After the dramas of the day before, Anna slept in late before she made Freddie their special Christmas Eve breakfast, bacon and eggs and mince pies. She put his Advent calendar by his place, so he could open the last door, the largest on the card, revealing baby Jesus in the stable, with his family and animals around the manger.
They were halfway through breakfast when there was a knock on her door and Anna jumped up to open it.
‘Sorry if I’m disturbing you,’ Mattie stood there. ‘I suppose I should have rung you first, but I don’t carry a mobile everywhere I go. It’s somewhere at home, hopefully not drowned. I’ve never felt the need to be constantly in touch with people as you youngsters are.’
‘You’re not disturbing us at all, it’s lovely to see you. Come in. We’re just having breakfast; would you like to join us? I could make you eggs and bacon if you like and there’s mince pies.’ Anna smiled at her.
Mattie looked better than she had yesterday but still quite drawn and anxious. Today she was wearing a sort of pixie hood in cobalt blue with a swirl of ribbons over one ear.
‘Oh… well… a boiled egg would be lovely, if it’s no trouble. I’ve had a coffee, but I’m yet to venture to the kitchen in the bowels of the castle.’
‘Come and join us,’ Anna led the way into the kitchen, where Freddie was devouring his second mince pie.
‘I like your hat; it’s a different one to the red one,’ Freddie said between mouthfuls.
‘Thank you, Freddie.’ Mattie sat down at the kitchen table. ‘My mother was a milliner; do you know what that is?’
Freddie goggled. ‘A millionaire?’
Mattie laughed, ‘Sadly not. No, a milliner is someone who makes hats. She had a hat shop in Bury St Edmunds, which is a lovely town, not far from here. People wore hats a lot more in those days and she made all sorts for everyday and special days.’
‘Is yours a special day hat?’ Freddie regarded it intently.
‘Yes, I kept the special ones; I like to make a splash, cheer everyone up,’ Mattie said.
‘And you do, Mattie,’ Anna said as she put an egg into boiling water from the kettle and bread in the toaster. ‘Do sit down.’ She pulled out a chair for her, ‘It won’t take long. I hope you slept well?’
Before Mattie could answer her, the doorbell went again and this time it was Luke.
‘I was passing, so I thought I’d drop in to say that there is a carol service in the Church at five o’clock this evening in case you both want to come. With all the commotion yesterday, you perhaps weren’t told about it.’
‘Oh, thanks Luke, that sounds great, Lucy told us about it and we’d love to come. Mattie is here, would you like a coffee, breakfast, mince pie?’
He hovered a moment as if he were shy of intruding.
‘If you’ve got a moment,’ she said, ‘or have you too much on?’
‘I’ve already had breakfast, but I’d love a cup of tea and a mince pie if one’s going. It’s bitter out there,’ he said gratefully. He bent down to take off his boots in the hall after shutting the front door behind him to keep out the cold. ‘The people from the council and the insurance company are coming to see Julius in the village today.’
‘On Christmas Eve? That’s good of them, you must tell Mattie,’ Anna said as Luke followed her into the kitchen.
Mattie smiled at him, ‘Hello, Luke, did I hear you say people from the council and all are coming here today?’
‘Yes, you did. They wouldn’t have come out if it weren’t for Julius. He was on the phone at dawn to all sorts of people, blaming the council for not seeing to the river properly, threatening to go to the press, anything to get things sorted out fairly for everyone affected. They are meeting around lunchtime and the people staying in the castle ought to be there.’ He sat down beside Freddie.
Freddie said, ‘Are they in trouble for making the river flood?’
‘Not exactly, Freddie, but we have had an awful lot of rain this year, and the river needs to be looked after to make sure there’s room for the water to flow and it’s not full of weeds.’
‘So they need to use diggers and things?’ Freddie asked.
‘Yes, things like that, and it hasn’t been done, so all this rain had nowhere to go.’
‘Except for in the streets and Mattie’s cottage,’ Freddie said thoughtfully.
‘I’m afraid so,’ Mattie said, slicing the top of her boiled egg before turning to Luke. ‘So might we get compensation?’
Luke cradled his mug of tea in his hands to warm them. ‘I don’t understand these things enough to be much help, but Julius will fight for you, ask him what they might do.’
Seeing they were fast disappearing, Anna put some more mince pies on the plate; glad she’d baked a double batch. ‘Are you comfortable in your room in the castle, Mattie?’
She offered the plate to Luke to take another.
‘Yes, it’s one of those old-fashioned beds, or rather mattress, I suppose, that you sink into. I slept a bit but couldn’t help worrying about what will happen after Christmas. I mean we can’t all stay here while our cottages dry out and get cleaned up, and a hotel costs such a lot. I can’t wait to get back to my cottage, I’ve lived there so long and I couldn’t bear to lose it.’ Mattie smiled but Anna could see her fear lurking in her eyes. What would people do who suddenly could not live in their own home, the only one they possessed, and for whatever reason had nowhere else to go. She wondered if Mattie had children somewhere who could help out, but she didn’t like to ask, to seem as if she were prying.
‘I’ve lived here all my life and so have my parents and we’ve never had a flood like this before,’ Luke said.
‘Nor me, and I’ve been here much longer than you,’ Mattie said, going on to explain to Freddie about the life here when she was his age. ‘Much more land was farmed then, we even had those wonderful old shire horses that pulled the plough,’ she smiled. ‘All gone now though, taken over by machinery.’
‘The Partridge has photos and paintings of those times on the wall,’ Luke said. He smiled at Anna. ‘If they get it cleaned up, I’ll take you there for a drink, it’s a great place and it’s such a shame we can’t have Christmas lunch there.’
‘Thank you, Luke, I’d like that,’ she said, feeling suddenly rather flushed, then seeing that Freddie was regarding them with some interest, she quickly changed the subject back to the meeting with the council and such. The last thing she wanted was Freddie saying he was on the lookout for a dad.
‘I’d love a lift into the village, Luke, if you’re going,’ Mattie said, getting up from the table. ‘I’ll dash to my room to fetch my coat and bag, if that’s all right.’
‘I can go with you if you want,’ Anna suggested, feeling she might need support seeing her ruined cottage again in the light of day. Also she needed to buy some more milk and fruit. ‘Will you be all right?’
‘No, I’m fine Anna, thanks for asking.’ She stood tall and resolute, determined to meet this challenge full on.
When Mattie had gone back to her room to fetch her bag and key to her cottage, Anna turned to Luke, ‘So you think Julius will sort it for them? He came here last night, in fact,’ she smiled at Freddie, who had now got down from the table. ‘I forgot to tell you we had a visitor, Felix, a black Labrador who came in.’
‘Came in here… to the flat?’ Freddie said amazed.
‘You were sound asleep and I was just about to close the front door after Colin dropped us off and Felix came in. He hoped to see Philly and Sidney but only found me.’
‘I wish I’d woken up, I’d like to see him,’ Freddie said eagerly
‘You’ll see him again, lots of times, I’m sure.’ Luke smiled at him. ‘Wherever Julius goes, Felix is usually with him.’
‘Julius came in after him, he…’ she paused, then said lightly, ‘well, he wasn’t very pleased that people are sleeping in the castle.’
‘I thought it a good idea,’ Freddie said. ‘I suggested it, didn’t I?’
‘You did, and it was a good idea.’ They were interrupted when the telephone rang and Anna went to answer it. It was Lucy.
‘Just to remind you about the carol service and having supper with us afterwards tonight. It won’t be late, we must get home and asleep before Father Christmas comes.’
‘Of course we must, we are looking forward to it, thanks Lucy, can I bring anything, wine or a pudding, I can make something today.’ She added quickly, ‘And you’re sure it’s no trouble with all those cakes?’
‘Ah, you’ve sussed me out. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts and all that. I genuinely want you – the whole family want you – both to come to supper, but also I was going to take you up on the offer of letting me decorate the wedding cake in your kitchen and…’ she paused.
‘And making some Gateau des Rois,’ Anna laughed. ‘Of course, as long as you give me the recipe.’
‘Well, let’s get Christmas Day over first, then if you can bear it, I’ll bring the cakes round and extra flour and things for the Gateaux des Rois.’
‘No problem, Lucy, I’ll be happy to help.’
‘You’re a star,’ Lucy said. ‘Now, I’ve got to go to the shop, the council have called to say they are coming to assess the damage, I can’t miss that.’ She rang off and Anna went back into the kitchen and told Freddie about their invitation in case he hadn’t heard it yesterday when he’d gone off with Benny.
Freddie and Luke were getting on like a house on fire, playing a game of rock, paper, scissors, which Freddie won by having a flat hand, representing paper, to Luke’s fist, representing rock.
Mattie came back with her keys to the cottage and Luke, promising Freddie another game later, left them and drove her down to the village.
‘I like Luke,’ Freddie said meaningfully after he’d fetched Ozzie to let him run round a track he’d made for him out of Lego.
Anna kept quiet, though it worried her that Freddie might get carried away with the idea that someone here could become his dad. So far everyone they’d met here seemed nice and so welcoming. Even Julius, who she’d assumed from listening to snippets dropped about him could sometimes be difficult, though perhaps for good reason. Being in charge of the whole estate carried a heavy load of responsibility and now with the flood happening just before Christmas, it was an added nightmare for him.
She said gently, ‘Freddie, as your real dad’s not here, I know you want one of your own, but let’s keep it as our special secret while we are here, just the two of us. OK?’
‘OK’, Freddie said, more interested in running after Ozzie.
*
The sun was out so soon after Luke and Mattie had left, Anna and Freddie went out to explore more of the estate. She took him up the steep path to the tilting ground and told him it was used long ago for jousting, men in armour trying to unseat other horsemen.
‘Do they do it now?’ Freddie asked, looking round as if a horse and rider would suddenly appear like ghosts from another age.
‘I think it is still done somewhere, people dressing up as knights and trying to knock the other person off their horse, but I don’t know if they re-enact it here.’
‘They’d fall in the swimming pool,’ Freddie walked round it. It was covered now, a few dried leaves scattered on the top. ‘Do you think there are ghosts of them?’ he went on.
‘I don’t think so,’ she said and then they both jumped as a door creaked open. They turned to see who it was, but instead of it being a knight in shining armour astride a horse, a man with untidy hair blowing round his bald pate, who Anna remembered seeing in the church hall yesterday, came out, bundled up in a coat and scarf.
‘Hello there,’ he called and came over to them,
‘We thought you might be a ghost, or a knight,’ Freddie said.
‘No. Not yet anyway.’ He smiled. ‘Jolly cold, could be snow.’
‘Do you think there will be?’ Freddie asked excitedly.
‘Bit much if we have that and floods,’ the man said. ‘I’m Everard Manton by the way; I know who you are, young Freddie – we met at the church hall yesterday. Hello, Anna, can’t stop to chat as I’m going down now to tackle these bug—’ He stopped short, placing his hand over his mouth in mock contrition. ‘These rotten people who should have prevented this flood and now must pay for it. Could do with a spear and a horse as I head to my battle with the council folk,’ he added, before stomping off towards the path down to the village, leaving Freddie in fits of giggles.
*
It was dark and cold when they arrived at the church for the carol service just before five. The church dated back to Norman times. It was compact with no bell tower, just a small bell cote. There were carvings of primitive people on the doorposts and, to Freddie’s delight, strange dragons and beasts carved on the back of some of the pews. The inside was decorated with evergreens, oranges and red berries glowing in the soft candlelight.
The vicar, who seemed almost as old as the church itself, had a strong and powerful voice and urged them to pray and to help each other following the flood.
Anna glanced round at the congregation. Lucy and Mattie, dressed warmly in thick coats, hats and scarves, waved at her. She felt that some of the other locals were inspecting her and Freddie.
The first carol, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’, started, and Anna thought of her family and Gary, as yet another Christmas came and went without him.
A moment later someone squeezed in beside her; it was Simon. ‘Sorry,’ he whispered, ‘only just made it.’
They shared a hymn sheet and across the aisle she saw Cathie watching them, and if looks could kill she’d be dead already.