Page 142 of A Christmas Celebration
‘Bouncy?’ he laughed, picking me up and spinning me around.
‘Yes,’ I puffed when he eventually put me back down. ‘Bouncy.’
‘Well, why wouldn’t I be?’ he grinned. ‘Today has been one of the best days of my life and I have you to thank…’
‘And Albert and Angus and Jack and…’ I tried to reel off but he silenced me with a kiss.
‘Hey!’ Archie shouted. ‘Don’t think you can stand there snogging until Christmas just to get out of the clearing up!’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ said Brodie, rushing off again and leaving me feeling quite breathless.
Chapter 33
After the excitement of the Christmas celebration, Christmas Eve was calm by comparison. Everyone had their list of tasks to complete to make the next day as relaxing for everyone else as possible and we went about our work, giddy with excitement and full of festive cheer.
Brodie and Albert spent the day at the cottage but I didn’t mind not seeing them as they were going to be with us at the hall for the whole of Christmas day. I didn’t see much of Anna or Molly either, however they joined the rest of us around the fire when it was time to eat a light supper and listen to carols from King’s.
There was no containing the anticipation for the next day by then and even though Hugo resolutely said that he was too old to listen to his grandfather readThe Night Before Christmasor put out a small feast for Santa, he still participated in both.
‘Just to keep Oscar happy,’ he muttered as he carefully arranged the carrots out of Floss’s reach and the adults exchanged secret smiles over his head.
I went to bed wondering if I would find any surprises in my stocking the next day, and there were a few as I tore into it before it was even light, but the biggest two of all were waiting in the kitchen.
‘Oh my god!’ I squealed, as I rushed into the room having recognized the two voices even before I’d opened the door.
My parents jumped up as Dorothy discreetly stepped back and I ran into their waiting arms with tears pouring down my cheeks and my breath tight in my chest. I realized then just how much I had missed them and exactly how long it had been since I had seen them.
‘What are you doing here?’ I sobbed, once they’d practically hugged the life out of me. ‘I thought you were still on your cruise,’ I choked, holding on to Mum’s arm as tightly as if my life depended on it.
She was as emotional as I was, so Dad found the words to explain.
‘Until just a couple of days ago, we were,’ he told me, with an uncharacteristic catch in his voice. ‘Then we docked in Barcelona and decided to cut the trip short and fly back to be here in time for Christmas.’
‘Angus had been sending us such wonderful reports of what you were getting up to between our phone calls,’ Mum then found voice enough to add, ‘and I couldn’t bear the thought that the year you were finally back in the country for Christmas we weren’t, so…’
I had no idea my godfather had been doing that.
‘We packed our bags and jumped ship,’ Dad finished up. ‘I take it you’re pleased to see us?’
I rushed from Mum’s side to his and he held me close, making more tears spring to my eyes. It had been a long time since I’d received a hug from my father and so I cherished it all the more.
‘So,’ I said, looking up into his tanned face, ‘tell me, what exactly has Angus been telling you?’
Breakfast was a very merry affair and, with so many of us all wanting to eat at the same time, quite a squeeze.
‘Thank goodness we set the dining room up yesterday, instead of opting to eat Christmas dinner in here,’ Dorothy said to me as Archie and Molly arrived, flushed from their walk from the woods. ‘At this rate we’ll need to add another leaf to the table.’
She looked absolutely thrilled and not at all stressed that she had more mouths to feed and might not be able to make the meals stretch that far. Where Dorothy was concerned, not having enough to eat, or drink, was never a consideration.
As well as Brodie and Albert, Kathleen, Alice and her children and Jack and Tilly had been invited too. Kathleen had accepted the offer on the condition that she could be kitchen porter for Dorothy and Jack and Tilly would be arriving in time for dinner in the afternoon. Alice, however, although immensely grateful to be included, had wanted to spend the day quietly – or as quietly as she could with three little ones – in her new home.
As I knew she wasn’t coming to the hall, I had telephonedand talked her through my community project idea on Christmas Eve and she was every bit as excited about it as I was. She was also keen to be involved in some way and I promised that as soon as I had a few life things sorted I would begin setting it up in the new year.
I wished she was spending Christmas day with us and would be there when I shared the plan with everyone else, but I appreciated that she needed her space and more time to process everything she’d been through. It would take time for her to come to terms with how utterly transformed her life had been since she’d bravely found the courage to change it.
‘And we’ll definitely need that other hostess trolley,’ Dorothy added, counting heads again. ‘It’s not as big as the others, but I’d rather have it than not.’
I’d already prepared two the day before, marvelling at their retro appearance. Dorothy assured me they were a godsend when catering for the extended clan and I had to agree with her, especially as the dining room and kitchen were quite a distance apart.
