the place is sold, obviously.’

‘There are no plans for that at the moment,’ Scarlett said. Jude was another local who seemed to have been friendly with Joan, but Scarlett had never come across him on her visits – she’d definitely have remembered him. ‘So this foraging … do it a lot, do you?’

She’d made it sound vaguely disgusting and a bubble of embarrassed laughter rose in her throat. Jude made her want to laugh and she hadn’t felt like that very often lately but she wasn’t sure he would share her sense of humour.

‘Actually, yes, I do.’ He smiled wickedly and Scarlett revised her opinion of him upwards yet again. Maybe he’d get her jokes after all. ‘You don’t mind then?’

‘Not if Ellie doesn’t. You can forage as much as you like. Not that it’s our place, anyway. As you probably know, it’s my mother who owns the manor now, but I’m sure she won’t mind either.’