Escape for Christmas

Chapter Twenty-Four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sophie woke with a crick in her neck the next morning, a cat kneading her stomach and total disorientation. Why was she in her tracksuit on her sofa under a spare duvet? Why was it already light? She should have been up in the darkness, preparing breakfast … now it was almost 9 a.m.!

Belle licked her toes, which were poking out of the duvet. Slowly the events of last night came back to her, along with snatches of children’s voices from the hallway.

Miaow!

‘OK, OK, I know you want your breakfast too.’

To say she hadn’t had the greatest night’s sleep on the sofa was an understatement. Although Agatha and the Hartley-Brewers had kindly helped to clear up her bedroom, she’d need to give it a deep clean before she felt comfortable being back in there. Memories of what she’d seen in her bed kept coming back to Sophie and making her shudder, even though the outcome had been joyful.

She got up, fed the cats and showered hastily in water that was barely tepid. The other guests would be enduring similar privations and she suspected they might all have left if they hadn’t been cut off by the snow. She certainly wouldn’t have blamed them, after the disaster their stay was turning out to be – a world away from what they’d signed up for.

At least the weather had decided to behave for Christmas morning. Winter sunlight, made dazzling by the snow, shone into the dining room as everyone enjoyed a makeshift breakfast. The boundaries between guests and landlady had long gone, with everyone lending a hand and making the best of things. Nico had brewed up coffee on the camping stove, while Una put the croissants in the oven, which was still slightly warm. Agatha and the Hartley-Brewers had laid the tables in the dining room.

A horrified Jingle and Belle had vanished into the snow to get away from the invaders, but soon returned to dry their soggy fur against the warm oven.

The children had changed into clean clothes in Sophie’s flat, and Pete had called Anna. The children’s delighted reactions as they spoke to their mum and heard their new little sister yelling in the background told Sophie everything she needed to know.

‘She’s doing fine. As is the baby,’ Pete announced. ‘I feel so bad about not being with her, but we’ll just have to be patient.’

Sophie had had to lend Amber some wellies and they were two sizes too big, but she seemed excited about their adventure. ‘It’s very kind of your neighbour to host us all,’ she said gratefully.

Agatha took Suzanne’s arm. ‘You’ll be much cosier at Brody’s place, my dear. He isn’t exactly a stranger now, is he? He’s a rather marvellous chap. If you could have seen what he had to do last night, you’d think so too. Imagine taking on responsibility for a mother and her newborn …’

Suzanne pursed her lips, then gave a brief smile. ‘You’re right. Especially after everything he did last night,’ she agreed, and Sophie was glad that there had been no more public arguments between the half-sisters – so far.

‘It’ll be much warmer at this farmhouse too,’ Agatha added, winding a woolly scarf around her neck.

‘That’s true. There’s heating, and Brody makes a wonderful fire. I promise you the farmhouse is a far better proposition than Sunnyside today,’ Sophie declared. ‘Shall we go?’ she added cheerily, rounding everyone up.

Suzanne nodded and pulled a beanie hat over her ears, but made no further comment.

Shortly afterwards, Sophie led her motley crew of escapees across the field towards the farmhouse, with each guest carrying food and drink as a contribution to the day’s feasting. The sun was out, showing the landscape cosseted in a duvet of white, from the tops of the high fells down to the lake shore. Water was already dripping from the trees and hedgerows, although the thaw brought by heavy rain wouldn’t arrive until the early hours of Boxing Day.

Nico walked beside her. ‘I don’t think I’d let strangers invade my home on Christmas Day,’ he said. ‘And after being up half the night, delivering a baby, too. Is Brody some kind of saint?’

‘Hardly,’ Sophie muttered. ‘I think he just wants to help.’

The kids were chattering away, the little one in Pete’s arms and the older one kicking up snow and throwing snowballs. ‘Can we make a snowman?’ Baxter asked his dad excitedly, forging ahead into drifts that came up to his waist. Luckily he was in a waterproof onesie.

‘We can, later,’ Pete promised, with a smile that was becoming frazzled.

By contrast, Agatha was remarkably chipper after her night of partying and playing midwife. ‘Gosh, have I woken up and found myself in the Swiss Alps?’ she declared, stopping to take in the panorama of snowy peaks and glittering lake. ‘Now if only those church bells were cow bells.’

Everyone laughed and Sophie was glad to see them all in good spirits. The Hartley-Brewers and Amber whipped out their phones to take pictures of the stunning scene.

‘Is that it?’ Amber said, pointing to Felltop Farm. ‘It looks very old.’

‘It’s well over two hundred years old,’ Sophie said. ‘And apparently there are parts that date back a lot further.’

With its snow-covered roof and whitewashed walls, the farmhouse seemed to grow out of the landscape. The squat chimneys had smoke spiralling out of them, and Sophie imagined the fire blazing inside the snug. Apart from her brief emergency visit last night, the last time she’d been in the house she’d been so full of hopes – only to have them overturned.

‘Are you OK, my dear?’ Agatha was by her side. ‘Only you seem a little distracted.’

‘Do I?’ Sophie smiled, determined to be lively and cheerful, for her guests’ sake. ‘I think it’s sleep deprivation, and I’m sure everyone is tired after last night. Worth it, though.’

‘I know what you mean, although once I did turn in, I went out like a light. Do you know, last night was the first time I felt I truly had a purpose since I lost my dear Ron.’

Sophie squeezed Agatha’s arm. ‘You were fantastic. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.’

‘Thank you for saying that. It’s surprising how everything came back to me. I suppose you never forget a lifetime of caring for people …’

‘I’m sure you don’t,’ Sophie replied kindly, realising how very much Agatha must miss the two pillars of her life: her husband and her career.

Trudging through the fresh snow was hard going, but they were soon almost at the farm.

‘This is gorgeous,’ Amber enthused as they neared the house. There was a covered balcony along the upper floor, accessed by a set of stone steps.

Even Suzanne stopped to look at the house with admiration. ‘It definitely looks seventeenth century to me,’ she said.

‘The balcony was a spinning gallery, where the women used to spin wool outside in the old days,’ Sophie said, remembering what Brody had told her. ‘There are still a few left on farmhouses in the Lake District.’

‘Have we woken up in a costume drama?’ Una asked, holding hands with Hugo.

‘Last night was surreal, that’s for sure,’ Sophie replied, thinking that spending Christmas Day with Brody and his fiancée was going to be very strange, but she’d put on a brave face in front of the guests.

‘Morning. Happy Christmas!’

Brody opened the door, wearing a reindeer sweater and a Santa hat. Harold dashed out, barking excitedly, before running back inside and skidding on the hall flagstones.

The scent of wood-smoke mingled with what Sophie recognised as mulled-wine spices and baking. She steeled herself to face not only Tegan, but the typical Christmas celebrations she’d been trying to avoid.

Pete Nowak was the first to respond with a ‘Happy Christmas!’ and shake Brody’s hand.

The hall was soon filled with barking and greetings.

Amber looked around her in awe at the carved panels, flagged floors and oak staircase.

‘It reminds me of a National Trust house we used to visit,’ Suzanne remarked. ‘An old farmhouse, hundreds of years old, that hadn’t been altered for centuries. My dad used to go on about how beautiful it was …’

Sophie noticed Amber watching her half-sibling closely. Had the farmhouse triggered memories for her too? If it had, Amber didn’t say anything.

‘I’m afraid Felltop has had many alterations,’ Brody said. ‘There’s Wi-Fi, by the way, as I’m sure some of you are desperate for it. You can charge your phones too.’

Harold ran up to Sophie, greeting her like an old friend, which involved hand-licks and rolling over to have his tummy rubbed. Brody avoided her eye. Sophie wondered how Tegan had reacted to his invitation and if he was already regretting the offer, in the cold light of day.

‘I hope everyone is OK with dogs,’ Brody said to the escapees. ‘This is Harold, who’s a big softy.’

‘He really is,’ Sophie agreed, as Harold turned his attention to the Hartley-Brewers.

‘Oh!’ Una cried, being greeted by Harold thumping his tail against her legs and jumping up at Hugo.

‘Harold! Leave people alone!’ A fresh voice with a transatlantic twang heralded the arrival of Tegan from the kitchen. Dressed in a sparkly jumper and a silver leather skirt, she reminded Sophie of a hip snow-queen. The children were wide-eyed.

‘It’s Elsa!’ the little one said, pointing at Tegan, who smiled.

‘Look at that tree, Daddy!’

‘I’m so-o-o sorry,’ Tegan trilled. ‘Brody, can you please shut Harold up somewhere!’

‘Don’t worry, we love dogs,’ Hugo said. ‘Ours passed away in the autumn.’

‘So it’s seemed very quiet at home, with the kids away and no dog,’ Una added, stroking Harold’s back.

‘I bet,’ Brody sympathised. ‘But Harold is very over-excited,’ he said, grabbing his collar. ‘I think you should settle down, boy. Why don’t you go into the kitchen and have a treat?’

Harold seemed in two minds about this, enjoying all the new people fussing over him, but Brody kept hold of him firmly.

A beaming Tegan spoke. ‘Now, shall I take your coats and you can all warm up in the snug?’

‘Can I plug my phone in first?’ Pete asked. ‘Mine’s about to give up the ghost!’

A chorus of ‘Mine too’ followed.

‘Of course,’ Tegan replied, beaming. ‘There are plenty of sockets. It’s such a huge place! Far too big for the two of us, isn’t it, Brody?’ She linked arms with him.

‘It used to be my parents’ house,’ Brody explained, before moving away towards the hall coat-rack. ‘Please everyone, make yourself at home.’

Sophie made a meal of searching her bag for her phone charger. It was excruciating watching Tegan play lady of the manor with Brody. Any ‘bonding’ between her and Brody during the crisis of the previous evening had completely evaporated now. They’d only been at Felltop five minutes and she wasn’t sure she was going to last the day.

While Brody found charging spots for the phones, Tegan helped Sophie unwrap the food that the guests had carried over. She’d donned an apron over her sparkly outfit and was almost overflowing with bonhomie. Sophie told herself to be grateful. Without her neighbours, Christmas Day would have been miserable and cold.

The two of them unloaded cheeses, salamis and salads into Brody’s fridge, which was already pretty full.

‘I’m sorry that our contribution is such a mixture,’ Sophie said. ‘We were having paella, but the fridges have gone off. The house is freezing, but I didn’t want to risk the chicken and seafood now, just in case. The last thing I want – on top of everything else – is to give people food poisoning.’

‘ Paella? ’ Tegan’s eyebrows shot up, before she arranged her face into a sympathetic smile. ‘Oh yes, Brody did mention you were all having an anti-Christmas break.’

‘I’m not against Christmas …’ Sophie began. ‘We were planning an alternative celebration where people could escape the traditional festivities, if they wanted to. And,’ she added as lightly as she could, ‘that’s certainly how it’s turned out, though not quite in the way I’d expected.’

‘No, what a night, eh? Brody’s been downplaying the whole thing, but it sounds like he was quite the hero. I genuinely think he saved Anna and her baby.’

‘Well … I wouldn’t quite go that far,’ Sophie said, guessing Brody would be mortified to hear such praise. ‘But we’re all very glad he was on hand to help.’

‘He doesn’t like the limelight,’ Tegan went on, closing the fridge door. ‘He’s a quiet man, the strong and silent type. You have to know him very well indeed to see the real Brody.’ With a smile, she handed Sophie a platter of cheese straws. ‘Would you mind taking these nibbles through to the snug? I thought we’d lay everything out in there, so people can help themselves.’ She frowned. ‘I wonder where Brody’s got to?’

Probably escaped the awkward atmosphere, Sophie thought, taking through the nibbles as requested, eager to get some breathing space from Tegan.

So many conflicted thoughts swirled around her head. She couldn’t warm to Tegan – and she was trying to – who was clearly besotted with Brody, which made it even sadder that she’d no idea there was another side to the man she was hero-worshipping.

On a more trivial note, Sophie also wasn’t enjoying her relegation from host to guest. She had to keep reminding herself how grateful she was that her neighbours had invited them all to share their home. Gritting her teeth, she handed around the snacks, before returning to the kitchen for more nibbles.

Tegan had already prepared a platter of olives and some of the leftover tapas from the previous evening.

‘Thanks. I think everyone’s enjoying themselves. I won’t put the Christmas mix-tape on,’ Tegan said when they were out of the guests’ hearing again. ‘I don’t want to offend anyone, though it’s a shame for the kids.’

‘Please put on any music you like,’ Sophie said, not wanting to make a fuss or be the target of any more pointed comments. ‘As long as it’s not Ed Sheeran, of course.’

Tegan’s eyes widened in horror. ‘Ed? Why not? I love him!’

‘I was joking,’ Sophie said, now feeling awkward that her attempt to lighten the mood had backfired. ‘He’s – er – great. Honestly. Please. This is your home. Brody’s home, I mean. Your home and Brody’s.’ Realising that she was digging a deeper and deeper hole, she grabbed the platter. ‘I’ll take these through!’

Tegan followed her with more plates, and then regaled the company with the history of Felltop Farm.

With everyone distracted, Sophie tugged on her boots and coat and trudged into the stable yard for some fresh air. The sky was blue and she was sorely tempted to take off onto the fells and not come back until dark. They hadn’t even had lunch yet … and there was still the afternoon and evening to get through.

It was very cold in the yard but, with the sun shining, there were also tentative indications of a thaw. Snow dripped off the guttering around the outbuildings, and parts of the courtyard were slushy now. However, there were other signs that stopped her in her tracks.

Was that …? Could that be a trail of hoof-prints leading from the fields to the stable? Just as she was wondering, Brody, Pete and the children walked round the corner from the front of the house.

‘Oh, look at those mysterious marks in the snow!’ Pete said, coming to a dramatic halt a few yards away from the kitchen door. ‘They look like animal prints to me.’

He led the little one, Maria, by the hand. Baxter ran up to the prints, crouched down and began examining them.

He looked up at his father. ‘Is it a donkey, Daddy?’

‘Hmm, I’m not sure. Shall we ask Brody?’

Sophie smiled, as it began to dawn on her what had happened.

Brody arrived and crouched down next to the prints. Scratching his chin, he let out a loud ‘Hmm’, then dug his finger into the centre of the print and sighed again.

‘What is it?’ Baxter asked impatiently.

‘A tiger!’ Maria said and held up her hands to be carried again.

Pete scooped her up in his arms. ‘I don’t think it’s a tiger. Tigers have big paws.’

‘I should hope not,’ Brody said and straightened up. ‘In my professional opinion, it looks very much like a reindeer.’

Sophie longed to capture the expression on Baxter’s face. His little mouth opened and his eyes widened in awe.

‘A reindeer?’ he murmured.

‘I think it must be,’ Brody said. ‘What do you reckon, Pete?’

‘Looks like it to me too, and if Brody says it is, then it is.’

‘A Rudolph reindeer?’ Baxter said hopefully.

‘Maybe.’

Pete nodded sagely. ‘The tracks lead to the stable. Shall we go and see what we can find?’

‘What if he’s still in there?’ Baxter said, moving closer to his father.

‘I think it will be perfectly safe,’ Brody promised. ‘But we won’t know until we go inside.’

He caught Sophie’s eye. She smiled briefly.

Brody scratched his chin. ‘You know, I thought I heard hooves on the roof last night, but decided I was dreaming … Let’s go and see. Sophie, would you like to come with us?’

This was a direct invitation that Sophie couldn’t refuse. She’d no idea what surprise Brody might have left in the stable, but there was no way she was going to miss the children’s reactions to whatever he’d planned.

‘Do you want to open the door?’ Brody asked Baxter. ‘We must be very quiet. We don’t want to scare any creature who might be in there.’

‘Go on,’ Pete urged, still holding Maria.

After a moment’s hesitation, Baxter pushed at the door. The others followed, with Sophie at the rear. The stable was warm with the scent of hay and animals.

Baxter let out a squeal, then shushed himself.

There were no reindeer, but Gabe was in his stall, and the two sheep were in their pen. On the floor were two small baskets, one filled with carrots and parsnips and the other with hay. The donkey snuffled when he saw the visitors.

‘A donkey!’ Baxter cried and then, ‘Where’s Rudolph?’ He looked a little crestfallen.

‘And sheep. Baa!’ Maria started making sheep noises.

‘I think Rudolph must have been and gone,’ Sophie said, playing along. ‘He seems to have left some presents, though.’

‘Dog!’ Maria shouted.

Two fluffy dog toys with red ribbons sat on the hay bales. They had tags around their necks with names on.

Brody walked over to them. ‘I wonder who these are for?’ He checked the labels. ‘This one says “Maria”, so it must be for you.’

Pete lowered Maria to her feet and she grabbed her toy, hugging it against her.

‘What do you think about that?’ Pete said. ‘Rudolph must have left gifts for you and the animals.’

Baxter picked his dog up. ‘Santa did know I was here …’ he said in wonder.

The amazement in the little boy’s eyes made Sophie’s eyes fill with tears. Brody gave a cough.

‘Of course he did,’ Brody said. ‘Now, shall we – er – give the animals their presents? Sophie, can you help us?’

‘I’d love to,’ Sophie replied, picking up the baskets with a mixture of bittersweet feelings at her remembrance of the last time she’d been in the stable with Brody.

While they helped the children feed the animals, Brody had another surprise to share.

‘I’ve got some news. I had a word with a local farmer, and he says he can meet you on the other side of the fallen tree and transport you in his tractor to your mother-in-law’s in the next village, if you want.’

‘So you and the kids can have Christmas lunch with your family after all,’ Sophie said, feeling thrilled for Pete.

‘That’s fantastic. Thanks, Brody. And you too, Sophie. For everything.’ Pete beamed.

Brody looked embarrassed, and Sophie felt the same way. ‘Don’t mention it. It was scary at the time, but I’m so happy we could help, even in a small way. The kids have been a delight.’

‘They’ve absolutely loved this surprise,’ Pete said, holding out a carrot for Gabriel on behalf of Maria. ‘Though now they’re going to want donkeys as pets.’ He chuckled.

‘When are they letting Anna and the baby out?’ Sophie asked, patting Gabe’s side.

‘Tomorrow. It would have been nice to be all together today, but I’d rather she and the baby are properly checked over before they come home.’

‘If you want, I could take you to collect Anna from the hospital and bring you to your mum-in-law’s?’ Brody offered.

‘You could pick up your car from Sunnyside when the thaw happens,’ Sophie suggested.

‘That would be fantastic. Again, I can’t thank you enough.’

Maria was playing with her dog. Pete shook Brody’s hand and hugged Sophie. ‘Happy Christmas. From me, Anna and the kids. All of the kids.’

‘You too,’ Sophie said. ‘Happy Christmas.’

With the animals fed, Pete took the kids inside to pack up their stuff, ready to meet the tractor driver.

Brody closed the stable door, but Sophie lingered. ‘Where did the gifts come from?’ she asked him, impressed at what he’d done to make the morning festive.

‘They were promotional items from a worming-treatment supplier. They were in the spare room, but when I saw them this morning I knew I had the perfect home for them.’

‘The hoof-prints were a great touch too.’

Brody’s weary expression was lit up by smiles. Sophie’s stomach did a little flip, of desire – and regret.

‘I enjoyed it. Dad used to do it when I was very small. Even after I stopped believing in Santa, he carried on doing it. When we had younger cousins visiting, I used to help. It was our secret tradition.’ His smile became sadder and his wistful gaze alighted on the farmhouse as if he was remembering happier times.

‘You must miss him on a day like this,’ she said, feeling sorry for him.

‘I do,’ he said simply, and then, ‘I did hesitate about the reindeer-prints and gifts, in case it was too much, but the kids have had a rough time, so I thought they deserved a bit of festive magic.’

‘It is Christmas after all,’ Sophie said. ‘Pretending Santa is real is OK.’ She almost said, ‘Some little lies are alright …’

‘Yeah, but you were trying to avoid Christmas and it’s kind of bitten you on the bum. If you know what I mean.’

‘It doesn’t matter about me. I’m grateful to you – and Tegan – for taking us in. I appreciate all you’ve done for the Nowaks and my guests. It’s just awkward being around Tegan. I’d never want to hurt her.’

‘Neither would I,’ Brody shot back. ‘I’m sure you don’t believe me, but I really want you to be here. And there’s so much more you don’t know …’ He looked and sounded desperate.

Holding her breath, Sophie waited for him to say more, prepared to give him chance to explain.

‘Brody!’

Tegan trudged towards them across the yard, an old pair of Brody’s wellies on her feet, a pink teddy-coat around her shoulders.

‘Aha!’ she cried. ‘I wondered where you’d got to.’

Sophie wasn’t sure if she was included in the ‘you’.

‘I – er – arranged a surprise for the children,’ Brody said. ‘And some transport for the whole family. One of the local farmers is going to take them to Pete’s in-laws in the next village.’

‘So they won’t be here for lunch?’ Tegan asked.

‘That should make things a bit less complicated,’ Sophie offered, feeling like a spare part. ‘I needed some fresh air,’ she added, feeling as if she’d been caught out, ‘but I’m coming in now to help with lunch.’

‘Thank you,’ Tegan said with a winning smile. She linked arms with Brody. ‘Now, tell me about what you’ve been doing for the children. He’s full of surprises,’ she said.

‘Well, it seems that Christmas has been thrust upon us, despite our best efforts,’ Agatha remarked as they headed into the dining room.

The table was groaning with a buffet, made up of Sophie’s food and the Felltop leftovers. Tegan had added a centrepiece with a candle and had piled festive serviettes on the plates. Candles glowed in the deep-set windows, which were filled with holly and ivy. It couldn’t have looked more Christmassy if it had tried. A greatest festive-hits mix now played from the speakers.

‘Well, well, this is all very – jolly,’ Nico smirked.

‘That spread looks marvellous, I will say,’ Una added.

The others made appreciative noises.

‘Harold! Stop!’ Brody shouted, spotting a very waggy tail under the table. He caught hold of the dog’s collar. ‘I’d better keep him in the sitting room, before he eats his own weight in mini-quiche.’

Harold’s tail stopped waving as he was led away by Brody.

‘Should we help ourselves then?’ Amber asked.

‘I think so …’ Sophie said, painfully aware that they were still her guests – yet this wasn’t her home.

Hugo rubbed his hands together. ‘Well, I’m not proud – I’m going to be the greedy one who goes first.’

‘Wait!’

Tegan’s shriek stopped Hugo dead in his tracks.

She walked in with a cardboard box. ‘I forgot the crackers!’ She opened the lid. ‘Nobody minds a cracker, do they? Only it is Christmas Day, and I found these in the pantry. It seems such a shame not to use them.’ Her eyes lasered in on Sophie. ‘Unless it’s too triggering for you all?’

Sophie felt like the Wicked Witch of the West. ‘I’ve nothing against crackers …’

‘I think I can cope too,’ Agatha said archly.

‘We never had crackers at home when I was little,’ Suzanne commented. ‘Dad said they were a waste of money.’

Amber exchanged a look with her. There was pain in her eyes, and empathy. ‘I’ll pull one with you,’ she offered.

Sophie almost fainted in shock. The others were dumbstruck, apart from Nico, who was sniggering with delight at the reaction a humble box of crackers had caused.

‘Well, if we’re having crackers thrust upon us, let’s go for it, I say. We can wear the hats while we eat the buffet!’ He held one out to Agatha. ‘Will you pull my cracker, Agatha?’

‘Any time,’ she replied with a wink. She almost toppled backwards as the two ends parted with a loud snap.

‘Well done!’ Nico said, donning his hat with a grin. ‘Come on then. Get pulling!’

The others paired up to open the crackers and put the hats on, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Slipping hers over her head, Sophie fixed a smile on her face.

Agatha stuffed hers in her pocket. ‘I don’t mind a cracker, but I’ve never worn a party hat in my life and I don’t intend to start now.’

Brody walked back in. ‘OK, Harold and the food are safe now. Shall we all get some lunch?’

Tegan handed him a paper crown. ‘Don’t forget your hat,’ she said. ‘There’s no escape.’

Brody put it on and Tegan hugged him, before looking around the room with a happy sigh and declaring, ‘Oh, I do love Christmas!’