Magic Under the Mistletoe

by Lucy Coleman

  The doorbell rings and I head off to answer it. Robert is standing there with a carrier bag in his hand and a warm smile on his face. He enters and we hug, both relieved that our worst fears were unfounded.

  ‘I Googled it after you rang. Some energy drinks for the patient. How is he doing?’

  ‘Much better; there can’t be an awful lot wrong with him now if he can face a bacon sandwich. The results of the blood tests came back this morning pretty much in line with what the doctor expected. Low levels of potassium and sodium due to a moderate case of dehydration after a bad case of the flu.’

  Robert raises his eyebrows to the heavens.

  ‘I just wish I hadn’t been away – the timing was unfortunate, to say the least. I saw him briefly before he flew off to the States on an important work trip but I assumed he’d be staying in London on his return. It was a big mistake Cary coming back here alone – what was he thinking?’

  I nod in agreement. ‘To be honest with you, Robert, he was probably exhausted, and I had no idea he’d even been away. With no one around to stop him, it sounds to me like he was working all hours. No wonder the flu hit him so hard. Stress can be a killer.’

  ‘Did he say why he let Nicholas go? If he’d been here this could all have been avoided.’

  Guilt is like a knife slowly turning in my gut. I feel the exact same way – I let Cary down when he needed me the most and it was only my pride that held me back.

  ‘No. He hasn’t said anything about that, Cressida, or Matthew, either. He slept on and off all day yesterday and in between I concentrated on getting those fluids into him, as ordered. I spent the first night in a chair next to the bed and in the early hours of the morning he was ready to talk, so I simply listened. But it was a bit rambly, to be honest. Finally, as the hours passed, the confusion, muscle cramps and general weakness left him. Last night was easier and we both managed some sleep.’

  ‘You look remarkable under the circumstances. You must be shattered.’

  ‘I am. I borrowed a dressing gown and washed my clothes to help perk me up. I ran the iron over them earlier on and then grabbed a quick shower. I feel almost human again.’

  ‘Has he spoken about what happened in London?’

  ‘He was forced out, albeit with a golden handshake. He’s awake and sitting up, he’ll no doubt tell you all about it. I thought he’d be devastated but, in the end, he was glad to walk away. However, I think the stress of that on top of worrying about Cressida meant the flu hit him hard. He said he could barely make it to the bathroom and back, let alone think about eating or drinking. Can I interest you in a sandwich?’

  Robert shakes his head. ‘Tempting but I can’t stay long, so I’d best pay my regards upstairs.’

  As Robert heads to the door he suddenly spins back around. ‘Leesa, fate has a funny way of making paths cross when the time is right, doesn’t it? Then suddenly everything falls into place. I’d called round and was convinced he wasn’t even here, and then you came along at precisely the right moment. Thank God he switched on that light. They do say there is no such thing as a coincidence and maybe that bears some thinking about.’

  He disappears out of view, leaving me with a spatula hovering above the frying pan and an astonished look on my face. Talk about déjà vu – that’s more or less what Dad said to me.

  *

  ‘I really wasn’t expecting you to go to these lengths, you know. A pizza and a salad would have been fine.’

  Ah, Cary has laid the table on a par with Nicholas’ attentive skills. My mouth is watering at the smell of the fragrant jasmine rice accompanying the lemon soul goujons.

  ‘Stop looking at it and eat,’ he insists. ‘You’ve eaten very little for the past three days and now it’s my turn to look after you.’

  There’s nothing at all like fear to focus the mind or get the heart to reveal its true nature.

  ‘That’s twice in as many days that you’ve rescued me now, and I’m going to prove to you that I’m worthy.’

  ‘Twice? And how?’ The fish is good, and this man can certainly cook.

  ‘I’m going to sweep you off your feet and leave you in no doubt at all that admitting you loved me was a wise move.’

  I almost choke on a forkful of rice I’m in the process of swallowing. Would the legendary Cary Grant have ever said something as ungentlemanly as that? Cressida would be horrified. Concern for her casts a fleeting shadow over my euphoria.

  ‘You trapped me. Asking someone outright if they love you when you are in a confused state, then having the audacity to remember it the next day, is manipulative. To say the very least!’

  But that’s what happened. In fact, Cary declared his love for me first, but I’m so happy to see him almost back to his usual self, that I won’t let on. Because I know he was telling the truth. You can’t lie when even stringing a few words together is a challenge. Piecing it all together, when he first returned he was getting everything set up ready to arrive on my doorstep and claim my heart, like a true hero rescuing a damsel in distress. Not least, I will add, because he had this silly idea that I was attracted to Tim. That bit didn’t make any sense at all, obviously, but he was delirious at the time.

  ‘I want you in my life,’ he’d muttered in a groggy voice. ‘I never should have let you go. I thought it was too late and I didn’t give you flowers.’

  It sounded like he went downhill quickly. He admitted he wanted to call me but didn’t want me to see him helpless and sick. My heart squished up then. Listening to Cary in the darkened room as he rambled on, filled me with joy and hope. Besides, at that point I’d already come to terms with the fact that I was hopelessly in love with him. You don’t sit up all night watching over someone, fearfully, if they don’t mean anything to you. There was nothing left to hide, or to doubt.

  Every single word he uttered was from the heart because he wasn’t in a state to dress it up or mask his true feelings.

  ‘The only cloud on the horizon now we’ve sorted ourselves out is how on earth are we going to get everyone else back on track?’ He frowns, the size of the problem does seem rather daunting.

  We stop eating and look across at each other, uneasily.

  ‘Still nothing from Cressida?’

  ‘She’s still on lockdown until she’s met her deadline. Her phone is switched off every time I’ve tried, but that’s so like her. She never knows where she’s put it down, anyway. I’ve had a few email updates, but I can tell she’s under pressure as they are just one-liners saying she’s getting there. I don’t want to add to her pressure or make her rush back before she’s good and ready. She deserves to take all the time she needs to sort herself out.’

  ‘Cressida is going to panic when she finds out about what you’ve been through and realises what could have happened. I texted Matthew once we knew what was wrong with you. He sent back two words – ‘thank God’ and that was it. I don’t think he’s very well at the moment.’

  I’ve been holding that piece of information back.

  ‘He’s ill?’ Cary frowns. ‘I hope he hasn’t had this flu thing because I’m fit and strong and look at the toll it took on me. Should we go and see him?’

  ‘I suggest you phone him first to give him an update and ask whether there’s anything he needs. He’s a very private man and he’ll only accept help if he wants it. Do you feel up to visiting my parents after you’ve spoken to Matthew? I haven’t said very much to them, only that I’m spending a couple of days at Cressida’s. They didn’t ask questions but they will be concerned if I don’t make contact soon. I think this is something we need to tell them face to face.’

  ‘Let’s not hang around, then. The chocolate brownies can wait. It’s time to kick our families into shape. When we get back I’ll ring Laurence. Scanning my phone, I see he sent another photo of baby Alice. Now I’m totally over the flu I can’t wait to meet our newest little niece.’

  Our?

  ‘Cary, you don’t think we’re ignoring the prover
bial elephant in the room?’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘Can you really see us here, making a success of running this house together? And the whole baby issue. I know it’s important for you, but even the thought of that terrifies me.’

  He reaches out to grab my hand in his.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong, Leesa.’

  To my horror, I realise he heard every word I said that night when I let out everything I’d been bottling up inside of me. I wanted him to know but I didn’t want him to remember.

  ‘I can’t take on that sort of responsibility, Cary, it would be too much. I simply wouldn’t have a clue what to do. I barely managed to get through this incident with you and it served to remind me that when it comes to illness I go into blind panic mode. I’m no Sally, and that’s the truth.’

  He searches my eyes with his own but there’s no concern reflected back at me.

  ‘And I’m no Laurence. We will figure it out, I promise you. I love looking after kids and if we decide it’s for us, then I’m more than up for a career change. I can be the house husband, or whatever the politically correct term is these days. I’m only sorry I can’t do the giving birth bit. It doesn’t seem like a fair exchange, but if you can face going through it then I promise I will take over.’

  ‘House spouse is popular, I believe,’ I retort, grinning at him. ‘I can’t promise anything other than that I will think about it. Just tell Sally if we do this, not to enlighten me about the process until we’re past the point of no return.’

  ‘I will and there’s no pressure, whatever happens we’re going to be happy.’

  ‘You’re really prepared to cook and clean and change nappies? And I’ll closet myself away in the study, building a little empire to feed our growing brood? What if I can only face going through it the once?’

  ‘By the time we throw in that dog and the two cats you mentioned when describing your dream, I think that will be more than enough to keep us busy. And bring this house to life again.’

  I mull it over. Could it really be as easy as that? Everything suddenly slotting into place?

  ‘I’m not sure I can earn enough to cover the costs of running this house. What if my business doesn’t go from strength to strength as planned?’

  Cary rises from his seat and walks around to my side of the table, then he kneels down next to me. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he plants a kiss on it.

  ‘I think we’ll have enough in the bank not to have to worry unduly. I’ll sell the place in London and I’m considering taking up a couple of non-executive directorships I’ve been offered. But the big news is that I’ve been approached to join an official think-tank, tasked with pulling together an advisory report for the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It’s time to drive forward and manage the energy legacy by shortening the timescales laid down to meet those targets. That’s what delayed me rushing straight over to drag you back here.’

  I can’t suppress a grin at the mental image that is conjured up of Cary beating down my door or sitting around a table talking about one of the other passions in his life.

  ‘I like a challenge and most of the work can be done from home. I could make a real difference, Leesa, just in a slightly different way to the one I’d originally planned. We can make this work. Strike that, we will make it work.’

  I’m scared to venture forward into the unknown, I will admit that. But when your heart makes it impossible to say no, what can you do but jump on board and go along for the ride?

  I don’t need a man in my life to be happy, but I do need Cary. I was once in love with the idea of being in love. Then I decided that I was never going to trust a man again because, clearly, I didn’t even know what love was. And suddenly, here I am and I can’t help myself. It’s either true love, or insanity. And now none of that matters, anyway.

  ‘The answer is yes. But don’t expect me to commit to a lavish wedding, even to please Cressida. Being the centre of attention isn’t my thing and I’d probably end up tripping over my dress and spoiling it all as I walk up the aisle.’

  Cary frowns. ‘Hmm. How can we please everyone at the same time? What if we have a close family and friends only ceremony and then let Cressida arrange a big party here, after we come back from honeymoon?’

  Ugh. Big party.

  ‘Well, I survived the Santa Clause, guess I can survive the Wedding Clause. But first I have an idea about Christmas. We have sixteen days to make it all happen and get everyone together for the first time under one roof.’

  Cary’s face is a picture.

  ‘And you think we can make that happen?’

  ‘We make things happen every single day in our professional lives. It’s time to get some invites out and apply a little pressure, where needed.’

  ‘You mean Grandma and your sister?’

  ‘Yes! We’ll start making lists of what we need to buy. I want to welcome Cressida back and make her feel proud of us, and how we’ve looked after the house. Maybe she’ll decide to stay on after all.’

  ‘You’d do that?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘But what if she doesn’t turn up?’

  ‘Can you see Cressida enjoying Christmas without seeing her grandsons and great–grandchildren, especially when it’s the first Christmas for one of them?’

  Cary throws his arms around me and what was meant to be a happy embrace ends up turning into something else entirely.

  An hour later and it’s time to head out to begin sorting out the people we love. Our revised contract has now been signed, sealed and well and truly delivered – which makes us a truly formidable team. Life is about to get its ass kicked!

  Christmas Eve

  32

  Counting Down

  The big day is tomorrow, and Cary and I are nervously excited. We have badgered and cajoled every single person on our list to be here. It’s going to be a huge Christmas celebration and the wonderful Nicholas is back in situ to help make it happen. And he will also have a starring role, but in the meantime there is a lot still to do.

  When Cary agreed to his request to take early retirement because Nicholas felt ‘the time was right’, they both realised that it was for the best. It was acknowledging that it would be easier on Cressida when she returned, as everything would be different anyway. It was the right thing to do.

  With Nicholas’ direction we’ve all been working as a tight team and the house looks amazing. But without the help of some dear family and friends, we would have struggled to make the Christmas magic happen. And tonight, fingers crossed, Cressida will step over the threshold for the first time in some months for a little preview before the main event tomorrow.

  ‘She will turn up, won’t she?’ Cary leans in to whisper as I stand alongside Nicholas, arranging canapés on a plate.

  ‘Of course she will. She promised.’

  Nicholas discreetly disappears, and I turn to face Cary, noting that anxious look of his.

  ‘You look good; the house looks amazing and we’re together. What on earth is there to be anxious about?’

  He drapes his body around me, gathering me up in his arms as if I’m the most precious thing in the world to him.

  ‘You’re right. Nothing at all. With you by my side suddenly every day seems that little bit brighter. I know that we’ll cope with the bad, and celebrate the good, together. A man can’t ask for any more than that.’ The kiss he gently bestows upon my lips is full of promise. A lifetime of love awaits us both.

  ‘I’ll leave you to it and go watch out for her taxi. Don’t get anything on that dress, which looks totally stunning on you, by the way. In case I didn’t say.’

  He said. Three times already. Cary smirks as he passes Nicholas, who is clearly returning to chivvy us along. Nicholas can barely keep a straight face.

  ‘I think we’re almost ready, Leesa,’ he announces.

  ‘Well, we couldn’t have done it without you, N
icholas. And Cressida will be keen to catch up with your news. She will have missed you, but it’s all-change now, for us all.’

  He nods in agreement. ‘It’s often hard to accept it when it comes, but although there is a tinge of sadness, there’s so much happiness to look forward to, all round. I will miss the Grande Dame, though. She’s like a beacon; she inspires everyone around her to be the best they can and she’s always led by example. There will never be another woman in my mind who comes even close.’

  Amen to that.

  ‘Does Laurence have our special surprise in hand for tomorrow?’

  Nicholas’ eyes light up. ‘He does. It still remains a secret at the moment and let’s hope it stays that way. Cressida is going to love it.’

  ‘And the outdoor arrangement?’

  ‘Double-checked first thing this morning.’

  ‘It’s not too much, Nicholas, is it? I just feel everyone has been through a lot lately and Cary and I want the adults to be wowed as much as the kids. That’s a tall order, isn’t it?’

  ‘It is but I’m confident you’re going to pull it off.’

  I laugh. ‘I think we’re going to pull it off.’

  Cary dashes in through the door. ‘She’s here and Granddad is with her!’

  The three of us exchange a look of total disbelief. If he’s joking it’s in poor taste. We hoped Matthew would come, but the two of them sharing the taxi and arriving together is hard to believe.

  ‘This I have to see for myself.’

  True enough, as Nicholas swings open the front door in the traditional welcome every visitor has received since Cressida took up the reins, Cressida and Matthew are heading up the path. Cary shoots me a worried look. Cressida is leaning heavily on Matthew’s arm for some reason. He hurries out the door to assist, taking her other arm.

  ‘My goodness!’ Cressida exclaims, as her eyes begin to take in the lavishly decorated porch that now looks a little like Santa’s grotto. Filled with greenery from the woods by Robert and his guys, the holly is awash with waxy red berries and the myriad of mistletoe proudly displays its almost transparent white globes. ‘What a picture this is!’