Snowy Nights at Castle Court Read online

  Cat’s face became obstinate. ‘You know what I mean. The thrill of attraction, the frisson of kissing someone you’ve never kissed before. Adult fun.’

  Sadie shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortably hoping her cheeks weren’t as flame-red as they felt. ‘Cat—’

  Her friend held up her hands in mock-surrender. ‘I know, I know – you’re not ready. But you’ll forgive me for pointing out that Daniel didn’t waste any time moving on. I don’t see why you should.’

  Cat meant well, Sadie knew, but that didn’t stop her words from hurting. Daniel hadn’t wasted any time in starting a new relationship once their marriage had broken down. In fact, it turned out there’d been some overlap, which had been the final nail in the coffin for Sadie – she’d moved out and taken Lissy with her. As far as she knew, Daniel was still dating his other woman, although now he was perfectly free to do so, of course.

  ‘It’s not that simple,’ she said quietly. ‘Besides, between motherhood and this place I have my hands pretty full right now, don’t you think?’

  ‘Okay, I’ll give you that,’ Cat conceded. ‘But don’t think you can hide forever, Sadie Smart. One of these days someone will catch your eye and I’ll be there to make sure you don’t let him slip away.’

  She glanced over at the pancake house opposite as she spoke and Sadie had to hide a grin. Settling in to Castle Court had just become a whole lot more interesting.

  Chapter Two

  Lissy’s eyes were wide as she followed Sadie into the kitchen after school.

  ‘Mummy,’ she said, her upturned face accusing. ‘You’ve made a big mess.’

  Sadie couldn’t argue with her daughter; she had made a mess. Piping bags filled with icing bloomed from bowls like rainbow-coloured petals and every available surface was covered in sticky baking parchment; even the range had been turned into a makeshift worktop. The cream wall cupboards had Sadie’s icing designs stuck to them and the dining-room table now had biscuit-laden cooling racks running from end to end. Lissy couldn’t have seen those yet, Sadie decided; she’d have declared an immediate and insatiable hunger if she had.

  ‘This is Mummy’s work,’ Sadie told her. ‘You remember – Auntie Cat and I are opening a shop together and my job is to make the biscuits look nice and tasty. That’s what all the icing is for.’

  Lissy’s face brightened. Her auburn curls, so like Sadie’s own, bounced as an idea struck her. ‘Can I help you? I coloured in a triceratops today and my teacher said it was really good.’

  ‘I’m sure it was beautiful,’ Sadie said, casting around for something Lissy could decorate without depleting the stock Cat had provided. Her gaze came to rest on a half-opened packet of Digestives. ‘Want to ice some of these?’

  Lissy nodded enthusiastically. Sadie fastened an apron around her daughter and then took down her own from behind the kitchen door. ‘First things first, you need to decide what you’re going to draw,’ she said, placing a biscuit on the work surface and moving the plastic step Lissy used to stand on to wash her hands nearer to the worktop. ‘Start with something simple – like a flower. And then you need to pick a colour to draw your shape with.’

  Lissy narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. ‘A daisy. Except I want it to be yellow, like a buttercup.’

  Sadie reached for a sunflower-yellow piping bag. This was line icing, used for creating the outlines of shapes. Once it had set a little, they would be able to flood the shape with a slightly runnier icing mixture and perhaps even add some extra design details.

  ‘Okay, first of all you need to picture a daisy in your head,’ Sadie said. ‘Can you remember what they look like?’

  Lissy pointed to the picture of some flowers she’d drawn back in nursery. It peeped out from its lofty position high up on the fridge. ‘Like that.’

  ‘That’s right. Now I need to teach you how to hold the bag so that the icing doesn’t splurge out when you get going.’ Sadie stood behind her daughter and twisted the top of the icing bag around to seal it. ‘The trick is to keep a gentle but steady pressure on the bag – like this.’

  She spread Lissy’s small fingers around the squishy mass below the twist. ‘Dip the tip of the bag down until it touches your biscuits then lift it up and let the icing string fall into the shape you want.’

  Sadie steadied Lissy’s hand as a thin ribbon of yellow curled onto the biscuit and into the rough shape of a flower. She dabbed at the centre of the final petal and the icing line broke. ‘There – all done.’

  Lissy gave the biscuit a disappointed look. ‘But it’s all wobbly.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Sadie said with an encouraging smile. ‘Once the outline has dried a little bit, we’re going to fill the middle with icing too, and then we can add some detail to make it look more like a yellow daisy. Why don’t you try another while we wait?’

  Lissy took another biscuit and tried again, her tongue poking out between her rosebud lips as she concentrated. By her third attempt, the line of icing was much less wobbly and she was starting to smile.

  ‘Excellent work,’ Sadie said, giving Lissy’s shoulder a tiny squeeze. ‘Ready to fill your first one in?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Sadie reached for a second piping bag, stashed in another bowl. This was flood icing, with a consistency that was almost like custard that spread more easily across the biscuit surface. The trick here was not to overfill the shape and break the line icing.

  ‘Well done,’ Sadie said, as Lissy filled the last petal. ‘Now you need to pop all the little bubbles in the icing – here, use this cocktail stick to dab them.’

  Once all Lissy’s yellow daisies were ready, Sadie put them into the warm oven to dry and turned to her daughter. ‘Do you think you’d like to try a few on your own, while I get on with my designs?’

  The little girl nodded and reached for another Digestive biscuit. ‘I’m going to try a butterfly,’ she announced, her voice ringing with confidence.

  They worked side by side for half an hour before Lissy remembered that biscuits were also for eating. Sadie took the baking tray with the iced daisy biscuits out of the oven and slid them onto a cooling rack. ‘These will be ready to eat in a few minutes. Do you want to ice any more?’

  Lissy shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I want to play dinosaurs.’

  Sadie glanced at the boxes of biscuits still to be iced; she wasn’t even halfway through the collection yet. ‘Why don’t you bring your toys in here? That way I can keep an eye on you as you play.’

  But it wasn’t long before Sadie was sitting on the floor, in charge of the vegetarian dinosaurs as they faced an invasion by the carnivores. Lissy had always had an active imagination and Sadie frequently had to hide a smile as her daughter adopted a different growl for each dinosaur. Eventually, Lissy lowered her T-Rex and rubbed her stomach. ‘I’m hungry.’

  Sadie glanced up at the untidy kitchen; she’d have to clear up before she could make Lissy’s supper and then it would be time for her bath and bed. Only then would Sadie be able to get back to work; it looked as though it was going to be her turn to burn the midnight oil for Smart Cookies.

  Swallowing a sigh, she turned her gaze back to Lissy. ‘Okay, what can I make you to eat?’ Before the little girl could speak, Sadie held up a warning hand. ‘And don’t say biscuits.’

  *

  It was almost seven-thirty that evening when Cat stretched her aching back and decided to call it a night. She hadn’t meant to stay so late but the temptation to test the new ovens had been hard to resist. The bulk of the biscuit baking so far had been done at her apartment, where Cat had already got approval from the local council’s environmental health department, but she planned to do most of the baking on the Smart Cookies premises eventually. The shop wasn’t due for its visit from environmental health for another week, so technically Cat couldn’t sell any of the biscuits she made there to the public, but since they weren’t actually open yet, that wasn’t likely to happen. These were samples so that she
could gauge where the oven’s hotspots were and get used to its idiosyncrasies. Every oven had a personality, she’d decided right at the start of her career, and the best chefs got to know them.

  Rolling her shoulders, Cat winced as her neck muscles twinged. Another fourteen-hour day and most of it spent on her feet – wasn’t that what she’d left Paris to escape? That and the immense pressure of producing more than a hundred Michelin star-worthy meals every night? Of course, the only person checking the quality of Cat’s work now was herself, and perhaps Sadie if the biscuits didn’t hold the icing as well as they needed to, but nobody was going to bawl her out in front of the rest of the staff if the tiniest aspect of the product wasn’t up to scratch. No one was going to reduce her almost to tears, night after night. That was what had driven her out of Paris and a career she’d once loved; that, and a man who had thought he could get away with anything.

  The air outside bit with cold. The three timber-framed storeys of Castle Court glowed against the November night sky as Cat locked the door of Smart Cookies, but her eye was drawn to the ancient oak tree in the centre. It must be a few centuries old, at least, and perhaps even pre-dated the Tudor-style buildings themselves. The trunk and branches had been strewn with tiny lights that sparkled and made her half-wonder if there was an enchantress hiding inside.

  In the summer, Cat knew the courtyard would be full of tables and chairs that were packed with al fresco diners but tonight was too frosty for that. A few tables were dotted here and there, warmed by the glow of outdoor heaters, but they were mostly empty, aside from the occasional smoker. The businesses around the Court were most definitely not empty, however; even Let’s Go Dutch seemed to be doing a brisk trade when Cat would have assumed most locals would consider pancakes to be more of a breakfast treat. Then again, she knew the Dutch ate savoury pancakes that could be every bit as substantial as a heavier meal; maybe the diners of Chester had discovered that too. She’d have to check out the menu, see what Jaren was offering that meant his restaurant was almost full on a wintry Wednesday evening. But the pancake house wasn’t the busiest of Castle Court’s businesses. The French bistro at the far end of the Court seemed to be doing well and the cocktail bar on the top floor appeared to be packed too. Neither could compete with the kitsch charm of The Bus Stop diner, which boasted a wide yellow US school bus as its frontispiece. Through its oblong windows, she caught sight of a waitress wearing a stripy red and white shirt and a dainty hat on her head as she moved between the tables with a tray full of tall milkshake glasses. A queue snaked out of the door and wound its way past a patisserie and a chocolaterie, both of which had been closed for hours. Not all of the neighbouring shops sold food, Cat noted; there was an upmarket stationery store in one corner and she’d yet to explore the rest of the second and third floors. But there did seem to be a definite leaning towards culinary delights in Castle Court. It was what had drawn Cat there in the first place.

  A voice cut across her thoughts, making her jump. ‘A euro for your thoughts.’

  She turned to see Jaren beside her. ‘Oh! Hi.’

  He gave her an apologetic smile. ‘I made you jump – I’m sorry. It’s just that you looked so deeply engrossed in your thoughts and I wanted to know what was making you frown.’ He waved a hand at the courtyard around them. ‘Don’t you like what you see?’

  Cat shook her head. ‘It’s nothing like that. I was just taking everything in – it’s a long time since I’ve been here in the evening and the crowds caught me a little by surprise, I suppose.’

  ‘Ah, the crowds,’ Jaren said, his expression growing serious. ‘Yes, I can see why they might have surprised you. Rumour has it that Chester was once twinned with New York, as the city that never sleeps. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if New York’s nickname was borrowed from Castle Court itself – the party often goes on into the early hours.’

  His eyes crinkled as he spoke and Cat couldn’t help smiling back. ‘Something tells me I’m going to like it here.’

  Jaren tipped his head. ‘I hope so. Speaking of late nights, I came out here to tell you that a group of us are having some after-hours drinks in Seb’s bar on the third floor this Saturday, if you and Sadie would like to come? Most of the Castle Court shopkeepers will be there – the food lovers, anyway. It might be a good way for you to meet everyone.’

  He held out a card with the same logo Cat could see picked out in neon lights up above them. ‘Thanks,’ she said as she took it. ‘I’ll have to check with Sadie to see what her plans are but I’ll definitely be there.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Jaren replied, meeting her gaze. ‘I am looking forward to getting to know you.’

  Cat looked into his dark brown eyes, made almost black by the night around them. Was he flirting with her or simply being friendly? It was hard to tell. ‘Thanks for passing on the invitation,’ she said, filling her voice with warmth. ‘It’s kind of you to make us feel so welcome.’

  Jaren smiled. ‘Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.’

  *

  It felt as though someone had sprinkled grit in Sadie’s eyes the following morning as she negotiated the short drive from her cottage to Lissy’s school in nearby Christleton. Dubbed one of Cheshire’s prettiest villages, it had been Sadie’s home for seven years and she hadn’t wanted to disrupt her daughter’s life any more than necessary when she’d left Daniel, so Lissy still attended the small village primary school there. Unfortunately for Sadie that meant driving past the house on Windmill Lane she’d shared with Daniel, a daily reminder of what they’d had together, but she supposed it was a small price to pay for Lissy’s happiness. And it wasn’t as though she ever saw him as they passed; his job as an investment banker meant early starts and long days, which had been ultimately part of the problem in their marriage.

  By the time Sadie had parked in the underground car park beneath Cat’s apartment and made her way along a frost-touched Eastgate Street to the Old Boot Inn, she was in desperate need of caffeine. An arched tunnel beneath the first-floor pub led to the hidden delights of Castle Court; Sadie hurried through, her head nestled down into her scarf against the cold. She didn’t see the man barrelling towards her until it was too late – they collided mid-tunnel. Sadie let out a yelp of surprise and clutched at the wildly swinging bag containing her precious cargo of iced biscuits; Cat would kill her if they were anything other than pristine. The person she’d bumped into wasn’t so lucky; his armful of boxes thudded to the ground.

  ‘Sorry!’ Sadie gasped, as he reached out a gloved hand to steady her. ‘I didn’t see you.’

  The man gazed at her from beneath his beanie hat, his hazel eyes wide with concern as he pulled down his scarf to reveal a beard. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Sadie said, glancing in distress at the ground, which was now strewn with Brussels sprouts. ‘But your boxes. . .’

  His mouth twisted into a smile. ‘Sprouts are hardy vegetables – a quick wash and they’ll be fine.’

  He knelt down and started to gather the loose vegetables back into their boxes.

  Sadie started to help. ‘I really am sorry. I was off in my own little world.’

  ‘Me too,’ the man said. ‘But no harm done, as long as you’re all right?’

  He glanced across at her then and Sadie felt a shiver of something quite unexpected as she met his gaze. She looked away fast, grateful that her suddenly rosy cheeks could be blamed on the sub-zero temperature. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. Don’t give it another thought.’

  He dropped the last of the sprouts into the box and closed the lid. ‘Okay. Well, sorry again,’ he said, straightening up with an embarrassed-looking smile. ‘Nice bumping into you, ha ha.’

  Now it was his turn to blush but Sadie couldn’t stop a small smile from creeping across her own face as she stood up. ‘No problem. I hope your day gets better.’

  He opened his mouth as though about to say something, then closed it fast. They stood still for a moment, smiling at each other.
Then the man seemed to wake up and stepped to one side. ‘Well. Bye then.’

  ‘Bye,’ she echoed as he walked away. ‘Enjoy your sprouts.’

  She forced her legs to move. By the time she’d reached Castle Court and stopped to look back, he was gone. Sadie let out a groan – had she really just told a total stranger to enjoy his sprouts? It was quite possibly the lamest parting shot ever spoken. She shook her head and hurried for the safety of Smart Cookies. And this time she watched where she was going.

  ‘You look how I feel,’ Cat observed, looking up from the dough she was rolling out as Sadie stashed her coat in one of the basement cupboards. ‘Late night?’

  Sadie placed her bag full of biscuits onto the work surface, deciding not to mention her encounter with the runaway greens. ‘Early morning,’ she said, pulling a face. ‘I thought I’d get everything done in time for a nice early night after Lissy went to bed but the icing separated while I was giving her a bath and I had to remake it.’

  Cat’s eyes widened in sympathy. ‘All of it?’

  ‘All of it,’ Sadie confirmed. ‘And then it was one o’clock in the morning before I got everything finished.’

  Cat winced. ‘Sorry. What time did Lissy get up?’

  ‘Five-thirty,’ Sadie said with a weary sigh. ‘So I really hope we’ve got some Nespresso pods here or I might fall asleep on the job.’

  ‘Coming right up,’ Cat said, dusting off her hands. ‘And then I’ll take a look at your handiwork. I can’t wait to see the finished biscuits.’

  Coffee in hand, Sadie held her breath as Cat opened up the boxes. She’d been so worried about them rubbing together in transit and damaging the delicate icing that she’d used a blob of icing to stick each one to its layer of greaseproof paper. But would that be enough to have saved them from the jolt of her collision with Sprout Man?

  Cat said nothing as she inspected each biscuit. Sadie’s palms began to itch with sweat – were they about to have their first professional bust-up? But Cat was smiling when her eyes finally met Sadie’s. ‘Has anyone ever told you you’re amazing?’