Romancing the Holidays: Twelve Christmas Romances - Benefits Breast Cancer Research

by Crista McHugh

  “Destiny’s mom had the day off, so she’s staying with her,” I explained. “Tara will be there tonight and all day tomorrow because the store is closed, and Cassie is going to sit with her on Tuesday and Wednesday while Tara’s at work. If all goes as planned, she should deliver on Thursday morning.”

  “Thursday is Christmas Eve. Destiny will have a Christmas baby.”

  “It looks like it.”

  “I hope everything goes okay. She’s just a kid.”

  “Yeah. I’ve been worried about her since the fall. She seems to be all right, but I think she fell pretty hard. Still, I guess if the doctors aren’t worried I shouldn’t be either.”

  Siobhan began setting the water glasses on the table as I worked on the silverware. It was nice to share a chore with my sister that we’d both hated when we were growing up.

  “By the way,” Siobhan added as we worked, “I wanted to tell you that I overheard a group of women from Tuesday night bible study talking about the situation with the Bayview Apartments. They were all praising you for saving the day.”

  “I really wish my persuading Balthazar Pottage to change his mind hadn’t gotten out. Now I feel all this pressure to come through and I honestly don’t know if I can.”

  Siobhan opened a drawer in the china hutch and took out a stack of cloth napkins. “Don’t let the expectations of others influence your plan. Do what you feel inclined to do and let the chips fall where they may. I don’t see how anyone can fault you for trying, no matter what the outcome.”

  “I guess, but people are looking at me as some kind of a hero and I feel like I’ll be letting everyone down if I can’t find Charles Pottage. For all I know he’s been dead for twenty years and is therefore unfindable. You must be dealing with pressure like this every day as mayor. How do you do it?”

  Siobhan stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “I do the very best I can in a given situation and then I move on. I don’t beat myself up over the outcome if it isn’t the one I’d hoped for. You win some and you lose some. Whatever the outcome of your crusade, just remember that you’re the one who’s actually doing something to save the apartments, while everyone else was just standing on the sidelines complaining. Win or lose, you’re a hero in my eyes.”

  “Thanks.” I straightened the flowers in the center of the table. “I needed to hear that. Have I told you lately how glad I am you moved home?”

  “About a million times.” Siobhan laughed.

  * * * * *

  “This is nice,” I said to Cody later that evening as we shared a bottle of wine. The fire was dancing in the fireplace, the tree lights twinkled from the tree in front of the window, and the sound of Christmas piano played softly.

  “I do enjoy spending Sundays with your family, but by the end of the day I’m ready for a little us time. My family never really did the bonding thing. I’m not used to all the drama.”

  “Like Cassie’s breakup?”

  “Exactly. I feel bad for her, but after a while I got tired of listening to her complain about the guy. To be honest I’m kind of surprised she’s this upset. It never seemed like she was all that in to him while they were dating.”

  “I don’t think she was; I just don’t think she liked getting dumped.”

  “I guess none of us do.”

  I looked at Cody. “Like you’ve ever been dumped.”

  “I’ve been dumped.”

  “When?” As I recalled all the girls had loved him and he was the one doing the dumping.

  “When I was in the Navy. I was in a relationship for almost two years when the woman I thought I loved decided she no longer loved me.”

  I frowned. I’d had no idea Cody had been in that serious of a relationship. I figured he must have dated while he was away but two years?

  “I’m sorry.”

  Cody shrugged. “It was a long time ago, and in retrospect I realize I was never really in love with her. At least not the way I’m in love with you.”

  I smiled.

  “I thought maybe we should go on a sleigh ride this week.”

  “It’s been snowing, but there’s only about two inches on the ground. I don’t think it’s enough for a sleigh,” I pointed out.

  “There’s a man in town who provides rides with a sleigh that’s been outfitted with wheels. It might not be quite the same as going for a ride when there’s a lot of snow, but the sleigh follows a path through the forest on a track made from hard-packed powder. It seems like it would be romantic all the same.”

  “That sounds nice. I’ve never taken a sleigh ride. Although we have a pretty busy week. I’m planning to go visit Balthazar Pottage tomorrow, and then we have play rehearsal on Tuesday and the performance on Wednesday. Thursday is Christmas Eve and then Friday is Christmas.”

  Cody put his arm around me. I lay my head on his shoulder. I really loved these random moments where I felt that the two of us really were part of a whole.

  Cody kissed the top of my head before he replied. “I guess Christmas did sort of sneak up on me. By the way, I’m afraid we have two more guests to add to our Christmas Eve dinner party. Mr. Parsons asked if a couple of the guys who hang out at the senior center could come and I told him it would be fine. I guess that brings us to fourteen.”

  “Make that sixteen. I invited Doris Rutherford because she was hanging out at the Bait and Stitch when I stopped in and Maggie asked me about bringing something. She was thrilled with the invite and wanted to know if she could bring her neighbor.”

  “I guess our little low-key dinner party has taken on a life of its own,” Cody commented. “Initially I figured we’d have an early dinner with Mr. Parsons and then head back to your place for a little alone time. Somehow that’s morphed into sixteen guests and a late dinner to accommodate Father Kilian.”

  “It’s fine,” I assured him. “It’s a nice thing to do. I do wish we could have had a bit more us time, but we’re alone right now.”

  Cody pulled me into his arms just as my phone rang. I was going to ignore it when I noticed the call was from Tara. I’d just seen her at my mom’s so I had to assume this was important. I groaned at the bad timing as I pulled away and answered. “Hello?”

  “It’s Destiny. She’s in labor. We’re on our way to the hospital.”

  “We’ll meet you there.”

  Chapter 12

  Monday, December 21

  I stood out on the exterior deck as the ferry made its way to San Juan Island. It was cold, so I was the only one outside, but I felt that I needed the fresh air to clear the cobwebs from my brain. I’d thought of bringing Ebenezer back today, but I could sense he wasn’t ready to go. I hoped the interviews I had planned for the day would bring me closer to an answer about Baby Charles, but I knew deep in my gut that I hadn’t yet reached the end of the line.

  I’d had a long night. Destiny had delivered a healthy baby boy, but not until after she’d had to endure hours of labor. She still hadn’t said she was definitely keeping James, but based on the way she’d looked at him with total adoration, I had to believe she would. Her friend Jake had been at the hospital as well, and he seemed as enamored with the baby as she was. I wasn’t sure there was a future for them as a couple, but I sensed Jake would be there for Destiny as she navigated the rocky road of single parenthood, should she choose to do so.

  I felt a tension in my chest as the ferry pulled into the harbor. Although I didn’t think today would bring me to the end of the road I was traveling, I did feel the conversations I planned to have that day might be intense and emotional.

  I’d called the nanny, Edith Cribbage, and arranged to meet with her before I headed out to the Pottage estate. She lived in a small house within walking distance from the ferry terminal. My plan was to have a chat with her and then return to the harbor, where I could rent a water taxi to take me out to Balthazar Pottage’s island.

  I found I enjoyed the brisk walk in the cold air despite the chilly crossing. The house that matched the
address I’d been given was decorated with red, white, and green lights that danced to the beat of Christmas music. This somehow made me relax just a bit. The woman couldn’t be too intense if she lived in such a whimsically decorated home.

  “Mrs. Cribbage,” I said when a woman with a friendly smile opened the door.

  “Call me Edith. And you must be Cait. Please do come in.”

  I followed the woman into the small but neat home. She offered me a seat on the sofa, gave me a cup of tea, and presented a tray of delicious-looking pastries. I could sense by her welcoming smile that she was a gracious hostess who was comfortable in most social situations.

  “You wanted to ask me about Charles Pottage’s kidnapping?” she began.

  “Yes. I’m looking into it for Mr. Pottage.” I explained about the apartments and the deal we’d made.

  “I’m happy to help if I can, but I have to confess I slept through the whole thing. I’ve tortured myself about that fact every day since it occurred. I don’t understand how I could have slept so soundly. Sure I was tired, but not that tired.”

  “Can you tell me everything that happened that day?”

  “I can try.” The woman adjusted her position in her chair so she faced me directly. “Mr. and Mrs. Pottage were fighting and I think that upset Charles. I realize he was only six weeks old, but babies can pick up on these things, and I’m afraid their tension made him tense. Anyway, Charles had been extra fussy ever since the mister returned from his business trip.”

  “And when was that?”

  “The day before the christening. I’m afraid Mrs. Pottage had arranged the whole thing without telling him what she was doing, and he wasn’t happy about that.”

  “Okay. Go on.”

  “Mrs. Pottage was busy that day, getting ready for her guests, so I took charge of getting Charles ready. I remember how adorable he looked as I dressed him in the long white gown she had given me for the occasion. He looked like a little angel. He really was such a precious child. All of the children I cared for over the years were precious to me, but he touched my heart in a special way.”

  I noticed the woman had teared up just a bit. I felt bad that I was putting her through what had to have been a horrible memory.

  “Were there other guests upstairs while you were getting the baby ready for the ceremony?” I asked.

  “No. It was just Charles and me in the nursery and Mr. and Mrs. Pottage in the master suite. There were guests staying at the residence, but Mr. Pottage insisted that they be given rooms downstairs. He brought one of the gatehouse guards in to make certain no one came up to the second story. It seemed as if he was concerned that the baby might be in some sort of danger. I thought the extra guard was silly and unnecessary at the time, but now I can see that the man was wise to be diligent in his attempt to protect his family. In the end I guess it didn’t really matter.”

  “What happened after you got Charles dressed?”

  “Mrs. Pottage came to fetch Charles just prior to the start of the ceremony. I wanted to attend the baptism, but she could tell I was tired, so she insisted that I have a nap while I could. It was sweet of her to be so concerned about me. She even had a cup of tea sent up for me, even though she had guests to attend to.”

  I frowned. “Tea? I spoke to the guard who’d been at the stairs and he told me no one was on the second story other than Mrs. Pottage. Who brought you the tea?”

  “No one. Mrs. Pottage had the kitchen send it up via the dumbwaiter. I drank the tea and fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, the missus was screaming that Charles was missing from his crib. It was my job to look after the baby, but I never even woke up. I still can’t believe I didn’t see or hear anything. I’ve been devastated by that fact ever since I let some monster whisk poor Charles away.”

  Suddenly I knew exactly what had happened.

  * * * * *

  I was a bundle of nerves the entire trip out to Pottage’s island. The man wasn’t going to be happy to hear what I had to tell him. I just hoped he wasn’t so mad as to call off our deal. For the first time since this whole thing began things were starting to make sense.

  I felt a sense of dread as I walked from the dock to the house. The information I had to share with the man wasn’t going to be easy to hear and I hated to be the one to have to tell him.

  “You’re late,” Balthazar Pottage snapped when he opened the door after my quick knock.

  “If you had a phone I could have called to let you know I had an interview on San Juan Island,” I snapped back.

  He looked surprised by my sharp reply. “I never said I didn’t have a phone.”

  I supposed that much was true. When I’d asked to use his phone the first time I’d visited the island he simply hadn’t answered.

  “I’m sorry I’m late, but I have news. If you’ll let me in we can get started.”

  I followed the old man down the hallway to the same room we’d sat in on the other times I’d been in his home. He had a fire going in the stone fireplace, but there was a definite chill in the room. I rubbed my hands together to warm them.

  “You said you have news?” Pottage asked.

  “I do.”

  “You found my son?”

  “No. Not yet, but I’m pretty sure I know what happened to him.” I sat down in the chair next to the one he was sitting in. “I’m afraid it was your wife who kidnapped your son.”

  Pottage frowned. “What kind of nonsense is this? Are you trying to fool an old man out of an apartment building?”

  “Just hear me out,” I began.

  “Very well,” the man said gruffly, “but stick to the facts. I don’t need you trying to confuse me with a lot of meaningless banter.”

  “I will.” I leaned forward in my chair. “Based on what I’ve learned, you and Belle weren’t getting along at the time your son was kidnapped.”

  He sighed. “That much I am afraid is true. I was away at work quite a lot and Belle got lonely alone on the island. I suppose I should have looked at the situation from her perspective, but I didn’t. All I could see were my own needs and the needs of the business I had spent my life building.”

  “So she wanted you to spend more time on the island?”

  “No, she wanted to spend more time with me in Seattle. She said she was bored on the island, but I refused to even consider her request to get out more often.”

  “Why?”

  “I was frightened. I was a lot older than she was and I was afraid she’d meet someone younger and leave me. I realize she could have met someone on the island, but she was attracted to wealthy men in positions of power, so I thought it was less likely she’d meet the man of her dreams on Madrona Island.”

  “The man of her dreams? That sounds like you believed she was shopping around. Did she ever give you any indication that she wanted to leave you?”

  “Not at first. I’m afraid it was my need to isolate her that drove her away. She came to me just before she found out she was pregnant and told me she planned to leave me. I begged her to stay. I promised I would give her the freedom she longed for. She said she’d think about it, and while she was thinking she realized she was pregnant and agreed to stay for the baby’s sake.”

  “And yet it seems you tightened your control over Belle even more after she decided to stay.”

  He dropped his head. “I did. But for a different reason than you might assume. A few months before Charles was born I received some very specific threats from a man I had evicted from his home. I was afraid he might hurt Belle in order to get even with me, so I hired a couple of men to guard the front gate. I was afraid my enemies would get to me through my wife, so I refused to allow her to leave the property. She wasn’t at all happy about that. She suspected I was just the same jealous man I’d always been. She called me her jailer, but all I really wanted to do was protect her.”

  I leaned forward. “And after Charles was born?”

  “I became even more neurotic about protecting m
y wife and child. Looking back, I can see that I suffocated her. I didn’t allow her to leave the estate and I didn’t allow anyone to visit. Not even her family.”

  “So she arranged the christening without your consent,” I continued.

  “Yes. I went away on a business trip and was furious with her when I got home and realized what she had done. We fought.”

  I paused for a moment and gathered my thoughts. I didn’t want to sound judgmental, but I couldn’t help myself. “I understand you were trying to protect your wife from a danger I imagine was very real to you, but I’m sure from her perspective you seemed more interested in controlling her than protecting her. She probably realized that the only way to regain her freedom was to leave you once and for all. Of course she now had the baby to consider, and I think she knew you’d never allow her to take Charles with her.”

  An angry look came over his face. “Damn right I would never have allowed her to take my son from me.”

  “It seems you left her no choice,” I said as gently as I could.

  “What do you mean, no choice?”

  “In her mind, I suspect she felt the only way out of her loveless marriage and barren life was to kidnap her own son.”

  “What nonsense are you suggesting?”

  “Think about it,” I insisted. “She wanted to leave, but she knew you would never allow her to take Charles. She realized that the only way you’d let her go was if you believed she was leaving alone.”

  Pottage frowned. “How is it even possible that Belle kidnapped Charles? I kept my eye on the stairs the entire evening and the windows were covered with bars.”

  I grimaced. No wonder Belle wanted to leave. It sounded like she’d lived in a prison.

  “I believe Belle sent Charles down to the kitchen via the dumbwaiter. The nanny told me that your wife sent tea up to her through the dumbwaiter and that she fell asleep after she drank it. She must have been drugged. I believe that when Belle went upstairs to check on Charles the first time she sent him down the dumbwaiter to someone who was waiting below.”