Page 118 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay
They were snuggled up on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders, Tyler sprawled across their feet. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, but she didn’t quite have the courage yet. Maybe one day — maybe soon.
But for now she was just content to be with him, and take one day at a time.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
‘Silent night, Holy night
All is calm, all is bright . . .’
Paul loved this old church. He had so many memories — of coming here to Sunday School when he was a kid, and later to Church Parade with the Scouts. And the Christmas carol service — even when he was away with his team he had always tried to get home for it.
All Saints was quite small, but the sound of a hundred voices singing the lovely old Christmas carol rose to fill the high vaulted roof. Built in the thirteenth century from the local hard grey stone, the Victorians had added a square bell tower and a fine stained-glass window over the altar.
There at the front, as every year, was a large Christmas tree on one side of the altar, and on the other beside the pulpit was the nativity scene — the wooden stable, the little plaster figures arranged on the straw, the slightly chipped angel on the roof.
Another memory rose, making him smile. When he and his friends had been about eight or nine years old Alan Cowan had stolen one of the tiny sheep, and tried to cast the blame on Liam Ellis. Tom Cullen had cornered him in the playground at school the next day and forced him to own up and return it.
‘Silent night, Holy night . . .’
Two rows in front of him was the Ellis family. Diane and Graham, Liam with Cassie and little Robyn, newly returned from their honeymoon to Lapland, Luke and Julia with young Ben. And Jess, sitting next to her sister, two heads of rich auburn curls gleaming in the soft light spilling from the sconces along the wall.
He still couldn’t figure out what he had done to make her so hostile. That night when she’d come to his house for dinner she’d said they could be friends, even though she didn’t want a relationship with him. He’d reluctantly accepted that.
Then the day after he’d got back from Botswana she’d all but bitten his head off.
For the past couple of days he’d avoided coming down to the hotel, wary of antagonising her further. But perhaps this evening the carol concert might put her in a more mellow frame of mind.
The concert continued with a group of children taking it in turns to read extracts from the Christmas story. A prayer, then another favourite carol, someone read a poem, then the congregation sang their hearts out to ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’.
Finally, Eva brought the service to an end with the traditional blessing, and everyone began to shuffle around, chatting to their neighbours and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as they filed down the aisle and out into the night.
The snow still lay deep in the churchyard on either side of the swept path, smothering all the graves in white. A single bird had walked across it, leaving its dainty footprints on the pristine surface.
The air was sharp with frost. The sky was smudged with dark grey clouds, obscuring the stars, but the pale moon glimmered though the occasional ragged gap, high, white and stark.
His mum and dad had paused to chat with some of their friends. Tom and Vicky Cullen nodded goodnight as they strolled past, hand in hand. Lisa and Ollie stopped to exchange a few words, young Noah skipping around them impatiently.
And there was Jess, at last, with the Ellises. She was wrapped up in a warm parka, a long red scarf wrapped around her throat, a red woollen bobble hat pulled down over her ears.
He caught the moment when she saw him. She glanced towards him then quickly away. Her cheeks were pink, but that could just have been the cold.
The family stopped to shake hands with his parents and wish them Merry Christmas. Jess held back a little — she seemed to have taken a sudden intense interest in the design of the bell tower.
As everyone began to move towards the old wooden lychgate and out onto Church Road he murmured a brief goodnight to his parents and moved over to Jess’s side.
“Hi. Did you enjoy the service?”
“Uh, yes.” Her shoulders had stiffened, but at least she had replied. “It was very nice. I haven’t been to a carol service since I was a kid.”
Progress? “What are you doing for Christmas?” he asked, trying a smile.
“I’m staying with Julia.”
“Not going to your parents?”
“No.” Her head turned towards him, but then away again. “I might go up to see them both in the new year.”
He hesitated. It was taking a risk to bring the subject up again, but he needed to clear the air. “Ah . . . We haven’t spoken since I got back from Africa.”
