A Perfect Cornish Christmas. Phillipa Ashley

table in Porthmellow first. ‘I’m not sure there are any top copywriters here, even now.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll definitely get in touch when I’ve settled in. Thank you.’

      ‘No problem. I’m sure they’d be delighted to have you.’

      Jude seemed to glow with pleasure. Despite his eyes, there was nothing fey about the rest of him. He wore a long-sleeved T-shirt over dark chinos and a leather bracelet with a silver clasp. He was about her age, she guessed, and striking rather than gorgeous in the way of Gabe, Aaron or Rafa. Yet Scarlett wanted to look at him, and looking at him gave her pleasure. It was silly, but she felt that he had an inner luminosity. Unless she had her gin goggles on, of course. She pushed her glass away, deciding that she was at a stage of pleasantly relaxed and didn’t want to tip over into the dangerous area of wanting to tell him her life story.

      ‘So, what do you do in Porthmellow?’ she asked, resisting the urge to ask if it involved casting spells.

      ‘Not a lot, according to some people.’ His lips tilted in a smile. ‘Actually, we have something in common, because I’m in the writing business too.’

      ‘Please don’t say I’m not the only copywriter in the village?’ Scarlett wasn’t joking. She couldn’t handle the competition.

      ‘No, I don’t write copy, although I do contribute to magazines. I write about natural history. Wildlife, plants and flowers. I’m a forager.’

      ‘A forager? As in picking plants to eat?’

      ‘Flowers, plants, wild seafood, fungi. Anything and everything you can make into a meal or drink. I run foraging and wild cookery courses and I’ve published a couple of books on the subject. I also teach part-time at the local college.’

      ‘Wow. You’re the first forager I’ve met. How did you get into that?’

      ‘I’m from Porthmellow. Mum and Dad still live here. I have a PhD in Botany and I worked for a university in London for a while but, well –’ he hesitated a little too long before continuing – ‘let’s just say I couldn’t keep away from the bright lights of Porthmellow. I must be getting old, longing for a quiet life.’

      ‘You don’t look that old!’ she blurted out, but immediately regretted the personal remark. ‘Sorry!’

      ‘I won’t see thirty-six again,’ Jude said solemnly.

      ‘Still very young,’ she replied hastily, also suspecting there was more to his return than he’d admitted. She’d only just got to know him, so she certainly wasn’t going to pry. ‘So, you’re Doctor Penberth. I’m impressed,’ she said, shifting the focus to his unusual job.

      ‘Yes, and actually,’ he said solemnly, ‘I do prefer people to use my title unless they know me very well.’

      Scarlett was floored. He hadn’t seemed pompous but perhaps she’d misread him. ‘Oh, erm … I see …’ she floundered, not sure how to react.

      Suddenly his stern expression melted into a grin. ‘I’m joking. I only use the doctor thing for occasional academic stuff; conferences and so on. Jude will do fine between us.’

      ‘You – you …’ She dissolved into laughter, her cheeks warming at being taken in.

      ‘I shouldn’t have teased you. I’m sorry.’

      ‘It’s fine.’ She laughed. ‘I should have guessed you were joking.’

      A burst of laughter from across the table caught her attention. Ellie and Aaron were very close. It seemed like they were all getting on well together.

      Jude sipped his pint and replaced it on the table. ‘Um … talking of work, you might see me foraging in the grounds of the manor. Your auntie Joan was very kind and let me collect plants from the gardens, and I carried on picking them after she passed away. Ellie said it was OK to continue, unless the place is sold, obviously.’

      ‘There are no plans for that at the moment,’ Scarlett said. Jude was another local who seemed to have been friendly with Joan, but Scarlett had never come across him on her visits – she’d definitely have remembered him. ‘So this foraging … do it a lot, do you?’

      She’d made it sound vaguely disgusting and a bubble of embarrassed laughter rose in her throat. Jude made her want to laugh and she hadn’t felt like that very often lately but she wasn’t sure he would share her sense of humour.

      ‘Actually, yes, I do.’ He smiled wickedly and Scarlett revised her opinion of him upwards yet again. Maybe he’d get her jokes after all. ‘You don’t mind then?’

      ‘Not if Ellie doesn’t. You can forage as much as you like. Not that it’s our place, anyway. As you probably know, it’s my mother who owns the manor now, but I’m sure she won’t mind either.’

      ‘Yes, I knew that Joan had left it to your mum.’

      ‘Did you know my aunt very well?’

      ‘Not as well as you, obviously, but I saw her at least once a week or so when I was foraging in her grounds.’

      Scarlett giggled again. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I know it’s juvenile of me, but foraging is such a funny word. It sounds a bit …’

      ‘Pervy?’ Jude suggested, with a glint of amusement.

      ‘Well, kind of.’

      ‘It does sound weird to make a living from collecting wild food. I’m convinced that a few of the locals think I’m some kind of wizard, brewing up potions from the hedgerows, but you would be amazed by all the wonderful things you can find by the seashore, woods and even in your own backyard.’

      ‘I’m sure I would. Though there wasn’t much to forage in my backyard in Birmingham.’

      ‘Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong.’ Jude’s glow was back. ‘You can find all sorts in parks and gardens. Birmingham’s renowned for its parklands. Like chickweed, for instance. You can find that all year round and it’s very tasty in salads or in a dip.’

      ‘Really? I’d no idea …’ Scarlett thought of the bare branches of oaks around the manor and the russet bracken on the moorland, wondering what there was to actually forage. ‘But are there really that many edible plants around at this time of year?’

      ‘You’d be surprised,’ said Jude with a smile. ‘There are still plenty of nuts and green leaves at this time of year if you know where to look, especially on the coast. I also have blackberries and bilberries in my freezer and a great stock of cherry brandy ready for the Solstice Festival. I could show you some of the things you can find around the manor, if you like, the next time I come over? Ellie too,’ he added quickly.

      She hesitated. It had been a long time since she’d agreed to go out with a guy, not that hunting plants was a ‘date’, but actually, that might be exactly why she should say yes: the invitation seemed genuinely innocent. ‘OK. I’d like that. And I’m sure Ellie would,’ she tagged on hastily, though she guessed Ellie might decide she was too busy with Aaron …

      Jude’s pleasure showed in his eyes. ‘Great. I’ll give you my number so we can arrange a time?’

      They talked about Cornwall for a while longer, Jude’s passion for nature and his birthplace lighting up his face and his voice even more. Once or twice he mentioned his time in London but it was obvious that he’d missed his homeland during his botany PhD. When Ellie signalled that it was time to head home, Scarlett was surprised how disappointed she felt to have to go, especially when compared with the dread she’d experienced when she’d first walked in.

      They got up and said their goodbyes.

      ‘You’ll call me, then,’ Jude repeated as she was about to leave.

      ‘Yes. Soon as I’ve asked Ellie.’

      ‘Great.’ He pushed his hair out of his eyes and Scarlett had a strange feeling in the pit of