Christmas

by Emily Harvale

  'I did what? OK. I'll admit that I did that recently, but eighteen years ago I did no such thing. Did you just say that Mum and Granny Viola told you I didn't want to see you?'

  'Yes. They told me to leave you alone because you never wanted to see me or speak to me again. And that those were your words.'

  'But I said no such thing. They told me it was you. They … oh my God. They lied to me. They lied to us both.'

  'They lied?' He stared at her. Incredulity etched across his face. 'Why?'

  Cat let out a strangled laugh. 'Because you were from the wrong side of the river. And because they didn't like you.'

  He bristled at that. 'I know they didn't like me. And I know what they thought of where we lived, but they were no better than we were.'

  'I know.'

  'Amias.' Natalia walked towards them and gave a little cough. 'As fascinating as this all is, we seem to be forgetting my husband has a head wound and needs to get some rest. Any chance you and Cat could continue this conversation another time, please? I'd like to get Josh home. Or I'll call a cab and leave you here to sort this out.'

  'No.' Amias looked torn. 'I'll take you home. Cat? Can I call you?'

  'Yes. Sorry. Of course.'

  He frowned and then a tiny grin tugged at his mouth. 'And you'll answer?'

  She grinned back and nodded. 'I'll answer, Amias. I can promise you that.'

  He nodded at Natalia. 'I'll get the car. Can you manage Josh?'

  'Yep. They're putting him in a wheelchair to get him to the door. I'll need your help from there.'

  She threw Cat a smile and shook her head. 'Merry Christmas, Cat. I hope you two work it out. Sorry about what I said.'

  'Merry Christmas, Natalia. I do too. And it's fine. I hope Josh feels better soon.'

  Natalia tutted. 'It's his own fault for getting drunk. But I suppose it is Christmas. The season of goodwill, hangovers and almighty headaches. Especially in Josh's case.'

  Amias was still there, looking at Cat.

  She wasn't sure what was going on. If all this was true it meant her mum and gran had kept her and Amias apart. They had lied to him and more importantly they'd lied to her. Could she forgive them for that?

  But it also meant he had tried to see her. He had called. He had gone to the house. He had cared.

  But had he cared enough?

  More to the point, did he still care?

  And if so, how much?

  'I've got lots of questions,' he said, when Natalia was out of earshot.

  'Me too. Let's see if we can find some answers, shall we?'

  'Mum! Mum!' Kyra came running along the corridor. 'There you are. I've been searching everywhere. Come quick. Granny Viola just blinked and looked at Gran. Hi, Amias. Sorry to interrupt.'

  Cat darted a look from her to Amias.

  Amias smiled at Kyra. 'That's OK.' He shook his head and sighed. 'Fate seems determined to throw things in our way, Cat. You go. But I'd be grateful if you didn't kiss anyone else until we've talked.' He gave her a sardonic smile.

  'I won't. And don't find any stunning girls, OK?'

  She grinned at him as Kyra grabbed her hand and dragged her away.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Viola's blink, and the fact she now seemed to be staring at Mary were apparently more signs that there was some improvement, but tests still showed Viola was unresponsive. The doctor asked her to move her fingers or blink her eyes at his command. She did neither.

  'She'll come back to us when she's ready,' Mary said. 'I'm going to stay here just in case it's tonight.'

  'You mean this morning, Gran,' Kyra said. 'It's gone midnight so it's officially Christmas Eve.'

  'Why don't you stay at our hotel?' Ben suggested. He was standing in the corridor waiting for an update on Viola's condition so that he could relay it to Bailey the moment he woke up. 'I know there are rooms available. I heard someone at reception say there had been several cancellations due to the adverse weather.'

  That seemed like a very good idea. The snow had been deep and driving conditions dreadful getting to the hospital. If the hotel did have rooms it would make sense to stay, instead of going all the way back to Merriment Bay.

  The hotel was only a fifteen-minute walk from the hospital, meaning no one needed to drive, but Jeremy decided he would, and everyone seemed thankful for that. Fifteen minutes trudging through several inches of snow wasn't as much fun in reality as it seemed. But while they had been in the hospital, the roads had been gritted and partially cleared so the journey to the hotel wasn't as dreadful as Cat had imagined. Even with Jeremy's driving.

  That was mean. He was a good driver. But he did seem to be in a bit of a rush and Mary commented on it.

  'I think there are enough people in hospital beds as it is, darling. We don't need to add more by having an accident.'

  Ben was right. The hotel did have vacancies. Two rooms on the same floor as Ben and Diana's had suddenly become available.

  'It's Fate,' Ben said, smiling eagerly at Cat when he and Diana arrived at the hotel a little later, Jeremy having gone back to get them after Cat, Kyra and Mary had checked in.

  'Is it?'

  Cat wasn't sure if that was good or bad. She wasn't sure if she trusted Fate. It seemed to be giving her mixed messages. One minute it was throwing her and Amias together, the next, her and Ben. Why couldn't it make up its mind?

  Why couldn't she make up hers?

  When she was with Amias, she wanted him. She wanted him so badly she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. She had wanted him for eighteen years, from the very first day they met. She was sure she would want him for the rest of her life.

  And yet when she was with Ben, she felt calm and comforted.

  Amias was like a raging fire. Ben was a cosy blanket.

  Cat and Kyra shared a twin room at the hotel but Cat didn't get any sleep. Her mind was racing as images of Amias and Ben drifted in and out of her head.

  Infuriatingly for Cat, when she eventually managed to get some sleep around 8.a.m. she missed a call from Amias. He also sent a text asking if everything was OK.

  When she remembered to check her phone at breakfast and called him back, it went straight to voicemail.

  'We stayed at the hospital and then went to a hotel nearby to get a few hours' sleep,' she said. 'We're staying over here and I don't know when I'll be back at Devon Villa, although we need to come back at some stage to get a change of clothes. We're all still wearing what we wore to Amelia and Will's party. I'll call you as soon as I know anything.'

  All morning they missed each other's calls. She left him more messages.

  'I'm not avoiding you, in case you think I am. Phones have to be switched off, or at least to flight mode, in Granny Viola's room. It's hospital policy. And I haven't kissed anyone since yesterday, if you're wondering about that too.'

  He'd left messages to assure her it was fine.

  'I understand. No stunning girls here, either. I wish I could be there with you, but I know that would give Mary a heart attack and neither of us want that. Although, having discovered that she and Viola lied to both of us all those years ago, I have to admit that I would quite like to have a quiet word or two with her. I was really hoping I could see you tonight, especially as it's Christmas Eve.'

  'I don't think I can get away,' she said in another message. 'Why do we keep missing each other's calls? This is so annoying. We're seeing the doctor at 3.p.m. so if it's OK with you, I'll call you after that to let you know. And I'm tempted to strangle Mum, myself. I'm going to have it out with her at some stage, but I don't want to do it right now. It doesn't really seem appropriate, given the situation. I'm so cross about it though and I think she knows there's something wrong because she's been giving me the strangest looks ever since last night.'

  His message in reply half an hour later said: 'That's fine with me. We'll chat this afternoon.'

  Just after lunch, Jeremy offered to drive back to Devon Villa and get them all clean clothes and co
llect the Christmas presents so that they would have them at the hotel on Christmas Day. Cat called Amias to ask him to meet her at the house if he could. But he didn't reply until twenty minutes after she and Jeremy returned to the hospital.

  'I wasn't expecting to hear from you until after 3.00 this afternoon so I wasn't checking my messages. Sorry, Cat. I wish I'd known.'

  And he still wasn't answering his phone. She left another message. 'I didn't think he'd want to drive all that way and back again in these conditions, but Mum was getting tired of wearing the same dress for two days running. And as it's Christmas Eve tonight, she wanted to wear something different.'

  'Will you be at the hospital all night?' Another message from Amias, asked.

  Her message in response said, 'Not all night, no. We're having a Christmas Eve dinner at the hotel. There were several tables vacant due to the continuing bad weather, and the doctors – and Bailey, who is now in a wheelchair, sitting beside Granny Viola's bed – have told us they would call if there was any change in her condition.'

  'I thought you couldn't get away? Who's 'we'?' A later message queried. 'Does that include Ben Mitchell? I'm pleased to hear that Bailey is recovering well. Perhaps they'll all go back to Canada soon.'

  'Please answer your phone, Amias!' Cat replied sometime later. 'I've got a good excuse for my calls going to voicemail. I'm in the hospital. Where are you? Anyway, yes. It does include Ben. It also includes his sister, and Kyra, Mum and Jeremy. And it's just dinner. We all need to eat. We're not staying for the dancing or anything.'

  She got a message half an hour later and he didn't sound thrilled.

  'There's dancing? That sounds like fun. I've been giving a friend a hand at the ice rink at the Christmas Market all day. They're short-staffed. I couldn't hear my phone above the Christmas music and screaming kids. Sorry. And I've also been helping Natalia. Josh is still a bit woozy. Dad and I are replacing her front door with one that's self-closing and self-locking, so that's involved drills. Believe me, Cat, I'm not avoiding you. I really want to talk. Perhaps we can schedule a time slot? If you can fit me in between your dinner and dancing tonight.'

  So now he was in a mood? She shouldn't have mentioned the dancing.

  She sent a text. 'Are you free at 9.30? I'll call you then if you say yes.'

  There was no response for twenty minutes then another message said, 'I'll be at The Hope and Anchor with some friends. But yes. Please call me then. I'll set my alarm so I don't miss your call.'

  Her call went to voicemail yet again. She was getting sick of this.

  'The pub? You're going to the pub on Christmas Eve with friends. That sounds almost as much fun as our dinner dance. I'll set my alarm too. Merry Christmas, Amias. I'll call you at 9.30 on the dot.'

  Chapter Seventeen

  Back at the hotel that evening, after a luxurious bath and the added luxury of clean clothes, Cat went down to dinner with Kyra, Mary and Jeremy. Mary looked upset and Jeremy looked cross. Had they had a row?

  'It's so good to have a change of clothes,' Cat said. 'Thanks for doing that, Jeremy.'

  'It was no trouble. We're family. At least, that's how I think of us.'

  'That's how I think of us too, darling,' Mary said, a little apologetically.

  That wasn't quite how Cat thought of him but she didn't say that.

  'Actions speak louder than words, my darling,' Jeremy said, with a touch of bitterness.

  'I don't think this is the time or place to discuss it.' Mary shot a look at Cat.

  Something was clearly going on. Cat glanced questioningly at Kyra who shrugged. She had obviously picked up on the tension in the air too.

  'Is everything all right, Mum?' Cat asked.

  'Of course it is, Catherine. Why wouldn't it be?'

  'OK. Please don't bite my head off. You two just don't seem quite as lovey-dovey as usual, that's all.'

  'We're fine,' Mary said.

  'Are we?' Jeremy asked. 'Where's the bloody waiter? I'm starving. The place is half empty and they still make us wait.'

  'I think they're short-staffed,' Cat said. 'I heard the guy at reception say that several people were having trouble getting here in this weather, and not just guests.'

  'Why? I drove to Merriment Bay and back without too much trouble.'

  'Yes. But your car is built for this weather. Not everyone has a four-wheel drive. Not everyone has a car. Some have to rely on public transport and that goes nowhere when it snows. Ah. Here are Ben and Diana. And the waiter's coming too.'

  'About bloody time.' Jeremy scowled as he studied the menu.

  This was going to be a fun evening.

  'You look lovely, Cat.' Ben took the empty seat beside her.

  'Thank you. So do you.'

  He did. She couldn't lie about that. But she did feel a little guilty. It was a good thing Amias wasn't around.

  The waiter took their orders which were pretty simple. They all chose the Christmas dinner of turkey and all the trimmings. Jeremy told him they were in a hurry to get back to the hospital so insisted they got theirs first and Kyra rolled her eyes at Cat. He really was in a mood this evening.

  Kyra smiled at Ben. 'Bailey had some really interesting stories to tell today. I loved listening to him. I hadn't realised how tough it was to be a pilot in the war. When he said that he hesitated over his first kill, I wondered why. But it's not like the video games or the simulator at the museum. He made that very clear. He should give talks at schools and colleges.'

  Ben smiled back. 'I think he's a bit too old to do that now. But I agree. He has a way of making the past come to life. You feel as if you're in that cockpit with him. Making the life and death choices he had to make. Watching your buddies being shot down, or worse and not knowing from one day to the next if this was your last day on this earth.'

  Diana nodded. 'I think that's why relationships were so intense. And why there were so many whirlwind romances. People lived life on the edge and they took their chance at happiness whenever and wherever they could.'

  'But it wasn't like that with Bailey and Ivy,' Kyra said. 'They were together for quite a long time, considering. Or with him and Viola. They fell in love slowly. And didn't realise they were in love until it was too late.'

  'It's never too late,' Jeremy said. 'And everyone has choices. Some people don't act on them and others do. But no one should stay with someone if it isn't working. Or if they don't feel truly loved.'

  That sounded as if it had nothing to do with the conversation they were having, and when he looked directly at Mary, Cat was sure it didn't. It was to do with them. There was definitely something going on. Had they fallen out of love as suddenly as they had fallen into it?

  'Excuse me,' Mary said, an odd inflection in her voice. 'I'm popping to the ladies' room.'

  'I'll join you.' Cat got to her feet.

  Jeremy frowned and fiddled with his cutlery.

  Cat waited until they were out of earshot.

  'OK, Mum. What's going on? And please don't say 'nothing' because I'm not an idiot and it's obvious that's something's up.'

  Mary glanced over her shoulder but didn't reply until they were safely inside the powder room section of the ladies'.

  'I'm not really sure. I thought it would blow over but it hasn't.'

  'What, Mum? You thought what would blow over? Have you and Jeremy had a row?'

  'Not a row, exactly. More of a disagreement.'

  Cat tutted. 'OK. What was the disagreement about and when did you have it?'

  Mary sat on the edge of one of a circle of seats in the centre of the room.

  'It started after Bailey's stroke. Kyra told us that you had told her that Ben said Bailey had made a will saying he wanted his ashes scattered in Merriment Bay. She thought it was romantic.'

  Cat rolled her eyes. 'I must have a word with her about repeating everything I say. It's getting to be a habit. Sorry. You were saying?'

  'When Jeremy and I were alone, he asked me about Mother's will. W
hether she had made one and if I was the only beneficiary.'

  'That's not really any of his business, Mum.'

  'It is and it isn't. We're engaged, so it is, in a way.'

  'No. But anyway. Did you tell him?'

  Mary nodded. 'Yes. I had no reason not to. He seemed a little irritated that you and Kyra were named beneficiaries. Then today, this morning in fact, shortly before you and he went home to get our clothes, and the presents, he asked if I'd made a will. I said I had but that I'd made an appointment with my solicitor to make a new one because Annie told me that marriage invalidates a previous will. Jeremy suggested we should meet with his friend, who is a solicitor, so that we could both make new wills and when I said I'd rather stay with mine because he's been our family solicitor for as long as I can remember, he got upset.'

  'Hmm. That sounds a bit iffy. What did you say?'

  She shook her head. 'I told him that you and Kyra would be getting most of my estate in any event. I assumed he didn't need my money anyway. But he was rather cross. He said he was very disappointed. That he intended to leave everything to me and had assumed I'd do the same for him.'

  'And are you now going to?'

  'No. I love him. But there's no question of me leaving the bulk of my estate to anyone but you and Kyra. That will never change, no matter what.'

  'And you told him that?'

  'Yes. Both this morning and again when he brought it up shortly before we came down for dinner. He's been moody ever since. He says it's clear that I don't really love him because if I did, I wouldn't treat him as if he didn't mean anything to me.'

  'Perhaps he does need your money, Mum. Although with all the money you've given him for the work he was doing on the house, he should have a nice little sum.'

  'Catherine. That's not nice. I explained what that was for and he hasn't asked for money for a while now.'

  'Because he hasn't been doing any work, thank heavens. Do you think he could have money problems?'

  'No!' She looked thoughtful. 'At least I don't think so. And he bought me this gorgeous ring so he must have some money.'