On Christmas Day

by Rosie James

  Her mother’s words echoed Lexi’s own thoughts. Would Johnny become someone different one day? Would he stop wanting to be with her, like he always had? Or would he be brash and conceited? Full of himself, like Alfred? No. She couldn’t believe it! Nothing would change Johnny into someone like Alfred, even if they were made out of the same mould.

  Anyway, if they went to Bert’s Place on Sunday evening she was going to treat Johnny to two custard slices to make up for that nonsense in the kitchen with Alfred.

  Chapter Seven

  Upstairs in his study Reynard was glum. It was the beginning of June and now no one could ignore the fact that war with Germany was imminent. Everyone knew about the constant flow of trains taking soldiers to Southampton Docks for embarkation to France and Belgium. There was no question about it – although war had not yet actually been declared, preparations for the conflict were in full swing.

  Reynard leaned forward, his head in his hands. It seemed unthinkable that only a few weeks earlier, those same trains had been taking people away to the continent on holiday. How could this be happening?

  Then he stood up. If he had anything to say about it, Alfred would not be going on one of those troop trains. Or if he did, it would be over his father’s dead body! But Reynard allowed himself a little smile. He had hatched a plan – which might go some way in preventing Alfred’s hot-headed wish to enlist. In any case, the talk in London was that this war would be over by Christmas. So, for the moment, Reynard’s delaying tactics were all that were necessary.

  Downstairs in the kitchen, Anna glanced at the clock. Mr McCann was still in the study – which was unusual at this time of the morning – but perhaps he had too many things on his mind. He’d been in a bad mood for days, and she knew that he was worried sick about the prospect of war, and what it was going to mean for the country.

  Anna filled the coffee pot and put it on a tray together with a cup and saucer and a small bowl of sugar, but no milk. Her employer always drank his coffee black. He hadn’t requested a mid-morning break, but she was going to take the drink up anyway. Perhaps it would cheer him up for an hour or two. Coffee could do that if you drank it strong enough.

  Upstairs, she tapped on the study door and went in. Reynard was poring over some papers in front of him, and he didn’t look up as Anna put the tray down on the small table by his side.

  ‘Thank you, Anna.’

  She was about to leave when he turned to speak. ‘Plans for the summer holidays have changed, Anna,’ he said. ‘I’ve decided that Alfred, and Johnny – who of course will soon be a student at Salisbury – will, after all, be going on that field trip to Barra with the college. Which means that neither of them will be here again until the beginning of September.’

  Anna was almost speechless with disappointment. Her boys not being here during all those summer weeks?

  ‘At first, I had turned down the opportunity for them to go – it felt so remote, an island in the Outer Hebrides,’ Reynard went on, ‘but in view of the present situation I thought it might be wise for them to be out of harm’s way, at least for now … until things become clearer.’ Reynard stirred a spoonful of sugar into his cup. ‘I know how much you love having a full house during the holidays, Anna, but it can’t be helped I’m afraid … I’ll inform the college and the boys.’

  Anna left the room without saying a word. To say that she was disappointed was putting it mildly. She’d already anticipated the summer weeks of comings and goings and general jollity with everyone at home. She sighed, feeling cross. But at least Johnny was still home until the end of June, and she still saw Lexi on a regular basis, and Cecilia, too. They always made her feel so welcome in their little cottage and the younger children were a delight and full of life.

  Anna flung herself down in her chair and folded her arms. She wished she hadn’t taken the blessed coffee up to him now and she didn’t care whether it cheered him up or not. He certainly hadn’t cheered her up.

  Upstairs, Reynard traced the outline of the map with his forefinger again. Yes, Barra seemed the perfect spot – an island about as far away from England, and from the Continent with its impending disaster, as you could get. When the geography field trip had been announced earlier in the year he’d not taken to the idea with much enthusiasm, and neither had Alfred. But now Reynard had decided that both boys should go, after all – apparently the place had spectacular views and white sandy beaches so it would be a sort of holiday for them, if nothing else. And at least for those couple of months his older son would be safely away from any possibility of offering his services to the country.

  A few days later, Lexi reached up and took down the empty jar which held the boiled sweets, and took off the lid. There were lots and lots of tiny little bits which had broken off and stuck to the bottom of the jar, so it was time to give it a wash before refilling with the new stock which had just been delivered. In the tiny adjoining cubicle of the shop Lexi washed out the jar, then began wiping it thoroughly, over and over again. If it was the slightest bit damp, all the new sweets would stick together. Then there was the new stock to put away, a part of the business she loved because they ordered all sorts of new, exciting confectionery as well as the usual items and it was interesting to see the new packaging. She and Miss Lewis did the ordering together every week or so after the shop closed at 7 o’clock which meant that Lexi often worked overtime. But she never minded – it increased her wages – and Cecilia had come around to her daughter sometimes coming home later.

  Lexi went back into the shop and started filling the clean jar with boiled sweets from the container, using the little shovel they always used for the purpose. She smiled to herself. How Phoebe and Joe would love to help with this job!

  Just before 10 o’clock, Miss Lewis appeared, looking happy and refreshed. She put her arm around Lexi’s shoulders.

  ‘Ah, I can see what you’ve been doing, my dear,’ she said. ‘Now, how far have we got with the unpacking?’

  ‘It’s nearly all done, Miss Lewis,’ Lexi replied, ‘there are just those boxes of chocolate bars over there, that’s all.’

  Jean Lewis put on her apron and smiled at Lexi. ‘You are such a good worker, Lexi. I really don’t know what I would do without you!’ She paused. ‘Now, I think that when the travellers pay us a visit to show us any new things, you should decide which we might try. Do you think you would like to do that, Lexi?’

  Lexi’s eyes shone. ‘I would love to do that, Miss Lewis … if you think I could be trusted to make the right selections!’

  ‘Of course I do, that’s why I’ve suggested it, my dear’. Then – ‘There is very little you do not understand about how this business works, Lexi. I feel that I could take a whole month off and my little shop would be in safe hands.’

  The following Friday after they’d finished the rounds, Johnny took Lexi’s hand. He’d been putting off telling her the news.

  ‘Guess what my father has arranged for Alfred and me to be doing this summer,’ he said morosely. ‘Only that we’re going to be away for the whole of July and August and only home again for the first few days in September.’

  Lexi stopped walking. ‘Where are you going?’ she said, really surprised. Alfred and Johnny were always home during the holidays.

  ‘Oh, to some little place called Barra,’ Johnny said crossly. ‘It’s a field trip the college has arranged, and more or less at the last moment my father decided that we should go.’

  Lexi frowned. ‘Oh., it’s going to be so … boring … without you here all that time, Johnny,’ she said, ‘can’t you say that you don’t want to go?’

  Johnny shrugged. ‘I wasn’t given the chance to offer my opinion,’ he said, ‘but apparently it’s a wonderful opportunity not to be missed!’ He grinned suddenly, holding Lexi’s hand more tightly. ‘Never mind – we’d better make the most of the next few weeks, hadn’t we? But you can count on one thing,’ he added firmly. ‘I shall definitely be at Miss Lexi Martin’s first performan
ce in the Pump Room in September. And I can’t wait!’

  Lexi snuggled in to him. Thank goodness her friendship with Johnny was right back where it had always been. She’d hated it when he’d been upset.

  They made their way down to the café, a popular rendezvous spot where the good-natured owner, Mr Bakewell, was always pleased to have young company, especially if the evening was fine. When they arrived, there was quite a crowd sitting at the tables outside or lounging on the grass and Lexi and Johnny watched for a moment as the owner moved around to gather up the used plates and glasses, wiping the tables as he went.

  ‘Mr Bakewell is always on the go,’ Lexi murmured, glancing at Johnny, ‘and he told me the other day that he cycles to a farm on the Chippenham road for eggs and butter and milk every single morning. No wonder all his food is so lovely and fresh.’

  Bertram Bakewell was a huge, well-built man, his rugged features – weather-beaten after a life at sea – were dominated by a pair of searching, bright blue eyes. He had a full head of grey hair, and when he parted his lips to speak or smile, his discoloured teeth were testament to years of tobacco smoking.

  He came over and looked down at Lexi and Johnny who’d found a vacant table to sit at. He knew these two well. The clever little girl from the cottages who was happy to stay and help him when his arthritic fingers played up, and the McCann lad who was always very polite.

  After they’d given him their order of orange squash and shortbread, Lexi turned to Johnny. ‘On my way home, I’ve promised to call in at Grey Gables for some material Anna has bought which Mama is going to make into something else for Mr McCann.’ Lexi made a face – ‘I’m really pleased that my mother has actually found the time to make something new for me,’ she said, ‘because my performance dress is going to be really lovely, Johnny. The ivory-coloured material is shiny, and it will have a pretty neckline and the skirt will sort of twirl out around my knees when I turn around.’

  ‘It sounds terrific,’ Johnny said. ‘And you are going to be terrific, Lexi. I know you are. All eyes and ears will be on you when you stand up there on that platform!’ He paused. ‘Your mother has obviously come around to you performing?’

  ‘Well, I think so,’ Lexi said. ‘But … I just wish Dada was here.’

  Back at Grey Gables, Anna was in a reflective mood. She was dreading the summer holidays without the boys here – and then later on when they were both at college. And of course Lexi wouldn’t visit so much – why should she? She only came to be with Johnny. Anna’s eyes blurred for a second. Generally speaking, it was going to be just her and Mr McCann here from now on and it was going to be lonely. The house could be a dismal place at times, and as she thought about it a little shiver ran down her spine. Ever since she’d heard about the ghostly Grey Lady of Grey Gables Anna had found herself jumping at every unusual sound and constantly looking over her shoulder. Of course, she naturally kept quiet about this because Mr McCann poo-pooed the whole thing as utter nonsense, making her feel naïve and stupid. But she couldn’t help it. Despite all Mr McCann’s improvements this was a big, draughty house full of edges and corners and shadows. Perfect for an unhappy spook to wander …

  Anna gazed out of the window for a moment, lost in thought. That poor young girl, that Lady Betty, who’d fallen in love with her groom … they must have adored each other. But when the two were caught fleeing the house together, her enraged father had caught her and flung her down the front steps, breaking her neck. Imagine that – how terrible!

  Anna wiped her nose briefly. When two young people were so in love, how could fate have intervened in such a dreadful way? And why, too, had fate snatched her own lover away all that time ago? Why had she been forced to watch him slowly die of that hopeless disease?

  Just then, interrupting her reverie, the back door flew open and Johnny and Lexi arrived. Anna went over to the sideboard and picked up the brown paper parcel containing the material for Cecilia, just as the front entrance door slammed and everyone looked up. Reynard had arrived home.

  Without a word, Lexi grabbed the parcel from Anna and went over to the back door, prepared to make a quick exit.

  But then, she stopped, turning back. The inside door was thrust open and Reynard McCann appeared. Immaculately dressed as usual, he was a towering presence as he stared quickly around him. Anna was the first to speak.

  ‘I take it that your evening meal in town was adequate, Mr McCann,’ she said, and he nodded.

  ‘Perfectly adequate, thank you,’ he said. He turned to Johnny. ‘All the rents in?’ he enquired briefly. ‘No problems?’

  ‘Nope,’ Johnny said cheerfully. ‘Thanks to Lexi, we did it in double quick time, as usual.’

  Without another word, Reynard turned to go, and gathering up every bit of courage she possessed, Lexi said quickly –

  ‘Mr McCann … I wonder if you could spare me a few moments of your time?’ Her voice was low but clear, and he looked at her briefly.

  ‘What is it you have to say?’

  The cursory question almost threw Lexi, but she carried on firmly. ‘Well, I am hoping that – that when Johnny is not here to do it, you will allow me to take over the rent collecting for you instead. I know exactly what is required because I’ve been with Johnny lots of times.’

  Reynard stared down at her. ‘So I believe,’ he said dismissively.

  ‘Yes,’ Lexi went on, aware that her heart was racing. Although she hadn’t mentioned it to Johnny, she’d been wondering whether she had the nerve to confront the man she’d been afraid of since the first moment she’d set eyes on him. The man she hoped might now give her a job.

  ‘I know what you would expect of me,’ she went on breathlessly. ‘If any tenants refuse to answer the door I will return until I have collected all the money.’

  There was a moment’s silence, then – ‘I only ever employ men.’

  ‘Yes, I know, but you would have to pay a man much more than you would be paying me,’ Lexi replied, almost choking at her own daring as she went on. ‘And … and … I would be prepared to do it without pay for two weeks, until I’ve convinced you that I would be highly satisfactory.’

  The room had gone completely silent, Anna and Johnny looking at Lexi in admiration. They knew how she felt about Reynard McCann, she had barely uttered a word to him in all these years, yet here she was, talking as confidently as any grown- up.

  Reynard brows knitted, his feelings mixed. This local youngster was no stranger to him, being a particular friend of Johnny’s, and she was also the daughter of the woman who understood exactly how he liked his clothes made and altered, the woman who always seemed ready to please. Perhaps it would do him no good to send the child off with a flea in her ear.

  Before he could say anything, Johnny spoke up. ‘Lexi would be as good as anyone, Dad,’ he said, ‘and the tenants like her, like chatting to her.’

  Reynard swivelled his gaze to look at his son, his eyes softening. Johnny was the only one who called him ‘Dad’ like that. Alfred didn’t bother to call his father anything. Before Reynard could speak, Lexi spoke again.

  ‘You see, Mr McCann, I want to earn as much as I possibly can because I am saving up to buy us a house – a house like Grey Gables. And working for you on Friday evenings would suit me perfectly. And if you are out when I come back with the money it would be no problem because I know exactly where it is kept and locked away.’

  ‘Do you indeed,’ Reynard said laconically, and Johnny spoke up again.

  ‘Yes Dad – and I can tell you – Lexi counts quicker than me!’

  For some reason he couldn’t explain, this unexpected information didn’t upset Reynard. Shouldn’t he be angry that Johnny had taken someone else to the study, someone else to handle his money? To know where it was all kept? But … it did not matter because there had never been any discrepancy in the accounts which Reynard regularly checked himself, and his study was always left exactly as he liked it, with nothing out of place. Anyway, his younger
son could be relied upon at all times.

  Reynard bit his lip thoughtfully. Although he’d be paying this child much less than he would a mature rent collector, he was going to make her wait for his answer.

  ‘I will think very carefully about this, Miss…. Miss Martin,’ he began, and she interrupted –

  ‘Oh please call me Lexi! Everyone calls me Lexi, Mr McCann.’

  ‘Yes, well Lexi …’ he said, rather grudgingly. ‘You are very young, you may be inconsistent, unreliable. What if you are ill? Girls … women … get ill from time to time, I believe.’

  At that, Anna nearly scalded herself as she poured boiling water into her teapot. She had not been ill one single day since she’d worked for the man! For two pins she’d join the suffragettes!

  ‘Oh, but I’m never ill!’ Lexi exclaimed. ‘You ask my mother – she’ll tell you!’

  ‘Well – I will give this some thought,’ Reynard said, ‘some serious thought.’

  Lexi squared her shoulders and looked up into Reynard’s eyes. ‘Of course, I would be happy to provide you with a reference,’ she said. ‘I work for another business in the town and I know they would vouch for my ability and honesty.’ What had Miss Lewis said? Believe in yourself and others will believe in you.

  Reynard heaved a long sigh. It had been an arduous day – made worse by the fact that he still could not get his hands on that parcel of land he’d been lusting after for so long. What were the owners thinking about! Land lying fallow like that was money going straight down the drain!

  Now he looked at Lexi. ‘I will give you my decision tomorrow,’ he said briefly.