A Town Called Christmas

by Stella Berry Wilkinson

  Dulcie scribbled down the address, then ran to the window and let out a curse as she saw the snow had covered the road and banked up against the garage. She had no chance of getting her parents’ car out.

  She pulled on boots as she dialed Daniel’s number.

  “It’s me,” she said, grinding her teeth in frustration as it went straight to voicemail. “Noelle is in trouble. I’m on my way to where she is but I’m on foot and I need help getting her home, or maybe to a hospital, I don’t know yet. Can you call me please?” Then she rattled off the address where Noelle was and ran out of the door.

  She was only at the end of the street when Daniel pulled up beside her in his car.

  “I was on my way to spend the night at the parents’ house anyway,” he said, by way of explanation. “Just in case Jessica needed me or anything.”

  Dulcie gave him a brief smile at that, then turned serious again as she relayed exactly what Liam had said to her.

  “He’ll be lucky if we don’t call the police!” Daniel said, grimly.

  “I know, but lets avoid that if we can. The police means Andy, and he’ll tell Adam.”

  “Adam will have to be told.” Daniel shot her a glance.

  “I know.” She gave an exaggerated sigh. “But he’s going to take it out on my hide for letting her go, and he’ll just make things worse with Noelle. If she is having a bad trip, then Adam shouting at her about drugs is the last thing she needs. He’s already upset her once today.”

  Dulcie was even more distressed when they pulled up at the address and discovered a loud and chaotic party in full swing.

  “So much for spending the evening at a friend’s house,” Dulcie said, her voice laced with irritation at being lied to.

  “I suppose, technically, she is,” Daniel pointed out. “I take it she didn’t mention her friend was having a party?”

  “No, she didn’t. That must be Liam.” Dulcie jumped out as the car stopped and approached the young man peering anxiously at them.

  “Where is she?” Dulcie asked without preamble.

  They followed him into the house and up to a bedroom, where they found Noelle lying on a bed sobbing.

  “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Liam kept repeating over and over.

  Daniel thrust a pen and paper at the boy. “Write down everything she’s taken and exactly what she’s had to eat and drink, as well.”

  Dulcie stroked Noelle’s hair and tried to get her to relax as Daniel did a quick check on her medical condition. When Liam was finished writing down the asked for information, Daniel quickly read it, and then nodded with approval.

  “Thanks. If you’re sure that’s all of it, then we can handle this.”

  “That’s everything, man,” the boy said, clearly unsure if Daniel was dismissing him. He followed behind as Daniel carried Noelle out to the car, but both Daniel and Dulcie ignored him as they put her gently inside, and then drove away.

  “Does she need a hospital?” Dulcie asked Daniel as they moved slowly down the icy street.

  “No, but she’s going to be like this for a few hours yet until it’s out of her system. I can’t believe she was so stupid.” Daniel’s voice was dangerously calm.

  Dulcie was furious with herself, and with Noelle, too, but she too kept her voice as calm as she could, talking softly to the young girl until they got her home.

  Daniel carried her up to her bed and laid her down. Dulcie fetched some water, then pulled up a chair beside the bed.

  “I’ll ring work and get them to take me off call. Do you mind staying for a bit?”

  “Dan, how can you even ask? I’m not going anywhere until she’s better,” Dulcie said firmly with tears in her eyes.

  Daniel bent and kissed the top of Dulcie’s head, then left the room to use the phone.

  It was a long night. Noelle tossed and turned, cried and screamed. She didn’t seem to know where she was, and only when Daniel or Dulcie were holding her and reassuring her was she able to calm herself.

  Finally, at about five in the morning, Noelle fell into a deep sleep, and Dulcie got a few hours rest in the chair beside her.

  At eight o’clock, Daniel shook her shoulder, speaking quietly so as not to wake Noelle.

  “Dulcie, I’ve been called in. There’s been a pile up just outside of town, and it’s all hands on deck. I wouldn’t normally go, but Noelle should be fine now, and there are multiple casualties, including seven children with serious injuries and not enough doctors to attend them all.”

  “Of course, you must go. I won’t leave her,” Dulcie told him.

  “I’m heading off in fifteen minutes, do you want to grab anything from your place before I leave?”

  “Yeah, good idea.” Dulcie looked down and realized she was still wearing a nightdress under her sweater. She must have looked ridiculous turning up at that party, but she hadn’t even thought about it at the time.

  She went out the front door, just in time to see Mrs. Croom putting out her trash.

  “Oh, fabulous,” muttered Dulcie. “Now she’ll think I’m doing the walk of shame, and with Noelle in the house, too. One more thing for Adam to shout at me for.”

  Chapter Eleven

  It was midday before Noelle woke up. She was upset, and still edgy and paranoid, but otherwise unharmed by her awful experience. Dulcie made her a hearty lunch and waited until Noelle had eaten it all before talking to her about what happened.

  “I didn’t take it, Dulcie, I swear to you that I said no.”

  Dulcie took Noelle’s hand and looked deep into her eyes to make sure the girl was being truthful.

  “You also told me that you were just going to a friend’s house. You deliberately misled me on what kind of evening it was going to be.”

  “I know I did. I’m so sorry. I wish I hadn’t now, but I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I didn’t even have a drink, let alone any drugs.”

  “If you didn’t take it on purpose, then someone gave it to you against your will. That’s a criminal offence, Nell. Whoever it was could go to prison for drugging you.”

  “It wasn’t Liam, he wouldn’t do that.” Noelle swiped at tears as she spoke.

  “Liam knew exactly what you’d swallowed. How would he know if he didn’t give it to you or at least play a part in giving it to you?” Dulcie said as carefully as she could.

  Noelle looked down at her feet. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  “I’m not going to tell you to stay away from him, but you need to think really carefully about whether you want to be in a relationship with someone like that. Can you be one hundred percent certain it wasn’t him? Can you really ever trust him now?”

  Noelle gave a shudder. “It was awful, Dulce, like indescribably scary. I don’t ever want to go through something like that again.”

  “There are a lot of nice people in this town, but there are still some bad people, too. It’s generally best to avoid them, and going to parties like that is never going to end well.”

  “You sound like Adam,” Noelle said, “I guess I should have listened to him. Is there any chance we can avoid telling him about this? He’s going to want to press charges, but I just want to put it all behind me.”

  “We have to tell him, Nell, but I won’t let him do anything you’re not comfortable with. And while your brother can be a bit overbearing, he’s usually right. So, will you think about maybe getting some new friends who are more your sort of people?” Dulcie deliberately didn’t mention Liam by name, but she hoped Noelle would come to the right conclusion on her own.

  “Yes. I don’t want to see any of them again, not after this.” Noelle finally looked up. Her eyes were still full of tears, but there was firm resolve there, too.

  “Good girl.” Dulcie gave Noelle a hug and changed the subject. “What do you say to a chill out afternoon on the couch with a romantic comedy and some popcorn?”

  Noelle gave a shaky laugh. “No romance for me today, thanks. How about something silly like a Na
tional Lampoon movie?. But first, I’d really like a long hot bath.”

  “You’re on.” Dulcie smiled. “You go and soak, and I’ll tidy the kitchen and make some healthy snacks to go with all the junk we’ll no doubt eat.”

  Half an hour later, she had just finished cutting up some cucumber and carrot sticks when Adam banged in through the front door.

  Dulcie sighed and turned to greet him. “Which one was it?” she asked. “Daniel or Mrs. Croom?”

  “Why would Daniel tell me anything? I sincerely hope he’s not still here because right now I feel like cleaning his clock!”

  Dulcie gritted her teeth. “And why exactly would you do that?”

  “Because the two of you were clearly up all night long, and with Noelle in the house!”

  Dulcie gave an exhausted laugh. She’d been right on the money with Mrs. Croom.

  “We were indeed, I cannot tell a lie,” Dulcie said with icy sweetness. “But why don’t you try getting the facts instead of listening to gossip. Isn’t that what lawyers are supposed to do, deal in fact not fiction?”

  “I don’t want sordid details!”

  “Why are you so ready to believe the worst about me?”

  “I just can’t stand the thought of it, okay?” Adam raised his voice, and then went still as he realized what he’d said.

  Dulcie’s stared at him in confusion, and there was a long silence.

  Adam turned away and looked out of the window at the snow outside. “My concern is for Noelle, of course.”

  Dulcie took a deep breath and nodded. “So is mine, and so is Daniel’s. Please sit down and let me tell you everything before you jump to any more conclusions.”

  She hoped she would be able to convince him not to throw a fit about the actual events of the night before, but with his temper already frayed, it was going to be difficult to make him see that he needed to deal with Noelle in a level-headed way.

  “Noelle went to a party last night and was drugged. Thankfully, her boyfriend had the sense to call me as soon as he realized she wasn’t reacting well to what she had been given, and Daniel and I went to get her. I stayed with her for the rest of the night,” Dulcie said, trying to get the words out quickly before he had a chance to react.

  “Why the hell didn’t anyone call me?” Adam jumped to his feet.

  “What exactly could you have done, apart from yell a lot? Daniel was there and he’s a doctor, which is slightly more helpful.”

  “I would have wanted to be there, for her.”

  Dulcie felt guilt wash over her, chasing away her anger. She hadn’t even considered that he would want to know simply because he cared.

  “I’m sorry.” She reached out and touched his arm. “You’re right. I was going to call you later, but I should have rung first thing.”

  “It’s not Dulcie’s fault,” Noelle said, appearing in the doorway, wearing a dressing gown and a towel wrapped around her head. “And I didn’t even want her to tell you because I just knew you’d react like this!”

  Adam crossed the room in two long strides and put his hands on his sister’s shoulders, looking at her intently. “How do you feel?”

  “Not great but glad it’s over.”

  “You can never, ever, see that boy again, do you understand? And I will be making sure that every single person involved pays for what happened.”

  “That’s not your decision to make, Adam, it’s mine. When will you get it through your skull that I’m eighteen now. You can’t tell me who I can be friends with!” Noelle burst into a fresh bout of tears and ran from the room.

  He turned back to Dulcie, his eyes blazing. “I forbid her to see him. I’ll move in here myself if you can’t control her.”

  Dulcie shook her head. “You moron. She was just coming to that conclusion on her own, and you might very well have chased her straight back into his arms just to defy you. She already knows she doesn’t want to see him again. Don’t be so heavy-handed. It’s the wrong way to handle her.”

  Adam rolled his shoulders a few times, clearly making a gallant effort to let go of his emotions, and Dulcie sympathized with his obvious internal struggle.

  “I still want names,” he said, clenching and unclenching his fists as if he’d like to do much worse.

  “Then ask Noelle, but don’t demand.”

  “I can’t get through to her, she won’t talk to me.”

  “Maybe because you don’t really listen?”

  “Maybe.” He grunted.

  “Why don’t you stay and hang out with us. We’re going to watch a movie. You could spend some quality time with her?” she suggested.

  He gave a small smile. “That sounds like a good idea. Just so long as it isn’t a foreign film with subtitles. Lynette forces me to sit through them because she thinks it makes her look more intelligent to be able to say she’s seen them.”

  “I like foreign films,” Dulcie said, her voice filled with amusement at his opinion of them.

  “No, you don’t.” He grinned. “You like films with loads of explosions and car chases.”

  Dulcie cocked her head, curious as to how he knew that, but she didn’t ask. She was just glad he had calmed down again. And what she really wanted to know was what he’d meant earlier when he’d said he couldn’t stand the thought of her and Daniel together. Did that mean…? No, surely it couldn’t!

  But as the three of them relaxed in front of the movie, Dulcie found that Adam was watching her more than the screen. She gave him a questioning look, but he merely smiled, then he bobbed his head at Noelle. The younger girl had moved onto the floor and was now leaning against her brother’s leg, all animosity forgotten. Adam put a hand onto his sisters head and mouthed the words “Thank you” to Dulcie.

  Dulcie turned back to the movie, but she had lost track of it now, all she could see was Noelle, peaceful at last, and Adam’s warm smile.

  Chapter Twelve

  When Daniel got back, both Dulcie and Adam decided it was time to leave.

  Noelle was still feeling freaked out, so Daniel gave her a strong sedative to help her sleep, and Dulcie finally felt able to leave her. She and Adam left together, and he walked her back to her house, both trudging through the snow, suddenly silent now they were alone.

  “I’d invite you in,” she said as they reached her gate, “but I’m dead on my feet, I barely slept last night.”

  “No, that’s okay. I should get home anyway. But I did want to thank you properly for stepping in between me and Noelle. For some reason, my family always make me lose my temper, and I can see now that it was totally the wrong way to deal with it. But spending the evening with her was the best thing possible and, hopefully, she gets it now that I only want her to be happy. Do you think she’ll still go back to Liam?”

  “No. You were perfect after that first outburst, and I’m sure your words will sink in now that she’s more open to hearing them from you. You did well tonight by not mentioning it again.”

  “I can’t believe it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow. I feel like I should be with her, with all my family.”

  Dulcie didn’t say anything, but she was sure he could read her thoughts on her face.

  He ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable.

  “I also wanted to say… I wanted to thank you, too, for what you did for Noelle. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. You were amazing to go and get her so fast and to help her through it.”

  “Gosh, Adam, that almost sounds friendly.”

  “We are friends, aren’t we?” he asked, looking down at her with serious eyes.

  “I’m not really sure,” she answered honestly. “We’ve always bickered more than we’ve got along.”

  “It’s called sexual tension,” a male voice said from the darkness of the porch.

  They both spun around.

  “Kit?” Dulcie spoke first.

  “What are you doing here?” Adam said.

  “That’s a nice way to greet your brother.” Kit move
d out of the shadows and clapped Adam on the shoulder.

  “Hello, Kit, good to see you,” Adam said. “So, what are you doing here?”

  “I’m in Christmas for Christmas, it’s quite the done thing, didn’t you know?”

  “I meant, what are you doing hanging around Dulcie’s doorway late at night?” Adam retorted irritably[TM3].

  “I wanted to see Dulcie, obviously,” Kit said as though addressing someone of limited intelligence.

  “Why?” Adam pushed.

  “It’s personal,”

  “Yeah, I bet. Didn’t you come to town with your girlfriend?”

  “Don’t you have a fiancée to get back to?”

  “That’s enough!” Dulcie stepped firmly between them. “It’s cold, and it’s late, and I’m tired. Adam, we’ll speak soon. Kit, you’d better come in.”

  Adam didn’t say another word but turned on his heel and set off in the snow at a brisk walk. Kit smirked a little until Dulcie poked him in the back, forcing him inside the house.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Daniel was just getting out of the shower when he heard someone knocking. Opening the door, he found a beautiful, but shivering, woman, who had clearly been crying.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “I got this address out of Christopher’s filofax,” she answered, “I’m looking for Dulcie Bright. She lives in one of the neighboring houses, doesn’t she?”

  Daniel gave her a cautious look, and then opened the door wide. “Come in, I’m Daniel, Kit’s brother. You must be Imogen?”

  “Yes.” She gave another full body shiver, and then stepped over the threshold.

  “I’m pretty sure Dulcie will be asleep,” Daniel said, leading her into the kitchen. “Has something happened to Kit?”

  “Yes, she did. We were fine, better than fine, and then he saw her again. He left me to be with her instead.”

  “Dulcie and Kit? Are you sure?” Daniel paused in the act of filling a kettle for tea until the water ran over the edge and brought him to his senses.