Page 18 of A Christmas Celebration
‘This sausage roll,’ I told Bran as I fed him titbits over the back of the seat, ‘is from Skylark Farm which, according to the lady on the stall, isn’t all that far from here. What do you think?’
Bran eagerly poked his head further through the gap, keen for another morsel.
‘My thoughts exactly,’ I agreed. ‘Absolutely delicious.’
He wasn’t so keen on the apple chutney, also from the same farm, which I had selected to accompany the sausage rolls, but as I dipped the pastry into the pot, I thought it tasted like manna from heaven. Rounded off with a couple of iced biscuits from The Cherry Tree Café makes and bakes stall and washed down with hot chocolate which also served to warm my hands, it was a most delicious feast. My transition from meagre rations to more familiar sized meals was coming along quickly and surprisingly comfortably.
‘Shall we have a few more minutes before we head back?’ I suggested, twisting round to find Bran fast asleep. ‘I guess so.’ I smiled.
I had thought about getting out and stretching my legs again with a stride around the headland, but rather than disturb Bran, I opened the windows and pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket instead.
Two messages had landed since I’d left the hall. Most likely because Wynbridge had a better mobile signal than Wynthorpe. The first was from Mum, saying how pleased she and Dad were knowing that I was at the hall with Catherine and Angus and that they would call to see how I was settling in soon.
The second was from Chadia’s mum hoping that now I was back in the country, I would be able to visit her. Just like with my parents, I had cited the withdrawal of corporatesponsorship and the consequential staff cuts as being responsible for my early departure from Jordan and, although I felt guilty about the deception, I knew it would be better for me in the long run to keep my explanation simple.
It was Chadia who had set me on the path to overseas volunteering and then working for the charity I had now left. She had been manning the stand at the university recruitment fair I attended in my third year and encouraged me to consider signing up for the same programme she was then involved with. We soon became firm friends as well as colleagues working on the same projects.
I had joined her in Tanzania teaching women’s empowerment and working with disadvantaged children, and then we had moved on together, continuing with the same programme in Nepal and Morocco. The skills we taught, which enabled the women to earn their own money, along with raising their awareness, felt basic to me in the beginning, but I soon saw for myself the transformative impact the projects had.
I adored working with Chadia. She was one of those people who always went above and beyond and squeezed every last productive second out of each and every day. She was only a couple of years older than me, but she taught me so much and it was her idea that we should apply to join the charity working in war-torn countries and the resultant camps with a focus on looking after the women and children who found themselves there.
Our applications were successful and we continued to bethe perfect pairing. The work was different to what we’d started out doing, with more emphasis on basic needs, but it was essential, often gruelling and I believe that Chadia came to rely on me as much as I relied on her. However, our partnership came to an abrupt and heart-breaking end.
A brief visit to her family one summer had snatched her from the world, courtesy of a driver who ploughed into her on a pedestrian crossing. I had been devastated by her loss. Chadia’s mum had given me the locket with the precious photograph inside and it was the only thing that had been close to my heart since I had become the lone wolf working alongside, as opposed to with, the rest of the charity team.
I had believed that working alone was safest after my friend’s untimely death, but given my recent mistake, I had been wrong about that. I blinked away the rush of tears and reminded myself of the perspective I had told myself I needed to gain. My error in Jordan hadn’t ended as badly as it might and I needed to take comfort in that rather than constantly imagining the worst-case scenario.
I replied to the message and then a sudden movement on the other side of the field caught my attention. Three Chinese water deer leapt effortlessly across the dyke which separated the field from its neighbour and then disappeared into a distant copse. There had been a painting of a group of deer standing in a frost covered landscape back in the gallery. I wondered who was responsible for creating it. I doubted art teacher Mr Darcy would have such lightness of touch when he filled a canvas.
I tried to fix on something else, but the image of his face, and arresting jean-clad rear view, filled my head. It was a long time since I’d noticed a man in any detail and I hoped my libido wasn’t about to leap into life. I had told Molly the last thing I needed was a distraction in the form of the opposite sex and a challenging and grumpy one would be even more unwelcome.
My body gave an involuntary shiver and I realized how cold I’d got sitting in one position, thinking over the details of mine and Brodie’s unsatisfactory encounter.
‘I suppose we’d better be getting back,’ I said to Bran who was still soundly snoring.
I turned the key in the ignition but instead of the comforting roar of the engine there was a clicking sound. I turned the key back, counted to three and tried again, but the engine was as dead as a dodo.
‘Damn,’ I groaned, resting my head on the steering wheel, after checking that I hadn’t left the lights on. ‘Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.’
I located the bonnet lever and hopped out, taking the jump leads with me. Not that they’d do any good when there was no other vehicle to connect them to. I’d have to ring the hall and ask if the vehicle had some sort of roadside assistance cover.
‘You need to stay in there,’ I said to Bran, who had woken and was whining to join me. ‘I’ll be with you again in a minute.’
I had just keyed in the code to unlock my phone when Ispotted a large vehicle further along the road heading in my direction and wondered whether I dare flag it down. It was almost level with me when I decided I didn’t, but it pulled off the road and on to the concrete pad anyway.
‘Are you having a bit of bother?’ asked the driver, who was a jovial looking guy about my own age and with a head full of dark curls.
‘What makes you think that?’ I smiled, relieved to see such a friendly face.
‘The open bonnet and the fact that you’re holding a set of jump leads was a bit of a giveaway.’ He grinned, his eyes crinkling attractively at the corners.
I felt my face flush as I realized my attempt at wit had whooshed right over his head.
‘Is that Bran?’ he then asked, jumping out and pulling on a waxed jacket which was more battered than any I’d seen back at Wynthorpe. ‘You must be from the hall.’
‘I daresay you parked up and left your lights on, didn’t you?’ came another voice.
I looked across the seat the driver had just vacated and felt my shoulders tense up as I came face to face with Brodie, who was glaring at me from the dimly lit interior.
