A Christmas to Remember

by Katie Flynn

  ‘Snowy! For Gawd’s sake stop staring at that train and let’s gerrout of here and join the queue, else it’ll be Christmas Day and you’ll still be standin’ here starin’ into space. Don’t you want to surprise your Tess? When will you give her the ring? Christmas mornin’ would be nice – a sort of extra special present – but of course you’ll know when’s best.’

  Snowy began to pick up the items he had dropped at his feet upon seeing Tess and Jonty. He shouldered his kitbag, grabbed his other packages and set off across the concourse with Tappy close beside him. ‘I shan’t be giving that ring to Tess,’ he said, grinning at his new friend. ‘I shall be giving it to my very first girlfriend, and boy won’t she be surprised!’

  ‘Hang on a minute,’ Tappy said. Snowy glanced at him and saw that his eyes were rounding with astonishment. ‘You’ve been tellin’ me how you meant to marry that Tess, how you’d bought an engagement ring – a ruby surrounded by diamonds – you talked about a wedding in the spring and a honeymoon in Ireland . . . have you gone mad?’

  ‘Nope; come to my senses, more like,’ Snowy said. ‘That couple on the platform, hugging and kissing and that, was Tess and an old flame of hers, Jonty Bell. Did you see ’em?’

  ‘If you mean the gal what got on the train just as it started to move . . .’ Tappy began.

  ‘That’s them. Phew, what a bit of luck my seeing them. It’ll save a deal of explaining, ’cos once Tess is out of the picture no one will think me a cad if I start seeing Marilyn again.’

  ‘You’re mad,’ Tappy said with conviction. ‘Who is this Marilyn anyway? A local bint?’

  Once, Snowy would have taken offence at this description of his love, but now he was too delighted to object. He nodded. ‘That’s right. Dear God, what a fool I’ve been, trying to convince myself that once I clapped eyes on Tess again I would forget all about Marilyn. But it was just the opposite. As soon as I saw Tess I knew that we could never be anything more than friends because I’m in love with someone else.’

  They reached the end of the taxi queue and Tappy looked at his new friend with pity. ‘Well, you’re in for a hard ride, mate,’ he said. ‘I wish you joy of it. You know what women are like . . .’

  Snowy grinned. ‘It won’t be nearly as bad as having to tell Tess what a fool I’ve been,’ he observed, as a cab drew up beside them. ‘You’ll like Marilyn; she’s a bit like your Angie. Wish me luck, old feller!’

  It was not until they reached the point on the lane at which the farmhouse could be clearly seen that Tess hesitated, suddenly unsure. She turned to Jonty, her eyes widening at the thought of what was to come. Jonty would have stepped out up the drive without a second thought, but she caught his arm, drawing him to a halt. ‘Oh, Jonty, what will your mum and dad say when they see me?’ she asked anxiously. ‘The last thing they expect will be an uninvited guest for Christmas, and when we have to tell them that we plan to marry they’ll think we’ve both gone mad!’

  Jonty laughed and put an arm round her shoulders. ‘They won’t even be a little bit surprised,’ he said comfortingly. ‘They’ve both been nudging me on to make our relationship permanent for weeks and weeks. Come on, best foot forward.’

  ‘Oh, but . . .’ Tess began, and had still not completed the sentence when Jonty threw open the back door, allowing brilliant lamplight to spill, golden as syrup, across the cobbles.

  ‘In you go,’ he said cheerfully, giving her a push when she tried to turn tail. He raised his voice. ‘We’re home, both of us. Since we’re going to get married I thought it was only right to bring Tess back for Christmas. Is that okay?’ Tess blinked in the sudden bright light, for the journey had not been a speedy one and darkness had fallen long since. She opened her mouth to explain, but wasn’t allowed to begin.

  ‘Well, what sort of time is this? We’ve been expecting the pair of you this past three hours,’ Mrs Bell said. ‘Being as tomorrow’s Christmas Day there’s a scrap sort of supper, but no doubt you’ll be glad of a bite before you go up the wooden stair to Bedfordshire.’ She crossed the room and gave Tess a kiss. ‘Welcome home, my woman,’ she said. ‘And about time too!’

  Chapter Fifteen

  EDIE AWOKE AND for a moment she lay in her warm and cosy bed, wondering why she kept glancing towards the door as though expecting someone to enter. Then she remembered and sat up on her elbow to stare at the face of the alarm clock. It was Christmas Day, and though Tess would normally have come in at any moment, bearing a tray of tea and a couple of small presents, she could scarcely do so today, since she was in Norfolk at Bell Farm.

  Edie lay back on her pillows, remembering. Yesterday afternoon, as dusk fell, she and Albert had sat in the kitchen of the flat above the pet shop, waiting for Tess to return from seeing Jonty off. But when the phone rang at a little past four o’clock, neither of them had been really surprised. Tess had apologised, explained, burst into tears and then had to leave the station telephone booth because the train they were about to catch was making the sort of sounds which presaged its departure. Edie had done her best to assure Tess that everything would carry on according to plan, that her absence was not entirely unexpected, and that she would await another telephone call from her when she reached Bell Farm.

  She had put the phone down and begun to explain to Albert, but he had shaken his head. ‘It’s all right, I could hear every word, and it’s what I know we’ve both been expecting,’ he assured her. ‘That child has been in love with Jonty Bell since she was just a forlorn little kid whom nobody wanted. It’s taken time for her to admit her feelings and Jonty didn’t help by being such a gentleman and never pressing her, but now everything will go swimmingly, just you see if it doesn’t.’

  And when Tess had rung from the farm, Edie had assured her that they could manage beautifully. She, Albert and Mitch would go to the pet shop as soon as it got light to clean and feed the occupants. Then they would have the quiet sort of Christmas Day they had envisaged and would do the same on Boxing Day. In the unlikely event of Snowy’s turning up they would obviously have to tell him that Tess had mistaken her heart, but Edie did not think that Snowy would be much surprised. Two years was a long time, and both parties must have known that their relationship would have changed. Snowy, being older than Tess, would take it in his stride, and Edie thought he was far too attractive to be alone for long.

  So now she got out of bed, grabbed her dressing gown and hurried across to the kitchen. She riddled the ash, put fresh fuel on the fire, filled the kettle and put together the makings of a tea tray. She intended to take Albert a cup of tea, for he had accepted the use of Tess’s room since they would both be working at the pet shop first thing, but now, before the kettle had even boiled, the kitchen door opened and Albert wandered in, clad in dressing gown and slippers. He grinned at Edie and sat down at the table. ‘You’ve spoiled my surprise,’ he said reproachfully. ‘I meant to take you a cup of tea.’

  ‘Snap!’ Edie said with a giggle. ‘Oh well, at least I managed to get the kettle on before you arrived. It won’t be two ticks. Do we exchange presents now, or is that for later?’

  ‘Now,’ Albert said promptly, producing a small gaily wrapped box from his dressing gown pocket. Then he looked at Edie and grinned. ‘Hair uncombed, teeth unbrushed, still in your nightie and dressing gown, to say nothing of those terrible old slippers,’ he remarked, pushing the box back into his pocket. ‘I think we’ll put off exchanging presents after all.’ A thought seemed to occur to him. ‘Can you imagine what Janine would say if she could see us now? There’s no way on earth she would accept that we spent the night in our own beds! I don’t claim to be a Lothario but I do like to do things in their proper order. I’m old-fashioned enough to believe that marriage comes before bed, and—’

  ‘All right, all right,’ Edie said, giggling. ‘If I say we’re just good friends and we don’t mention you spending the night in my granddaughter’s bed then perhaps we’ll be forgiven for our forward behaviour. Ah, the kettle’s boiled.
I’ll make the tea.’

  On Christmas Day Tess and Jonty had a long talk regarding the future of the pet shop. Mitch was still young, but Tess was sure that he and Gran between them, with Albert hovering and Janine apparently keen to find work, could keep the shop running smoothly without Tess herself. She meant to return to Liverpool for a confab about staffing levels, but was pretty sure that she would not need to employ anyone other than family and Mitch. Gran could deal with ordering and keeping the books, and would telephone Tess if any snags occurred.

  Tess felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of cutting her connnection with the shop, but knew that she could not be in two places at once, and every part of her longed to be with Jonty. Going to university, expanding the pet shop, watching over Mitch and Elsie, even being with Gran, all faded into insignificance beside the love she felt for her ‘ploughboy’.

  Edie and Albert had a quiet Christmas Day, a day as near perfect as any Edie could remember. They drank their tea, then parted to get dressed and ready for the day ahead. They had a light breakfast because they intended to have a large dinner, and as soon as the last slice of toast was eaten they went down to the pet shop, where Mitch, who had been given his own key when the arrival of Janine’s baby had thrown everything into disarray, was already cleaning cages.

  By ten o’clock they were back in the flat preparing their Christmas dinner, and at three in the afternoon, well fed and content, they listened to the King’s speech before going to the hospital to visit Janine and her little boy. Janine seemed in an oddly softened mood, was far more polite to Edie than usual, but saw them off with the reminder that she would be home in three or four days. ‘I suppose you’ve kept Dad from feeling lonely,’ she said to Edie, when Albert had gone to visit a friend in another ward. ‘When’s Tess coming back? Did she say?’

  Edie shook her head. ‘No, she didn’t mention it, but we can manage very well without her, you know. The place runs like clockwork and in fact we’ve very little stock in since we had an excellent Christmas.’ She looked quizzically at the younger woman. ‘In the old days, January, February and March were always called the hungry months, when belts were tightened and people stayed in their houses and waited for spring. But you’ll have your little boy to keep you busy.’

  ‘And Dad, of course,’ Janine cut in. ‘He and I are learning to build a life for ourselves. I want a little job once we’re settled, but for now I shall just be like every other housewife, cooking, cleaning and making do.’

  Edie read this as a keep off the grass message, but simply smiled and said that she hoped Janine’s aversion to the smell of tobacco would have vanished along with her pregnancy. ‘You’ll want to give your dad a hand, no doubt,’ she said. ‘And as for making a new life . . .’

  But here Albert arrived back, gave his daughter a kiss on the brow and stroked his grandson’s cheek gently, then spoke to Edie. ‘It’s time we were off,’ he said briskly. He turned back to Janine. ‘Do you know, we’ve not even opened our Christmas presents yet? And I’ve got quite a surprise for Edie here.’

  He would have turned away from the bed but Janine clutched his arm. ‘Don’t go doin’ anythin’ I wouldn’t like, Dad,’ she said urgently. ‘Remember, I don’t know nothin’ about babies; I’m goin’ to need all the help I can get. Lookin’ after babies is a two-man job . . .’

  ‘One man and one woman, you mean,’ Albert said airily. ‘And not one mother and one grandfather. And now we must be going, because we’re having Mitch and Elsie round for tea.’

  Mitch and Elsie, scrubbed and brushed and in their best clothes, helped in the preparation of a huge high tea and showed off their presents. Albert and Edie saw them home at eight o’clock and reminded them that they were all to go to the pantomime the following day. Then they returned to the flat and slumped in the creaking old basket chairs on either side of the hearth. ‘Phew!’ Albert said. ‘What a day it’s been, my love. I dare say you’ve guessed what’s in this little box.’ He fished it out of his pocket and handed it to her. ‘I’m not trying to tie you down, it’s just the prettiest thing . . . Oh, open it, for God’s sake.’

  ‘And my gift is so mundane,’ Edie said, opening the small box and revealing a pretty ring. ‘Oh, Albert, it’s lovely. Thank you so much! And now do open yours.’

  Albert opened the tinsel wrapped parcel to reveal a thick sweater in navy blue wool. ‘I made it myself, which is why I had to keep hiding my knitting whenever you came into the kitchen unexpectedly,’ Edie said, but Albert was not looking at the jumper but at her.

  ‘Edie?’ he said softly. ‘That little ring is because I wanted a new way of asking you to marry me. If you slip that ring on your wedding finger it will save you having to say “yes, Albert”, because you seem rather shy of doing that. But I’m sick and tired of your dithering. This, may I remind you, is not the first time I’ve asked. I want an answer and I want it now. And it had better be . . .’

  Edie began to say that she could not possibly give him an answer when her mind was so full of other things, but then she raised her eyes to his and she saw his face as though for the first time, eyes alight with hope, mouth already curling into a smile. And Edie admitted at last what she had always known: that he was a good man, kind, supportive and totally honest; and in that moment she also knew that only a fool would turn away from him, turn him down. She opened her mouth to speak but Albert was smiling, his arms held out. He had read her answer, she realised, in her expression, and as she slipped the ring on her finger she gave a tremulous smile.

  ‘Oh, what will Janine say?’ she asked. ‘She won’t be very pleased, you know.’

  Albert’s smile was wall to wall sunshine. ‘Blow Janine!’ he said. ‘This is our life, and I can’t wait to start living it!’

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  Epub ISBN: 9781448134922

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  www.randomhouse.co.uk

  Published by Century 2013

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  Copyright © Katie Flynn 2013

  Katie Flynn has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

  This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

  First published in Great Britain in 2013 by

  Century

  The Random House Group Limited

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN 9781780890463