The Cosy Christmas Teashop: Cakes, castles and wedding bells – the perfect feel good romance. Caroline Roberts
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the driveway on a unicorn.’
‘Unicorns and rainbows – sounds like some My Little Pony-inspired do.’
‘Possibly, I have no idea. But I’ve told her I’ll have to charge for both cakes, at least the un-iced version of the first. I can’t afford to waste all those ingredients, not to mention the time I’ve spent. Anyway, she seemed fine with that.’
‘More money than sense, that one … But how the hell are you going to get a unicorn? Does she know they aren’t actually real?’
‘Heaven knows. But apparently they had one at a celebrity wedding featured in Hello recently.’
‘Oh.’ Deana poured some water into the teapot for two. Ellie had brought across two slices of her signature Choffee Cake, anticipating the need for something sweet in a bid to boost them both.
‘We need to think of a plan.’
‘Oooh, plan for what?’ Derek, one of the castle tour guides, popped his grey-haired head around the door frame.
Malcolm, his partner in visitor-information and life, appeared beside him, sporting a yellow and red spotty bow tie. ‘It has to be Bridezilla.’
The tour guide team stood waiting for the response.
‘You got it in one,’ Ellie answered.
‘What are they up to now then, girls?’ Everyone in the castle had had some obscure request from the bride or her mother, and mostly not in the politest of forms.
‘They want a unicorn at the wedding,’ Deana stated.
‘You’re joking.’
‘I wish I was.’
‘A unicorn?’ Derek’s mouth stayed partially open, ‘Horned horse that doesn’t exist … has anyone actually told her that yet?’
‘I tried …’ Ellie’s tone was exasperated, ‘but if it’s good enough for Plush and Becks, then it’s good enough for her, apparently. And we’re here to make her dreams come true.’
‘Jeez.’ Derek stood with his arms folded.
Malcolm was grinning, or was it a grimace, Ellie couldn’t quite be sure. ‘Leave it to us. We like a challenge, don’t we, Derek? The Malcolm-Derek think tank is about to leap into action,’ he announced.
‘God help us,’ Deana muttered under her breath.
‘Well, have you got any better plans, Deana? Or a fairy godmother to hand?’ Malcolm was getting a bit flouncy.
A second of silence. Then Ellie gave a wry smile, Derek slipped her a grin, and the penny dropped with Malcolm on his final comment, as the group collapsed into laughter.
‘Well, it’ll be one thing less for me to think about, so thank you, Malcolm.’ Ellie gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve got a teashop to run and apparently a seven-layer rainbow cake to design and create. Hmm, it’ll be interesting to see what you two come up with.’
‘Hah, I can’t wait.’ Deana’s eyebrows were raised. ‘Cuppa, gents?’
‘No, but thanks, we need to go round and check all the visitor rooms are empty, before we shut up for the day. Don’t want any stragglers stranded in the drawing room, or such like.’ That had actually happened in the past.
‘Another time, Deana. Thank you,’ added Derek.
‘Right, that’s me off too,’ said Ellie, a yawn creeping over her lips. It had been a long day. ‘Better see how the tearooms are getting on, and then get ready to close up for the night.’
Evening settled over the castle, the long, lazy shadows of summer dusk finding their way through the leaded windows. Ellie liked the shift from the bustle of the daytime visitors, the steady stream of orders, the splutters of the coffee machine – she’d invested in a second-hand Gaggia coffee machine and loved it; it filled the teashop with a gorgeous fresh ground aroma. Doris, believe it or not, had turned into her barista! After a little encouragement and a few lessons, she became the queen of the coffee machine, no less. Though of course, no one could make a cup of coffee quite like her now. Irene was relegated to baking and tea duties, which she was quite happy with, to be fair. But now, with only the soothing noise of her radio, when the order row was empty, and she had a chance to take a slow breath, there was a sense of peace. Time to plan for tomorrow, and to look forward to getting back to their apartment and to Joe.
Ellie turned off all the appliance switches in the kitchen, bar the fridges and freezers. A routine she’d kept to since the dramatic and devastating fire that had ravaged her lovely teashop and kitchen at the end of her first year there. It had happened just when she had managed to turn the business around, and it all seemed like her dreams were finally coming true. The memories of that night still haunted her; how scared she had been when she realized Joe was still in there. How very different life might have been … If Joe hadn’t made it through … it still made her feel sick just thinking about it.
She could really feel for Lucy and Dan, and all that they were going through right now, having been so close to disaster herself.
Right then, everything seemed in order at the tearooms. She’d be down to make a batch of chocolate brownies first thing tomorrow. And, as she and Deana had nearly polished off the Choffee Cake, she’d better get the coffee and chocolate sponge layers for that made early on too. Irene would make the scones for her, and they’d need another four quiches made for lunches too. Then, she mustn’t forget there was the ordering to do. The list in her mind just seemed to build. But for now, she needed to turn off the lights, check the real fire in the teashop was settled to a gentle smoulder – it never quite went out being big enough to fit a couple of tree trunks in, and could happily sit a dozen people around its hearth.
She made her way across the courtyard and up the circular stone stairwell to the living quarters she shared with Joe. The only other person who lived in the castle was Joe’s father, Lord Henry, who preferred a pretty isolated existence, so all was quiet of an evening.
Every now and again, the reality of her surroundings took her breath away. The doves cooing in the battlements above her. The evening sun washing the cream sandstone walls with a blush of colour. A glimpse of the walled gardens neatly laid out with short box hedges, colourful blooms and herbaceous borders from a portcullis window. She wasn’t used to any of this, having been brought up in a red brick terraced house in a suburb of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. But more than this amazing castle with its centuries-old walls and gardens, it was going back to Joe every night that warmed her heart.
Three years of marriage hadn’t dimmed the love she felt, it had just cemented it. Like the stone walls of this castle, she felt they were built to weather the storms, to hold firm over time. At least, she hoped so.
He was already there in the apartment, when she opened the heavy wooden door from the stairwell landing.
‘Hi, gorgeous. Everything okay?’
‘Yes, not bad.’ Today had been a busy one, and she still felt a little vulnerable and emotional, what with Lucy and Dan’s terrible news yesterday, and of course her period coming on like that. She still felt the dull ache of it in her back, a reminder of her non-pregnancy. Oh well, onwards and upwards. She tried to smile, but wasn’t a good enough liar, obviously. Joe knew just what to do. He held his arms open to her with an understanding smile on his face.
But that just made her feel even more emotional. She didn’t know quite what was up with her, to be honest. A silent tear slipped from her eye as she went to him and pressed herself against his shirt, relaxing into his warm embrace, breathing in his aftershave smell that she knew so well. She stayed there in his arms. This was definitely one of the best parts of being married; having that other person to share things with, the bad times as well as the good. Things