Page 63 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
‘And what would I be missing?’ Ella was relieved her mum had let go and was finally getting in the car. Her dad flipped on the wipers to flick away the first snowflakes and gave her mum an impatient look.
‘I don’t think you really need me to tell you that, do you?’ Her mum fastened her seatbelt and gripped Ella’s hand one last time. ‘Lauren’s with us always and you’ve done it, Ella. You’ve achieved her dream and more, and you know she’d be the first to say it’s time for your own dreams. Don’t be afraid – you were always going to meet someone and fall in love. It just looks to me as though three of them might have come along at once.’
The Zoom meeting with the catering college two days later wasn’t quite what Ella had been expecting and afterwards a new idea was ringing in her head. She needed to take some time to think it through, but as soon as the course leader had suggested teaching, it had seemed to make perfect sense. If Ella did decide to act on it, then there was a long road and more studying ahead. The course leader had offered the possibility of a place to teach the number of hours Ella would need to gain her formal qualification, and she felt as though another part of her life might just be falling into place. Much as she loved her developing role at Halesmere, thoughts of passing on her skills to other young chefs filled her with excitement. And she hadn’t forgotten Ashley casually mentioning after the supper that Max was looking into a management company to take over Ella’s role in the future. Marta got in touch to ask how she’d got on and Ella messaged to share the beginnings of the new idea.
After the success of the Christmas open day, all the studios were now provisionally filled, and she was excited to have Ana and her jewellery as well as a woman who created stunning fabrics and bags from Cumbrian wool joining Sandy and Marta in the New Year. Ella had also received an enquiry from a sculptor who was currently based in New Zealand but familiar with the area and looking to move. Stan wasn’t the only one who liked the idea of returning to the days of having someone working with metal in the old forge. Ella had looked up Cal Ryan on Instagram and was seriously impressed with his brand of bespoke wildlife sculpture.
As Lily and Arlo counted down to Christmas their excitement and energy only increased. Lily had caught Max in a weak moment and persuaded him to volunteer at the local dog shelter for a day as an act of kindness. He’d tried to wriggle out of it, protesting that his and Ella’s GoFundMe challenge to swim in the tarn on New Year’s Day in aid of the shelter was enough – it was taking off as interest and donations grew – but Lily was insistent. Ella was so looking forward to their first date at the New Year’s Eve ball, especially as she and Max managed to find very few moments alone. The end of the year was approaching, and she was clinging to the hope that the upcoming one might just bring a new beginning as well.
Chapter Twenty-One
By Christmas Eve Lily and Arlo were nearly demented with excitement and Stan had a pair of adorable brown and white guinea pigs he was keeping very firmly under wraps in a small shed. He’d made a run for them as Santa had apparently taken care of a hutch and Stan was planning to set everything up in the garden last thing before bed. Noelle returned from her cottage in France looking refreshed and was delighted to see the children, hugging them tightly and sweeping them off to her flat and reminding Ella gaily that she would need to sit for her again soon.
The house looked beautiful, the decorations still in place, but Ella was aware this might be the last time Max had the use of it for Christmas; they’d already received enquiries for next year after the images from the supper had gone online.
She was in the kitchen, helping Pearl and Max with preparations for lunch tomorrow. She’d organised the Secret Santa between the six of them and could only hope Stan hadn’t got Pearl.
‘You coming over later?’ Max was peeling potatoes and Pearl had gone to set the table in the dining room. ‘I’m doing my not-so-famous mac ’n’ cheese and we’re going to readA Charlie Brown Christmas.’ He attempted a smile. ‘We haven’t done any of these things on Christmas Eve before. My mother’s going to eat with us and tuck Lily and Arlo into bed. I know they’d like to see you too.’
‘It’s not that I wouldn’t love to.’ Ella was wrapping cocktail sausages in bacon and lining them up on a tray. She was picturing Lily and Arlo’s elation over Santa coming that night, and their reluctance to go to sleep. ‘But that sounds like a wonderful new tradition and it’s probably not a good idea for me to be a part of it.’
‘I suppose.’ Max sighed. ‘I just thought it might be nice, that’s all. What are you planning to do then?’
Ella raised a shoulder. ‘The Bishop’s Wifeis on later and we grew up watching that with my mum and dad. They love black and white movies, and my dad was always trying to find something to surprise us with that we hadn’t seen before.’
‘You don’t mind watching it on your own? If it’s on after the kids have gone to bed you could watch it with me, I’ve never seen it. And we could probably stream it anyway.’
Ella’s smile was quick. ‘Would it sound silly to say let’s not stream it? There’s just something about catching an old movie in the moment it’s on, especially Christmas ones, rather than when you feel like it.’
‘Okay.’ Max grinned. ‘I’ll take your word for it. So, eight thirty?’
‘Think you’ll have got them safely in bed by then?’
‘I certainly hope so. Otherwise tomorrow could be a really long day.’
Once all the preparations for lunch were done, Pearl and Stan had left, and Max was in the cottage with Lily and Arlo, Ella had a crazy notion to make something festive to enjoy with the movie later. There was some whisky left from the supper and she whipped egg yolks with sugar and added double cream to make eggnog. She’d never had it at home before but had made variations on the theme for events. She always kept an emergency pack of puff pastry in the fridge and now she rolled it out and filled it with sausage meat, sage, and finely chopped onion for seasonal sausage rolls.
Anticipation at seeing Max without the children was fizzing and it felt like she was dressing for a date as she changed into a long-sleeved black and red floral blouse and jeans. She couldn’t wait for the moment to arrive and was at the cottage a few minutes before eight thirty, tapping gently on the door and holding the tray of still-warm sausage rolls and eggnog. They would need finishing off with whipped egg whites and a little sugar folded into the yolks.
‘Hey. You’ve got your hands full.’ Max was whispering as he took the tray from her. ‘It smells amazing, thank you.’
‘Just some treats.’ Ella glanced up the stairs. ‘Are they asleep?’
‘Yes, or at least they were. I’m in here.’
Instead of the kitchen as she had expected, Max opened the door to the sitting room. Ella had only been in here once or twice after school with the children and it was snug, with a real fire burning in a black grate beneath a chunky oak mantelpiece. A small, real Christmas tree stood in a corner near a window hidden by velvet curtains in pale green. There was a sofa to seat two, and a pair of wingback chairs were a pretty addition. It was a lovely room and Ella was sure she recognised Ashley’s work in here too.
‘What would you like to drink?’ He kept his voice low. The kitchen door was open, and Prim found her way to Ella’s side before flopping on the rug in front of the fire. ‘Glass of wine? I’ve got a nice Californian Pinot Noir?’
‘Perfect, thanks.’
She arranged the sausage rolls on a low coffee table with the eggnog, so creamy it was almost a dessert. The television was already on, and when Max returned with their drinks he joined her on the sofa. He found the movie, teasing her about having to sit through ad breaks watching it live, but Ella shrugged it off.
‘It’s part of the romance,’ she told him. The sofa was cosy, even for just the two of them, and their arms were pressed together. ‘Stop complaining.’
‘Sorry.’ He’d brought plates and now he loaded them with sausage rolls as the credits began. It was a charming movie and even though she’d seen it so often, it had never lost its appeal; a handsome angel visiting a preoccupied bishop to remind him about the importance of family. There was sadness for Ella in watching it so far from her parents, but she couldn’t deny her pleasure to be sharing the experience with Max. When it was over, he stretched out long legs and yawned.
‘Well? Did you like it?’ She put her empty wine glass on the table. The eggnog had gone and the few sausage rolls that were left could go in the fridge for the children.
