Jane Linfoot - A Cosy Christmas in Cornwall

One More Chapter

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First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019

Copyright © Jane Linfoot 2019

Cover design by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019

Cover images © Shutterstock.com

Jane Linfoot asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008356316

Ebook Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008356309

Version: 2019-10-04

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page A Cosy Christmas in Cornwall JANE LINFOOT

Copyright One More Chapter a division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2019 Copyright © Jane Linfoot 2019 Cover design by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019 Cover images © Shutterstock.com Jane Linfoot asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780008356316 Ebook Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008356309 Version: 2019-10-04

Dedication For Yoyo, my wonderful Old English Sheepdog, beside me all day, every day, fifteen lovely years together.

Epigraph The strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake …

Chapter 1. Be Jolly

Chapter 2. Merry and (not so) Bright

Chapter 3. Fa la la la la (or maybe not)

Chapter 4. Hello cold days

Chapter 5. Make it a December to remember

Chapter 6. If in doubt, add glitter

Chapter 7. Let the fun beGIN …

Chapter 8. Surprise surprise

Chapter 9. Happy landings

Chapter 10. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Chapter 11. Mwah!

Chapter 12. Wrap up!

Chapter 13. Define good …

Chapter 14. Everybody’s having fun …

Chapter 15. Deep and crisp and even …

Chapter 16. The more the merrier …

Chapter 17. Angels with dirty faces

Chapter 18. Looks like rain, dear

Chapter 19. Have a banging Christmas …

Chapter 20. Worth melting for …

Chapter 21. This way to the North Pole

Chapter 22. No ski boots …

Chapter 23. Marshmallows this way …

Chapter 24. Antlers, angel wings, snowberries and pretty things

Chapter 25. On a cold and frosty morning

Chapter 26. Dashing all the way …

Chapter 27. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire … with bells on

Chapter 28. Fifty words for snow

Chapter 29. And a partridge in a pear tree …

Chapter 30. Cocoa served here

Chapter 31. This way to the North Pole

Chapter 32. The strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake …

Chapter 33. With love …

Chapter 34. Sledges at dawn …

Chapter 35. Tinsel, sprouts, turkey, snow!

Chapter 36. Jingle bells and cockle shells

Chapter 37. PS …

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Jane Linfoot

About the Publisher

For Yoyo, my wonderful Old English Sheepdog, beside me all day, every day, fifteen lovely years together.

The strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake …

Wednesday

11th December

‘Could there be a better present for the woman who has everything?’

I’m smiling across at Merwyn in the front seat and, as I take in the words Cockle Shell Castle carved into the monumental gateposts, I’m so excited I’m finding it hard to breathe. Then I ease my car through the gateway and onto the winding approach, and as we round a bend and the pale walls and castellated towers come into view, washed in moonlight, I can’t help letting out a gasp. I’ve held my anticipation in check for six whole hours since we left London, but now we’re here there’s a butterfly storm in my tummy. In the pictures the castle looked wonderful, but in the flesh, above the twinkle of the dashboard fairy lights, it’s more magical still. As I pull the car up by some big square planters and gaze up at the building, it’s one of those rare moments in life when it feels like I’m actually living in a fairy tale.

‘Christmas in a Cornish castle by the sea has to be the perfect gift. It’s as if those small-paned windows are drawing us in. We’re just so lucky to be here.’

After so long in his doggy travelling harness, Merwyn’s side eye tells me he’s less enthusiastic than me. He may look like a messy brown floor mop more often than he looks like a dog, but in his Yappy Christmas neck tie he’s beyond cute, and he’s been surprisingly good company on the way. He never grumbled once about me playing non stop Christmas tunes and singing along to I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day , which would be my tag line if I had one. George, my ex, would never have put up with non stop Pirate FM either; sometimes it’s good to make comparisons with the past and come out ahead.

‘Come on, time to stretch your legs, we have to go round the back for the key.’ I drag on my coat and pull my woolly bobble hat further down, clip on Merwyn’s lead, and let him scramble out over me as I open the car door. Then I grab the wodge of instructions and follow his bounds.

As we pass a studded front door that’s big enough for a giant, I feel as if I should be pinching myself to be sure I’m not dreaming. Then an icy blast of air slices up under my fake fur jacket, whips straight through my chunky fair isle jumper, and saves me the trouble – anything this freezing has to be real.

And just in case anyone’s wondering who this woman who has everything is, it definitely isn’t me. Hell no! It’s my best friend, Fliss’s, older, more successful, and seriously driven sister, Liberty Johnstone-Cody. Libby is one of those amazing multi-tasking entrepreneur super-mums who started a decade ago with a new-born, a toddler and an idea for a baby carrier, and went on to take over the world.