Christmas at Wynter House

by Emily Harvale

  'Now, now,' Dawn said. 'Tempest's not going anywhere, Sasha as long as you take good care of her from now on.'

  Neva looked Rowan in the eye. 'I didn't know you got her from a rescue place. The puppy, I mean. Not Sasha.' She nudged Rowan's arm and grinned.

  Rowan grinned back and rolled her eyes. It was a habit of hers. 'I think that may have been our second mistake. They told us she'd been rehomed twice already and she's only eight months old. We should've asked for more details.'

  Neva nodded. 'What was the first mistake?'

  'Telling Sasha she could have a dog and pick any one she wanted as long as it was from an animal shelter.'

  Neva laughed. 'I'm surprised they let you take Tempest. They've usually got all sorts of rules and requirements, especially where dogs like her are concerned.'

  Nigel coughed. 'That was my fault. I'd had dogs all my life until Rowan and I got married. And I've known the manager of the local animal shelter all my life too, so she knew I'd know how to handle Tempest because I've had a Rottweiler, a German Shepherd and a Labrador.' He shook his head as if he had no idea what to do. 'But this little puppy is in a league of her own.'

  'That's what he used to say about you, sis.' Neva laughed and nudged Rowan's arm again.

  Rowan tutted. 'Oh, ha-ha. The thing is, she won't stop growing until she's at least eighteen months old. Possibly two years. I swear she's got twice as big in the two weeks since we first saw her and when we collected her two days ago.'

  Neva leant closer and whispered, 'You wouldn't really take her back, would you?'

  Rowan lowered her voice too. 'Don't be daft. You know us better than that. A dog's for life, not just for Christmas. It makes me so angry that she's already been returned twice. Besides, apart from the fact that Sasha would probably kill us, we've both fallen for her, as annoying as that is, and as troublesome as she may prove to be. Which I have a feeling, is very troublesome indeed.'

  'I think I've fallen for her myself.'

  'I just pray Mum and Dad have got plenty of this in stock.' Rowan clinked glasses with Neva again.

  'Cheers to that,' Neva said.

  'What are you two whispering about?' Dennis smiled at Neva and Rowan as he sat in the armchair opposite his wife.

  'Nothing, Dad.' Rowan winked at him and grinned.

  Neva grinned too. 'You were going to tell us what our temporary neighbours said about Adam's obnoxious brother.' She couldn't even say his name. It would make her cross again.

  Nigel squeezed onto the sofa beside his wife. 'He was a bit of a grouch, wasn't he? But then he had risked his life to save our dog and I don't suppose that was easy. Those claws are sharp and I noticed blood and at least one scratch on his neck. Plus that water must've been freezing. He's a braver man than me. I hate to say it, but I'm not sure I would've dived into a raging river to save a stranger's dog, even with a safety line.'

  'I didn't see any blood, or scratches.' Neva was a little shocked. Perhaps she hadn't given the man enough credit for what he did, and maybe she should've simply taken his reprimand and not answered back.

  'I saw him wipe it with a handkerchief his friend handed him.'

  Dennis nodded. 'He may have been a trifle brusque, but he was certainly brave. And did you see him stroke Tempest as they both lay on the ground? That almost brought a tear to my eye.'

  'And to mine.' Neva twirled the Baileys in her glass. 'Perhaps I was a bit rude to him.'

  'I'm sure he'll get over it,' Rowan said. 'Tell us what these neighbours told you then, Dad.'

  'Oh yes. It's all rather odd. Especially now I've met Rafe. And it must have been Rafe because Adam told us he only had one brother, who was a few years older and whose name was Rafe. They look so alike they could almost be twins.'

  'They don't look as alike as that,' Neva said. 'Adam's gorgeous and really friendly. His brother ... isn't.' She wasn't quite sure what Rafe Wynter was.

  'Well. We must never judge a book by its cover, as your mother always says.' He winked at Dawn.

  'I don't know.' Dawn shook her head. 'He did look somewhat murderous when he marched past Rowan and me on the footpath. But he also stepped onto the grass so that we could remain on the path, so I'm not sure.' She shrugged and sipped her sherry.

  'Murderous?' Neva shot a look at Rowan and twitched her eyebrows up and down. 'That sounds intriguing.'

  Rowan rolled her eyes and sighed. 'Mum thinks her postman's a serial killer, so take it with a pinch of salt.'

  'I do not. I simply said the man has the look of one, not that he was.'

  'He's a zombie,' Sasha said. 'But next time we come to stay, Granny, Tempest will bite his leg off.'

  'Thank you, my little angel. That's delightful.'

  Nigel sighed loudly. 'Will you let Dennis tell us what the neighbours said or are we all going to talk nonsense all afternoon?'

  'Ooo-ooh.' Neva and Rowan both stuck out their tongues and laughed.

  Nigel tutted. 'And you wonder why Sasha behaves the way she does.' But he was grinning as he planted a kiss on Rowan's forehead.

  'Yes. Well.' Dennis cleared his throat. 'I'd parked our car in the pub car park. Oh, that reminds me. That's where I've parked yours, in case you wonder where it is.' He nodded at Nigel.

  'When?'

  'When we came back from our adventure at the river.'

  'I would've done that.'

  'Oh shut up Nigel and let Dad get on with his story.' Again, Rowan did her eye-roll.

  Dennis took a glug of brandy. 'I was strolling back here. It wasn't raining when we arrived, remember. And I was just passing the door of the red cottage when it flew open and these two rather jauntily dressed men stood in the doorway and waved at me. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first so I simply smiled and nodded but they introduced themselves as Cecil and Ronnie, fairly recent residents of the village, and asked how long we were staying and whether it was just the two of us or if we were expecting company.'

  'The nerve of them,' Rowan said. 'I would've told them to mind their own business.'

  'I'm sure you would, sweetheart. And I did, in a roundabout way. I said that we were having a quiet family Christmas and we liked to keep ourselves to ourselves.'

  'Good for you.'

  'Not really. I'd usually be more than happy to chat, but there was something about the way they accosted me and the way they were looking at me that gave me pause.'

  'Perhaps they're vampires, Gramps.'

  'I have a feeling they are. But not in the way you mean, Sasha. There are people who suck the joy out of you, and after just a few minutes in their company, I felt exceedingly deflated. I had to have several cuppas and two of Granny's mince pies before I got my cheery, Christmas spirit back.'

  'I must put Cecil and Ronnie on my Christmas card list,' Rowan said, doing her usual thing with her eyes.

  'But what did they say about Adam's brother?' Neva was growing a little impatient. Not that it really mattered to her. She was merely curious.

  'They asked if I'd met any of the Wynters and I said that Adam had shown us around when we arrived. “He's a delight,” they said. “Unlike that brother of his”. I told them I hadn't met the brother and wished them a good morning, but Cecil, I think it was, grabbed my sleeve and told me there was something I should know. Before I had a chance to stop him, he'd told me that Rafe Wynter killed his wife and stole her fortune. Or the other way around. I don't recall.'

  'What?' Neva almost spilt her drink. Fortunately, the glass was nearly empty.

  Rowan let out a long, slow whistle. Nigel simply frowned. Dawn shook her head, and Sasha sat bolt upright.

  'Is she a ghost, Gramps? Does she haunt that big house? I bet she makes his life a misery. Mr Jessop's wife does that. But she's still alive. He's our next-door neighbour.'

  Rowan tutted. 'Sasha. I told you not to repeat that. Honestly. You have to be so careful what you say in front of her. She blabs it out at the most inconvenient moment.'

  'That can't be true. Can it?
About him killing his wife, I mean.' Neva looked from Dennis to Dawn to Rowan and Nigel. 'I know the man was rude but if he actually killed someone surely he'd be in prison?'

  Sasha jumped to her feet. 'Unless he was clever. Perhaps he hid the body. Or pushed her in that river. Maybe she was swept out to sea.'

  Dawn reached out and pulled Sasha onto her lap. 'I think that's quite enough about bodies, angel. Why don't you and I go and make a gingerbread house?'

  'Oh Granny. I like bodies. Especially dead ones. But ... a real gingerbread house? Like the one we made last Christmas?' She fiddled with the buttons on Dawn's cardigan.

  'Better. Because this year we'll make it bigger.' Dawn stretched out her arms either side and then swept Sasha into a big hug and Sasha giggled and wriggled until she slid to the floor. 'But we need to start it right away because it'll soon be time for dinner and we'll have to clear the table for that. So we've only got an hour.'

  Sasha stood up and took Dawn's hand. 'Come on then, Granny. Can Tempest come too?'

  Tempest raised her head an inch or two, yawned, licked her lips and closed her eyes once more.

  'I think Tempest is better off where she is. She's had enough excitement for one day. She's only a puppy and she needs her sleep.'

  'OK.' Sasha let go of Dawn's hand, kissed Tempest on the head and gave her a hug and a stroke before skipping off towards the kitchen.

  'I'll come and help in a minute,' Rowan said. 'But I want to hear what else the horrid neighbours had to say.'

  Dennis took another gulp of brandy. 'I don't believe it for one minute. And yes, Neva. If he killed his wife he'd be in prison. But they did say it was about fifteen or more years ago, so if there was any truth in it, which I doubt, he could have served his time and been out for good behaviour these days. Prison sentences are ludicrous, but I won't get on my high horse about that right now.'

  'Fifteen years ago?' Neva twiddled her fingers as she mentally calculated his age. 'But that would've made him in his early twenties, wouldn't it? I have no idea how old he is but I don't think he can be older than forty, do you?'

  'He's thirty-nine, according to Cecil and Ronnie. Which would make him around twenty-four or a bit younger when she died. Oh. And they also said he's into something shady with Sean Small, the owner of the pub.'

  'What? Because killing your wife isn't shady?' Another eye-roll from Rowan.

  Dennis shook his head. 'I'm afraid by then, I'd had enough. I said that it was very kind of them to feel they needed to fill me in on the life history of a man I don't know and am never likely to. But that I don't hold with talking about people behind their backs so if they'd excuse me, I'd get back to my wife. Then I wished them a merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year and walked away. I could almost hear the steam rising from them as they fumed at my lack of interest in their gossip.'

  'They won't be popping round for mince pies and a sherry then?' Nigel asked, grinning.

  'Not if I can help it.'

  'What I find amazing,' Neva said, 'is that he's supposed to have killed his wife, and not the other way around. If I was married to a man like that, I'd be tempted to kill him. Not that I'd marry a man like him in the first place. Dark, mean and moody is not a look that's ever appealed to me. Now his brother. Well, that's a different kettle of fish.'

  'Don't tell me you've got the hots for that man's brother?' Rowan grinned at her.

  'Yep. And if you'd seen him this morning, you'd have the hots for him too.'

  Nigel threw Rowan an odd look. 'Then I'd better keep a close eye on my wife if the brother comes to call.'

  'I don't expect he'll call on us,' Dennis said. 'There's no reason why he would. Unless he does want to make a claim on Neva's insurance.'

  'What's this?' Rowan sat upright and darted looks at Neva and Dennis.

  'Um. Adam and I were involved in a little accident which was entirely my fault. Although he thinks it was due to the weather. I'll tell you about it later.'

  'Is your new paintwork damaged? Is the car OK?'

  Neva nodded. 'Just a tiny dent over the wheel arch, and Adam said it will come out with a bit of hammering.'

  'I'll take a look tomorrow,' Nigel said. 'I've knocked out several dents we've had in our cars, courtesy of your sister.'

  'That's true,' Rowan said. 'I'd like to say it's not, but it is.'

  'Thanks, Nigel.' Neva smiled gratefully. 'Well. I think we can safely say that the Grey slash Lane family has already made quite an impression on the folks of Wyntersleap, and we have yet to be here for a day. I've involved one of the Wynters in a car crash, you and your dog have nearly drowned another, and Dad's insulted two residents of the village in which we've got to spend the next two weeks. That's a pretty good start even for us.'

  'Yep.' Rowan raised her glass. 'Oh. I need a refill. But here's to us. Another typical Grey slash Lane family Christmas.'

  'To us,' Nigel said.

  'And to the Wynters and the residents of the village,' Dennis added.

  Chapter Five

  Neva loved a good gossip, but the things Cecil and Ronnie had said about Rafe Wynter disturbed her and even when she and Rowan joined Dawn and Sasha in the kitchen to help make the gingerbread house, Neva couldn't shake the feeling of unease.

  Of course it wasn't true. It couldn't be. According to the website, the Wynters had been renting out their cottages in the village of Wyntersleap for almost nineteen consecutive years. They would hardly do that if there had been a murder trial followed by the eldest son being thrown in prison, would they?

  But that made Neva think. Who, exactly, lived at Wynter House? The website made no mention of the individual family members. It simply referred to 'the Wynters' or 'the Wynter family' and stated that, in addition to be able to pay to visit the 'open' gardens, which implied some of the gardens were closed, it was possible to take a guided tour of the main rooms in the central section of the house. That meant the rest of the house was out of bounds, and as the central section was the smallest part, you didn't get to see much for the princely sum they charged.

  In addition to visiting the house and gardens, four cottages could be rented in the village. Wyntersleap only comprised of ten cottages, one small shop and an equally small pub, which meant that only six cottages, and the pub were lived in on a permanent basis. Whoever ran the shop probably lived in one. Or not. So far the only people Neva or her family had seen were Adam and Rafe Wynter, the man with Rafe at the river, whoever he was, and Cecil and Ronnie. Where were the other residents? Or was Neva now seeing mysteries where there were none?

  'What're we having for dinner?' Rowan asked, once the gingerbread house was in the oven.

  Dawn shrugged. 'I was going to make a chilli, but what with all the commotion, I forgot to braise the mince or put it in the slow cooker. We could have a pasta dish instead.'

  'Or we could go to the pub,' Neva suggested. 'They serve food. After the day we've had it might be nice to let someone else cook and clean up.'

  'But aren't we going to decorate the tree tonight?' Sasha asked.

  'We'll do that in the morning when we're all rested,' Dawn said.

  'We'd have to take Tempest and I'm not sure that's wise after today.' Rowan frowned and got up from her chair. 'Merriment Bay is only five miles away. I wonder if there's a takeout restaurant or one that might deliver? Were there any cards or leaflets, Mum? The ones you usually find in rental properties telling you all the local amenities and such.'

  Dawn nodded. 'They're by the front door on that shelf near the coat rack, but I had a quick look earlier and I don't recall seeing any food delivery menus. It's fine. I'll throw something together.'

  Neva got up, opened the fridge door and peered inside. 'There's plenty of cheese and cold meats. And you've made lots of bread. We could have a cold supper instead. And we've got crisps and stuff. That wouldn't be so bad on our first night.'

  'We could make cheese and ham toasties.' There was an excited smile on Sasha's face. 'I love those.'

&nb
sp; 'So does Mummy.' Neva winked at Rowan. 'And Gramps.'

  Dawn got up, tapping the table with her hands. 'That's it then. Cheese and ham toasties all round.'

  Nigel sauntered into the kitchen. 'Did someone mention toasties. I could murder one of those. I'd be even happier with two.' He wrapped his arms around Rowan and kissed her on her cheek.

  'Eew. Get a room,' Sasha said.

  Nigel frowned before grinning at his daughter. 'Guess what we're giving you for Christmas, Neva? Our eight-year-old child!'

  'I'd live with Neva. As long as Tempest could come too.' Sasha stuck out her chin and swung her blonde curls back and forth over her shoulder.

  'That child's going on forty,' Neva said. 'Which reminds me. Why did Rafe Wynter assume she was mine?'

  Rowan laughed. 'Did he? Maybe because you were the one with her.'

  'But I could've been her big sister. Or her aunt, which I am. Or even some crazy woman who chases children. Why did he assume I was a mum?'

  'Because you look worn out, frazzled to distraction, and were screaming at her at the top of your lungs, perhaps.'

  Neva laughed. 'Thanks. So I look fat and haggard. I know who to turn to when I need a confidence boost.'

  'You don't look fat. Just a little bigger than the last time I saw you, that's all. But you'll always look beautiful to me, sis.'

  Neva pulled a face. 'And that's another thing. I was screaming, you're right. But not one of the villagers came out to see what the commotion was about, did they?'

  'Ah,' Rowan said. 'But these walls are thick. If they've got their TVs or music playing, they might not have heard it. We didn't. It was only when I came back into the hall and saw the door was still open but no one was near the car, that I realised something was wrong. When I stuck my head outside, I saw Dad and Nigel disappear around the end cottage.'

  'And that's when we came after you,' Dawn added, taking the large slab of cheddar cheese from Neva, together with a paper bag filled with thick slices of their favourite ham and handing both to Rowan who had sat back down, with a chopping board in front of her on the table.