Page 65 of A Christmas Celebration
‘I’ve no idea,’ I told him. ‘But I can find out if you like.’
‘See if there’s a way we can do it without letting anymore busy bods in, can you?’ He winked. ‘And let’s have that tea, before it stews in the pot.’
Once he’d had a moment, rather than being worn out from the exertion of having a bath, Albert was full of energy. Within the last few days, he’d been transformed from a man who was so cold he wore his coat in the house, to a sprightly gent with a wicked sense of humour and the fluffiest white hair I’d ever seen.
The transformation was psychological as well as physical and I thanked my lucky stars, and his, that I’d got lost and stopped to ask for directions. Things with Brodie might have turned bad but the Albert situation was very much on the up.
‘Right,’ I said, as the morning of hard work came to an end and I realized I had hardly thought about Brodie’s revelation at all. ‘I’d better head back to the hall. Dorothy is cooking a roast today. A lovely joint of beef and huge Yorkshire puddings.’
‘Very nice.’ Albert smiled, smacking his lips.
‘You’re more than welcome to join us,’ I told him, thinking again that my PWC would be justifiably exposed if it got Albert out of the house. ‘We’re four down, what with Jamie and Anna and Hayley and Gabe being away, but Dorothy won’t have factored that into her portion control. There’ll be more than enough to go around.’
‘Thank you for the offer,’ Albert graciously declined, ‘but I’m happy to stay put. I’m planning to try one of those pies you’ve put in the freezer today.’
‘As you wish,’ I said, feeling a little disappointed that I couldn’t capitalize on the morning’s momentum and tempt him beyond the front door. ‘I’ll just go up and find Bella.’
She’d completely abandoned Bran but he didn’t seem to mind. As long as I was in sight for most of the time, he was happy enough.
‘She’s on Stella’s bed,’ Albert told me. ‘I spotted her before I came down.’
‘Would you like the room closed again?’
‘No,’ he said softly. ‘It’ll be nice to go to bed and see the door open.’
‘And you’ll take the phone up with you and let me know when you’re all tucked in.’
‘Yes, Mum,’ he said, rolling his eyes.
‘Because if I don’t hear from you…’
‘I’ll call,’ he promised. ‘Scout’s honour.’
Bran and I left him to it and headed back to the hall. It was marginally warmer and the snow was making a rapid disappearance. I could make out the colour of the fields again and the roads were wet rather than slippery.
As I wove my way back along the drove roads and then up the bumpy drive, thoughts of Brodie and Angus filled my head. I had been grateful for the distraction at Albert’s but I knew I mustn’t let the pair slide off my radar for long.
I wondered if I should keep my concerns to myself or if Ishould perhaps involve Archie. Angus was his father, after all. Remembering what Angus had said to Brodie about wanting to see a return by Christmas, I knew I had just three weeks to intervene and with everything else going on, the time was going to fly by.
‘Just in time,’ said Dorothy as I walked in and she opened the Aga door, releasing a delicious waft of Sunday dinner. ‘I was just about to ring you.’
‘And talking of phone calls,’ said Mick, holding up the notepad which sat next to the muddle of papers and magazines beside the phone, ‘you’ve had at least half a dozen.’
‘Have I?’ I frowned. ‘No one’s rung my mobile.’
I pulled it out of my pocket and only then realized that I hadn’t turned it back on after my pre-dawn Googling.
‘Oh,’ I said, ‘it’s not been on.’
‘And you two are sailing close to late too,’ Dorothy tutted, banging the oven door closed again as Molly and Archie drifted in.
‘Almost, but not quite.’ Archie grinned, giving her a kiss on the cheek and getting swatted with the tea towel as a result.
‘All of you, wash your hands and sit down,’ she said. ‘Before this lunch spoils.’
‘Four calls from the same number with no message,’ Mick carried on, as Catherine and Angus also joined us. ‘And a further two, with a request for you to ring them back.’
‘What’s the number?’ Angus asked, assuming Mick was talking to him.
