Freddie was up early on Christmas morning. Anna was woken by his cries of delight as he found his bulging stocking on the end of his bed.
He appeared in her room with a huge smile, and the bulky stocking clasped to him.
‘He’s been,’ he said, ‘Father Christmas has been.’ He climbed onto her bed and began to open the small presents with excitement, tearing off the paper to reveal toys and sweets and a tangerine in the toe. He lay back at last. ‘My best stocking ever,’ he exclaimed happily.
‘We’d better have breakfast, remember we have lunch in the castle later and we must telephone Granny and Grandpa and Uncle Robert,’ Anna said. ‘We’ll leave our other presents until we get back, shall we? Something to look forward to.’
‘OK,’ Freddie said a little reluctantly, though he soon became engrossed in the toys in his stocking.
Ringing her family made Anna feel a little homesick. She imagined them all round the breakfast table, her parents having little to eat to leave space for the enormous Christmas meal they’d have, cooked mostly by Robert, who was a brilliant ‘special occasion’ cook. Freddie spoke to him at length about the castle and the people they’d met, but to Anna’s relief he did not mention not finding a dad among his presents.
After they’d rung off, Freddie gave Ozzie his presents, a chewy stick and a red ball to roll around his cage, and then it was time to get dressed and head off to the castle for lunch.
The lunch was taking place in what used to be the servants’ hall in the depths of the castle. The flood had wrecked the downstairs rooms in the Partridge, but fortunately the water had not touched the food, so Victor and Jade had moved it all into the castle.
Freddie was excited to go inside the main part of the castle and see the suits of armour in the hall.
‘And those swords,’ he pointed to some enclosed in a glass case high up on the wall. ‘Are they still used sometimes?’
‘I shouldn’t think so, health and safety would surely have strict rules about them,’ Anna said, ‘but look at those lifelike birds, aren’t they beautiful?’
‘It’s far too big for a real bird,’ he said.
Other people were coming in now and going into the gloom of the passage in front of them.
‘It’s a bit dark here,’ Freddie said, moving closer to her as they followed the others down the passage.
‘I know. The people, cooks, cleaners, gardeners and such, lived in these shadowy and dismal rooms below ground when there were lots of people to help run the place long ago,’ Anna explained. ‘The rich people lived upstairs in beautiful rooms filled with priceless furniture, pictures, silk curtains and all sorts of wonderful treasures.’
‘I’d have liked to be a rich person,’ Freddie said, taking her hand, a little scared by the long shadowy passage that lay ahead, the lights seeming to hide as well as reveal the dark alcoves cut into the walls. ‘Who does all the work now?’ Freddie asked when they reached the room where they were to eat.
The room was full of chattering people, polished and shining in their smart clothes. It was a large space with a low ceiling next to a vast kitchen and sculleries and various other rooms that made up the ‘servants quarters’ in the past. It had been prettily decorated with evergreens and red and gold shiny balls, and the long table laid with a red cloth and some piles of gold crackers. There was a small Christmas tree blinking coloured lights at them in the corner.
Everyone was already in merry mood, and Anna felt shy as she watched on, wishing that Lucy and Colin were here.
‘It’s all different now, Freddie,’ Anna said to him as they stood together just inside the door. ‘Now machines do a lot of the work, and you can buy good ready-made food to cook and the fabrics of clothes are much easier to keep clean.’ She felt she was talking just to combat her feeling of not fitting in here with these people who all knew each other so well.
Julius, who had just come in, overheard their conversation and, smiling at Freddie, said, ‘Hello, I’m Julius, I think you were asleep when I called round the other evening, and this is Felix, he seems to like you.’
Felix came up to greet him and Freddie stroked him, saying wistfully, ‘I wish we had a dog, but I have a guinea pig called Ozzie.’
‘Did he come with you?’ Julius asked.
‘Yes, you can meet him if you like.’
‘I look forward to it,’ Julius said. ‘Now, let me introduce you; ah, there’s Mattie and this is Jenny, who organises all the wedding breakfasts and such in the castle.’ He put his hand on the arm of a tall, dark-haired woman dressed in a jade green silk shirt and black trousers. ‘Anna and Freddie,’ he said, before excusing himself and turning to speak to someone behind him who was trying to get his attention.
‘Ah, the wonderful people who’ve stepped in at the last moment so Sidney and Philly could get away,’ Jenny said. ‘I do hope you’re happy here despite the flood.’
‘Yes, it’s a great place.’ Anna wondered if she and Julius were an item.
Victor and Jade bustled around, handing out drinks and canapés before darting back to the kitchen to check on the cooking. Victor was small and thin and Jade warm and cuddly and the two of them along with some other staff, who worked at the Partridge, produced the traditional lunch: turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas pudding and a huge Stilton sitting on a board with a silver spoon to scoop it out.
People began to search for their places and sit down. There were a couple of children who took Freddie to the other end of the table where they were sitting together, leaving Anna feeling bereft for a moment, though she scolded herself for her foolishness. There were place names on the long table and Anna saw with relief that she had been placed with Luke on one side of her and Nell on the other.
Luke joined her as she sat down. ‘I’m starving, I didn’t have any breakfast,’ he announced, sitting beside her.
Nell followed shortly after. ‘Such a shock about the floods, there hasn’t been such a bad one in living memory,’ she said. ‘And such bad luck for you and your boy expecting a lovely country Christmas.’
‘But we are warm and dry in the flat and it’s so much worse for all the people whose homes and businesses are ruined.’ Anna glanced across at Mattie who was sitting next to Everard, who she and Freddie had seen coming out of the castle on to the tilting ground.
‘So are you going to stay the whole month, or do we have to find someone else to step in?’ Nell asked, but before Anna could answer she went on, ‘Tessa and I could stay at a pinch, but not for long as we have an elderly cat who wouldn’t like it at all. He’s only happy in our parents’ house or ours, and he’s too old to be left with anyone else.’
Anna had got the go-ahead to stay the month from the schools and her private students before they left London, but she’d thought she`d make the final decision when she’d seen the set-up; but seeing how much Freddie loved the open air she’d decided to stay the whole month. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘We will stay, it’s so good for Freddie to be in the fresh air and we’ve met such lovely people here.’
‘Well, that’s a relief.’ Nell gave her a broad smile. ‘What’s not to like, a warm little flat right inside the castle – not many people get to stay in a real castle. And the village is lovely, or was before the flood, but it will be again. It was badly bombed in the war, though you’d never know now.’
The more she talked, the more Anna realised how much Nell loved the castle as if it were her own and how angry and upset she and indeed Luke, who joined in the conversation, were at the damage the flood had caused to the village, which could have been avoided if the river had been managed properly.
After the main course was finished, everyone moved round, so they had someone different beside them. Anna, who was enjoying sitting between Luke, who kept leaning close to her when he spoke as the noise in the room was quite loud at times, and Nell and her stories of the castle, felt disappointed having to start afresh with two new people.
Julius appeared on one side of her and Victor was to sit on the other, though he was busy grappling with a huge Christmas pudding and a bottle of brandy.
‘What would you and Freddie be doing for Christmas if you hadn’t come here?’ Julius asked her.
‘We’d probably be in the country, near Bristol, with my brother’s family, and our parents,’ she said. ‘We love it there, but there’s quite a squash this year as both sets of parents are staying, so it’s great that Freddie and I came here.’
‘We are so glad to have you to stand in for Philly and Sidney,’ he said. He looked tired. Though his face was brown from his skiing trip, there were dark rings under his eyes and she felt sorry for him having so much to cope with and trying to keep everyone happy. He went on, ‘I think, despite everything, people are determined to have a good time this Christmas, so I hope you and Freddie are not missing your family too much’. His smile was warm, and she felt drawn to him, though she warned herself that a man like him was surely paired up with someone.
‘At least the castle is safe and the wedding on the 5th doesn’t have to be cancelled,’ she said for something to say. ‘Lucy’s going to do the cake in the flat; bring it over after Christmas. Freddie and I won’t be cooking any sophisticated meals, so she can set everything up on the kitchen table there.’
‘Oh, that’s good of you, Anna,’ he said with feeling. ‘I would have suggested this kitchen here, but Jenny needs it for the wedding dinner.’ He glanced across the table at the dark-haired woman who was laughing at something Simon had said while Cathie glowered at her. ‘Did you meet Jenny?’
‘Yes, briefly before lunch,’ she said before turning to check on Freddie. There were a couple of young girls sitting with him, and he seemed to be having fun with them.
‘Freddie looks happy,’ Julius said, noticing her action. He went on to tell Anna that there was usually a tea party held in the Partridge on Boxing Day for the very smallest members of the community, though this year it had to be shelved. ‘It’s a pity, but there it is,’ he said. ‘I think a lot of very young children might be scared coming down here in the bowels of the castle for tea. The next thing will be the Easter egg hunt in the castle grounds. I hope the damage from the flood will be sorted by then.’
Anna looked over towards Freddie once more, who was now showing the girls the finger puppets he’d got in his stocking that morning, waggling his fingers together as if the small people were dancing.
As she looked round the table, it occurred to Anna that, despite the castle staff having been invited to bring their other halves, neither Luke, Simon or Julius had brought anyone with them, although she couldn’t be completely sure. She suspected that Cathie had laid claim to Simon, given her stand-offish manner towards her, but Anna didn’t know if they were in a relationship or if it were just wishful thinking on Cathie’s part. The way Cathie prowled round Simon, darting murderous looks at any woman who looked his way, would suggest they were involved. It didn’t seem that Luke had brought anyone with him, but he was such an attractive, friendly person, there was sure to be someone, somewhere for him. Jenny and Julius seemed fond of each other, but it was difficult to know if they were a couple or just good mates, or possibly lovers once and their relationship had run its course leaving them with fond memories.
A sudden lull came in the conversation and she overheard one of the little girls next to Freddie say loudly, ‘I got an iPad for Christmas, I’ve been wanting one for ages, what did you get, Freddie?’
Anna tried to catch his eye to send him a frantic message not to say he wanted a dad, but Freddie wasn’t looking her way. Everyone was watching the children, some amused, others disinterested.
Anna said quickly, ‘We haven’t opened all our presents yet, we’re going to do it after this.’
‘Oh, I’ve opened all mine. What do you want, Freddie?’ the annoying child persisted.
Then Freddie looked across at her and she shook her head, trying to throw him a warning. He took a deep breath, aware now that he’d got most people’s attention. ‘I want something that you can’t wrap up and Mum says is very difficult to find.’
‘Sounds like a riddle,’ Simon said.
‘How intriguing,’ Julius smiled at her, ‘whatever is it?’
Anna felt herself blushing, how could she tell him, tell anyone here?
To her relief, Victor came over and asked Julius to come into the kitchen. She heard him whisper ‘mice’, and Julius quickly excused himself and hurried after Victor.
Jade lifted the dish holding the pudding, now alight from the brandy, and started to hurry round the room so everyone could take a slice before the blue flames went out. The excitement was all focused on its journey round the table, leaving Anna to breathe a sigh of relief that the attention had been diverted from her and Freddie.