Page 113 of A Christmas Celebration
I had no idea what either of them were on about.
‘Come on, Bran,’ I said and he started to slowly haul himself to his feet. ‘Let’s leave the artists to it.’
‘Wait,’ said Brodie, coming out of his reverie. ‘I’ll walk you back to the road.’
‘No need,’ I said, but he insisted.
And I was pleased he did because he had the most wonderful way of saying goodbye.
The next day played out in pretty much the same way, only with a plethora of deliveries replacing the hours of cleaning. With the incentive of seeing Brodie again, I would have liked to whizz through them, but I was mindful that the interaction for the recipients was every bit as beneficial as what I dropped off.
Alice didn’t need anything delivered, but I was excited to see how she was settling into her new flat and I had a card from the gallery for her too, so I made sure I had plenty of time to call in and say hello once the Land Rover was empty of perishables and prescriptions.
‘I can’t believe you’re unpacked already,’ I told her as she led me through the freshly painted rooms once I’d handed over the card and she’d made us both coffees.
‘I was determined we’d feel settled by Christmas.’ She grinned. ‘And to be honest it already feels like we’ve been here far longer than just a few days.’
‘I can totally understand that.’ I nodded. ‘I hadn’t visited the hall or Wynbridge for years, but I was barely back anytime at all before it felt like home.’
The thought of leaving made my stomach twist and I knew it would be too much of a wrench to leave, especially now Brodie and I were finally stepping out together, as Albert loved to say.
‘There’s some magic in Wynbridge,’ Alice said wistfully, as she looked around. ‘I’m certain of it.’
‘I think you might be right,’ I agreed.
‘And everyone tells me there’s even more at Wynthorpe Hall.’
‘Oh, definitely,’ I laughed. ‘The place is awash with it.’
‘I can’t wait to experience it for myself.’ She beamed. ‘Kathleen has offered to give us lifts to and from the Winter Wonderland at the weekend. I haven’t told the kids anything about it though,’ she quietly added as her eldest came in, ‘otherwise I’d never get any peace.’
‘Mum’s the word,’ I said, tapping the side of my nose.
‘Is it all set up yet?’ she asked.
‘We’re starting tomorrow,’ I told her. ‘And I haven’t visited it before either, so I’m really looking forward to it, too.’
‘How exciting,’ she said, ‘but you must be rushed off your feet.’
‘I am a bit,’ I responded, ‘but I do feel bad that I wasn’t about to help you move.’
‘You needn’t,’ Alice insisted. ‘I told you the Dempster clan had it all in hand and to be honest, I don’t think I could have coped with more people involved.’
That made me feel a bit better.
‘Even a new friend,’ she then added with another smile.
I smiled back.
‘I’m going to start looking for a part-time job in the new year,’ she confided as we finished the tour, ‘so I might well be drafting you in to help out then.’
‘Draft away,’ I told her. ‘Whatever you need. And I have an idea about an opportunity of my own brewing, but I’m not at the sharing stage yet.’
Alice was intrigued and I promised I’d keep her in the loop, then set off for Albert’s.
As I drove along, my thoughts tracked back to the Winter Wonderland. There was an awful lot of work to be done for something which would this year last just forty-eight hours. But then, they were going to be forty-eight magical hours which would hopefully create standout and special festive memories for so many people and that would make the graft worthwhile. If I was lucky, I might even bag a few special moments myself.
I also couldn’t help thinking how fast the weeks had flown by since I had arrived at the hall. I’d certainly packed a lot in to that time, and Dad had been right. Keeping busy and helping out had proved to be a great healer, transformative even. My life had changed an extraordinary amount and Albert’s and now Brodie’s had too.
