Escape for Christmas

Chapter Twenty-Five

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

His mother would be proud of him, Brody thought, as stepping in to entertain a houseful of strangers during an emergency was surely her idea of heaven.

While it hadn’t exactly been hell, Brody had found it exhausting to keep up the bonhomie and the pretence of being the happy couple, in front of Sophie and the others. He’d tried to stay out of her way for a bit, keeping himself busy, loading and emptying the dishwasher, refilling glasses and trying to smooth over any tense moments with Sophie.

She had led her guests on a snowy walk into the village after lunch. Brody knew she’d done it to give him and Tegan some space and he was grateful. At first he’d felt guilty at landing so much work on Tegan, but she’d seemed to be in her element, acting as hostess.

It was now late afternoon and all the lamps had been lit in the farmhouse. Nico and Agatha had returned to the snug with glasses of mulled wine and mince pies. Nico was reclining in Brody’s father’s armchair, with his feet up on a tapestry footstool, and Agatha was relaxing on the sofa with one of Brody’s father’s Dick Francis novels.

The other escapees must still be outside, along with Sophie. Brody had detected a slight undercurrent of tension between Amber and Suzanne. Agatha, Una and Hugo seemed like decent people, but there was something about Nico that he didn’t like, although he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly. He’d no idea how Sophie handled the stream of guests flowing in and out of Sunnyside every week. He took his party hat off to her, for her skills and diplomacy. Then again, he had to deal with anxious animals and their owners. Sophie, however, couldn’t lock her charges in a pet carrier if they turned feisty.

The back door opened and Sophie walked into the snug, bright-eyed from the snowy outing.

‘Nice walk?’ Brody asked, noticing how naturally pretty she was, uncaring about her messy hair or pink cheeks from the cold.

‘Yes, and I popped home to check in on the cats and feed them. They’ve wormed their way under a duvet on the sofa.’

Brody smiled. ‘Sensible creatures.’

Nico glanced up from his phone. ‘Where are the others?’

‘Una and Hugo are in the hall, being entertained by Harold,’ Sophie said. ‘Amber and Suzanne are still outside.’

Nico raised an eyebrow. ‘Let’s hope they’re not having a snowball fight.’

‘No … I think they were taking photographs,’ Sophie said, holding up crossed fingers.

‘ They? ’ Agatha said with raised eyebrows.

‘Is there – er – some kind of problem between them?’ Brody took his chance to find out what was going on.

Nico snorted. ‘You could say that! It was like EastEnders at the guest house last night.’

‘Thankfully it wasn’t quite that bad,’ Sophie jumped in, turning to Brody. ‘They – er – are half-sisters and only recently discovered they had the same father. It’s very, very complicated.’

‘Right. I see. How did they end up at the same guest house for Christmas?’

‘Let’s say they have more in common than they’d like to admit,’ Sophie said.

Nico sank back into Brody’s armchair and tucked his hands behind his head. ‘I’m thinking of writing a novel about it all, but I haven’t decided if it’s family drama, crime or horror. Ouch!’ he winced and jumped out of the chair. ‘Something just dug into my arse!’

Agatha tittered. ‘I should have warned you that chair’s on its last legs. I tried it but the springs are gone. It might be more comfortable to sit somewhere else.’

Nico glared at the chair and rubbed his backside. ‘Yeah. I will.’

Tegan walked into the snug and put her hands on her hips. ‘Well, you’re all very quiet! I think we should play charades!’

‘Good grief,’ Agatha muttered.

‘Um, I’m always rubbish at that,’ Una protested, walking into the snug with Hugo and Amber.

‘I’m quite good at it,’ Amber piped up.

‘Mum would never let me play,’ Suzanne said, following behind.

‘You could team up,’ Tegan suggested.

Sophie stepped in. ‘I don’t want to be a party-pooper,’ she said, obviously trying to be diplomatic. ‘But …’

‘OK, I wouldn’t want to force anyone,’ Tegan replied, deflated. ‘We could always watch It’s a Wonderful Life instead.’

Nico smirked. Brody had an irresistible urge to punch him on the nose.

Tegan’s face lit up. ‘ Or I could give you all a tour of Felltop!’

Brody gave an audible gasp. ‘Erm, the place is a bit of a mess.’

‘Oh, we don’t care about that,’ Agatha said, clearly delighted for any escape from party games and movies. ‘I’d love a tour. This is a gorgeous old place, Brody.’

‘It is gorgeous. Is it listed?’ Una asked.

‘No,’ Brody replied.

‘Are there any ghosts?’ Amber’s voice had a hopeful uplift. Suzanne looked petrified.

‘I do hope so!’ Agatha declared, putting her book aside.

Nico glanced up from his phone with a smug grin. ‘Brody might not want us snooping around his house …’

Brody didn’t think he’d been listening. Nico was correct, but Brody didn’t want him to know that he agreed.

‘Oh, he doesn’t mind!’ Tegan said airily. ‘And there used to be a rumour about a ghost in one of the attic rooms. One of the maids from way back, wasn’t it, Brody?’

‘It’s only a daft rumour,’ Brody murmured. ‘I’ve never seen it – her.’

Agatha was on her feet, clapping her hands. ‘Ah, but attic rooms and ghostly maids! How delicious . We must have a tour.’

‘That’s settled. Is everyone coming?’ Tegan asked.

Una dug Hugo in the ribs. ‘Wake up! We’re going on a ghost tour?’

‘What?’ Hugo’s eyelids fluttered and he tried to come round.

‘It’s not compulsory,’ Tegan said, looking at Sophie again. ‘I wouldn’t want you to be bored if you’ve already been around Felltop.’

‘I haven’t,’ Sophie said firmly. ‘And I really don’t mind a tour.’

‘Can we play “Sardines”?’ Amber asked hopefully. ‘Or “Murder in the Dark”? I’m sure it’s going to be that kind of house.’ Suddenly she smiled. ‘I am joking, though I did love “Sardines” when I was little.’

From the rear of the group Suzanne let out a tiny gasp. ‘I loved that game too.’

‘And me …’ that was Agatha, grinning wickedly at Brody.

Before anyone else could comment, Tegan jumped in. ‘I think a tour will be quite enough excitement. Felltop is a big property. We wouldn’t want anyone to get lost. Are you coming, Brody?’

No matter how painful it was, there was no way Brody was going to let Tegan – or anyone else – give strangers a tour of his home without him being there. To his dismay, everyone suddenly sprang into life at the prospect, with even Amber and Suzanne in unison about exploring every nook and cranny.

Only Sophie showed less enthusiasm, which was hardly surprising, given the circumstances. Brody felt for her. She could hardly refuse and seem to be a misery.

They toured the ground floor first, Tegan regaling everyone with the house’s history and encouraging Brody to fill in any gaps.

‘I’m no real expert,’ he said. ‘My family has only lived here since the war, and I can only tell you what my grandparents and parents told me.’

Despite Brody feeling like a fish out of water, the guests seemed impressed by his anecdotes, marvelling at the old beams, the bread oven tucked away in the dining-room wall and the small piece of oak panelling dating back to 1714. There had actually been a farmhouse on the site since the fifteenth century, a fact that seemed to impress everyone.

‘You’re practically landed gentry,’ Nico observed.

Brody let out a snort.

‘Shall we go upstairs?’ Tegan said brightly. ‘That’s where the ghost is supposed to hang out.’

‘There’s no ghost,’ Brody corrected her.

She gave him a playful push. ‘Don’t be boring. You know I’ve heard her, and even your mum says she’s felt a ghostly presence in the attic. And everyone loves a ghost story for Christmas.’

By the look on Sophie’s face, that wasn’t true.

Tegan led the way up the stairs, with the guests in between and Brody bringing up the rear along with Harold, whose tail thumped against the banister with joy.

‘I feel like I ought to hold up an umbrella or something!’ Tegan trilled at the top of the stairs, clearly loving the attention.

‘This is just like the National Trust,’ Agatha declared as everyone squeezed onto the landing. Though spacious by most standards, it was cosy with ten people and an over-excited Labrador.

‘Are you going to charge us twenty quid each?’ Nico quipped.

‘Is there a tearoom?’ Una offered with a smile.

‘No, but this is where Brody hands us the bill for all the food we’ve scoffed,’ Nico shot back.

‘Actually you can pay by doing all the washing up and mucking out the stable,’ Brody said, more sharply than he meant to.

‘I’ve done worse jobs,’ Nico replied silkily.

‘Shall we move on?’ Tegan stepped in.

Brody caught Sophie’s eye, but she looked quickly away. Tegan led the way down the hall.

‘I haven’t tidied up!’ Brody said when she paused outside his room.

‘Oh, we won’t go in. I only wanted to show everyone the lintel over the door. They say the oak came from a shipwreck off Whitehaven.’

There were a few appreciative ‘Oohs’ from Una and the Smith half-sisters.

‘Is it true?’ Hugo asked Brody.

‘Probably. We had a local historian round and she said it was documented in some archive in the Armitt Museum in the village.’

Una’s attention was captured by something on a beam. ‘Oh! Is that mistletoe?’ she asked.

‘I never had you down as a mistletoe kind of guy,’ Nico said to Brody.

‘There’s greenery all over the house, after we hosted a Christmas party the other week. I didn’t put it there,’ Brody replied, aware that Nico was bringing out the grump in him.

‘Who did then?’ Nico asked.

‘I did,’ Tegan said. ‘I found it downstairs and couldn’t resist.’

‘In that case, we’d better make use of it,’ Una gushed and planted a kiss on Hugo’s lips.

Tegan smiled at Brody, who flashed a smile back and tried to avoid Sophie’s eye. She’d been almost silent on the way round the house so far. He longed to get the tour over with.

Agatha tutted. ‘Now, now, we can’t all start snogging each other on so slight an acquaintance. Apart from Una, Hugo and our hosts, of course.’

Nico smirked. ‘I think we know each other pretty well by now,’ he said to Agatha, playfully planting a kiss on the cheek.

‘Cheeky boy!’ Agatha replied with a girlish giggle and gave him a little push.

‘Who wants to see the attics and meet the ghost?’ Tegan asked, moving down the corridor, but Agatha lingered by the next door.

‘That carving is beautiful,’ she said, pausing to admire the oak door. ‘It looks very old.’

Suzanne flattened her palm on the elaborately carved panel. ‘Was that rescued from a shipwreck too?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, the Titanic ,’ Nico quipped and Amber giggled.

‘It was carved by a local carpenter in Victorian times, but the oak was from a table that was much older,’ Brody said, joining them by the door. Not only was he conscious of sounding grumpy, but also a bit pompous. Yet he was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore Nico’s sarcasm.

‘It’s gorgeous,’ Suzanne said. ‘Reminds me of one in a hotel we used to stay in when I was little …’

Brody saw her glance at Amber, who simply looked back at her with sadness in her eyes. Whatever might have happened the previous night, it seemed like they were putting it behind them.

‘You should see the carved panels in my room,’ Tegan commented. ‘Mind you, the wind howls under the gap in the door. I reckon that’s why Brody puts his guests in there, so they don’t outstay their welcome …’

Brody froze. That ‘my’ resonated like a clanging bell. Had people noticed? He glanced over to Sophie, but her expression was unreadable.

‘Shall we move on, darling?’ Tegan said hastily, realising too late what she’d said.

‘Yes, though it’s really very boring up there,’ Brody cautioned.

‘On the contrary,’ Nico replied with a grin, clearly having picked up on it, ‘it’s way more interesting than I’d ever expected.’

‘Hey, Brody, have you got a full trainset up in the attics or something?’ Hugo asked jovially.

Everyone laughed, including Sophie and Tegan.

No, thought Brody, but it might be fun to lock an annoying Italian up there for a while. In the dark. ‘I wish,’ he said to Hugo, forcing a smile to his face.

Somehow everyone made it up the narrow staircase to the attics, whose rooms were accessed via a long corridor. Brody switched on the light, which only illuminated the cobwebs and dust up there.

‘This is the maid’s room,’ Tegan said, pushing open the door to the second room, with glee.

‘Allegedly,’ Brody muttered, desperate for the tour to be over.

The door opened into a room with a sloping roof. Brody flicked the switch, amazed to find that the single naked bulb hadn’t blown yet. It was piled high with junk: an old pram, chairs, tea chests from the days when people used such things for moving house. There was a child’s bike – not even his, but his Uncle Trevor’s – plus boxes full of dusty books, most of them his father’s. The James Herriots were his, of course.

It was like opening a portal onto his childhood, and his parents’ childhoods. On a day that was meant to be special, he was painfully aware of the absence of his father, and felt bad that his mother was on her own. Instead he was leading a bunch of strangers around his home, and was worrying about Tegan and Sophie.

‘Wow!’ Una said, at the front of the group as they crowded into the small space by the doorway.

Amber stopped dead, pointing. ‘What’s that? On the top of that chest?’

Brody followed her gaze. All he could see was an old porcelain doll, which had been his grandmother’s, its dress now tattered and dusty.

‘The doll? It was my granny’s. Mum didn’t want to throw it away, but I find it – a bit creepy, if I’m honest, so I put it up here.’

‘The eyes follow you everywhere.’ Tegan shuddered.

‘Quite,’ said Agatha.

‘Dad gave me one like that,’ Amber said. ‘Not an old one. A reproduction, but exactly like that. She had a pink dress. I’ve still got her.’

‘And me.’ Suzanne exchanged a glance with her. ‘Only mine had a lilac dress. Mum said she was too valuable to play with, so I just plonked her on a chest of drawers. She’s in my spare room at home now.’

Brody was worried this hadn’t been a good idea, when Nico swore out loud and Tegan let out a piercing shriek. A bumping noise made almost everyone cry out in unison.

‘What the hell was that?’ Nico demanded.

‘The ghostly maid dropping her … tray?’ Agatha suggested.

‘It was Harold,’ Sophie piped up from the rear. ‘He’s knocked over a vase.’ She picked it up. ‘Luckily it’s still in one piece.’

Harold wormed his way through everyone’s legs, tongue lolling, making everyone laugh except Nico, who glared angrily at the perpetrator.

Brody caught Sophie’s eye and she smiled briefly, as if she’d forgotten she was disappointed and angry with him. He grinned back, and for a second she seemed to smile in return, transporting him to the moment when they were on the cusp of taking their friendship to something more.

Sophie’s smile faded. ‘I’ll put this back on the table,’ she muttered. ‘And I think I’ll go downstairs. I feel a bit cold up here.’

‘I think we should all go back down,’ Brody said, the chill seizing him too. He’d found the day trying enough, without reminding himself of how much he’d lost.

‘Thank you so much for your hospitality.’

‘Thank you! I’ve really enjoyed it.’

‘Watch out for the ghost!’

‘Happy un-Christmas!’

‘Whoops! I think I’ve had too much mulled wine.’

With Tegan beside him, Brody bade farewell to his unexpected guests with a broad grin on his face.

Sophie was the last to go. ‘Thank you again,’ she said. ‘Both of you.’

‘You’re welcome,’ said Tegan, ‘I hope it wasn’t too awful?’

‘It was lovely, but I think you’ll be very glad to have the place to yourselves again. I hope your belated Christmas dinner goes well.’

‘Thank you,’ Tegan replied graciously. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing my parents. My dad’s not at all well and he’s actually waiting for an operation, so it will be nice to be together.’

‘Oh?’ said Sophie in surprise. ‘I didn’t know. I’m sorry to hear it.’

Was Brody imagining it or did Sophie catch his eye with a shocked glance. She must be thinking he was even more of a bastard.

Outside, the cold rain was falling softly. It was clear that a rapid thaw was under way, and the drive was slushy. Agatha had linked arms with Hugo and Una, though for whose benefit Brody wasn’t sure, as they were all slightly unsteady. The porch light lit them as far as the road, but they were relying on torches for the rest of the journey.

Sophie led the way, a torch in one hand and two bags of food in the other.

‘Whoa!’ She slipped and almost fell, but Nico was there in an instant, his hand at her elbow, steadying her. He didn’t remove it immediately, either.

Brody thought Sophie didn’t need any man’s help, but it hurt that she seemed happy to accept Nico’s. He watched until his porch light clicked off and they’d all vanished into the darkness, before shutting the door.

The house was suddenly shockingly quiet. He didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or panic. Today had been stressful at times, but while he’d been rushing around, he’d at least been kept busy. Helping the Nowak children had been an unexpected highlight. Now he was alone with Tegan, with nothing to distract him.

‘That wasn’t so bad after all,’ she decided. ‘Reminds me of the old days. Do you remember your last birthday party? Carl and his friend didn’t leave here until three in the morning and you had the hangover to end all hangovers.’ She laughed.

Brody did remember. It had been one hell of a night and one hell of a morning after. He’d been happy then; at least he’d thought he had, from what he could remember.

‘Sophie was so brave to move here on her own. Did she split up with someone before she took over the guest house?’

‘What makes you think that?’ Brody asked.

Tegan shrugged. ‘I don’t know. She seems – sad somehow. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a nice person and she’s very pretty, but why else would you move to a place like this in the middle of nowhere, if you weren’t running away from something? She’ll really feel it when her guests leave after Boxing Day.’

‘She’ll be OK,’ Brody said. ‘Hopefully the power should be back on soon too, now the weather is clearing up’

‘I didn’t mean the power. I meant it will be awful for her being alone again.’

‘Maybe she’ll be glad to have some time to herself,’ Brody replied. ‘She’s used to looking after herself.’

Tegan frowned. ‘You sound as if you know her well.’

‘Not that well.’ He gave a yawn, trying to change the subject, hating how Tegan was making assumptions about Sophie, but knowing it was raising her suspicions to keep defending her. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m knackered. I need a shower, then I have to get some decent sleep in case I’m called out overnight. The snow’s melting now, so I’d have no excuse for not attending.’

Tegan rolled her eyes. ‘Not that you need an excuse – I know you love your job. You couldn’t stop helping people if you tried.’

That was his problem, she’d told him the other day. He was too kind and, by implication, a soft touch.

‘Brody? Are you sure you’re OK?’

He saw she’d put her hand on his arm and had a tenderness in her expression he hadn’t expected. It was a waste of time to dwell on bitterness and anger. The past was the past and they needed to pull together to get through the next few weeks.

‘I’m fine, apart from being tired,’ he managed. ‘Thanks for what you did today. It can’t have been easy entertaining a bunch of strangers and missing out on your parents’ special day.’

Tegan paused on the threshold of the doorway. ‘It’s weird, but now I’m back, sleeping under the same roof as you, it’s almost as if nothing has changed between us.’

Brody replied with the very briefest of smiles. On the contrary, he felt as if his whole life had been turned upside down in just a couple of days. And after they’d got through tomorrow’s celebrations with her parents, he was going to find out exactly how much longer it would be until they could come clean.