Page 65 of All We Want for Christmas
The following morning, Lara opened her curtains and knew straight away, even though it was still dark, that that evening’s illuminations would have to be cancelled. Several inches of snow had fallen overnight and thick flakes were swirling around outside with no prospect of a thaw until much later that afternoon.
Her phone had already pinged with messages from Flynn and Fiona. As soon as she was dressed, they met in the office to make the final decision.
‘It can’t be helped. If we only lose a couple of nights, we’ll have done well,’ Fiona said.
‘It looks bad. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much snow in Newquay,’ Flynn said, grimacing through the window, where some of his team were already spreading grit on the snowy cobbles.
Fiona laughed and even Lara smiled. ‘This is nothing! A mere sprinkling. Gosh, I remember when there were drifts six feet deep on the main road outside and we were all stuck for almost a week.’
‘We don’t have much snow by the coast,’ Flynn said. ‘Though we had to close the theme park because of high winds at least once a year.’
Lara had been checking the Met Office app. ‘The forecast is for a low-pressure front coming in. Temps are going up by ten degrees by the early hours, but that won’t help us now, even if it means we should be able to open tomorrow. I’m afraid we’ll have to let everyone know and refund their tickets.’
‘That’s it, then. I think we can all agree it’s not safe to open. Lara, can you activate the emergency cancellation plan, please?’
Flynn left to liaise with the contractors and the maintenance team while Lara helped the comms team get the word out on social media.
She wandered out of the office, bundled up in a padded parka and feeling as if she were off to an abandoned castle in an Alpine fairyland. Under the thick blanket of cloud, the light was eerie. Snow had added dunce’s caps to the covered statues and iced the roofs of the food cabins, turning them into gingerbread houses. The topiary bushes in the gardens reminded her of frosted cupcakes and a sheen of ice had stilled the water in the fountain.
Ravendale was eerily quiet, as the guided Christmas tours, like the illuminations, had all been cancelled and the café was closed for the day. The only activity involved snow clearing and that had to be done with great care to avoid damaging the foliage, garden features and stonework.
By late afternoon, the thaw had begun. Water dripped off trees and bushes and flowed down the gutters. Every so often a load of snow would slide from a roof or a branch with a rattle, making Lara jump. With the winterequinox approaching, the eerie half-light soon turned into full darkness.
Without the illuminations, Ravendale seemed a melancholy place, with an added undercurrent of tension as exhausted staff continued to clear paths and fix snow-related problems to ensure the castle was safe and ready to reopen the following day. Lara and the other admin staff had also had a day of non-stop firefighting, fielding calls from groups who hadn’t got the message about the cancellation and rescheduling tours.
Finally, at six-thirty, Lara made it back to the cottage and shoved a ready meal in her microwave. She ate it in front of the TV and took a sip of the large glass of white wine she’d poured. An early night was called for: the past few days had been fraught, to say the least. She was exhausted but, thankfully, Christmas was on the horizon so they could have a couple of days’ break.
The glass was at her lips when there was a loud rap on her window.
Flynn called through the glass. ‘Lara! Are you in there?’
Who else would be inside?She abandoned the wine glass on the coffee table, fearing some work-related crisis was going to derail her evening of exhausted wallowing.
She opened the door to Flynn, who stood there with a panicked expression and dripping wet hair. ‘Oh no! What’s the matter?’
‘It’s Molly and Esme. I need to go over to their house right away.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
‘Are Molly and the baby OK?’ Lara asked.
‘They’re both fine. They’ve had a burst pipe in the house and there’s water running down the walls and all over the electrics. The ceiling came down over the cot while Molly was changing Esme and they’re wet through. Brenda’s away in Manchester and Molly’s panicking, understandably.’
‘I’m not surprised. It must have been terrifying.’
‘It could have been catastrophic …’ He shook his head. ‘Molly’s turned off the stopcock but she has no idea what to do next. She’s asked if I can go round now.’
‘How scary for them. What I can do to help?’
‘I can’t take the bike in these conditions and it’d be useless if I need to give Molly and the baby a lift anywhere. I don’t like to borrow the castle van on a – um – personal matter. I hoped you might be able loan me the Land Rover.’
‘I could and itisinsured for other drivers, but I know the roads and the Landy has its quirks.’ Lara thought on her feet. ‘Why don’t I take you?’
He let out a sigh of relief. ‘Thanks so much. I was hoping you’d say that, but it’s a real imposition to make you come out after a busy day.’
‘Don’t worry. We all need help sometimes.’
‘Thanks. They’re in the dark and cold right now and they’re not safe.’
