by Susan Lewis
‘Yes, that was your cue,’ John confirmed.
Pippa’s one eye seemed to cross, then turning to look behind her she said, ‘Oh, all right, all right. Yes, it’s time for your big entrance,’ and after a moment or two of nothing at all an adorably timid Labradoodle puppy poked its fluffy head briefly round the door.
Hanna couldn’t have looked more shocked if she’d tried. ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’ she cried. ‘Is he mine? Oh Mum, I bet this is you. I know it’s you.’
‘You chose her,’ Lucy reminded her.
‘No I didn’t … I mean, oh look, she’s so cute, come on little sweetie, come here.’
‘Dad, can we have one too?’ Luke pleaded as Hanna scooped the puppy into her arms.
‘What’s his name?’ Harry wanted to know.
‘It’s a she,’ Lucy told him.
‘I know, I’ll call her … Lily, after Lily Allen,’ Hanna declared with a speed that assured Lucy she’d change her mind by the end of the day.
‘That’s a cool name,’ Charlie said approvingly.
‘Very cool,’ Pippa agreed.
‘That’s a lovely top you’re wearing,’ Sarah told Pippa. ‘Turquoise suits you so well.’
Pippa looked thrilled. ‘I think you probably know it’s my favourite colour,’ she responded, ‘and actually this is what your mother treated me to for Christmas. It’s a lovely fit. I’m very pleased with it indeed.’
Giving Lucy and Sarah a wink as Pippa gazed admiringly down at herself, Rose said, ‘So who’s next for a surprise?’
‘I think it should be Pippa,’ Lucy suggested.
‘Och, no, no, it should be you,’ Pippa insisted. ‘I don’t think it would be fair to make you wait any longer.’
‘Actually, yes, it should be Lucy,’ Sarah decided. ‘Yours is somewhere under the tree,’ she told her, ‘you just have to find it.’
Baffled and intrigued, Lucy looked at Michael who was clearly pretending to know nothing, then at John who was grinning mischievously, and said, ‘There are a lot of presents there, so what exactly am I looking for?’
‘You’ll know when you find it,’ Sarah told her.
With a glance at Hanna, who was struggling not to squeal with excitement, Lucy went to kneel in front of the tree and began sifting through the presents, only stopping when a voice behind her said, ‘Hey Mum, happy Christmas.’
Lucy’s heart leapt so hard it hurt. It couldn’t be, it simply wasn’t possible. She spun round, and when she saw her tall, suntanned and shamelessly handsome son leaning in the doorway, all she could do was break into tears.
‘Oh Mum,’ he laughed, coming to seize her in his arms. ‘This was supposed to make you happy.’
‘But you were on the beach last night,’ she protested, pulling back to look at him. ‘I heard the waves and the party …’
‘Sound effects,’ he told her. ‘We had it all set up at John’s ready for when you rang.’
‘It’s where Rose and I were yesterday,’ John told her, ‘collecting him from the airport.’
Laughing with amazement and too much joy, Lucy hugged Ben again, and again, and still not able to stop crying, she said to Hanna, ‘You knew about this?’
Hanna fluttered her eyes. ‘Yeah, like you knew about my dog,’ she replied, ruffling the puppy’s ears.
‘We double-bluffed you,’ John explained, not entirely sure he followed it himself. Still, it all seemed to be working out well, so he wasn’t going to start trying to sort it out any more.
‘Hey boys,’ Ben said, going to high-five them. ‘You did great, keeping the secret.’
Lucy watched them in astonishment. ‘So when you took them to see my surprise present, which you were pretending was a puppy, last night …’ she said to Hanna.
‘I was taking them to meet Ben, because he’d just arrived and I couldn’t wait to see him.’
‘And we had to hide the puppy fast,’ Rose informed her, ‘because she was already with us.’
‘So the bed and collar and everything that I’ve been hiding in my room,’ Hanna said to Sarah, ‘so Mum would find them and think we were getting her a dog, were actually for me?’
‘Well, for the dog,’ Sarah reminded her, making everyone laugh.
Putting her arms round Ben again, Lucy said, ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this. Do you have any idea how happy you’ve made me? How long are you here for?’
‘Till the second, then I’m flying back to Sydney. I just wish I’d registered for air miles, with all this jet-setting I’m doing. Hey, cool,’ he said as Michael passed him a glass of champagne.
‘It’s good to see you again,’ Michael said, wincing as Luke trod on his toe.
‘Dad, please can we have a dog?’ Luke begged.
‘How about we discuss it later?’ Michael suggested.
‘OK, it’s time for Pippa’s surprise,’ Sarah announced.
‘Och, you haven’t gone to any trouble or expense, I hope,’ Pippa retorted, ‘but if you haven’t I shall want to know why.’
As everyone laughed Sarah took the box Michael was passing her, and said, ‘I think we’ve probably met all your requirements, at least I hope so. It’s from all of us, and it’s given with more love than you can ever imagine.’
‘Och, now listen to you and your nonsense,’ Pippa protested, in a voice that wasn’t quite steady. ‘So what do we have here? From all of you, you say.’ As the lid came off the box she looked perplexed for a moment, then realising what it was she gave a whoop of laughter.
‘You rascals,’ she told them, picking up the turquoise leather eyepatch with a sparkly motif in one corner.
‘Just in case you don’t realise,’ Sarah said, ‘the diamonds are real and the colour of the leather matches your top and, more importantly, your wonderful eye, perfectly.’
‘Och, look at me,’ Pippa laughed as a tear dropped on to her cheek. ‘You’ve spoiled me rotten, so you have. All of you and diamonds …’ Suddenly it was too much for her, and as she started to sob with joy John came to wrap her in his arms. ‘I’ll have to wear it today,’ she told them, ‘so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll pop out to the kitchen to do a quick change.’
While she was gone more champagne was poured, and the boys got another turn at opening presents. Then everyone was toasting the most beautiful woman in the room, with her turquoise top and very special jewels.
‘OK, I think Mum and John must be next,’ Simon declared.
From the way Rose and John exchanged glances Lucy knew they were hoping to see Becky walking in through the door, and she felt angry with Becky all over again for hurting her parents when it would have cost her no more than an air fare to make this gesture for them. However, she hadn’t obliged, so it was lucky, Lucy decided, that she, Simon, Sarah and Pippa had managed to come up with something that she felt sure would please Rose and John very much indeed.
‘Are you ready?’ Sarah asked, as Rose slipped her hand into John’s.
‘We’re ready,’ he assured her, clearly still hoping for the self-appointed prodigal.
‘Do you want to do this, Pippa, or shall I?’ Sarah asked.
‘You go ahead,’ Pippa told her.
Sarah returned her eyes to her mother and John, and said, ‘We’ve decided to throw a party on Valentine’s Day to celebrate what would have been your ruby wedding anniversary.’
Rose’s eyes started to shine with amazement, but before she could respond, Pippa was saying, ‘We’re telling you now to give you time to turn it into a wedding, which I expect you’d like to.’
As Rose gasped, John threw out his hands in despair. ‘Isn’t that just like my sister to go and do the proposing for me? And you didn’t even go down on one knee,’ he complained.
Pippa regarded him archly. ‘Did you the first time?’ she demanded.
‘No, but …’
‘So how can you expect me to get down there now, at my age, if you couldn’t even manage it at twenty-four?’
‘Three,’ Rose correcte
d, ‘and whoever’s asking, standing, sitting, lying down or kneeling, the answer is yes.’
‘Yay!’ everyone cheered, clapping their hands.
‘Yay!’ the boys echoed, jumping up and down.
‘Oh my God, she’s peed,’ Hanna cried, leaping up.
‘I did not,’ Pippa protested.
Laughing, Ben said to Hanna, ‘It’s your champagne, stupid. You’ve knocked it over.’
Spotting the glass lying on its side, Hanna heaved a sigh of relief and gathered her puppy back in her arms.
‘Right, now,’ Pippa said, ‘I do believe we have something wonderful here for Michael and Evelyn.’
Apparently astonished to be included, Michael started to object, until Lucy put a finger over his lips and passed him a present from under the tree. ‘No surprise visits or proposals, I’m afraid, but I hope you’re going to like it. And here’s one for you too, Evelyn,’ she added, handing her a similar-shaped gift.
Their faces glowed with pleasure when they each discovered a solid silver photograph frame, showing a winning picture of the boys.
‘There is more,’ Lucy whispered as Michael came to kiss her, ‘but I thought this was a good one to start with.’
‘It’s perfect,’ he told her.
‘And thank you for giving me the book earlier,’ she added.
He only winked. Neither of them needed to spell out that giving it now wouldn’t have been entirely appropriate.
Digging into her bag, Rose said, ‘I have something for Lucy that I’d like to give her now.’
Feeling both thrilled and a little apprehensive, Lucy watched her take out a small bundle of tissue paper which was worn and torn, showing that it must have been protecting whatever was inside for a very long time. She unwrapped something so exquisitely lovely that it took her breath away.
‘It was your great-great-grandmother’s,’ Rose said softly, as Lucy lifted the diamond and amethyst necklace from its humble bed. ‘The box has been mislaid down the years, but I’m sure there was one once. It was given to her by the Maharaja of Jaipur as a token of his high esteem, for which we could possibly read love.’
Lucy’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.
‘I believe they were a little bit of a scandal at the time,’ Rose continued in a whisper.
Adoring the mere thought of it, Lucy lifted the necklace and pressed it to her cheek.
‘This is my mother in total heaven,’ Ben informed them all.
‘It’s so romantic,’ Lucy sighed. ‘Just think of what might have happened between them. Clandestine meetings full of passion …’
‘Mum, there are children present,’ Hanna reminded her.
Lucy laughed, then suddenly remembering Becky and Sarah she immediately felt anxious.
‘Don’t worry,’ Sarah said, clearly reading her mind, ‘he didn’t only give her a necklace, there were quite a few other pieces and Mum has been sharing them out over the years.’
Relieved to hear it, Lucy went back to the necklace. ‘How amazing to have a real heirloom,’ she murmured. ‘And one day it’ll go to you,’ she told Hanna.
Hanna glanced up from her puppy. ‘Awesome,’ she responded. Then, apparently deciding it actually was, ‘You know, it’ll go really well with the top you bought me last week, and I’m wearing it to London on …’
‘Don’t even think about it,’ Lucy replied, pulling the necklace away. ‘This is going in the safe tomorrow and only coming out again for very special occasions … Such as,’ she informed Simon and Giselle, ‘a christening. Or,’ she said to Sarah and Jean-Marc, ‘an engagement.’ Her eyes went to Rose and John, and feeling a flutter in her heart she said, ‘Or perhaps my parents’ wedding?’
Flushing with pleasure, Rose pulled her into a warm embrace. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered, as, wrapping his arms around them both, John pressed a kiss gently to Lucy’s head.
Melting into the moment Pippa gave a contented sigh, then started as her own forgotten puppy let out a yowl from the kitchen. ‘Och, heavens,’ she cried, going to fetch her, ‘what a dreadful mother I am.’
As she disappeared from the room, Sarah said, ‘I think we should be moving over to my place now. The vicar and all sorts are due for drinks at twelve thirty, besides which we need to check on the turkey.’
A couple of hours later, with the vicar and several more neighbours merrily on their way home again, Sarah began trying to boss everyone into place according to her seating plan until she realised it didn’t really matter where everyone was, just as long as they were all there. For a while, though, they thought they’d lost Luke, until they found him curled up under the table with both puppies, at which point Michael conceded that a dog might be joining the family sooner than he’d thought.
‘OK, smoked salmon starter,’ Sarah announced, indicating the platters set out down the middle of the table. ‘Help yourselves, everyone. There’s plenty of lemon, lime, dill, horseradish, brown bread, but don’t fill up too much because there’s tons to come. Whose phone is that?’
‘Yours, chérie,’ Jean-Marc told her, passing it over.
Since she was still in the kitchen, she had to lean across the counter top to take it from him, and without checking to see who it was she clicked on saying, ‘Hello, merry Christmas.’
‘Hello. Merry Christmas to you too.’
The voice was so familiar that Sarah felt her knees go weak.
From where she was sitting Lucy could see that something wasn’t going quite to plan, and was quickly trying to work out how to get to Sarah without anyone suspecting something was wrong when Sarah put the phone down again.
‘OK,’ Sarah said, turning around. ‘Let’s eat.’
Realising who it must have been, Lucy tried to think what to do. As she was at the other end of the table, for the moment there was nothing.
‘What is it?’ Michael asked, seeming to sense her concern.
‘I think it was Kelvin who just rang,’ she said. ‘Don’t ask me why he’d call today, unless his marriage has broken up, and if that is the reason then believe me, I’ll break something over his head.’
‘Mum, what’s going on?’ Ben whispered from the other side of her.
Before she could answer Simon said from across the table, ‘More champagne, or would you rather go on to wine?’
Aware that he was concerned too, Lucy fixed her eyes on his, and what she received in return was either an unspoken caution to wait, or a signal to leave it to him. Though she felt more inclined to go and take Sarah to one side, she reminded herself of how much longer he’d known their half-sister, and having never been in any doubt of how protective he felt towards her, she decided to let him take control.
By the time everyone had helped themselves to smoked salmon and yet more wine or champagne, Lucy was starting to wonder if she’d misread everything, because Sarah was as joyful as she’d been all morning and Simon was in earnest conversation with the boys. Clearly it was going to take some time to get the hang of this sibling business, she reflected, and picking up her glass she was in the process of resisting a second helping of salmon when someone opened the door and a cold draught blew in.
Half afraid it was Sarah leaving, Lucy turned around so quickly that it took her a moment to realise that no one had left at all – however, someone had come in, and when she saw who it was she immediately felt herself tensing.
‘Is there room for one more?’ Becky asked, with a lovely smile in her mother’s direction.
As Rose sobbed a laugh and went to embrace her, Lucy watched John getting to his feet too, and Simon and Sarah, all of them as thrilled to see her as she was to see them. When Michael went to greet her too Lucy was reminded of how close they’d once been, like brother and sister, but also for a while as boyfriend and girlfriend. Pippa too was on her feet, and Giselle and Evelyn, eager to make Becky as welcome as they could.
‘Who is it?’ Ben murmured, as Hanna moved into the seat Michael had left.
‘The demon sister,�
�� Hanna whispered across her mother. ‘She was a right bitch to Mum the last time she was here.’
Sensing Ben’s hackles rising, Lucy continued to watch the welcome, not sure whether to try and join in, or simply to stay where she was. She felt Hanna’s hand sliding into hers and Ben moving in a little closer. They were her real family, she reminded herself defensively, her children, the two people who mattered most in her world and always would. It didn’t matter that she was feeling like an outsider, and put there by her own sister, because she was sitting where she really belonged.
Then the small crowd at the door parted, and as Becky’s eyes came to hers Lucy felt her heartbeat starting to slow. Though Becky’s expression was unreadable, the smiles she’d come in with were gone, leaving the same fierce intensity Lucy remembered from before. Aware of everyone watching her, Lucy met Becky’s stare unflinchingly, knowing that if Becky went on the attack again and ruined this day for Sarah she would never forgive her.
As Becky started towards them Hanna’s hand tightened on her mother’s, while Ben’s arm slid along the back of her chair. The tension in the room was palpable. Annoyed by how much she was shaking, Lucy forced herself to her feet and waited until Becky was in front of her.
‘Hello Becky,’ she said, coolly.
‘Hello Alexandra,’ Becky replied.
Lucy’s heart turned over, stealing her next words.
Becky said, ‘The last time I was here …’ She stopped and started again. ‘If you’ll give me a second chance, I’ll try to do better this time.’
It took a moment for Lucy to register the olive branch. When she did, with a sob of laughter just like her mother’s, she pulled her sister into a crushing embrace.
While the others clapped and heaved a few heartfelt sighs of relief, Hanna leaned into Ben behind their mother’s back and said, ‘Wonder what all the antiques in the room are making of this?’
Acknowledgements
A huge thank you to David Rolfe for so generously sharing his expert knowledge of provincial auction rooms, and for explaining how a ‘ring’ might operate within the context of my story.
Also a very big thank you to Lesley Wood for allowing me to ‘use’ her boutique, Lesanne, and its very stylish champagne bar. A must for anyone visiting the quaint old market town of Chipping Sodbury.
