Page 1 of Winter at the Cornish Garden Café
1
THORA MASON
‘It’s beginning to look rather a lot like Christmas!’ Pearl Draper said, placing a sparkling silver star at the top of the tree in The Garden Café.
‘Indeed, it is,’ Thora Mason agreed. ‘What a lovely tree we have this year.’
‘Sourced from the local tree farm as usual.’ Pearl smiled. ‘It still has its roots, so we can plant it in the gardens after Christmas.’
‘Just like every year.’ Thora smiled at her boss, thinking fondly of the Christmas trees dotted around the gardens, each one planted in January.
‘Every year.’ Pearl laughed.
‘It looks gorgeous, Gran.’ Ellie Cordwell stood behind Pearl and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. ‘I’m so happy to be home for Christmas.’
Pearl patted her granddaughter’s hand. ‘I’m delighted to have you home, my darling.’
‘Oooh! I’d better check on the mince pies!’ Ellie said suddenly.
‘I’ll give you a hand.’ Pearl followed Ellie through to the kitchen, leaving Thora alone in the café.
She admired the tree in the corner by the counter with its pretty array of decorations that had been collected over the years, and the golden lights that glimmered in the gathering gloom of late afternoon. Pearl had closed the café early today so they could decorate for Christmas and Thora had stayed on after her shift ended to help. She knew from previous years that the decorating would involve listening to festive tunes, eating buttery mince pies fresh from the oven, and sipping spiced mulled wine made to Pearl’s secret recipe.
Thora had sent her fifteen-year-old twins a text message to their family WhatsApp group to let them know she’d be home a bit later than usual. She’d received a reply from her daughter, Rosie, to say it was no problem as she had swimming until 7 pm, but as expected, there had been no reply from her son, Reggie. Rosie had followed her reply up with the reassuring message that her dad would give her a lift from the leisure centre in Helston. At least Thora knew Rosie’s dad would look after her until she got home. She checked her phone again and saw that Reggie had been active on WhatsApp five minutes ago, had seen her message but not responded. So he was fine but either too busy or too lazy to reply.
Just as she was about to type out another message, she saw that someone was typing. She waited, and a message appeared from her ex-husband, Finn, to let her know Reggie would have a lift home with him, too. She sent a smiley face, then tucked her phone back in her jeans. Thank goodness for Finn. Even though they’d been divorced for five years, he always reassured her when needed and continued caring for their children. Theirsmay not have been a wonderful romance straight out of a Hallmark movie, but she could never fault him as a dad.
Thora went to the front window that overlooked the gardens. Earlier that day, she’d helped Pearl drape fairy lights around the trees and hedges, and they’d placed solar lanterns in the shape of fat red candles on the outdoor tables. The weather had turned colder the past few weeks as November settled in, and she’d woken this morning to a thick winter frost. Everything had seemed dusted in silver, and the air was sharp and still, carrying the fresh scent of cold soil and the tang of wood smoke. The deciduous trees had lost most of their leaves now, apart from a few stragglers that doggedly clung on, but because there were so many evergreens in the café gardens, the green endured against the muted palette of winter.
The interior of the café was a welcome contrast to the cold outside. Damask tablecloths and centrepieces of holly, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks, scented with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves, created a warm, inviting atmosphere. They had changed the menu from the autumnal one, which had delighted so many customers, to feature hearty chicken and leek pie, lentil and root vegetable stew, and turkey, cranberry and stuffing wraps. Desserts available included mince pies, rich, moist fruitcake topped with shiny white icing, and spiced apple crumble with clotted cream. Customers could drink treats such as holiday-spiced lattes, hot chocolates, fruit punch and hot buttered rum.
The kitchen door opened, and Pearl emerged carrying a tray that she set down on the table in front of the green leather sofa near the front window. Ellie followed, carrying another tray.
‘Come on then, darlings, let’s eat!’ Pearl waved Thora over and she sat next to Ellie on the sofa while Pearl took a chair opposite.‘I want to thank you both for helping me to get everything ready for what I hope will be our best Christmas yet.’
Pearl raised a glass mug of steaming mulled wine, so they clinked mugs, then drank. The wine was warm and spiced with cinnamon and cloves and infused with citrus and ginger. It was delicious, and she sipped it greedily, enjoying the way it warmed her stomach and sent a relaxing tingling throughout her limbs.
‘This is quite strong,’ she said when she set her mug back on the table.
‘I added some brandy before serving.’ Pearl winked. ‘So you’ll be nice and warm for the walk home.’
‘Wonderful.’ Thora giggled. ‘I’ll be glowing from within.’
‘We have sausage and apple rolls with thyme.’ Pearl gestured at the plate. ‘Some of the spiced carrot and lentil bites Ellie is trialling, and mini cranberry, bacon, and Stilton tartlets. And, of course, brandy butter mince pies with clotted cream.’
‘It all looks delicious.’ Thora admired the food.
‘Before you ask, of course you can take some home for Rosie and Reggie, so make sure you eat as much as you want here and don’t go saving them your share.’ Pearl peered at Thora over her glasses and Thora’s cheeks grew warm. ‘There’s plenty more in the kitchen.’
‘It’s true,’ Ellie said with a nod. ‘I made lots, so you can take as many as you want home for the twins and some for Finn if you like.’
‘Thank you. You’re both far too kind to me.’ Thora blinked as her eyes watered. Whenever she was offered treats at the café, she always felt she should take some home for the twins.That was her typical maternal response. She didn’t like to enjoy something if they couldn’t too and Pearl had seemed to understand this early on, so always insisted that Thora take some for her children. ‘They’ll both be delighted.’ While Rosie had a healthy appetite, Reggie never seemed to stop eating. He was always ravenous and some days when she opened the fridge, it was like a plague of locusts had been through it. For some reason, though, he never put the empty boxes and cartons in the recycling, instead leaving the detritus behind as if to remind his mum to buy more.
‘What are your plans this evening?’ Pearl asked.
‘I’m heading home for dinner.’ Ellie smoothed a hand over the long black plait that hung over her left shoulder. ‘Jasper and the children are making lasagne, then we’re having a gingerbread house making competition. It’s Jasper and Mabel against Alfie and me.’
Ellie’s beautiful face glowed with happiness as she spoke about her partner and his children. After returning to the village earlier in the year, Ellie had fallen in love with Jasper and she now lived with him and his children in a lovely house at the clifftop development. Ellie had confided in Thora that she’d been very unhappy in London before she’d come home to Cornwall, and that she’d never imagined meeting the love of her life in the village where she’d grown up. But love could appear when you least expected it, she’d said, and she was now happier than she’d ever been. Jasper too was very different to the haunted widower he’d been after losing his wife a few years earlier. He’d kept going for his children, but Thora had been worried about him whenever she’d seen him around the village because he looked so sad. Now, though, he smiled a lot and while she knew he’d never forget his wife, he had a fresh start with Ellie. And Ellie’slove benefitted Mabel and Alfie too. Life could be cruel, but life could also be wonderful, and Thora knew that as well as most people.
