He shrugged. ‘That’s the plan.’ It didn’t seem as important as usual because it wasn’t his most immediate objective. He lifted her injured hand and pressed a soft kiss on its back, where the counter flap had slammed into it. ‘Let’s not think about that now.’
After another drink Doggo emerged from under the table to nudge Isaac as if encouraging him to do something more interesting, so they pulled on their coats and hats and set off around the lake on the path lit by lanterns.
‘This is beautiful. Cold but beautiful.’ Lily sighed contentedly as she gazed at the pools of light each lantern made, shading the areas in between.
As they left the ice rink behind and were alone Isaac let Doggo’s lead out and the big dog vanished to snoop around the shadows. Isaac chose a dim area between lanterns to stop and pull Lily against him, to find her soft lips with his and explore her mouth, to nibble along her jaw to her earlobe.
‘Mmm,’ Lily said far back in her throat as she tilted her head. The thickness of her coat didn’t seem to prevent her from feeling the thickness of him because she circled her hips against his erection. Heat speared through him.
He liked her hair loose and spilling over her shoulders. He threaded his fingers through it, cupping the back of her head. ‘How do you feel about getting a hotel room?’ Then he answered himself immediately. ‘Damn, I can’t abandon Doggo in the apartment. Franciszka might not think to let him out if we’re not back in the morning.’
She murmured against his jaw, ‘Maybe Franciszka has gone to bed already. She seemed pretty shattered.’
He throbbed against her, hardly able to think of anything but getting some – all – of those clothes off her and feeling her beautiful skin against his. ‘Let’s check it out,’ he muttered. ‘Doggo wouldn’t mind being left in possession of the sofa in the sitting room.’ But it was actually several more minutes before they retraced their steps because he found it impossible to stop kissing her, to stop sliding his hands under her coat to cup her titillating behind.
Finally, Doggo obviously having exhausted the interesting smells in the immediate vicinity returned to nudge Isaac’s legs and they climbed back up the hill out of town.
They paused when they reached the annexe door. ‘Let’s be really quiet so we don’t wake her if she’s out for the count,’ he murmured, nuzzling Lily’s hair.
But they stepped into the warmth to see Franciszka parading around the annexe looking very much awake, speaking Polish and swooping her phone around to give her family a guided tour on Skype.
‘And here are Lily and Isaac,’ Franciszka said in English, pointing the phone their way.
They smiled weakly at whoever was on the other end and drifted gently apart.
Chapter Sixteen
The Middletones were in the minibus and on their way to the Food, Lifestyle & Health show by nine thirty on Thursday morning. Lily felt a churning mixture of pleasure and nervousness because she’d received a message from Kirstin that it would be Garrick Tubb taking them to lunch between morning and afternoon performances.
Behind the wheel, Isaac frowned in concentration as a fine veil of snow fell on the busy roads around Zürich. Lily and Carola cast an eye over their programme, as if they didn’t know it off by heart.
‘How are you doing?’ Lily asked Carola under cover of the road noise and the chatter from the seats behind them. ‘Still no news from Owen?’
‘Owen “The Dud” Dudley?’ Carola smiled but it was obviously a mask for pain. ‘Total silence. He’s moved on to the next mug. After Duncan walking out on me for a younger woman and now The Dud ghosting me I think I’ve worked out that men are shits.’
‘Polite cough,’ said Isaac mildly, slowing the minibus as traffic backed up in front of them.
‘Present company excepted,’ Carola answered, but absently, as if unconvinced.
‘You can’t judge all men by Duncan and Owen.’ Lily patted Carola’s hand. ‘You don’t deserve the problems you’ve had. Maybe Mr Perfect is in your near future—’
Carola snorted. ‘He needn’t bother. I was perfectly fine on my own after Duncan left and I’ll be perfectly fine again. I don’t need a man.’
‘Of course you don’t,’ Lily agreed, but last night Isaac had definitely made her need him, kissing in the frigid air beside the lake, pressing his body to hers as if trying to force himself through their thick clothing. In bed she’d fantasised about what might have happened if their trip had taken place in a Swiss summer rather than icy winter. A quiet place in a wildflower meadow perhaps … In her fantasy, Doggo had obligingly closed his eyes and slept through the whole heated encounter.
Beside her, as if picking up her thoughts of his canine companion Isaac clicked his fingers. ‘I have to find a vet to get Doggo wormed on Friday or he won’t be allowed back into the UK.’
It was a rude hijacking of her fantasy but Lily took out her phone and researched vets in Schützenberg. Isaac had dropped everything to drive the Middletones halfway across Europe so she was happy to help. ‘There are two possibilities here. I’ll text you the links.’
‘Great, thanks.’ He shot her a smile as he indicated to take the motorway exit. Soon the great exhibition halls loomed before them and they joined a long snake of traffic waiting to be marshalled into the massive car parks. Once inside the building they had the tedious business of passing security, the instruments being taken to a special table to be scanned and then inspected by a sniffer dog. Next they pinned on their passes and queued to check in their coats. Finally they were free to get into the cavernous hall with its crowded aisles and bright lights, orientate themselves with a bit of help from a young lady handing out floor plans then head for stand E11-07.
The phrase ‘as difficult as herding cats’ should be replaced by ‘as difficult as herding teenagers’ Lily thought, bringing up the rear in an attempt to dissuade Warwick from stopping to inspect a stand of travel cups, Eddie and Alfie asking for sample cereal bars and Charlotte from veering off towards a display of cake decorations. Carola was navigating at the head of the group, Neil and Franciszka chatting as they followed her.
Isaac dropped back. ‘Lily, according to the floor plan there’s a whole section of outdoor stuff. Text me when you know details of where we’re meeting for lunch.’ Checking no one was looking their way, he dropped a kiss on her hair and headed off, leaving Lily to carry on with the teenager wrangling.
At least when they reached E11-07 it was to find everything ready. Kirstin and Garrick were waiting, an electrical outlet had been reserved for the PA and all they had to do was organise themselves. ‘It’s too hot for hats and scarves, we’ll just wear the overshirts,’ Lily decided, shaking hers out. They were over-oversized without outdoor clothes underneath but she was sure no one would mind. Los arrived as they were about to begin so Kirstin became very animated and took lots of pictures of him with the Middletones, then added Garrick to the mix, then Felix, who’d just finished a meeting with a woman in a navy suit, moving a #BritishCountryFoods flag closer and swinging a Union Jack artfully into shot. Lily, deciding she couldn’t wear her exhibition designer hat and her Middletones hat simultaneously, didn’t protest.
Some of the hurrying foot traffic slowed to watch the photoshoot. Felix encouraged lingering by taking round a bowl of chocolates decorated with Union Jack ribbons. Los and Garrick stepped aside and Carola moved to the front to count them in to ‘White Christmas’ and soon a little crowd had gathered. Lily felt so buoyed by excitement as song followed song that she didn’t even worry about the high notes in ‘Walking in the Air’ and just let her voice soar up to the industrial rafters of the great hall while Kirstin took yet more photos for social media. On the last notes of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ a couple of people asked to have their photos taken with the Middletones and Los watched with an expression of approval that had Kirstin beaming.
Having arranged to meet the others in half an hour, Lily hung back to return the stand to its former configuration and
talk to Kirstin about hashtags while Los disappeared and Stephen and Felix began new meetings at the stand. Then Garrick closed the conversation he was having with a woman in a neat red dress and held out his arm to Lily in an old-fashioned gesture. ‘May I take you up to lunch now?’
Her heart gave an extra beat as she laid her hand on his sleeve and said shyly, ‘That would be lovely.’
As they made their way through the crowds, Lily holding her injured hand to her chest to prevent people from bashing it, Garrick kept up a commentary. ‘Los is very happy. It would have been easy for him to look at this project and say there were no direct rewards for BCF but he listened to what we wanted to do and gave us the go-ahead.’
‘The sponsorship made it all possible,’ said Lily. They were singing for their supper, literally, but having lots of lovely time off to enjoy Switzerland. ‘We do realise that it was philanthropic.’ She made a mental note to buy a big posh thank you card for Los and each of the team they’d worked with and get every Middletone to sign them.
The others were all already waiting at the foot of the stairs to a dining area where a section had been put aside for them and two smiling young men in black trousers and white shirts quickly laid a parade of dishes down the centre of the table then went round with fizzy water and fruit juice. ‘Awesome,’ said Eddie, sitting down promptly. ‘Pass us some of them pizza slices, Warwick.’
During lunch, Lily warmed even further to Garrick. Much as she’d learned to love Tubb, she wasn’t blind to his dour moments and his occasional inability to spend money. Garrick was more relaxed and expansive. He was a great host, keeping the conversation flowing, ensuring plates were passed and drinks refilled. He even got Carola smiling with a gentle joke or two. That feat alone endeared him to Lily.
Then his phone rang and he excused himself to answer. ‘Hi, Eleanor. No, it’s fine, I’m at lunch with Lily and co. Harry’s asked me to invite them …’ Then his smile faded. ‘Sorry? Hang on.’ He rose and, excusing himself to the company, hurried out of the room, phone clamped to his ear.
Just when Lily was enjoying her bro’s company, she thought, wondering what they were going to be invited to. Garrick always called Tubb ‘Harry’. She knew some people had called them Harry and Garry when they were kids, instead of Harrison and Garrick. Then her own phone buzzed like an insect in her pocket. She took it out to see a text from Zinnia.
Are you speaking to me properly yet? and an emoji shedding a tear.
Lily’s heart melted a couple of degrees and she almost felt guilty that she hadn’t thought much about Zinnia, particularly not in the last few minutes while she’d been with Garrick. She returned, Yes. Let’s talk when I get back. At the trade show right now and have to sing again soon. And she added a couple of kisses.
Yes, great! xx Zinnia texted back. The emoji this time had hearts for eyes.
When Garrick returned he was back in convivial host mode. ‘I’m to invite you to see the Samichlaus parade this evening. I can’t tell you much about it because it will be my first too, but would you all like to come to Max’s for something to eat first? My brother and Janice are hosting.’ He turned to Isaac. ‘You don’t have to take the minibus if you fancy a beer or two. It’s only a twenty-minute walk to the crossroads where we’ll watch the parades converging.’
Everyone around the table was up for it. Garrick fell to discussing something with Neil and Lily turned to Isaac in the seat across from hers. ‘Had a good morning?’
He nodded eagerly, dark hair falling into his eyes. ‘The outdoor living segment of this show’s brilliant. And everyone speaks such fantastic English. I’ve been chatting about boots, tents and all that fascinating stuff.’ His eyes laughed at himself but his enthusiasm was obvious.
‘That does sound fascinating.’ She grinned back but had to force it over a sudden sinking of her heart. It was a reminder that once the fate of The Three Fishes was sealed in a month or two Isaac would be getting the hell out of town. Pastures new. Fresh challenges. Career change. It made her both sad to know their ‘thing’ couldn’t last and more focused on enjoying it while she could. She spoke her next thought aloud. ‘Time’s a funny thing, isn’t it? The good parts go by so fast.’
Isaac’s eyes narrowed. ‘What brought that on?’
She flushed, not wanting to share her thought process, especially at a table full of Middletones. She shrugged. ‘Just thinking about the whole trip. How so much of my time’s been taken up with plans and logistics and how I want to savour every moment. I’m glad that you’re enjoying it too.’
His smile held a suggestion of heat. ‘It’s getting better and better.’
Later, in the early evening, she, Isaac and Franciszka crunched through fresh snow to Max’s house in Terrassenweg. As well as the Middletones, Garrick, Eleanor, Myla and Xander joined Max’s family for supper. Tubb and Janice hosted while Max tried to calm Dugal and Keir who were excited by so many people and so much nice food. Ona looked wan and fed up, rubbing her large round abdomen and grumbling that she’d be glad when the baby was safely born. She’d had to visit the hospital with bleeding but they’d let her out again for now.
‘Samichlaus came to our door!’ Dugal kept bellowing. ‘Mummy gave him money and he gave us nuts and satsumas.’
Max tried to calm the boys down and explain over their heads. ‘It’s all something to do with St Nicholas. Samichlaus looks quite a bit like our Santa Claus, though with a bishop’s hat and crook. He and his sidekicks collect money for children’s charities.’
The noise grew as everyone tucked into cooked meats, cheeses, beer or lemonade followed by chocolate cake decorated with walnut halves. Lily found herself sharing a corner of the dining table with Garrick and took the opportunity to ask about where he and Eleanor lived, lower down in the town. She tried to bring Eleanor into the conversation but came to the conclusion that her half-brother’s wife was almost as wintry as the weather outside. She seemed on a mission to reply in as few words as possible, especially compared to warm and chatty Garrick.
Eventually she left Garrick and Eleanor to chat with Ona and instead Lily listened in to Isaac talking to Tubb about making more money at The Three Fishes without losing the good things about it. He talked knowledgeably about how much more Juno Lounge used to pay to the brewery for supplies in wet rent and that it didn’t offset the discount he got on dry rent – whatever that meant. They discussed the influence of sports TV on filling a pub and how during the World Cup pubs reported increases in sales of up to two hundred per cent.
‘If The Three Fishes was mine I’d probably enlarge the area with the dartboard and TV and partition it off. Make it a sports bar so the regulars who hate the TV and the noise of twenty people shouting at it when footy’s on aren’t driven away,’ Isaac said as Tubb nodded interestedly. Lily began to think it a shame Isaac was leaving the hospitality trade because he obviously understood so much.
Presently, they all climbed into their outdoor clothes and boots and tramped down into the centre of Schützenberg – except Ona, for whom such exertion was banned and who settled down with a sigh and the TV remote. Doggo yawned and got up on the sofa to keep her company.
Plenty of other people bundled in coats and hats were headed in the same direction as them, chattering and laughing as they tramped down the hill towards the streets strung with lights. Much of the centre had been closed to traffic and the snow cleared. The evening breeze carried a muffled, rhythmic noise and they glimpsed moving lights higher up the slope.
‘It’s one of the processions.’ Max held Keir on his shoulders. ‘Apparently there are six and they all meet where the roads converge.’
‘And they have donkeys, don’t they, Daddy?’ demanded Dugal, who Janice held tightly by the hand.
‘That’s right.’ Max looked apologetic. ‘I’ve honestly tried to discover from Swiss people at work what the story is behind the procession but haven’t gathered coherent information. Some say it’s St Nicholas’s birthday, some his death d
ay, but why lanterns and donkeys I don’t know. St Nicholas the bishop – or Samichlaus – gave money to the poor so have your change ready so you can contribute to the money raised.’
Once they’d found a handy spectating spot alongside others whose breath hung in white clouds on the night air, they waited.
‘Hope this is worth it,’ Carola muttered, hunching her neck into her scarf like a chilly tortoise.
Then the background rhythmic buzz they’d been able to hear on the way down grew in volume, punctuated by sharp cracks like pistol shots, and people edged closer to the road, craning their necks.
The noise grew louder, louder, and suddenly men in white smocks appeared from each of the converging roads, cracking large whips. The effort required was obvious as they used both hands on the stock to pull the whip from the air and slash it in front of themselves, then pause and drag it back, causing the shot-like CRACK! ‘Wow,’ said Lily, taking an involuntary step back. It felt as if one of those whips could come loose and hurt someone.
More and more whipsters arrived, stationing themselves carefully out of range of each other. Into this racket processed other white-smocked figures waving long, thin lanterns, rhythmically shaking cowbells that hung from great yokes across their necks. Lily felt as if the bells said ruddle ruddle ruddle ruddle. The horn blowers followed, rouuuuhhh, rouuuuhhh. Over it all the whips kept up a constant CRACK! CRACK!
In each of the six processions walked Samichlaus with his entourage and a pony or a donkey, apparently unbothered by the cacophony of whip, bell and horn reverberating around the crossroads. The processions followed and circled one another. Silken bags were held out to the crowd to throw in their change.
Lily’s head clanged almost as much as the bells. She turned to Franciszka, raising her voice. ‘I’ve never heard such a row!’
Franciszka nodded. ‘In Poland we celebrate St Nicholas Day, Mikołajki, which is tomorrow, with presents for the children.’ She fell silent to watch the procession and Lily did the same, reflecting on all the folklore and traditions of Christmas and how different they were around the world. The UK’s Santa Claus was a lot cuddlier than Samichlaus.
Let It Snow Page 20
