Page 76 of A Christmas Celebration
‘Well, I never.’ Angus laughed, slapping his hand down on the table and making the cutlery bounce.
‘I take it that name means something to you, Dad?’ asked Archie.
‘I should say,’ he said. ‘If this isn’t serendipity in action, then I don’t know what is.’
‘I don’t understand,’ I frowned.
‘Me neither,’ Archie laughed.
No one else had a clue either, so Angus sat down to explain.
‘Albert Price is,’ he beamed, ‘or was until he retired, a renowned master stone carver. His work on both the Peterborough and Norwich cathedrals is much admired. I had no idea he still lived in the vicinity, let alone practically on our doorstep.’
‘Well, I never,’ Archie laughed again, the sound almost identical to his father’s familiar chuckle. ‘What are the odds of that?’
‘I don’t believe it,’ I frowned, trying to team up the image of the elderly man I knew with someone capable of carving huge stones and carrying out intricate repairs.
I couldn’t quite make it fit, but then I hadn’t matched fussy doily lover Stella to those flamboyantly coloured canvases either, had I?
‘This is wonderful.’ Angus smiled at me. ‘We’ve killed two birds with one stone, haven’t we? No pun intended.’
‘What are you talking about, Angus?’ Catherine asked.
Angus briefly explained about the repairs which needed doing.
‘And if Paige,’ Archie added, cottoning on, ‘suggests thatDad’s going to do the repairs himself to Albert, then he’s bound to want to take a look. This might be how you can get your friend further than his front door, Paige!’
‘Oh, Angus, you’re not really going to try and do the work yourself, are you?’ Catherine cried.
‘No,’ he said sheepishly. ‘Of course not, but Paige can say that as a ruse, my dear.’
‘You know, you might be right,’ I said, thinking it over and ignoring the fact that Albert had now already ventured further than his front door because it had only been a few steps down the garden path. ‘It’s worth a try, but I’ll have to be discreet. I don’t want to let on that I’ve been talking to you about him…’
‘You’ll find a way,’ said Molly.
I was flattered that she had such faith in me.
‘If only we could find a way to smooth the way for you and Brodie so easily, too,’ she then cheekily added. ‘To begin with I thought it might be Jack who stole your heart, but even though I don’t know much about him, I’m guessing that Brodie—’
‘Don’t worry about Brodie,’ I snapped, ignoring Archie’s guffaw. ‘I’ve recently discovered something about him which makes us entirely incompatible, so no one’s heart is going to be stolen this Christmas.’
‘You have?’ Molly frowned.
‘Yes,’ I said, wondering if Angus was feeling worried about the turn the conversation had taken. ‘In fact, that combined with something he did this afternoon has made me seriously question whether we can even be friends.’
‘Oh, no,’ said Molly, sounding more upset than I would have expected. ‘That’s terrible.’
Given that I had hardly talked to her about him, I had no idea why she should be so put out. I wondered if she’d somehow read my tarot cards without my permission and deciphered more than she should.
‘It’s no big deal.’ I shrugged.
‘So, what have you found out about him then?’ Archie asked curiously. ‘Jack has never really said much about him other than that he’s going through a rough time and has come to Wynbridge for a bit of time out.’
‘Jack said pretty much the same to me,’ I said, thinking of our conversation at the distillery ahead of my aborted tour. ‘I know now that Brodie has a very particular reason for wanting to take some time out…’
‘So,’ Angus loudly interrupted, ‘what are you going to say to Albert to tempt him to come and look at our deteriorating stonework then?’
I looked at him and shook my head. Obviously, hewasconcerned I’d been going to spill the beans.
