Page 92 of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
‘Ooh lovely,’ said a voice.
‘Mistingham Manor? It’s like bloody Narnia, that place. Not sure it even exists.’ Sophie was sure that was Valerie, one of Frank’s more forthright friends.
‘How will we get there?’ someone else asked.
‘I’ve got my car,’ Ermin said.
‘I can get the Land Rover,’ Harry added. ‘If you’re happy to wait fifteen minutes.’
‘I can go.’ May stood up and put a hand on Harry’s arm. ‘You rally the troops.’
She gave Sophie a quick smile, her features shadowy, then she was gone, out into the cold night, the door banging behind her.
‘Will Felix be there?’ piped up a young voice that Sophie thought must be Lucy.
‘Yes,’ Harry said. ‘And the dogs.’
‘Darkness and Terror!’ Lucy shouted, jubilant.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ Harry murmured, so only Sophie could hear. ‘I am never going to live that down, am I?’
She slid her hand around his waist. ‘Never in a million years.’
‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he said simply.
‘Me, too.’ There was something about the exchange that made her chest ache, the drastic turn the night had taken knocking her off-kilter, somehow. She wanted to fast-forward half an hour, until they were all safely at Mistingham Manor, with proper light to see by and a fire crackling in at least one of the rooms. She wanted, more than anything, to make sure Harry was OK.
Against the backdrop of the storm, the pelting rain and howling wind, the thunder an intense, constant rumble and lightning taking bleak, intermittent snapshots, Mistingham Manor looked like the starring attraction in a 1950s horror film.
It was still in darkness when Sophie clambered out of the Land Rover and helped Frank, then his friend Valerie, then Birdie, down from the high vehicle, and she could just make out their apprehensive looks.
‘I’ll get the generator going,’ Harry called over the rain, hurrying to the side of the house. ‘Take everyone into the lounge.’
‘OK!’ Sophie called, but it was May who led the small, bedraggled group through the large hall, everyone murmuring excitedly as they went, and Sophie realized that she’d never been in the lounge, because Harry had always taken her to his study.
It was at the back of the house, May’s sweep of the torch revealing a huge room with two floor-to-ceiling windows. It faced away from the sea, and Sophie wondered why thatwas, but she didn’t have time to ponder the architectural anomaly, instead helping Frank, Valerie and Birdie to the sofas arranged around the fireplace. May knelt in front of the hearth, trying to get a fire started.
‘Let’s get settled here,’ Sophie said. ‘I’m sure Harry will have the power working in a moment.’
‘This is a bloody castle,’ Valerie announced. ‘This room alone is bigger than my bungalow.’
‘Harry’s family have owned it for generations,’ Frank told them. He sounded sad, and Sophie wondered if he’d been friends with Bernie Anderly.
‘Here we go!’ May sounded as cheerful as always, much brighter than the situation warranted, but then a whoosh of flames filled the fireplace, the light and warmth softening the shadows. It made the raging storm seem less sinister, and Sophie felt some of her tension slipping away.
‘Does Harry need help with the generator?’ she asked.
‘My dad’s helping him,’ Lucy piped up from one of the sofas. Darkness and Terror had found her, Clifton was already scooting onto her lap, and Sophie wondered where Felix was.
‘We could do with some more wood,’ May said, poking at the fire.
‘There’ll be some in Harry’s office.’ Sophie squeezed the other woman’s shoulder. ‘You’re incredibly calm about all this.’
May shrugged. ‘A little bit of drama never hurt anyone. It’s sometimes when the best things happen – as long as nobody gets hurt.’
‘Harry’s hurt his shoulder,’ Sophie said, a flutter of concern in her chest.
‘I’m sure once he’s got the power back on, he’ll let you play nurse.’
