Chapter 15
I took a moment to compose myself and Angus gave my hand a comforting squeeze as we walked back down the stairs.
‘All right?’ he asked, taking care not to look directly at me and set me off again.
‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘Yes, I’m all right. Thank you for not saying anything to Jamie.’
‘I didn’t think you’d want a fuss.’
‘You were right,’ I told him. ‘The less fuss the better, as far as I’m concerned.’
‘I have a feeling,’ Angus tutted, ‘that you’ve been chanting that mantra for far too many years, my dear girl.’
He was right of course, but I wasn’t about to acknowledge the fact and risk opening the floodgates again.
‘One day,’ he said, when I didn’t answer, ‘you’ll hear how most people have ended up here and how they never liked to make a fuss, even though their lives were in real turmoil.’
I didn’t tell him that Mick and Hayley had already told me how they came to be at the hall but said instead, ‘Well, you better make it sooner rather than later. You haven’t forgotten I’m on an eight-week contract, have you?’
Without warning he let out his best Father Christmas belly laugh, which set Floss woofing in the kitchen.
‘Now come on, Anna,’ he said. ‘I don’t think you’ll really be going anywhere in the New Year, do you?’
We’d already reached the kitchen door so I didn’t have time to answer his question or ask if he was being serious, but deep inside I think I already knew what I hoped the answer would be.
Sitting at the table drinking tea with Catherine and Dorothy was a young woman with a cascading mass of auburn curls and incredibly large, pale blue eyes. There was no sign of the witch Molly anywhere. I hoped she wasn’t going to suddenly appear out of thin air because I really wasn’t in the mood for shocks or surprises.
‘Molly Trotter!’ cried Jamie, himself appearing from somewhere behind Angus and me and bowling between us to get into the kitchen. ‘It’s so good to see you!’
The girl jumped up to return his hug and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks as I realised I’d made a whole heap of assumptions based purely on the looks of the stunning pre-Raphaelite vision before me.
‘And you,’ she said, warmly returning Jamie’s embrace and making me feel even hotter in the process. ‘Gosh, you look well,’ she added, ‘your aura’s positively pulsing.’
‘Steady on,’ said Jamie, taking a step back, but still hanging on to her hand. ‘I think you’ll find I’m just pleased to see you.’
‘Jamie!’ scolded Dorothy, before Catherine had a chance.
‘Same old Jamie,’ laughed Molly.
‘Don’t mind them, Anna,’ said Angus, nudging me further into the room. ‘They’re always like this.’
‘Anna,’ said Jamie, only just remembering that I was there. ‘Come and meet Molly.’
‘Hi,’ I said, stepping forward and for some reason feeling unusually shy as I held out my not quite steady hand.
‘Anna,’ Molly smiled, her pale eyes taking me in and her hand resting in mine. ‘It’s lovely to meet you at last.’
‘At last?’
‘Yes, I’ve seen you around and about of course, but it’s good to finally meet.’
I felt my temperature spike again and hoped she wasn’t aware of the scaredy-cat reaction I had displayed when I had spotted her walking through the woods.
‘Molly’s our token girl,’ said Jamie, pulling out the chair next to her and offering it to me.
Gratefully I took it but I wouldn’t have minded sitting a little further away. For some reason Molly made me feel uncomfortable, possibly even vulnerable, but I wouldn’t have been able to really explain why. However, I did know I couldn’t shake off the feeling that in the two seconds she had held my hand, and her limpid eyes had swept over me, she had deduced a damn sight more about me than I had about her.
‘What do you mean “token girl”?’ I asked Jamie.
‘I grew up on the estate,’ Molly herself explained. ‘I was the only girl around when the boys were growing up. My grandmother and mother both lived in the woodsman’s cottage at the edge of the wood and now I live there on my own. I’m hoping that I’m going to be able to carry on living there for the foreseeable future at least.’
‘You have no worries on that score,’ Catherine piped up. ‘You won’t be going anywhere in my lifetime.’
‘Or mine,’ Jamie added.
I don’t think anyone else heard him, or if they did, they didn’t comment, but I took his two brief words as further indication that he had no plans to shy away from his post as the next custodian of Wynthorpe Hall.
‘So you see, Anna,’ Catherine continued, ‘Molly grew up playing in the gardens and around this table with our three boys. In many ways she’s the daughter we never had.’
‘And consequently, the token girl,’ Jamie cut in. ‘Although you were never much of a girly girl, were you, Mol?’
‘No,’ she agreed. ‘I suppose not.’
‘She was always dragging us off into the woods,’ Jamie continued. ‘Trying to teach us about plants and birds, her pockets weighed down full of stones with holes in.’
‘They’re witches’ stones actually,’ said Molly, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a smooth pebble which had a hole right through one end. ‘I found this one for you, Anna.’
‘For me?’ I gulped.
‘Yes,’ she smiled, handing it over.
It felt warm and soft as I turned it over in my hands, my index finger tracing the outline of the hole. I held it up to the light and looked through it.
‘Well, would you look at that?’ said Jamie, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his own holey stone, which could have passed for the twin of mine. ‘They’re the same.’
They really were almost identical.
‘Anna’s is just like the one you gave me before I went off on my travels, Molly. What a coincidence.’
‘I’m pleased to see you’ve still got it,’ said Molly, ‘but it isn’t a coincidence at all. Now, tell me about the Solstice. There’s a rumour flying about the estate that you’re all set to reinstate the celebration. Is it true?’
From what I could gather the Solstice celebration was going to happen much the same as it always had, and by the time we had emptied the teapot not once but twice, it was decided that Molly and some of her friends (or should that have been coven) would get the ball rolling by spreading the word, organising the ceremony and preparing the woods.
‘I’ll get Shelley to draw up a flyer,’ she said enthusiastically.
‘And we’ll get them printed,’ chipped in Jamie.
It sounded like the event was going to involve quite a few people and I was relieved it would all be happening under the protection of the public liability insurance policy. The practicalities of the policy might not have been particularly spiritual in origin but they did make me feel a little more relaxed about it all, and judging by Catherine’s benevolent expression I was sure she was feeling the same way.
‘And what about gathering the Yule logs?’ asked Molly. ‘Are you still happy for folk to do that? As long as they go about it in the right and respectful way, of course.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Angus, ‘and actually, it’s going to be down to Anna to pick ours this year, isn’t it, my dear?’
‘Apparently,’ I swallowed.
I hadn’t realised there was a ‘right and respectful way’ to go about it and hoped I was going to be guided as to what to do.
‘It’s her birthday, you see,’ Angus added.
‘What, on the Solstice?’ Molly smiled.
‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘So it’s only fitting that she should choose.’
‘How exciting,’ Molly laughed, her pale eyes seeking me out again. ‘Have you always celebrated the shortest day as well as your birthday, Anna?’
Had she seen me dressed up in my work outfit and Manolos she wouldn’t have dreamt of even asking.
‘No,’ I admitted, feeling a bit of a fraud, ‘I’ve rarely even bothered with my birthday to be honest, and I didn’t know all that much about the Solstice until this afternoon.’
The sharp intake of breath around the table made my palms heat up and my heart thump and I knew those gathered were more concerned about my lack of birthday parties than my ignorance about the Solstice. Yet again I had unwittingly almost said more than I should and I quickly closed my mouth, lest I should give any more away. Jamie had no doubt guessed why I hadn’t celebrated the passing of another year, but no one else knew the significance of the timing.
‘I’m always too busy working, you see,’ I eventually added, as if that was a justifiable reason for not treating myself to some candles and a balloon.
‘Well, in that case,’ Molly insisted, ‘we’ll make it even more of an occasion. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, especially as you’re so determined to make a fresh start.’
‘Is she?’ said Jamie, his ears no doubt pricking up when he thought there was an opportunity to nudge ahead in the Christmas countdown stakes.
‘You know full well that she is,’ said Molly, her light eyes now honed in on him. ‘You both are, and the turning of Nature’s wheel will give you both the extra impetus you’re going to need.’
I had no idea what she was talking about, but no one else at the table looked as if they thought her way of talking was strange, and I certainly wasn’t going to turn down the ‘extra impetus’ she spoke of. In fact, I was ready to embrace it with open arms and give myself the chance of a life that was happily lived for twelve months of the year rather than ten and a very little bit.
‘Well in that case,’ I surprised myself by saying out loud, ‘I’m looking forward to the celebration even more now.’
‘That’s excellent,’ said Molly, ‘and I can promise you, we will make this year one that you certainly won’t forget.’
‘Unless of course Dorothy makes the mulled cider as potent as last time,’ piped up Angus. ‘As I recall no one remembered a thing that year!’
Before Molly left I thanked her for the holey stone and she promised to show me the Wishing Tree the next day, when we would all meet in the woods to gather the greenery in readiness for the auction at the weekend.
‘You aren’t out of the woods, so to speak, just yet, Anna,’ she told me, ‘but I can promise you, you’re well on your way.’
By Friday morning the snow had all but gone and the day dawned dull and grey. Jamie and I didn’t bother with our early-morning run because as Mick was so keen to point out—
‘You’ll need all your strength to shift this year’s crop.’
And he wasn’t wrong.
Obviously I had no idea how much glossy, bright-berried holly and mysterious mistletoe was normally gathered, but the packed trailer and Land Rover suggested that this was a bumper winter harvest.
‘It’s all about balance,’ explained Molly, who had pitched up early to help. ‘There has to be enough left for the birds and wildlife, otherwise it’s just humans pillaging for their own ends and to my mind there’s already enough of that going on in the world.’
She had a point.
‘But I do love the thought of people still wanting to dress their homes and hearths with Nature’s bounty in the traditional way,’ she went on.
‘Even if it is just over the threshold?’ asked Jamie, who had wandered over brandishing a bunch of slightly battered mistletoe.
‘Even then,’ confirmed Molly as she skilfully ducked out of the way before Jamie had a chance to plant a kiss on her rosy cheek.
‘And what about you, Anna?’ he said, turning his playful attention squarely in my direction.
‘I don’t think so,’ I laughed, quickly jumping up and rubbing my hands over my jeans to brush away any moss and leaves that had got stuck during our earlier exertions. ‘I don’t mix business with pleasure,’ I added primly.
‘But you do admit it would be a pleasure?’ he teased.
‘Oh be quiet,’ I batted back. ‘All this fresh Fen air and exercise has gone to your head.’
‘All right,’ he said, sneakily changing course, ‘but what if I were to suggest that a kiss under the mistletoe would enhance your holiday spirit?’
I knew exactly the game he was trying to play, but I wasn’t falling for it. Just one touch of those sensuous lips would mean disaster for me and he would just have to accept that this was one festive suggestion that I was not prepared to tick off my list.
‘I’ll give it a go,’ said Hayley, dropping the tiny bundle of holly she was carrying and marching between the few locals who had turned up throughout the morning to help. ‘Anything that’ll relieve the boredom and warm me up a bit is most welcome!’
She’d done nothing but moan about the cold and the state of her nails all morning and I’d been wondering why she’d bothered to put in an appearance at all, but now it was obvious. Jamie, holding a bunch of mistletoe and offering free kisses, was one Christmas bonus she wasn’t prepared to miss out on.
Without so much as a hint of hesitation, or a care that she had gathered quite an audience, she flung her arms around Jamie’s neck and pulled his lips down onto hers. Everyone, except Molly, Mick and me, began to laugh, clap and stamp, and I had to look away. There might not have been anything remotely romantic about it but it was too much of a spectacle for me.
‘So?’ asked Jamie expectantly when Hayley eventually released him.
Hayley delicately wiped her mouth and let out a contented sigh.
‘About a seven, I reckon,’ she said seriously.
Anyone would have thought she was rating an Olympic event.
‘Seven!’ spluttered Jamie, sounding outraged. ‘Objection! I demand a recount.’
‘Well, you better give me another kiss then,’ said Hayley eagerly.
The sly young thing.
‘See if you can convince me to up my score.’
‘I think that’s enough to be going on with, thank you,’ said Mick, stepping between the flirtatious pair. ‘You’re incorrigible, Hayley. If only you’d put as much effort into gathering this greenery as you have into winding him up we’d have been done hours ago.’
Hayley snatched up the previously abandoned holly and flounced over to stand next to me.
‘I can’t say I’m all that sure what that word you just said means, Mick, but it didn’t sound particularly pleasant. I’m off to find someone who will appreciate my sense of fun. If that’s all right with you.’
Mick rolled his eyes and Jamie began to laugh.
‘And you’re no better,’ Mick tutted in Jamie’s direction. ‘You shouldn’t encourage her. Come and give me a hand shifting this trailer. That’ll soon dampen your ardour.’
‘I thought you said you didn’t like him,’ Hayley said quietly to me as she began to walk away.
‘I don’t,’ I said.
‘You do,’ she said. ‘You should have seen your face.’
‘Is that why you did it?’ I called after her, but she wouldn’t answer. ‘Were you trying to prove a point? Because it hasn’t worked, you know.’ She really was an infuriating friend.
The show finally over, everyone turned back to the job in hand and Molly remembered her promise to introduce me to the Wishing Tree. I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to put some distance between myself, Jamie and the sprig of mistletoe he had now tucked into his top pocket. I had thought I’d got my inconvenient feelings firmly under control but if the thump in my head during his clinch with Hayley was any indication I definitely hadn’t.
‘Where are you two skulking off to?’ he called after us as we slipped away.
‘Never you mind,’ Molly called back. ‘You just get on with your work, Jamie Connelly.’
I couldn’t hear his response and when I turned back to look at him, he and all the others were already out of sight. I gave a little shudder and turned up the collar on my jacket.
‘It can be a nuisance sometimes, can’t it?’ said Molly wistfully.
‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘what can?’
‘Falling in love.’
I stopped and stared at her.
‘You’re really very fond of him, aren’t you?’
I didn’t know what to say.
‘Isn’t that what made you shudder?’ she asked. ‘Those inconvenient feelings akin to love that you can’t control?’
‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘No, you couldn’t be more wrong.’
Molly didn’t say anything. She and Hayley were poles apart in some ways but peas in a pod in others.
‘It’s the woods,’ I said, looking around and trying to make her understand. ‘They scare me a little. That’s why I shuddered. They remind me of the staircases at Hogwarts.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, every time I think I’ve got the layout clear in my head, something changes and I’m lost again.’
‘A bit like in life really.’
This was all getting too weird for me.
‘No,’ I said, ‘just here, amongst these trees. I think I’ve got life all figured out now.’
‘Do you?’ said Molly, spinning round to face me.
I didn’t answer and we walked on a little further in silence until a tinkling noise stopped me in my tracks.
‘It’s all right,’ Molly said, ‘it’s just the tree.’
In a clearing on our right we came suddenly upon the Wishing Tree, bedecked in ribbons, fabric, letters, flags and even keys, all fluttering in the breeze, brushing one another and dancing to their own strange yet melodic tune.
‘Oh wow,’ I gasped. ‘It’s beautiful.’
It was stunning yet strange. There was no birdsong, just the sound of gentle movement amongst the bejewelled branches.
‘Where has this breeze come from?’ I whispered.
‘From the tree perhaps,’ said Molly mysteriously. ‘How else would the wishes get carried away if there was no wind to take them?’
Rooted to the spot, I looked up among the tokens that had been left, wondering what the stories behind them all were.
‘Are you going to make a wish?’ asked Molly.
‘I don’t think there’s anything I want now,’ I said.
Had she shown me the tree even just a few days before, her question might have elicited a different response, but surprisingly I felt like a different person now. Living and working at Wynthorpe Hall had unlocked my heart as well as my head and, for the time being at least, I felt certain that my life couldn’t possibly get any better.
‘My life has changed so much in such a short space of time,’ I explained, more to the tree than to Molly, ‘that I don’t think there’s a single thing I need to ask for.’
Perhaps I should have been thinking about saying thank you instead.
‘You aren’t the first to feel that way,’ Molly smiled. ‘Problems here seem to have a way of unravelling until they simply don’t exist any more.’
I knew she wasn’t just talking about my situation. She was talking about the things Hayley, Dorothy and Mick had been through, and perhaps even experiences of her own.
‘It’s a truly magical place, isn’t it?’ I said, stepping forward to place my gloved hand on the gnarled trunk.
‘Well, I’ve always thought so,’ Molly agreed. ‘Although you have to be prepared to tap into your own magic if you really want things to happen. You have to take some responsibility.’
‘Do you think so?’
I had begun to think the recent unexpected twist in my path was more to do with fate than anything I had decided to do or not to do, but Molly thought differently.
‘Absolutely,’ she said firmly. ‘So, do you still not want to make a wish?’
‘Not today,’ I said, taking a step away from the tree. ‘Perhaps on my birthday.’
I still hadn’t really had the opportunity to assimilate the sudden changes being at the hall had brought about, and although happy in my work and enjoying playing my part in the deal I had made with Jamie, I couldn’t dismiss the niggling twinge of doubt that was trying to muscle its way in and snatch back my good fortune.
Opportunities and Christmases like this just didn’t happen to people like me, and without really thinking about what I was doing I turned back to the mysterious tree and wished with all my heart that it wasn’t all going to turn out to be too good to be true.