Page 88 of A Christmas Celebration
‘Yes,’ he proudly acknowledged. ‘It is rather, isn’t it?’
‘I think I need to take a look at these paintings!’ Angus joined in.
‘I can’t believe I’ve just claimed them as my own,’ Albert said, the colour returning to his face.
‘Here,’ I said, passing him his glass of brandy. ‘You’d better have some of this. And I’ll have more of mine too.’
We both took a restorative gulp from our respective glasses.
‘So, Albert,’ I said, as I felt the alcoholic warmth spread through me, ‘you obviously found the courage to start painting again. How did that come about? And more to the point, how did you manage to keep an entire studio hidden in the garden?’
‘I did,’ he mischievously smiled, ‘but the studio didn’t arrive until after my father’s death. You’ll probably think us a terribly wicked pair,’ he explained, shaking his head, ‘butStella and I pooled the money our father left us to buy the studio and get it set up and then we filled it with everything I was going to need to catch up on all the years I’d wasted.’
‘All the years you’d lost,’ Angus corrected. ‘They weren’t wasted and their loss wasn’t down to you, my friend.’
My godfather was right and I rather liked the thought of Albert and his sister creating the studio. I imagined it must have given them a great deal of excitement.
‘How ironic to use your inheritance.’ Catherine smiled at his daring.
‘I’m surprised the old tyrant hasn’t come back to haunt me.’ Albert grinned. ‘It took me a while to get used to not living under his rule and wake my creativity up again, but once it happened… Well,’ he said to me, ‘you’ve seen how many paintings there are, Paige. You know I made up for the wasted… I mean, lost years in the end.’
‘I’m feeling jealous, Paige,’ said Angus, his tone suggesting he meant it. ‘You hadn’t uttered a word about this studio or its contents at all.’
‘I promised I wouldn’t,’ I told him. ‘Although, Albert,’ I then felt duty bound to confess, ‘I did mention your name here, and once Angus had made the connection to your work and because he needed advice about the hall repairs, we felt it would be the ideal way to tempt you away from the cottage. I hope you can forgive me.’
Albert looked at me and smiled.
‘Of course, I can forgive you!’ he laughed. ‘I know I’ve said it already, Paige, but you’ve changed my life. I can’tfind enough words to tell you what it means to have a warm house and a full belly again and now to have finally taken ownership of those paintings… well… it’s the cherry on a very special cake.’
‘Oh, Albert,’ I choked. ‘Do you really mean it?’
‘Of course, I do,’ he said. ‘You’ve given me a whole new love of life. I stopped painting completely after Stella died, but I think I’m ready to start again now.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ I sobbed, through a sudden torrent of tears. ‘I’m so happy.’
‘You look it.’ He beamed and we all laughed.
It was thrilling to think that all of this change had come about as a result of me getting disorientated in the darkening Fens. Molly’s words about there being no such things as flukes and coincidences popped into my head again.
‘You’ve truly woken me back up, Paige,’ said Albert, looking teary himself, ‘and I’ll never be able to thank you for that.’
The warm glow in my heart and the realization that I had helped to make this happen was all the thanks I was ever going to need.
‘You don’t need to thank me, Albert,’ I said firmly, making a revelation of my own. ‘Because you’ve helped me every bit as much as I’ve helped you. I came back to the hall with baggage I haven’t wanted to share with anyone, but my friendship with you has lightened the load so much, that I’m ready to cast it aside now.’
‘Oh, Paige,’ Catherine whispered. ‘We could all tell there was something…’
‘It’s fine,’ I told her, feeling for the first time that it almost was. ‘I made a stupid mistake at the camp which very nearly ended in disaster and then, even though it didn’t have the worst possible outcome, I let it get to me and grow out of all proportion.’
‘So, you didn’t leave Jordan just because of the funding cuts?’ Catherine asked.
‘I asked Molly not to say anything about that,’ I sighed. ‘But not even she knows the whole of it because I haven’t told her.’
‘She hasn’t said a word about any of it,’ Angus piped up. ‘It was your dad who told me the details of the changing financial situation and I was very sorry to hear about it.’
I wondered how he would feel if he knew it was his buddy Brodie’s firm which had been responsible.
‘I have to ask,’ Catherine softly said, ‘why haven’t you talked to anyone about what happened, Paige? I’m sure Molly would have been able to help you work through everything in no time at all?’
