by Agatha Frost
Julia turned on her heels and headed for the door, satisfied with what she had heard. She glanced at Carlton, and she pitied the man whose simple mistake was going to see him joining Ross behind bars for his final years.
“How did you figure it out?” Ross called after her. “Tell me! I planned it so perfectly.”
“Your handwriting,” Julia said over her shoulder. “Your pathetic attempt at frightening me with a brick through my window was the tiny piece of thread I needed to unravel everything. When I compared it to the note you gave me to pass onto my gran, which I gather was all part of your performance, it became obvious they were written by the same person. I realised you’d told me everything else yourself, I just needed to put it under the right spotlight to see it clearly.”
Ross let out a primal scream as Julia pushed through the double doors followed by Barker. Police cars sped from the station towards the village hall in seconds, the blaring of their sirens signalling a relief that everything was finally coming to an end.
“Your mind is brilliant,” Barker whispered after he pulled Julia into his chest. “You’ve just given me even more material for my sequel.”
“I’m glad to be of service,” Julia said with a smile as the police officers rushed past them and into the hall. “Where do you think we can get a turkey from at this short notice? Gran will ask to stay in prison if we don’t have a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.”
16
Julia walked alone into the quiet village on Christmas morning with a bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums. She walked past her gran’s cottage, glad to see the curtains had been drawn, letting her know that Dot had returned home late on Christmas Eve as planned. She was itching to see her, but she was obeying her gran’s request to be left alone until everyone descended on her house for Christmas dinner in a couple of hours; she imagined she had wanted the evening to get used to being back in her usual surroundings again.
Cutting across the snow-covered village green, Julia walked towards St. Peter’s Church, avoiding looking in the direction of the village hall, which had been locked up since Ross and Carlton’s arrests. After the eventfulness of the past two weeks, Julia was eager to enjoy the day of festivities and regain as much normalcy as possible.
After walking around the church, the snow crunching under her feet, Julia made her way to the other side of the graveyard to the peaceful spot under a giant yew tree where her mother had been laid to rest. When the tree came into view, she was surprised to see a wrapped-up figure already at the grave.
“You too?” her dad said through a smile after pulling down the black scarf covering his mouth. “Chrysanthemums. Your mum loved those at this time of year.”
Julia laid the yellow flowers next to the pink bouquet of the same flowers her father had laid. Cuddled into her father’s side, they stared down at the grave for what felt like a lifetime. She was thinking about everything and nothing all at once, her eyes glued to the faded picture of her mother behind a glass panel in the stone.
“She’d be so proud of you,” he whispered as he rubbed her arm. “I hope you know that. Not just because you’re living your dream with your café, but because of the amazing person you’ve grown into. What you’ve done with Jessie, and what you did for your gran shows what a remarkable woman you truly are, Julia.”
Julia allowed a single tear to run down her cold cheek, only wiping it away when it reached her chin. She looked up at her dad, who seemed to have allowed more than one tear to streak down his lined face. Julia wiped them away with her scarf before tiptoeing up to kiss him on the cheek. They both turned at the same time as Sue hobbled towards them bump first with a bouquet of orange chrysanthemums. After laying her flowers, she cuddled into the other side of their father, and they stayed there as a family until they could not stand the cold anymore. In all of the years Julia had been visiting her mother’s grave on Christmas morning, it struck her that this was the first one they had all been there together.
With promises to see each other for lunch later at Dot’s, they parted ways. Julia hung back near her café, watching her gran’s cottage from a distance, the knowledge that she was inside offering comfort. When Dot threw her bedroom curtains back, Julia could not help but run across the green to her.
The front door opened to reveal her gran, out of her grey prison uniform and back in her pleated navy calf-length skirt, stiff blouse with a festive red brooch at the collar, and tanned tights with sensible shoes; it was easy to pretend she had been hiding away in her cottage since the opening night of the play.
“Oh, Julia!” Dot cried as they hugged in the hallway. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. How long was I away? Weeks? Months?”
“Eleven days, Gran,” Julia whispered as she clung to her, holding back the tears. “And you’re never leaving again.”
“Well, I might end up back there after my trial,” Dot announced as she pulled away from the hug, already adjusting her brooch in the way she always did. “Thanks to the taped confession you got, they reduced my charges from murder to unintentional manslaughter, hence my sudden bail. Apparently, I’m no longer a danger to society, so I can walk the streets as a free woman. Considering the brilliant evidence you gathered, my lawyer thinks no jury on planet Earth would find me guilty of anything, but we’ll have to wait until next year for my trial. You’d think I was Annie Oakley the way the people were carrying on! The girls back at the prison called me Dangerous Dot.”
“You got a nickname in eleven days?”
“Oh, yes, dear,” Dot said with a proud nod. “I was practically running the place! Say what you want about those girls, but they respect their elders, and I was the oldest con in there. It was nice for a holiday at Her Majesty’s pleasure, but I’d much rather be here with my home comforts. There’s only so many times you can eat lumpy mashed potatoes and indistinguishable mystery meat stew before one bores of it. I practically ate everything in my cupboards last night! I’d never been happier to see a chocolate digestive in my life, so I inhaled the whole packet in seconds. I don’t know what we’re going to eat for Christmas dinner. My cupboards are bare!”
“Don’t worry about that,” Julia reassured her. “Katie and Dad are bringing the turkey, Sue’s bringing the vegetables, and I’m sorting out the desserts. It’s all organised.”
“You’re a good girl, Julia.” Dot cupped Julia’s cheek in her palm with a soft smile. “Let’s go for a walk. There’s something I need to show you.”
After Dot pulled on her winter duffel coat and scarf, she walked Julia beyond St. Peter’s Church and the primary school, taking her deep into the frosty countryside. When they arrived at a vast empty field, they climbed over the gate and towards a large oak tree. Dot rested her back against the tree before taking ten paces towards another tree, and then three to the left. They stood side by side looking out at the beautiful view surrounding them, which was extra special in the winter months.
“We’re currently stood on my square metre of land,” Dot announced as she tucked her hands into her pockets. “This is what Marcus Miller sold me. Not worth killing a man over, but there’s not much I can do with it. I sometimes come out here and just stand here like the queen of my castle. Maybe I should plant a tree in Marcus’ honour?”
“That’s big of you.”
“I killed a man, Julia,” Dot said, her expression dropping as she looked down at the frozen mud. “Regardless of what happened, I shot a man dead, and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life. Part of me feels like I should still be behind those bars, and if it wasn’t for Ross’ evil plan, I might have refused to leave. I took a poor girl’s father from her before she got to know him. How is Poppy?”
“I went for lunch with her yesterday,” Julia said as she looped her arm through Dot’s. “She’s still shaken up, but she’s optimistic. She’s spoken to a financial adviser, and even I was surprised to hear how much she had inherited. Half a million pounds in cash, and over a million pound
s worth of prime London property.”
“It’s just money,” Dot said with a shrug. “There are too many people with too many greedy thoughts out there.”
“At least Poppy isn’t one of them,” Julia said as they set off back to the gate. “She said she’s going to buy her mum a house, and she’ll run the property business side of things while Poppy and Jayesh take a gap year to travel the world. They’re starting in India to stay with some of Shilpa’s family, and then the world is their oyster.”
“Ah, to be young and full of hope again,” Dot announced as she inhaled the crisp air. “Although, I suppose I’ve proved it’s never too late. My acting debut might not have worked out, but I think I might get myself an agent and see if there are any jobs for any old gals like me out there.”
“That’s a great idea,” Julia replied. “Out of all the lies Ross told, I believed him when he said he thought you were a great actress.”
“I suppose that counts for something,” Dot said after climbing over the fence and holding out her hand for Julia to do the same. “Let’s get back to the village. The table isn’t going to set itself.”
After a lunch of perfectly cooked turkey, honey-roast parsnips, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, and cranberry sauce, the whole family moved into Dot’s tiny sitting room, paper hats on their heads from the crackers. Katie and Brian took up the couch, with Vincent in his wheelchair next to them, and baby Vinnie on Katie’s knee in his Christmas pudding outfit. Sue took the armchair, a mug of hot chocolate balanced on her bump with Neil on the chair arm, his hand also on the bump. Julia, Jessie, and Barker dragged in chairs from the dining room and sat where they could fit. Dot floated from person to person, offering drink top-ups, mince pies, and chocolates from one of many boxes that had been brought along.
“I’m stuffed,” Brian announced as he unbuttoned the top of his trousers. “Better than the muck the caterers would have made at the manor.”
“I think we pulled together the best Christmas dinner in the whole of the country,” Barker said as he also unbuttoned the top of his trousers. “Although, I don’t think I can eat another bite until it comes around again.”
“You’re all weak,” Jessie mumbled through a mouthful of mince pie. “I’m still hungry.”
With Christmas music playing in the background they began exchanging presents. Jessie bought Julia a cookbook of unusual cakes from around the world, Brian and Katie gave her an antique brass and copper set of weighing scales from the late 1800s, Sue and Neil gave her a guide to the best cafés and tearooms in the Cotswolds along with a gift voucher for each, and Dot who had not had time to do any Christmas shopping, gave her a hug and a promise to make it up to her next year. Jessie loved the two new pairs of Doc Martens, and Barker loved the vintage copy of The Moonstone, which he seemed to know all about.
After all the presents had been handed out, they all sat in front of the roaring fire in what Julia could only describe as a food coma. The only person who did not seem affected was Jessie, who was making her way through the leftover coconut chocolates in the bottom of one of the selection boxes. After almost fifteen minutes of groaning and wrapper rustling, Jessie suddenly bolted upright, the silver foil wrappers falling off her stomach and onto the couch. She stared at the small tree in the corner, her brows heavy over her eyes. She stared down her nose at Julia, and then at Barker.
“Barker, you didn’t get Julia anything,” Jessie said, making Sue jump, who had nodded off. “That’s a bit rubbish, don’t you think?”
Brian shifted in his seat, as did Katie. They shared a grin for a moment before they both attempted to disguise it behind a cough. Sue rubbed her eyes with one hand, another hand on her bump. Barker sat up straight, his cheeks burning bright red. Julia had been so glad to all be together, she had not noticed that Barker had not given her anything.
“Thanks for that, Jessie,” Barker said with a sigh as he reached into his pocket. “I was going to wait until later to give Julia her present.”
“Ew,” Jessie cried. “That’s gross. I hope you wait until I’m out.”
“Not like that,” Barker said, his cheeks burning even darker. “I suppose there’s no time like the present, is there?”
Julia looked around the room at the puzzled faces, Brian and Katie the only two who seemed in on whatever Barker was waiting to give Julia. With something in his hand, Barker walked into the middle of the room and stood on the hearthrug in front of Julia. Just when she was about to ask him what he was doing, he dropped to one knee as he produced a small, burgundy velvet box.
“I think I’m going to faint,” Dot mumbled as she stumbled into a cabinet, rattling the ornaments. “Jessie, catch me!”
Jessie jumped up and looped her arm around Dot, who seemed to be auditioning for her next role. Julia stared down at the small box, her heart in her throat. She stared into Barker’s eyes, wanting to say something, but unable to summon a single sound. Time seemed to stop, and the moment stretched out for all eternity before he finally snapped open the box. Julia was surprised when she saw a large, milky pearl perched on top of a silver band.
“My mum’s engagement ring,” Julia whispered, her hand drifting up to her mouth. “Where did you get that?”
“I kept hold of it all these years,” Brian said before Barker had the chance. “I was waiting for the right man to ask for your hand.”
Julia stared down at the ring, sure she had not seen it since the day her mother died. She had always assumed she had been buried with it, so to see it over two decades later was something of a surprise, although its beauty was unmatched to even her own memories.
“Julia,” Barker started, the shake obvious in his voice. “I love you. I think that much is obvious. We’ve been through things that most people wouldn’t survive, but every obstacle has made us stronger, which is why I wanted to ask you if –”
“Hold that thought!” Sue cried out as she bolted up, the hot chocolate cup bouncing off her bump before shattering on the carpet. “I think I just had a contraction!”
Whatever had been happening before suddenly no longer mattered. Within seconds, Neil was bundling Sue into the car ready to take her to the hospital, despite Dot’s insistence that they should wait for the next contraction to see if it was real or not. Standing outside the cottage, Julia had her hand clamped in Barker’s. She did not want to let go, but when she turned to him, he smiled and nodded, letting her know she should go with her sister.
“Family first,” he said before kissing her on the cheek. “To be continued, okay?”
“I love you,” she whispered after kissing him on the lips. “I’ll see you later.”
With Sue in the front seat and Neil driving, Julia and Dot sat in the back, with Dot nervously munching her way through a tray of mince pies, which she claimed she had grabbed in a panic. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Sue’s second contraction had kicked in, letting them all know how they were spending the rest of Christmas.
“But I’m early!” Sue yelled as Neil wheeled her through the hospital towards the maternity ward. “I’m three bloody weeks early!”
“Twins!” Neil cried back as he rushed down the corridor, practically taking a corner on two wheels, their overnight bag on his back, which he had put in the boot of the car ‘just in case’. “I read all about this. Women carrying twins rarely carry full term.”
“Where’s Julia?” Sue cried, craning her neck over her shoulder, her hair whipping in the wind. “I need my sister.”
“I’m right here,” Julia cried back as she struggled to keep up with Dot, their Christmas dinner barely digested. “Don’t you worry.”
Julia did not expect that she would spend her Christmas evening holding Sue’s hand as she went through the biggest event of her life, but she would not have spent it anywhere else. For the second and third time that year, she witnessed the miracle of childbirth right before her eyes as her sister gave birth to two baby girls.
/> “Pearl,” Sue muttered as Neil wiped her forehead with a cold cloth when the midwife put the first baby in her arms. “After Mum.”
“That’s beautiful,” Dot said as she wiped tears from her eyes. “On her birthday, too. She’s looking down on you.”
When the midwife took baby Pearl away and replaced her with the second girl, Sue looked up at their gran with a weak smile.
“Dorothy,” she said as she stroked her newborn’s face as her tiny lungs cried the room down. “After her great-gran. Dottie, for short.”
“I think I’m going to faint for real,” Dot murmured as she grabbed the end of the bed. “Nurse!”
After Neil dabbed down Dot’s forehead with the wet cloth, the midwife ushered Julia and her gran out of the room to give the new parents time to bond with Pearl and Dottie. They had barely collapsed into two seats in the corridor when the lift doors slid open. Jessie, Barker, Katie, and Brian hurried in amongst a bundle of pink balloons and pink flowers.
“How did you get those on Christmas day?” Dot cried as she fanned herself with a copy of Cotswold Life magazine. “You couldn’t get a pint of milk back in my day.”
“I know a man who knows a chicken,” Brian said as he hurried to the window, his heart seeming to melt the second he noticed his two granddaughters. “They’re perfect.”
While Brian and Katie met Pearl and Dottie, Jessie and Barker disappeared before bringing back polystyrene cups of tea.
“What time is it?” Dot asked as she let out a yawn. “I feel like I’m the in the Twilight Zone in here.”
“Almost midnight,” Jessie said after checking her phone as she sat next to Julia. “Christmas is almost over.”
“Which is why I want to do this,” Barker said, dropping to one knee once more with the pearl ring. “Julia, if I don’t do this now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I want to marry you. I want us to be bound for the rest of our lives. I never believed in soul mates before I met you but –”
