The Cornish Cream Tea Christmas

‘I can’t miss that,’ Hannah said. ‘And I never say no to a mince pie.’

‘Of course you don’t,’ Noah murmured. She turned to glare up at him, but he was smiling and she couldn’t bring herself to tell him off – not when those blue eyes held hers so completely. And she was a self-confessed foodie.

‘Are you staying for a spiced apple?’ she asked.

‘I might be persuaded,’ he said.

‘Excellent.’ Hannah hoped her delight wasn’t too obvious. ‘I’ll just go and put my iPad away. Back in a couple of minutes.’

Hannah couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed anything as much as she was enjoying decorating the Crystal Waters Christmas tree with Charlie, Daniel, Noah and Marmite. The decorations were in varying shades of gold and blue, which proved to be a beautifully elegant colour combination, and completely in fitting with the design and furnishings of the hotel. The tree suppliers had checked the large Scots Pine was secure before giving Daniel an invoice and leaving him to it, and he’d seemed much happier since they’d gone and he could climb up a ladder and start working from the top down.

‘He likes being in charge,’ Charlie said to Hannah as they watched him place a glittering golden star on top of the tree, Mariah Carey singing about what she wanted for Christmas in the background. ‘He’s a doer rather than a director.’

‘I get that impression about you too,’ Hannah said.

Charlie laughed. ‘And you’d be right. But heights aren’t my thing. I’m happy for Daniel to be up there.’

Noah also had a special role, which was keeping Marmite out of trouble. The dog was enamoured with him, and from the way Noah was tickling Marmite’s tummy and playing tug-of-war with an edible stick, his spiced apple forgotten, it was clear the feeling was mutual. Hannah could see the cracks in his armour: the smiles, the humour, the affection for furry creatures, all of which had seemed entirely unlikely when he’d picked her up from the station.

Every time a hotel or spa guest walked into the foyer, Daniel invited them to hang a decoration, and most of them were delighted, a few clearly nervous about getting it right. Hannah felt like an insider. She wasn’t sure if it was her role as eco-consultant, or the fact that Charlie had been so friendly towards her at the food festival, but whatever it was, it meant she could help decorate one of the most impressive Christmas trees she’d ever seen, so she wasn’t going to complain.

‘Oh goodness,’ said a voice, ‘I am so sorry!’ Hannah turned to see Audrey step hastily away from the ladder, then change her mind and lunge forward, grabbing hold of it. ‘Are you OK? I haven’t unsettled you?’

‘No harm done,’ Daniel said smoothly, though the look on his face suggested it had been a close call. ‘Are you OK?’

Audrey rubbed her shoulder. ‘Yes, fine. I didn’t mean to … I should watch where I’m going.’ She waved the book she was holding, and Hannah caught sight of the title: A History of West Cornwall: Shipwrecks and Stagecoaches in the Victorian Era.

‘Are you a historian?’ Hannah asked.

Audrey smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘I am, of a sort. I’m a research associate, and I’m writing a book about England’s most haunted hotels. Actually, no,’ she corrected, as Daniel made a noise – a grunt or a gasp – from the top of the ladder. ‘I’m finishing a book, on behalf of a friend.’

‘You’re writing about haunted hotels?’ Charlie asked, clearly intrigued. Even Noah had stopped playing with Marmite to listen.

‘That’s right.’ She pushed her glasses up her nose. She seemed nervous now all the attention was on her.

‘But not this one,’ Daniel said, coming down the ladder. ‘This building’s only been here a few years.’

‘Yes, that is a shame.’ Audrey looked around, as if surprised by the modern surroundings. ‘But there’s still potential.’

‘What do you mean, potential?’ There was an unmistakable edge to Daniel’s voice.

‘The Clifftop Hotel that stood here before Crystal Waters,’ Audrey continued. ‘It was reputedly haunted, and that’s what my friend, Richard, was working on. I didn’t realize the old hotel would be entirely gone when I booked. I thought some of the original building might remain.’

‘It was falling down,’ Daniel said. ‘It was unsafe. I had to get rid of it and start again.’

‘I do understand that, Mr Harper,’ Audrey replied, unruffled. ‘And in fact, it might well not matter. I hadn’t intended to do it this way,’ she added, glancing at each of them in turn, ‘but I would love to sit down with you all at some point, to find out about your experiences here, if there’s anything unusual you’ve witnessed.’

‘Oh, we’re just guests,’ Hannah said reluctantly. ‘We’ve only been here a day.’

‘There’s nothing,’ Daniel said firmly. ‘No unusual experiences.’ He was being polite, but Hannah could see it was an effort.

Charlie squeezed his arm, and he turned to look at her. ‘Daniel?’ She said it softly, but he shook his head, as if warning her not to say anything else.

A chill – part excitement, part terror – ran down Hannah’s spine. In Edinburgh she was surrounded by history, the past right on her doorstep, and sometimes shoved in her face. There were at least a million ghosts in the city, if all the stories and nightly walks were to be believed.

She didn’t discount the idea that ghosts existed, that tragic moments in people’s lives sometimes played over and over, like a recording stuck on repeat, but she had never explored the idea, or how she really felt about it. She’d never been on a serious ghost hunt, never seen anything spooky herself, hadn’t done more than laugh and squeal in the appropriate places on a tour that ended in Edinburgh’s underground vaults. However, the thought that this glimmering, plush hotel might have dark secrets and voices whispering in corners was highly appealing. Ghost stories at Christmas were obligatory, but she had never imagined stumbling on one that might be real.

‘OK then,’ Charlie said, her gaze not leaving Daniel’s.

‘I haven’t seen anything,’ he reiterated. ‘The occasional flickering light is expected in a building this size, especially when the storms kick off. It’s not paranormal.’

Charlie didn’t say anything, and Daniel shifted uncomfortably.

‘And I imagined those voices in my office. It was late, I was alone apart from the night staff, and I was tired. The hotel buzzes with activity so much of the day, it makes sense that my mind would play tricks on me. It didn’t mean anything, Charlie.’

Audrey had tucked her book under her arm and opened a notebook. She was trying to scribble notes while the pad did its best to snap closed on her. Hannah wanted to point out that she could lean on the pebble-shaped table, but was reluctant to interrupt the conversation. She glanced at Noah and he raised his eyebrows, which gave her no insight into how he felt about the possibility of sharing their up-and-coming eco-hotel with some ghosts.

‘This is very interesting,’ Audrey said. ‘Very interesting. Would you be happy to go through your experiences with me in detail? When did they happen, exactly?’

‘No.’ Daniel shook his head. ‘I’m sorry Ms Benson, but there is no chance this hotel’s haunted. It’s less than five years old!’ His laughter sounded forced.

‘What about the footsteps?’ piped up a voice, and everyone turned to the reception desk, and the young, freckled woman who had checked Hannah in the previous evening.

‘Chloe,’ Daniel said. ‘Now is not—’

‘They happen every night,’ Chloe continued, wide eyes showing that she was loving the drama. ‘Eleven thirteen on the dot. I’ve been on lates recently, so I know. And they run. Right across the room, from over there.’ She pointed to the corner where the shimmering Christmas tree stood. ‘All the way over here, then behind us. It’s like whoever it is goes through the desk, as if it didn’t exist. It stops when it gets to your office, Daniel.’

‘Where you heard voices that time,’ Charlie said gently.

‘And sometimes,’ Chloe went on, ‘there’s this draught as the footsteps go past, you know? Like whoosh.’ She swiped her hand past her face. ‘It’s why Kevin wanted to swap with me. He didn’t want to do lates because it scared him.’

‘This is wonderful,’ Audrey said.

‘I thought Kevin wanted to swap because the bus timetable changed and he couldn’t get home if he did lates.’ Daniel was sounding increasingly exasperated, and Hannah’s heart went out to him. Clearly, a haunted hotel was not as appealing a marketing strategy as an eco-hotel.

‘That’s what he told you,’ Chloe said boldly, ‘because he didn’t want you to think he was a wuss.’

‘I wouldn’t have …’ Daniel started, then sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face and Hannah heard him mutter, ‘For fuck’s sake.’

‘This is all a bit unexpected,’ Charlie said, her tone soothing but authoritative. ‘Audrey, what are your plans for the book? I assume you’ll write about the history and any present-day … hauntings.’ She glanced at Daniel, then slipped her hand into his. ‘Will that make up one part of the book?’

‘One chapter,’ Audrey confirmed, looking up from her notebook. ‘I’m very encouraged by this promising activity.’

‘I’m not,’ Daniel murmured.

‘But I do appreciate this may not be ideal for you, Mr Harper,’ she continued. ‘I’ll be discreet. Would you be happy for me to speak to your employees? Kevin and …’

‘Chloe!’ Chloe gave a little wave. ‘You can always hang out with me until eleven thirteen this evening and hear them for yourself.’

‘Oh, I will undoubtedly be doing that, if Mr Harper sanctions me to run a low-level investigation.’

Daniel didn’t reply immediately, and everyone turned towards him. Hannah realized she was holding her breath. She wanted him to say yes. She wondered if Chloe would let her stay in reception until eleven thirteen. She supposed she couldn’t stop her.

‘Ms Benson,’ he said eventually. ‘Please, call me Daniel. Perhaps we could have a chat over coffee tomorrow. You can tell me your plans while you’re here and I can see how best to … accommodate you. How does that sound?’

‘That’s most generous of you,’ Audrey said, beaming. ‘And please call me Audrey. Now, I must dash. I don’t want to miss my reservation in the restaurant – I can’t wait to try the hake!’ She wished them all good evening and strode away, her history book under her arm, her notebook still open in her hand, as if she might need to write something down any second.

Once she had gone, Daniel spun to face Charlie. ‘Ghosts? Ghosts, now? She can’t be serious.’

‘We’ve all heard it, Daniel,’ Chloe said. ‘Sorry, but it’s true. And you said yourself you’ve had some stuff happen, so you can’t totally disbelieve us.’ Hannah wished she had the same unfiltered confidence as the young receptionist.

‘I don’t disbelieve you, Chloe,’ he replied. ‘I could just do without this right now. And please, all of you, don’t mention it to anyone else. I don’t want it going further than the staff and … Hannah and Noah – you’re happy to keep it quiet, too?’

‘Of course,’ Hannah said.

‘I won’t breathe a word,’ Noah agreed.

‘Good. Thank you. Not everyone loves the idea of their holiday destination being haunted.’

‘You were very nice to her, eventually,’ Charlie said. ‘And wouldn’t you like to hear a bit more of the history of the old hotel? See what might be causing all this … stuff?’

‘Other than tired minds, faulty light fittings and dodgy air-conditioning units?’ Daniel shrugged. ‘Hopefully nothing. And fingers crossed, the changes Noah and Hannah are going to help us make will get rid of them for good.’

‘Better an eco-hotel than an ecto-hotel, right, Daniel?’ Chloe called.

Daniel gave her a bemused look.

Chloe rolled her eyes. ‘You know, ectoplasm? You have seen Ghostbusters, haven’t you?’

Daniel shook his head, but his mouth was lifting at the corners. ‘That, Chloe, was a terrible joke. Beyond terrible.’

Chloe gave a little curtsey.

‘Come on everyone,’ he said. ‘Back to the tree, otherwise we’ll still be doing it when our invisible occupant makes an appearance. I hope he doesn’t knock it down, that’s all I can say. If people who died centuries ago start interfering with Christmas at this hotel, after all the effort we’ve put into it, then Audrey is going to have to do more than write about them in her book – she’s going to have to find us a bloody exorcist.’

He climbed the ladder again, tension visible in his shoulders.

Hannah exchanged a glance with Noah and then looked at Charlie, who had her fingers pressed over her lips, her gaze on Daniel. Hannah thought that whatever the couple had prepared for in the run up to Christmas, it was unlikely to have been this. But as much as she felt sorry for Daniel, she wasn’t entirely disappointed at the turn of events. She dropped to a crouch and buried her face in Marmite’s warm fur, hiding her smile.

Chapter Five

It was late when they all declared the tree fully decorated, and after standing for a moment in reverential silence and staring at it, the gold fairy lights fading on and off and making the whole thing sparkle magnificently, Noah reluctantly handed Marmite back to Charlie and said goodnight. Hannah walked him out to his car.

‘That wasn’t exactly in our remit,’ she said, hugging herself. It was so cold, but the air was crisp and sea-scented, and the densely scattered stars winked mesmerizingly above them. ‘It was fun, though.’

‘You should go in.’ Noah reached out and touched her arm, as if checking her temperature, then leaned against the bonnet as if he had no intention of leaving immediately. ‘You’ll freeze to death.’

‘So will you,’ she pointed out. ‘That jumper looks thin.’ She didn’t add that she’d come to that conclusion because of the way it hugged his muscles, and that the effect was quite distracting, especially when it was a choice between looking at them, and looking at graphs on an iPad. ‘Marmite’s great, isn’t he?’ she added.

He nodded. ‘I love dogs. Mum and Dad have got three: Albert, Rodney and Del Boy. No prizes for guessing where the names came from.’

Hannah laughed. ‘What kind of dogs are they?’

‘Pointers,’ Noah said. ‘They take up most of the house and need about three walks a day, so they sort of belong to the village. Neighbours are always pitching in, taking them to the beach or further afield.’

‘Communal pets! Are they affectionate?’

‘Very.’ The smile Noah gave her was pure indulgence. ‘If you make it to Mousehole you’ll need an introduction.’

‘I’d love that,’ she said sincerely, overjoyed that Noah had thawed enough to almost invite her to his village. ‘What do you think of the ghost stuff?’

He gave a short laugh. ‘I think that Daniel’s in for a tough ride if he’s assuming he can sweep it under the carpet. Audrey and Chloe alone are a force to be reckoned with.’

‘And …?’

‘And I’m going to make sure that one day this week I’m here late enough to experience those footsteps for myself. I’m tempted tonight, but I’ve got an early start tomorrow and I won’t be popular if I’m not at my brightest.’

‘Oh,’ Hannah said, ‘then I’d better let you go. But I’d be up for ghost hunting with you whenever you fancy it. As long as we don’t let on to Daniel that we’re buying into the whole thing.’

‘Of course not.’ Noah opened the car door. ‘But a word of warning, Hannah,’ he said, turning back to face her. ‘Client visits don’t usually involve Christmas-tree decorating and impromptu hauntings. Just in case you were thinking that every project with Green Futures was likely to be this interesting.’

‘Understood.’ She nodded, matching his faux-serious tone. ‘It must be something about Porthgolow. I’ll lower my expectations for future cases.’

‘Good idea. But obviously …’ he paused, looking at her closely, as if he could gauge her response to what he was about to say before he spoke.

‘Obviously what?’ she asked with a laugh.

‘Make the most of everything while you’re here.’

She nodded, unsure how to reply. There was something about the way he’d said it that made her skin prickle. ‘Oh, I intend to,’ she said, with more gusto than she felt.

‘See you on Monday, Hannah.’ He climbed in and shut the Land Rover door, gave her a final wave and drove out of the car park.

She went inside, grateful for the hotel’s blast of warmth, and said goodnight to Chloe.

‘You’re welcome to hang about for another half an hour if you want?’ Chloe said. ‘You know, to hear the ghost? I think we should give him a name. The more real we make it, the more likely Daniel is to believe it.’

‘I’m not sure Daniel is ready to embrace the ghost,’ Hannah replied. ‘Maybe once he’s talked to Audrey he’ll change his mind. I’m off to bed now, but I’ll take you up on that offer another night.’

They said their goodbyes and Hannah went back to her room. Once there, she found she couldn’t sleep. Her mind kept replaying her last exchange with Noah. Not just the softening of his demeanour, the jokes and the puppy love, but the suggestion that he believed the stories. He was eager to experience the ghostly goings-on for himself. She realized that was why she’d turned Chloe down: she had been half an hour away from a possible ghostly encounter, but she didn’t want to have it without Noah.

The week ahead no longer felt like a simple work trip, but one with huge potential. She wasn’t sure she believed Chloe’s story, and Daniel was convinced his own experiences had a mundane explanation, but she was determined to keep an open mind. If there was going to be a ghost hunt at the hotel, she wanted to be part of it.

Her eyes fell on her Filofax, and the photographs she hadn’t put away. The yellow house had slipped from her thoughts, but there it was, sitting perched behind her family in a faded picture from her past. Audrey wasn’t going to be the only one looking into the history of Porthgolow over the coming days: Hannah had some investigating to do herself.

She had a light breakfast on Sunday morning, eschewing the various cooked options because of where she was headed next. She had warmed instantly to Charlie, had loved helping to decorate the Christmas tree, and was keen to spend time getting to know the owner of the fabulous Routemaster while she was here.

When she stepped outside the hotel, the wind was flinging rain in every direction, as if falling straight to the ground wasn’t dramatic enough. Hannah pulled up her hood and hurried down the hill to the soundtrack of waves crashing against the shore.

She stepped onto the bus, subtly festive with its twinkling fairy lights, and Charlie grinned at her.

‘Hannah! It’s lovely to see you. You and Noah aren’t working today?’

‘Noah had somewhere else to be,’ Hannah said. ‘A family thing, maybe.’

‘You shouldn’t be working on a Sunday anyway.’ Charlie gestured to a table. Hannah could see Marmite in the driver’s cab, scrabbling to get out now there was someone else to stroke him.

‘You are,’ Hannah said, laughing. She waved at Marmite and he barked.

‘But I’m in the tourist industry. Sundays are one of our busiest days.’ She looked around the deserted bus and shrugged. ‘Except when it’s freezing cold and pelting it down. Do you want a cream tea?’

Hannah paused, the ‘yes’ on the tip of her tongue, then changed her mind. ‘Could I have a coffee and a scone with jam?’ She took off her coat and put it on the bench beside her. ‘I’d love a full cream tea, but I’m going to wait and bring Noah here.’

‘What coffee do you want? We’ve got some special Christmas flavours.’ Charlie handed Hannah a menu, and she scanned the options.

‘Cinnamon latte please. How long have you run the bus?’

‘Coming up to two years. I inherited it last February; there were a couple of false starts, and then I launched the Cornish Cream Tea Bus on this very beach last May. It’s done pretty well for itself.’

‘You’ve done well for yourself,’ Hannah said. ‘I doubt the bus could have managed it all on its own.’

Charlie patted the wall. ‘Maybe not, but Gertie is pretty special.’

‘Gertie?’

‘My uncle’s name for her. He left her to me in his will.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Hannah said, but Charlie waved her away. She thought of the photograph, nestled inside her purse now, in case there was an opportunity to talk about it. ‘Did he live in Porthgolow all his life?’

Charlie laughed. ‘Oh no, I’m not from here. I’m from Cheltenham originally. My friend Juliette moved to Porthgolow and invited me for a holiday, and I brought Gertie with me and never went home.’

‘You fell in love with Porthgolow?’ Hannah glanced out at the swirling rain. Even in such bleak weather, the cove and the neat village rising up the cliff was attractive, enticing. ‘I’m not surprised.’

‘Porthgolow has a lot going for it. To me, it …’ Charlie looked away, biting her lip. ‘It feels like it’s sprinkled with some kind of magic, and I’m not the only resident who feels that way. There are so many things to love about it.’

‘I can see that,’ Hannah said, then thanked Charlie as she brought over a steaming mug that smelled of spice, sugar and Christmas. ‘And one of them is up at the hotel, slightly disgruntled about his unusual pest problem?’

Charlie shook her head. ‘Poor Daniel. I can’t remember the last time I saw him so ruffled – he’s mostly unshakeable. When I first met him, he used to infuriate me with his unflappability, watching coolly while I got myself into a state over something.’ She bent down to peer at the scone in the oven, then stood and leaned against the counter.

Hannah sipped her latte foam. ‘Why do you think he’s so upset about Audrey’s revelation, if he usually takes everything in his stride?’

Charlie sighed. ‘I don’t know. Maybe it was just a shock – the idea that his hotel might have some unwanted guests and, in turn, attract some unwanted attention. He’s worked so hard to get Crystal Waters to where it is, and he’s always trying to improve it – as you know because he’s brought you and Noah in. He cares about it, and maybe he feels this is out of his control.’ She shook her head. ‘I tried to talk to him last night, but he was still a bit put out. Then he texted me this morning to say that the Christmas tree was still standing, so the ghost hadn’t got the better of it.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘If he starts waging a war on spirits that probably don’t exist, I’m going to have to intervene.’ She turned away, and Hannah watched as she took the scone out of the oven and put it on a plate, along with a tiny dish of butter and another of jam.

‘It might not come to anything.’ Hannah gratefully accepted her scone, took a moment to smell it, then cut it in half and liberally spread it with butter and jam. ‘Audrey will do her research and go home, then by the time the book comes out, things will have gone back to normal. And even if it does get a bit of attention, tourists love the idea of haunted hotspots, don’t they? Who doesn’t love a ghost story? It can’t do any harm to the hotel’s reputation.’

‘That’s very true.’ Charlie said, suddenly brighter. ‘I don’t want him to get stressed. We’ve got a lot going on this Christmas: my cousin and her boyfriend are coming back from LA in a few days to stay at the hotel, though Delilah hasn’t told me exactly when.’

‘Oooh LA,’ Hannah said. ‘Fancy!’

Charlie grinned. ‘Sam’s finishing a film role out there and Lila’s with him. They’re both actors now, which I’m trying to get my head around. They met when Sam was filming Estelle in Cornwall and Gertie ended up being part of the on-set catering.’

Hannah almost choked. ‘I read about that – you being part of the filming. I had no idea your cousin ended up—’