‘Really?’ Jack asked. ‘I wonder why that is.’
I risked opening one eye in time to see Holly shrug. ‘I think it’s in case there’s any dispute later – like the McCawleys could accuse us of trying to steal their dog.’
‘But they left him here!’ Jack pointed out. ‘They’ve been gone all day, and there’s no sign of them coming back yet. Poor Claude has been stuck out in the cold the whole time.’
‘I know,’ Holly said, sympathetically. I shut my eyes again as she looked down at me. No point letting on I was listening in until I knew what they’d decided. ‘But we still have to call.’
Jack sighed. ‘Okay. But then what? I can’t take him home with me – my landlord doesn’t allow pets.’
I gave a low growl in my supposed sleep. What kind of an idiot doesn’t allow pets?
‘And he can’t stay here. Perdita’s asleep upstairs. She’ll lose it if she comes down and finds him here in the night.’ Holly sounded genuinely sorry about the situation, but that didn’t change the fact that I was still homeless. ‘Wasn’t there anybody in the street that had their mobile numbers or anything?’
‘Nobody,’ Jack replied, sounding glum. He obviously remembered all the hurtful ear comments, too. ‘This estate isn’t nearly as friendly as it looks from the outside.’
‘I suppose not,’ Holly said. ‘When I moved here, I thought it would be a proper community, you know? With street parties and people popping by with cake and stuff.’
Jack smiled. ‘Me too. That’s why I picked it. But as it is … I can’t see me staying much longer, to be honest.’ I risked peeping again, wanting to see Holly’s reaction.
‘Really?’ Holly went very still, but I don’t think Jack noticed. Silly man.
‘Yeah. I’ve already applied for a transfer, actually.’
‘Right.’ She sounded disappointed. ‘Well. That’s a shame. What if the next postman can’t carry all my craft supplies?’ She gave a little smile after that, but I didn’t believe it was real. She thought Jack leaving was as bad an idea as I did.
‘I’m sure he’ll cope,’ Jack said, but he looked a little sad at the idea, too.
‘And Claude will miss you,’ Holly added, and my ears twitched at the sound of my name. ‘What are we going to do with him?’
‘Call the council, I suppose,’ Jack said, with a sigh. ‘See what they say. If the McCawleys don’t make it back tonight, and neither of us can keep him overnight … there’s probably a shelter they’ll take him to until his owners can collect him.’
Holly’s nose scrunched up at that. ‘The pound?’
Wait. What? I gave up the pretence of being asleep and sat up, looking between them, waiting for them to laugh. This had to be a joke, right? No way would Holly and Jack send me to the pound. No way. Not when I’d spent my whole day trying to find Jack a home, and Kathleen and Holly people to stop them being lonely. They wouldn’t do that to me.
‘Do you have the number at the council?’ Jack asked. ‘We’d better call before it gets any later. Who knows if they’ll be open tomorrow with it being Christmas Eve.’
‘I wrote it down. Hang on.’ Holly disappeared into the hall, and Jack stared after her. They were really doing this.
Even if I found a place for Jack in Maple Drive, it looked like there wasn’t one for me. With the McCawleys gone, I didn’t belong anywhere at all.
What on earth was I going to do? My little heart beat double time just at the idea of being sent away, of not being here when Daisy and Oliver came back.
Of not being wanted at all.
I had a few moments while Holly found the phone number, I realised. Just a few moments to decide what happened next in my life.
Did I wait here, as if I were still tethered by that sparkly pink lead, and wait for them to send me off to the pound? The place where the abandoned dogs went to die?
Or did I take my life in my own hands, and find my own future – and maybe even my family?
Put like that, it was no competition.
With one last mouthful of Perdita’s dinner, I checked Jack wasn’t watching, and made a dash for the cat flap. It was an even tighter squeeze than it had been getting in that morning – probably due to the gingerbread – but I made it. As it swung shut behind me I heard Jack calling my name, but it was too late.
Shivering a little in the cold, winter air, I trotted off through the bushes, ducking through into the next garden before Jack could get the back door unlocked and come out looking for me.
I couldn’t trust him, or Holly, any more. They might find their own people, but they definitely weren’t mine.
I was on my own now.
And I had no idea what to do next.
‘Well, this is it.’ Daisy stared up at the improbable building her parents had decided to call home. It had battlements. Honest to God battlements. ‘You know, when they said chateau, I didn’t think they meant something quite so literal in translation.’
Maybe it was the wine with dinner, but Daisy was finding it hard to be too alarmed at the crumbling castle her parents had apparently bought. At this point in the day’s trials and tribulations, as long as it had hot running water and wine in the fridge, she was happy.
Then something dark and furry swooped overhead, past the windscreen, and for a moment Daisy considered just asking Oliver to turn the car around. They could sleep in the ferry terminal, right?
‘It’s cool,’ Jay said, eyes wide, as he hugged his Claude substitute close.
‘It’s weird,’ Bella countered with a frown, as another something swooped overhead. Really. Bats. Just what this Christmas needed to be perfect.
Daisy tried not to think about how much she hated bats.
The twins, finally both asleep in their car seats, had nothing to add. Oliver, from the driver’s seat, looked too traumatised by driving on the right hand side of the road to comment.
Daisy unbuckled her seatbelt. ‘Well, come on then. Let’s go and see Granny and Grandad.’ At least there wouldn’t be any bats inside the chateau.
Probably.
Her parents were waiting for them at the door, faces lit by the lantern lights they’d hung above the doorway, all wide smiles and open arms. Daisy let herself be enfolded into a welcoming hug, and wondered exactly how she was going to break it to them that they had to leave again in the morning, ferries depending.
‘Where’s Claude?’ her mum asked, peering into the darkness. ‘You haven’t left him in the car, poor creature! Petal is desperate to see him. Jerry, get Claude out of the boot.’
‘Wait, Dad,’ Daisy said, as her dad hurried to obey. ‘Claude … Claude’s not actually with us.’
/> Mum’s mouth dropped into a narrow O shape, her eyes wide and worried. ‘He’s not … something didn’t happen on the ferry, did it? I knew it was a bad idea, bringing a dog over here on the ferry! You know how they like to jump into the water! Oh, Jerry, didn’t I say?’
‘No,’ Dad said, succinctly. ‘You didn’t. And neither did Daisy. What happened, love?’
‘The stupid dog jumped out of the car before we even left Maple Drive,’ Oliver explained. ‘Jay had put his soft toy in the cage too, so we didn’t even realise until we got on the ferry in Portsmouth and opened the boot.’
‘So Claude’s … alive?’ Mum asked. Daisy tried not to roll her eyes at the dramatics. Then she spotted Jay’s lower lip quivering, and jumped in to reassure him.
‘Of course he is! He’s just fine, living it up at home. Probably hasn’t even noticed we’re not there!’ She wrapped an arm around Jay’s shoulders as she spoke in her jolliest voice, and hoped to God there was more wine in her future. ‘But it does mean we’re going to have to get back to him as soon as we can. There were no more ferries today because of the weather, but we’re on standby for the one first thing tomorrow morning.’
‘But tomorrow is Christmas Eve!’ Mum cried.
I know, Mother. That’s why we’re here, remember?
Daisy sighed, and tried to keep her composure. ‘I know, it’s a real shame. But we have brought the M&S hamper, at least!’
Her mother perked up at the prospect of proper smoked salmon and Christmas pud, so Daisy ushered them all out of the hallway, past a lopsided Christmas tree with red and gold baubles, and into the house proper, lugging Luca in his car seat. Oliver deposited Lara’s on the dusty stone floor and went back for the cases.
‘Granny? What’s your WiFi password?’ Bella asked, as she headed into the lounge, phone in hand.
‘WiFi?’ Mum asked. ‘Oh, Bell, we’ve barely got the phone line set up yet! It’s been such a palaver.’
Bella stopped walking abruptly. ‘So there’s no internet at all?’