Anna and Daisy set to making the Gateaux des Rois for Lucy, so Anna could take them to her when she went to fetch Freddie.
Anna was annoyed with herself for feeling a ridiculous sense of ownership of the people she’d met here, namely Simon, she confessed to herself. Watching Daisy filling the baking tin with the cake mixture, she said, hoping she sounded nonchalant, ‘You seem to be quite taken with Simon, Daise.’
Daisy, scraping the mixing bowl clean of the almond cream into the last pastry case with a spatula, tried to appear disinterested without much success. She and Anna had been friends since they were dropped, clinging to their mothers, at playgroup. She knew her too well, and Daisy could not hide the flush in her cheeks and the shine in her eyes. ‘Don’t know what gave you that idea.’ She bent down to put into the oven her cake, and the three others that stood ready to go, setting the timer for twenty-five minutes. She stood up and faced her. ‘Everyone’s so nice, I love Luke, he’s so friendly… and Julius, poor man, has such a load of responsibility on his shoulders.’
‘He does, and so what about Simon, what do you think of him?’ Anna wouldn’t give up.
‘He’s lovely too; you’re lucky having them around. I suppose seeing them every day working on the estate you get to know them quite well. I can see that Freddie adores them, especially Julius after Felix found Ozzie.’ Daisy shot Anna one of her looks which Anna knew usually heralded a question. ‘Is he fixed up, married, whatever?’
Anna was not surprised, though couldn’t help being annoyed by her remark. All three of Freddie’s godmothers were bound to try and grant his wish of a dad, but she and Freddie were leaving here in a couple of weeks and it was not likely anyone here would oblige. ‘I’ve no idea. Lucy says people prefer to keep their love lives under wraps, which I can understand,’ Anna said firmly. ‘I’ve been thinking about moving close to Robert after the summer term. It’s lovely up there and Freddie fits in well with his family and he says that I’m sure to get a teaching job.’
Daisy frowned, ‘I think that’s a bit drastic. I mean, you like living in London.’
‘I do, but having seen how much Freddie loves the freedom of the country I think it might be the best for him.’
‘Well, you must do what you think,’ Daisy said. ‘Shall we bake another couple of cakes? There’s still some ingredients left.’
‘I’ll ask Lucy when I take this lot over,’ Anna said. ‘And perhaps we could make some tomorrow before you set off?’
‘I must leave here early, though I’d love to stay on another day with you and Freddie, but Mum’s not too well and it upsets her if plans are changed,’ Daisy said briskly as if reminding herself that her obligations to her family came first. ‘I’ll come back later, perhaps for a weekend to welcome Philly and Sidney back.’
‘Good idea,’ Anna said, surprised that Daisy was not quizzing her about what she knew about Simon. There was something between them, a flash of attraction, which could burn out in an instant or smoulder on for a lifetime. You never knew how these things would turn out.
Gary came to mind, how passionately they had loved each other before he’d been snatched away. She said, ‘Hypothetical question, Daisy. Do you think Gary would have been a good father?’ Seeing Daisy’s surprise at her question, she went on quickly, ‘I mean finding out we were expecting a baby when we’d agreed to wait a while until we started a family. How do you think he’d have taken it? I know he’d love him now, when he’s a real person you can do things with, but me going through pregnancy and then having a tiny baby would sort of change the dynamics between us and I wouldn’t be so instantly available to do things with him.’
Daisy sighed, ‘I know what you mean, Gary loved his bachelor life… well, not with other women but with his mates, and none of them had children then. To be truthful, I think he might have been bored by the pregnancy and baby bit, but he’d have loved him now, Freddie’s such a great companion.’
‘If he’d hung about,’ Anna said a bit sadly. ‘I don’t know why I’m thinking this now; I suppose it’s because Freddie said he wanted a dad for Christmas. It really hurt that I couldn’t give him that. Boys love doing things with their dads. I remember Robert and Dad going to football matches, bonding together doing male things. It’s a relationship you don’t have with your mother.’
‘I know, love, but families come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and he is much loved by all of us.’ Daisy gave her a hug. ‘We’ll never know how Gary would have coped, but I’d give him the benefit of the doubt,’ Daisy went on as Anna blew her nose. ‘I know Freddie wanted a dad for Christmas and Christmas has passed with no sign of one as far as I can see, but I… we all, to be truthful, think it is time you came out of purdah and went out on the hunt again.’ She giggled.
‘It sounds awful, dating sites, all that.’ Anna had been on a couple of dates though not alone but as part of a group – friends of friends – since Gary’s death but her heart wasn’t in it and they had come to nothing. She waited for Daisy to ask her about Simon, but she did not.
If Grania were here she’d interrogate Daisy. Did she want to see Simon again, was she sure she cared for him and all the rest of it, but Anna decided she would say nothing. Daisy was leaving in the morning and for all they knew Simon and Cathie were an item or he was fixed with someone else. She would not interfere but leave it alone and see what happened, if it was meant to be, all would be well.
The timer on the oven went off. The kitchen was filled with the warm aroma of sugar and brandy as Anna opened the oven to check the cakes. They were perfect, the pastry crust golden and shining with its sugar glaze. She and Daisy took them out and put them on the side to cool.
‘They look great, I wish we could eat them now,’ Daisy said. ‘I’d forgotten about them, I might make one while I’m with my parents, have it early like Lucy’s clients.’
When the cakes had cooled enough, Anna and Daisy packed up the Gateaux des Rois in the boxes Lucy had left and went outside to the car to drive down to her.
Daisy eagerly went ahead of Anna, glancing round the quadrangle no doubt hoping to see Simon. Under the dim lights they could see Luke and another man unloading various bits of wood and stacking them on the grass. Luke waved but was too far away to talk, Daisy waved back, though Anna could sense her disappointment that Simon was not with them.
‘I must think of something to make for Lucy for her party. I’ve left my recipe books behind and I’ve a whole section on cocktail food,’ Anna said as they started off down to the village.
‘Perhaps you’ll get an idea at the village shop, we could pop in now,’ Daisy said. ‘I often do baby Yorkshire puddings with slivers of roast beef on top or nuts baked in the oven with a sort of sweet spicy sauce.’
‘I remember, in fact I borrowed your nut recipe and gave a few bags out as little presents to Lucy and Mattie,’ Anna said, wondering if she could persuade Daisy to make something before she left. Though knowing Daisy, she might prefer to prowl round the estate hoping to come across Simon, so she didn’t mention it.
They went to the shop and trawled the shelves, but apart from eggs, milk and cheese, bacon, and a few sorry-looking fruit and veg, there was no fresh meat or anything that inspired her.
‘You could do bacon wrapped around prunes,’ Daisy said, ‘or a quiche cut up in small pieces, or even tiny quiches you can just pop in your mouth.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Anna agreed. She could cook them this evening, with any luck Daisy might help.
Anna bought the ingredients and as they paid Mattie came in.
‘How lovely to see you,’ Mattie was obviously delighted. She wore a brown felt hat with some peacock feathers on the side. ‘And Daisy too. Have you heard if your uncle and aunt are having a good time?’
‘No, which probably means they are,’ Daisy said.
‘When are you going to Spain?’ Anna asked.
‘Next week. It’s all organised, Andalusia, can’t wait.’ Mattie went pink with excitement. ‘I always keep up with my old lovers, you just never know when they will come in useful again,’ Mattie said naughtily.
‘Can I get you something, Mattie?’ Mrs Petit asked rather primly, and laughing, Mattie asked for some cheese and helped herself to some cooking apples. ‘I’ll make a crumble, my favourite,’ she said, winking at Anna who struggled to hide her laughter. Mattie seemed to be having a far more exciting love life than those half her age, herself included.
Anna gave Mattie a lift back up the road to Lucy’s house; she was staying in the self-contained annexe tacked on to the side of the house built of weathered stone to blend in with the older bricks of the main house.
It was dark now and Anna longed for the days to grow longer. A light came on over the front door as they approached it.
‘I have my own key, so I’m self-sufficient,’ Mattie said, getting out of the car. ‘I hope to see you on New Year’s Eve, they seem to come round faster every year.’
‘They do.’ Anna carried her shopping bag for her, waiting while Mattie unlocked the door and went inside. Anna took in the small, neat hall uncluttered by general living detritus and wondered if Mattie felt lonely there, as it did not have the comforting feeling of home. Not like the cosy little cottage she’d had to leave behind. She was glad she was going to a warmer country and to stay with an old flame.