Gingerbread house
They had been snowed in for the past week, barely able to get out of the house more than onto the courtyard – and hardly that either. The weather was by all means terrible, and Shibden might be grand enough but to be in such close proximity with all the occupants so many days in a row – all day long, was a bit testing for all parties. Or rather it meant that Anne and Marian were at each other’s throats and Ann, Aunt Anne and Captain Lister suffered because of it.
“What was the point in becoming half-deaf if they are just yelling all the time anyway?” Captain Lister huffed to Ann who snickered at him,
“Maybe we should try and distract them for a while?”
“One could try, Miss Walker – but our Anne and Marian aren’t that easily distracted from quarrelling with each other.” Aunt Anne said quietly, and Ann smiled at her but thought for a minute, standing up with a sudden spout of energy,
“Oh, I know how!”
“Really!? If you can bring any peace and quiet to this household for more than an hour, you shall be my new hero – and a saint at that too!” Captain Lister growled, and Ann eyed the man,
“I think I might be able to do that. At least keep them at peace – to have them be quiet too might be an overestimation on my part.”
“Good luck – you’ll need it with them!” Aunt Anne told her, and Ann laughed,
“Thank you.”
Ann went into the room next to the sitting room where the Lister sisters were having round sixteen of rows since that morning. She didn’t even try to silence them with words, she merely walked in and stood herself in-between them and both the ladies were so surprised at her sudden appearance that they stopped their yelling.
“Ann? Is something the matter?” Anne asked, her voice turned suddenly soft and kind, Marian seemed annoyed by it but didn’t express it, she turned to Ann instead,
“Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yes. Everything is fine, it’s just I had an idea of an activity we might do to pass time.”
“With Marian?” Anne’s eyebrow raised and Ann sighed at her,
“Of course with Marian – don’t be…”
Ann were about to say disgusting, because she knew what Anne had implied, but Ann didn’t want Marian to go there in her mind, so she left the sentence hanging.
“What is it?” Marian inquired, and Ann smiled wide,
“I thought we’d bake.”
“Bake?” Anne looked sceptical, “Us? – Me, you, her – bake? We have servants…”
“Yes, you, me and Marian bake together. I was thinking gingerbread houses. Mrs. Cordingley has already prepared a batch of dough and I thought we might have a bit of a competition – trying to build houses and whichever is the prettiest wins.”
“I don’t know.” Marian seemed unconvinced and Ann looked pleadingly at her,
“Oh, come on? There is not much else to do- we are snowed in; we might as well have a bit of a laugh!”
“Go on then.” Anne said, offering her wife a kind smile – she would do anything for those eyes. Marian sighed but nodded,
“Fine – I guess there’s not much else to do.”
Ann squealed quietly – this could be so much fun. Anne laughed at her glee, and they all went into the kitchen’s together, surprising Mrs Cordingley and Hemingway,
“Cordingley – do you have any gingerbread uh, dough?” Anne asked and the woman finally found her words again,
“Um, yes ma’am!”
“Could we use some? We thought we’d make gingerbread houses.” Ann hurriedly said before the brunette had a chance at speaking and the woman nodded,
“Of course. It’s all here. I’ll heat the oven for you, and burn some sugar to assemble the pieces, miss Walker.”
“Excellent, thank you!” Ann was well pleased with herself and the two sisters couldn’t help but be swept up in her joy.
They worked hard on their houses, after having made the pieces they tried to assemble them but working with melted sugar was both hard and what’s worse – it was extremely hot and easy to burn on. Ann had done houses Christmases past at Crow Nest when she had been alone, or with her sister – it was such a joy to make them and Ann loved working out how to make different pieces fit together and new ways of making the houses. It wasn’t a big surprise therefore that she finished first – having made a lovely little hut, it looked a bit like the chaumiére, and Anne smirked at her as she saw the finished product that had been decorated delicately.
“I think I recognise that house…” Anne looked at her and Ann blushed, and with laughter threatening to escape she said,
“Really? It’s an important build for me.”
“What is the name of your creation?” Marian asked as she came over to have a look, and Ann answered without breaking eye-contact with Anne,
“l'étreinte”
Anne bit her lip not to laugh but suddenly they heard Eugenie gaps and then they saw Mrs. Cordingley whack the woman over the head shushing her. Ann began laughing because Anne was beginning to go quite red from keeping it in, and Marian just laughed confused, and Anne leant down to Ann’s ear,
“It’s a good thing – Marian isn’t proficient in French.”
Ann smiled in response but then sobered,
“How are your creations coming along then?”
“Mine is mostly finished.” Marian told her and pointed to the gingerbread house she had made. It was quaint, simple but whole and even.
“Oh, it looks lovely! Especially considering you have never made one before.” Ann praised and Marian flushed a bit,
“Thank you, you’re much too kind!”
“Is it supposed to look like a certain house?” Ann wondered and Marian nodded,
“Our house back in Market Weighton.”
“Hell, on earth.” Anne coughed and Marian threw her a dirty look, but before any yelling could start Ann decided to quickly jump in and steer the conversation,
“Can I see yours, Anne?” Ann asked the brunette who had gone over to her house, covering it with her body,
“Eh, no it’s not quite finished.”
“Come on – you’ve had plenty of time, let us see! What have you made?”
“Eh, Shibden…” Anne murmured, as they got closer, and eventually she caved and moved. Marian’s hand flew up to her mouth trying to cover it to not let any laughter out, and Ann tried her best to find something positive to say about it,
“At least it’s who…” Ann was interrupted by the whole house collapsing, and Marian burst out laughing,
“Oh that’s Shibden alright – after it’s been yours for a while!”
“Shut up!” Anne growled, her cheeks growing a bit red.
“Who wins, between me and Anne?” Marian said amused, and Ann looked at the ruins of Anne’s house,
“Well, Anne’s very interesting – it’s got historical value – a ruin from the past…”
“Oh bollocks! You are just saying that because she’s your w, companion! It’s a mess.” Marian complained, and Ann laughed,
“I’m sorry, Anne – it’s awful!”
“That’s alright, we can’t be great at everything, if gingerbread baking is the one thing I am lacking in – I’m pleased.” Anne said seriously, and Marian smirked at her sister,
“Someone’s a bit of a sore loser!”
Anne picked up a piece of gingerbread and threw at her sister,
“Oh shut it!”
“Don’t throw that at me!” Marian barked before throwing a piece of her house, and Ann sighed – leaving the kitchen for the sitting room,
“Nearly an hour and a half– I’m impressed.” Captain Lister told her as she sat down,
“What are they fighting about now?”
“Marian bested Anne at building gingerbread houses.”
“By little?”
“Eh, by a lot… Anne’s was in ruins within seconds. It was horrible.”
“Marian’s is nice then?” Aunt Anne inquired and Ann grimaced,
“Was… they are throwing the remains at each other now.”
They heard the distant sounds of the gingerbread houses being destroyed, and the shouting that followed. For a moment they looked at each other and then Aunt Anne sighed picking up her magnifying glass to read the newspaper again commenting,
“Sometimes I cannot believe they are grown women.”
“Me neither.” Ann sighed, and Captain Lister shook his head,
“They have always been like this, I think…”
Captain Lister seemed to be in thought for a second but then he shrugged a shoulder and glanced at the blonde,
“Now, Miss Walker – would you mind playing a turn of Backgammon with me?”
“Not at all, Sir. I’d be delighted.” Ann smiled, and set up the table, and proceeded to thrash Captain Lister in all the turns meanwhile they listened to the sweet sounds of the Lister sisters arguing- oh what Christmas joy!