Шейла Нортон - Oliver The Cat Who Saved Christmas

‘Oh, I think Suki will come round, you know, after the chat we had yesterday,’ he said breezily. ‘And meanwhile, there’s no point letting the grass grow under your paws, Ollie.’

I had to laugh. ‘You’re incorrigible,’ I said. ‘But I can forgive you anything, as long as you’re still up for coming with me this morning.’

‘I’m not up for it at all, actually. I think you’re a nutcase. But you’re right, I can’t let a little fella like you go into danger on your own, without the protection of someone bigger and braver and more macho like me.’

‘Oh, give it a rest,’ I said, nudging him with my head in a friendly way. ‘Let’s get going.’

As we walked up the hill together I started telling Tabby my worries about Sarah and Martin getting a new cat.

‘So what?’ he said. ‘You’re not living with them forever, are you? And not just them, anyway – I thought you said you live in the house next door too? All right for some, having two homes to choose from.’

‘I know it sounds nice, and yes, I am lucky. But I’d rather be back with George than with either of them. That’s not going to happen for ages, though. They haven’t even started rebuilding the pub yet, have they? And if Sarah and Martin don’t want me anymore, I’ll have to live with Nicky and Daniel permanently.’

‘Don’t you like them?’

‘Yes, of course I do. But they’re both out all day, working, and the house is really cold, and they’re not usually very happy because of the money thing humans worry about all the time. I’d feel ever so lonely if I couldn’t go to Sarah and Martin’s house too.’

‘I see. But why do you think they’ll chuck you out, even if they do get a new cat?’

‘I’ve been a kind of replacement for their old one who got run over.’

‘Oh yes, poor old Sooty.’ Tabby nodded at me. ‘That was horrible, poor chap.’

‘I never met him.’

‘He was quite old, didn’t go out a lot. I reckon that was why the car got him – he couldn’t run away fast enough. Shame about the little human, too – broke her paw, didn’t she?’

‘Yes. She’s sweet. They say I’ve cheered her up. But if she gets a permanent new cat, that’s obviously going to be much better for her, isn’t it.’ I sighed. ‘And the new cat won’t want me around.’

‘It might do. After all, Ollie, you wouldn’t pose too much of a threat to another male.’

‘Well thanks! ’

‘Don’t mention it. And on the other hand, it might be a female.’ He nudged me and gave a little suggestive mew of laughter. ‘But of course,’ he added, ‘that’d be wasted on you, wouldn’t it.’

‘You’ve got a one-track mind, Tabby,’ I complained. ‘I wish your humans would get you neutered. We might be able to have a serious conversation then, without the subject of females coming up every five minutes.’

We’d reached the gates of the Big House by now, and we both fell silent as we squeezed through the iron pattern and into the grounds.

‘Don’t be frightened, Ollie,’ Tabby said eventually as we walked stealthily down the drive – but I noticed his voice was shaking. ‘I’ll be right behind you.’

I’d have preferred him in front of me, as he was bigger, but there you go.

‘This is the room where the little sick human usually is,’ I told him quietly when we reached the glass doors. ‘We can see her if we look through here.’

‘There’s nobody in there,’ said Tabby, peering over my shoulder into the room.

‘No.’ How disappointing. ‘Perhaps she’s still in bed. We are quite early, I suppose.’

It’s hard to tell, in winter, you see, Charlie. It often still looks like the middle of the night in the morning, and then it looks like the middle of the night again halfway through the afternoon. And then, in the summer, you’ll find it’s just as tricky because night time doesn’t seem to come round all that often at all. We never know where we are – it’s quite tiring trying to fathom it out, which is why I find it best to simply sleep as much as possible, regardless.

‘So shall we just go home?’ Tabby said hopefully.

‘No. Not yet. Let’s have a quick check around the house. We might see her inside one of the other rooms.’

‘You’re one crazy cat,’ he muttered. ‘Lead on, then, if you know the way.’

I led him round the corner and past the steps where I’d jumped up on the windowsill that day to look at the huge empty room. There was no way Caroline would be in there.

‘I suppose she’ll be somewhere upstairs, if she’s still asleep in her bedroom,’ I said.

I gazed up at the great walls and high roof of the huge house. No chance. Even Tabby wouldn’t try to serenade anyone on that rooftop. And then I saw it – a little bit further, round a corner of the house and sticking out into the grounds, was one of those glass rooms humans call conservatories.

‘Let’s just have a quick look in there,’ I suggested, and I started to sneak forward along the wall of the house before Tabby could dissuade me. The bottom part of the conservatory was a low brick wall. I waited behind this for Tabby to catch up and then hopped up onto the window ledge and peered through the glass.

It was a cold, frosty morning again, but very sunny, and all the morning sunshine was on this side of the house, so I thought it was quite likely Laura and Caroline might be in here. What I definitely hadn’t expected was to see Caroline’s father instead. I nearly fell off the ledge with fright. What was he doing here? He was supposed to go to the London place today. Had I got the days wrong? He was standing with his back to me, holding his chin in his hand, staring out of one of the windows on the opposite side of the room – thank goodness!

‘Is she in there? Can you see her?’ Tabby hissed at me from the safety of the ground.

‘Ssh!’ I warned him.

The window ledge was narrow and I was having trouble keeping my balance. I was just about to jump back down and start running, when I heard a noise from inside. I pricked up my ears. It was him, the father, talking to himself. At first I couldn’t quite believe it. But a couple of the windows were a fraction open on my side of the conservatory, despite the cold – perhaps, with all that glass, the sun had made it warm inside – and with my excellent hearing, I was picking up every word. I was so surprised, I forgot to run away and stayed where I was, listening.

‘What an idiot,’ he was saying. ‘What a bloody stupid idiot. What’s the matter with me? There was no need to talk to her like that. Threatening to sack her! It’ll be my own stupid fault if she walks out now.’

Yes, it will, I thought crossly. And there was no need to be so horrible to me , either!

‘What’s going on?’ Tabby called up. ‘Are you all right up there?’

‘Ssh!’ I hissed again. ‘I’m listening. Be quiet!’

The man was sighing to himself. I could see his chest and shoulders going up and down.

‘I suppose it’s too late to apologise. She must already think I’m just an arrogant bully, and now I’ve made things even worse. I don’t know why I behave like this – taking out all my frustration on her. And she’s so good with Caroline – so kind, so patient. Not just with Caroline – with me too. Oh, God, what’s wrong with me? She’s the first woman I’ve felt like this about since you died, Susan—’

Susan? Who was this Susan, and how did she come into it? I put my ear closer to the glass.

‘—and there’s absolutely no chance she’ll forgive me this time. She must hate me, and I don’t blame her.’ He sighed again. ‘What should I do, Sue? Try to talk to her? Maybe just write her a note. That’d be better, wouldn’t it – a little note to say I’m sorry. At least then we could put that episode on Saturday behind us and I’ll try again to be better tempered.’