The Christmas Collection

by Victoria Connelly

  Nick was relieved to see that his father managed the stairs at a pretty solid pace and they joined the others in the living room where the radiators were just beginning to take the chill off the room and Paul had got a fire going.

  ‘Dad – you remember Paul?’

  Paul came forward and shook Bryan’s hand. ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Madden.’

  ‘Young Paul? Good grief! It’s been a few years, hasn’t it?’

  ‘It certainly has,’ Paul said.

  ‘We’ve missed you in these parts.’

  ‘Not much time for hill walking these days, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Ah, but you must always make time. Don’t let work take over,’ Bryan said, wagging a finger at him. ‘Remember that!’

  ‘I will,’ Paul promised and then he motioned to Rachel. ‘I’d like to introduce you to my wife. This is Rachel.’

  Rachel stepped forward. ‘Pleased to meet you, Mr Madden.’

  He shook her hand, eyeing her suspiciously.

  ‘I brought our Christmas tree with us,’ she said, motioning to the little tree which she’d placed in the corner of the room.

  ‘I don’t normally have a tree,’ he said.

  ‘No, Dad, you prefer to pretend that Christmas doesn’t exist at all, don’t you?’

  ‘A lot of nonsense,’ Bryan said. ‘Just a bunch of sparkling tat!’

  Rachel visibly flinched.

  ‘Women like sparkling tat,’ Nick said, doing his best to hide a smile. ‘Now, let’s sit down, shall we? At least it’s beginning to warm up in here. You really should put the heating on, Dad. It’s the end of December in case you’d forgotten.’

  ‘It’s on in my bedroom.’

  ‘But you should heat the whole house.’

  ‘It’s too expensive.’

  ‘You’ve got the money I send you each month,’ Nick said.

  ‘I don’t want to waste your money, son.’

  ‘It’s our money. What did you think you were putting me through university for if not so I could help you?’

  ‘You’ll need that money for a rainy day.’

  ‘Well, it’s a snowy day which is much worse so the heating is staying on. I’ll set the timers before I leave and don’t you dare tamper with them. I’ll send Mrs Wray round to check on you.’

  ‘Oh, that dotty old busybody!’

  Nick grinned. ‘She’s a sweet and caring neighbour and you’re lucky to have her.’

  It was then that Rowan came into the room carrying a tray with tea things on.

  ‘Who’s she?’ Bryan asked.

  ‘That’s Rowan, Rachel’s sister.’

  ‘Rachel’s the one who brought the tree?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Nick said.

  ‘Silly woman,’ Bryan said, causing Rachel to blush furiously. ‘I like this one. She’s nice and practical.’

  ‘Rowan – this is my father,’ Nick said as Rowan put the tray down on the coffee table.

  ‘Hello,’ she said.

  He reached a hand out to shake hers. ‘Pretty young thing, aren’t you?’

  ‘Dad!’

  ‘What? Isn’t a man allowed to say that sort of thing these days?’ Bryan Madden shook his head as if in despair. ‘What a load of nonsense!’

  Rowan gave a tiny smile. ‘And you’re a very handsome man,’ she said.

  He barked out a laugh. ‘I like her,’ he told Nick. ‘She’s a keeper.’

  ‘Dad, she’s just a friend.’

  ‘Yeah? Well, that’s your first mistake right there.’

  ‘I’ll – erm – just go and find some biscuits,’ Rowan said, quickly leaving the room.

  ‘You’ve embarrassed her now, Dad,’ Nick said.

  ‘Oh, rubbish. Women love that sort of attention.’

  Nick shook his head and went through to the kitchen where Rowan was searching through the food bags they’d brought with them.

  ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘You okay?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she said, but she didn’t look up.

  ‘I’d like to apologise on behalf of my father.’

  ‘You don’t need to do that.’

  ‘He can be a bit full on.’

  ‘I noticed that.’

  Nick gave a sigh. ‘He’s an okay guy, really.’

  ‘You obviously care about him a great deal.’

  ‘I do,’ he said. ‘I just wish I wasn’t so far away in London.’

  ‘That must make life tricky.’

  ‘It does. I’d love to see more of him. Not just to keep an eye on him but, well, we’re pals, you know?’

  ‘That’s nice,’ Rowan said with a smile as she looked up at him.

  ‘Yeah, and I miss that. I miss those times we used to spend together. I mean, we never talked like women do. We wouldn’t ever have long, meaningful discussions or anything, but it was nice.’

  They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Rowan turned back to the bags of groceries.

  ‘Ah,’ she said, ‘the biscuits.’

  Nick opened a cupboard and held out a plate and Rowan placed a handful of chocolate biscuits onto it, her hand brushing his ever so slightly. His breath caught in his throat and he watched for her response, disappointed when her hand darted away from his as if she’d been stung.

  ‘I’ll take these through, then,’ he told her.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, turning her back on him as he left the room.

  CHAPTER 6

  Rowan wasn’t going to think about it. So their fingers had brushed. It had been nothing more than a silly accident – a miscalculation of personal space. That was all. She hadn’t felt anything. The sudden surge of warmth around her body probably just meant that the radiators were kicking in. She nodded to herself as she unpacked the groceries, familiarising herself with Bryan Madden’s kitchen. It was always good to be practical at times of emotional confusion.

  It was a pretty enough kitchen with multi-coloured tiles above a large oven which boded well for Christmas dinner for five, and she smiled when she found a collection of Beatrix Potter mugs in one of the cupboards. All the gang were there from Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck to Samuel Whiskers and Mrs Tiggywinkle. There were plates to match and Rowan thought that they must be for the younger guests who’d once stayed at the B&B.

  ‘There you are!’ Rachel said, coming into the room. ‘I thought we’d lost you.’

  ‘No. Just in here,’ Rowan said. ‘Take a look at these.’

  ‘Oh, sweet!’ Rachel exclaimed as she looked into the cupboard. ‘Remember when we thought that all the Beatrix Potter characters really lived in the Lake District? We’d poke into bushes and peer into the lakes in search of Benjamin Bunny and Jeremy Fisher?’

  ‘We really did see Squirrel Nutkin that time,’ Rowan said, remembering her sighting of the elusive red squirrel.

  ‘But he still had all his tail,’ Rachel pointed out.

  ‘Maybe he was a descendent.’

  ‘For sure.’

  They laughed and then Rachel looked behind her as if expecting somebody to enter at any moment.

  ‘What is it?’ Rowan asked.

  ‘What happened, then?’

  ‘What do you mean? To Squirrel Nutkin?’

  ‘No! I mean Nick came back into the living room all flushed.’

  Rowan frowned. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

  Rachel shrugged. ‘I just wondered what had been going on between you two.’

  ‘Nothing’s been going on. We were getting the biscuits, that’s all!’

  ‘Okay, okay!’ Rachel said. ‘No need to get all flustered.’

  ‘I’m not all flustered.’

  ‘I was just making sure you were all right. I mean, I know he’s not your favourite person on the planet and I know this isn’t the kind of Christmas you signed up for.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Rowan said. ‘I wanted a quiet Christmas so I could get my head around what’s been happening lately.’

  ‘I know you did. It’s not the Christmas I signed
up for either,’ Rachel said, her voice now lowered. ‘Just look at this place. Isn’t it grim?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Rowan said. ‘I think it’s got an old world charm about it.’

  ‘It gives me the creeps,’ Rachel gave a theatrical shiver. ‘It’s probably haunted or something.’

  ‘It’s not that old. It’s only Victorian.’

  ‘Are you kidding? All the creepiest ghost stories are Victorian.’

  ‘I don’t think a bed and breakfast is likely to be haunted,’ Rowan said.

  ‘Yeah, well, keep telling yourself that when it starts to get dark!’

  But by the time the sun had set and the curtains were drawn, Rachel had made sure that there wasn’t a corner of the house that didn’t have a lamp on or some form of twinkling lights.

  ‘It’s like Blackpool illuminations in here!’ Bryan complained. ‘It’ll cost a fortune in electricity!’

  ‘But it’s Christmas Eve, Mr Madden,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Yes, and they probably double the cost of electricity at this time of year because of mugs like you.’

  ‘Dad!’ Nick cried.

  ‘It’s okay, Nick,’ Paul said. ‘She is a mug.’

  Rachel thumped her husband’s arm for his disloyalty.

  ‘Well, if we’re ramping up the electricity bill, we might as well have the TV on,’ Bryan said. There then followed a pleasant enough couple of hours with the five of them watching a Christmas movie, eating nibbles and enjoying light conversation by the warmth of the fire.

  After that, Paul and Rachel prepared dinner whilst Nick fed Harley. Everyone was famished after the four hour journey from Fell View as they’d only snacked on biscuits and cups of tea since then. They ate around a kitchen table and conversation turned to the past with university stories being told to the girls by Nick and Paul and hiking tales being remembered by Bryan. At one point, a look came over Bryan that made Rowan feel intensely sad.

  ‘I’ll never get up in the hills again,’ he said wistfully.

  ‘Sure you will, Dad,’ Nick said. ‘You’ve just got to get your strength back and perhaps wait for a less snowy day.’

  That made his father smile a little, but Rowan could see that he had a look of defeat about him.

  They returned to their seats in the living room with mugs of hot chocolate. Bryan seemed to have mellowed a little towards his guests by this stage. Perhaps, Rowan thought, he was one of those men who just needed pampering into submission. It must be hard for him living on his own with his only son so far away in London. One was bound to get a bit grumpy especially after not being well.

  ‘Do you miss the bed and breakfast?’ Rowan asked Bryan as she sipped her hot chocolate.

  ‘I don’t miss the work,’ he said, ‘but I guess I miss the people.’

  ‘Yeah, Dad might come across as a grouch, but he likes having people around, don’t you?’

  ‘Oh, do I indeed?’ Bryan said with a guffaw. ‘Well, only for short periods of time. That’s the nice thing with holidaymakers – they come and then they go. That’s good.’

  Rowan grinned. ‘Well, let’s hope we don’t all get snowed in until the middle of January.’

  ‘Yes, let’s,’ Bryan said, and everyone laughed.

  They talked for a while more, with Nick and his dad reminiscing about funny guests they’d met over the years, the people who kept in touch and the folks that came back year after year.

  ‘Serious walkers,’ Bryan said. ‘The coast to coast, the three peaks, the Pennine Way – you name it and they’ll have walked it.’

  ‘You’d have loved it in Wasdale yesterday, Dad,’ Nick said.

  Harley thumped his tail on the floor as if remembering and Bryan nodded and then yawned.

  ‘I think you should probably get to bed,’ Nick said.

  ‘Good grief! I’m not a child.’

  ‘Let me help you up.’ Nick was on his feet in an instant, bending over his father.

  ‘I can manage,’ Bryan said, but it was clear from the struggle he was having to get up from his chair that he needed a little bit of help.

  Seeing Nick with his father was a real eye-opener for Rowan. Gone was the brash young man she’d seen at the wedding and in his place stood this caring human being full of vulnerability, and she found herself wanting to reach out and help him.

  ‘Nick?’ she asked. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

  Nick looked around the room as if for inspiration and then looked back at his father. ‘A hot water bottle might be nice,’ he said. ‘You’ll find it under the sink in the kitchen.’

  ‘Coming right up,’ she said, instantly feeling better at having something to do.

  ‘I don’t need a hot water bottle,’ Bryan protested and Rowan grinned.

  ‘You’ll change your mind when you’re all snuggled up in bed with it,’ Nick said. ‘Come on, let’s get you upstairs.’

  ‘I can manage.’

  ‘I know. I’ll just walk behind you to make sure you do your teeth.’

  ‘Honest to goodness!’ Bryan cried, shaking his head.

  ‘Good night, Mr Madden,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Thanks for letting us stay,’ Paul added.

  ‘For a couple of nights, tops,’ Bryan told them as he left the room.

  Paul chuckled. ‘You’ve got it.’

  Rowan went to the kitchen and found the hot water bottle and filled it with warm water. Rachel came through from the living room with the mugs and gave them a quick wash.

  ‘Right, we’re off to bed,’ she said. ‘It’s been a tiring day. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?’

  ‘Which room are you in?’

  ‘Nick said we could have number three – the double with the en suite.’

  ‘He’s given me number four – the twin with a view of Derwentwater. If it isn’t misty, cloudy or raining.’

  Rachel smiled. ‘Night,’ she said, leaning forward to kiss her sister’s cheek.

  ‘Night, Ro!’ Paul called from the hallway.

  ‘Night!’

  She gave Rachel and Paul a few moments before she went up with the hot water bottle, meeting Nick as he was coming out of his father’s bedroom.

  ‘Hey, thanks.’ He disappeared inside and Rowan hung around for a moment until he returned.

  ‘Well, I’ll get to bed too, I guess. Unless I can get your dad anything else?’

  ‘No, he’s good,’ Nick said. ‘I’m sorry about his brusque manner.’

  ‘I like him,’ Rowan said. ‘He’s honest.’

  ‘Yeah, he’s that all right.’

  ‘He’s missed you.’

  ‘You think?’

  ‘Of course! The way he was looking at you at dinner.’

  ‘Like how?’

  ‘Like he was trying to capture every single minute with you.’

  Nick stared at her and swallowed hard. ‘I – well – I’ve missed him too.’

  Rowan nodded and then, after another pause, said, ‘Well, I’ll get ready for–’

  ‘Hey,’ Nick interrupted her. ‘There’s something I’ve been meaning to say.’

  ‘Oh?’

  He nodded and motioned for her to go downstairs where they could talk without disturbing anyone. As they entered the living room, Nick switched off the main lights so that just the Christmas tree lights were on.

  ‘Doesn’t it look pretty?’ Rowan said, admiring the way that the silver and gold baubles glowed. ‘It reminds of when Rachel and I would sneak downstairs on Christmas Eve and–’ she stopped and giggled.

  ‘You didn’t open your presents?’

  ‘No!’ Rowan said, aghast at his suggestion. ‘But we gave them all a pretty good feel. We’d be so excited trying to guess what was inside each one and we wouldn’t be able to sleep for hours. Or so we thought. Every year we were determined to stay up and see Father Christmas, but I think we were so exhausted from our excitement that we fell asleep straightaway.’

  ‘And when did you stop believing in Father Christmas?�
��

  She looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to see into the past. ‘Last year,’ she said and then grinned.

  ‘Me too,’ Nick said. ‘It was hard, but I took it like a man.’

  They laughed together.

  ‘Listen,’ he said after a moment, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

  ‘What is it? Is it your dad?’

  ‘No, no. It’s you.’

  ‘Me?’

  He shook his head. ‘I mean it’s me. You and me. The wedding.’ He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. ‘I’m not expressing myself properly.’

  ‘You mean Rachel and Paul’s wedding?’

  ‘Yes.’

  She shook her head. ‘We don’t need to go there. It was ages ago.’

  ‘I know, and I’ve never forgotten it,’ he said. ‘I mean, I don’t remember too much about that whole dance floor business, but I’m told that I behaved quite badly and I’ve carried that around with me ever since.’

  ‘Oh, rubbish! You haven’t. You’re just saying that because we’re stuck together for Christmas.’

  ‘I’m not!’ he said. ‘I feel bad – really bad – about what happened at the wedding, and I want to apologise.’

  ‘It’s okay. You don’t need to apologise.’

  ‘Oh, yes I do. If I upset you–’

  ‘You didn’t upset me.’

  ‘No? Are you sure about that? Because I’ve heard differently and you don’t seem comfortable around me.’

  ‘You didn’t upset me,’ she said. ‘You annoyed me. You humiliated me. You-’

  ‘Okay, okay,’ he said, raising his hands in the air as if in self-defence. ‘I get the picture.’

  ‘Let’s just forget it, shall we?’

  ‘Are you sure?’ he asked. ‘Because you still sound upset about it.’

  ‘I’m not,’ she said. ‘I was mad at the time and, well, for some time afterwards because people kept teasing me.’

  ‘Oh, God – I’m sorry!’

  ‘But it’s over. Let’s put it behind us, shall we?’ Rowan walked over to the dying embers of the fire and knelt down beside it.

  ‘Shall we put another log on?’ he asked.

  ‘No. I’m going up to bed in a minute.’

  ‘And you’re sure we’re good?’

  ‘I’ve said so.’

  He knelt down beside her. ‘You know, there’s one moment of the wedding that I do remember. Very clearly indeed.’