Мелисса Дэйли - Christmas At The Cat Cafe

‘To Margery,’ the others repeated, clinking glasses gently, and a hush fell over the table. As they began to eat, I felt a wave of nostalgia spread through me. But the feeling was not only a longing for my past – for the time I had spent with Margery and the life we had shared – but also an appreciation of the present. It was beginning to dawn on me that this, our second Christmas in the cat café, would be our last as a whole family.

I let my eyes wander around the room in the knowledge that, one day, the scene before me would be no more than a fond memory. Jasper was sprawled out on the flagstones, the fire’s orange flames lighting up his glossy black pelt; Maisie was nearby, playing with the last shreds of wrapping paper under the Christmas tree; behind them Abby and Bella were curled up together on one of the armchairs, washing each other contentedly with their eyes closed.

Eddie padded between the table legs, determinedly scouring the floor for dropped morsels of turkey. It was hard to believe that, only a few weeks earlier, I had been utterly convinced he had run away, and that I might never see him again. The irony of my situation did not escape me: whilst I had been racked with guilt about Eddie’s disappearance, I had failed to notice that the kitten I was actually losing was Purdy.

I turned to the other side of the room and settled my gaze on Purdy, who was slumbering blissfully in the hammock. Her departure would break my heart, but I knew it was the right thing for her. The kittens’ upbringing in the café had been unconventional and, in many ways, privileged, but for a self-sufficient cat like Purdy, it had become stifling. Living in a colony, and being on view to the public, did not suit her independent nature, and I knew that farm life would maker her far happier than café life. She would be free to roam as a solitary cat, and when she craved company, she would have Jo.

Although a part of me would always think of Purdy and her siblings as kittens, I had to accept that they had long outgrown their kittenhood. They were adults now, and their well-being could not be viewed collectively. My desire for them to be happy as individuals had to outweigh any sentimental notion of keeping my family together; and, as their mother, the best thing I could do was encourage each of them to follow the path that suited them best.

After all, I had followed my own path, a long time ago, when I had first lost Margery. I had found my way to Stourton, to Debbie and to Jasper. I was certain that my future would always lie with Debbie and the cat café, but the same might not be true for the kittens. Their future was an open book, a story waiting to be told, and it was my privilege to have come this far on their journey with them. Whatever happened, wherever they decided to go, I was confident that they had had the best start in life I could have given them; they had been safe, and loved, and happy.

Perhaps, when all was said and done, that had been my own legacy to them.

Acknowledgements

Much of this book was written either late at night or in the early hours of the morning, and it often felt like a solitary enterprise. Having finally emerged, blinking, into the daylight, I would like to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to some of the people who helped along the way.

Firstly I need to acknowledge the work done by the real cat cafés which inspired this book. In the interests of a good story I have put Molly, Ming and the other cats through ordeals that I am certain they would never face in reality. Cat-café staff take the utmost care of their cats’ physical and emotional wellbeing, and I am quite sure they would be aghast at some – if not all – of the goings-on at Molly’s.

I would like to thank my agent Kate Burke, and also Chloe Seager at Diane Banks Associates.

Thank you to everyone at Pan Macmillan. To my diligent editor Victoria Hughes-Williams and the rest of the team: Natalie McCourt, Stuart Dwyer, Holly Sheldrake, Lloyd Jones, James Annal, Matthew Garrett and Jess Duffy. I appreciate all of your hard work behind the scenes.

To Debbie Nash, for being the ongoing inspiration for my (human) heroine, even though you are more of a dog person.

To my sister Emma, for your empathy, encouragement and support.

To my children, Suse and Louis, for your incredible patience throughout this process. Thank you Suse for being an eagle-eyed editor-in-training; your grammatical knowledge puts me to shame.

Lastly, and mostly, to Phil. Even with a broken leg, you kept the show on the road. Without you, this book wouldn’t have happened.

MD, 2016

First published 2016 by Macmillan

This electronic edition published 2016 by Macmillan

an imprint of Pan Macmillan

20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

Associated companies throughout the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-5098-3013-8

Copyright © Melissa Tredinnick, 2016

Cover images © Shutterstock

and © Dreamstime

The right of Melissa Tredinnick to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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