A House to Mend a Broken Heart

by Sherlock, Alison

  Arthur stood for a moment in the snow, leaning on his walking stick as he looked up at the house. Then Sam took his arm and they carefully walked across the slippery gravel. At the new front door, Arthur reached out to touch the red bow on the wreath before they walked into the entrance hall.

  ‘Welcome home,’ said Annie, looking tearful as she stepped forward to give Arthur a hug.

  Sam wondered how he could ever have doubted her intentions when he saw how much she cared for Arthur.

  ‘It’s good to have you back, darling,’ Rose told him, also looking a bit shaky and emotional. ‘Doesn’t the old place look wonderful?’

  Arthur smiled at his sister before slowly looking around him. The numerous fairy lights twinkled around the room as well as all over the huge Christmas tree. The fire in the hearth had been lit and its smoky, woody smell filled the air, along with the scent of the pine tree.

  Will and Sam exchanged a nervous glance. The Hall and everyone inside held their breath waiting for Arthur’s reaction.

  Finally, he spoke. ‘It feels like home again,’ he said, a tear rolling down his cheek. ‘I absolutely love it.’

  Then everyone was laughing and crying at the same time in relief.

  Sam took his grandad around his renovated home. Arthur especially liked the drawing room which was now so cosy and draught-free. The library had yet to be touched but he declared that he was looking forward to a spirited game of snooker with both his grandsons.

  At the end of the tour, Sam showed his grandad to his new master bedroom. Arthur’s eyes filled with tears once more when he saw his wife’s perfume bottles so carefully laid out by Alex.

  ‘She would have loved what you’ve done to the place,’ he murmured before looking directly at his grandson. ‘I’m so proud of you, lad.’

  Sam nodded, finding himself unable to speak.

  They both stepped forward for a gentle hug and a clap on the shoulder before heading slowly back downstairs.

  But Annie was at the bottom of the staircase looking distraught. ‘The Aga won’t work. I think it’s packed up for good!’ she wailed.

  ‘Don’t fret,’ began Sam.

  But Annie was in full panic mode. ‘It’s Christmas Day tomorrow! How am I going to feed everyone? It was supposed to be the most perfect Christmas ever and now it’s ruined.’

  Sam stepped forward to take her by the shoulders. ‘OK. Just breathe, all right? We can all go out to the pub tonight for something to eat. That solves tonight’s dinner dilemma.’

  ‘But I know they’re already fully booked for Christmas lunch tomorrow,’ she told him tearily. ‘I heard someone say so.’

  ‘We’ll make do,’ said Arthur, coming to stand next to them.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ asked Rose, heading over with Will.

  ‘Christmas is cancelled!’ cried Annie. ‘We’ve got no oven to cook with!’

  ‘Is that all?’ said Will, rolling his eyes. ‘I thought it was something serious.’

  ‘That’s the spirit, lad,’ said Arthur, nodding his head. ‘We’ve coped with far worse than this before now.’

  ‘I’ll ring Beryl,’ said Rose, with a nod. ‘She’s always got lots of food spare and is coming for lunch anyway tomorrow.’

  ‘We can borrow her microwave,’ said Sam, thinking quickly. ‘That can do most of the veg and stuff.’

  ‘But what about the turkey I’ve bought?’ asked Annie in despair. ‘What will we do?

  ‘Leave it to me,’ said Will, with a smile. ‘I’ve just had a cracking idea.’

  *

  As everyone else headed away, busy in their chores, Annie looked across at Arthur. ‘I wanted it to be so perfect for you,’ she told him, still upset.

  ‘Don’t you get it, Annie Rogers?’ said Arthur, putting his arm around her. ‘It is perfect. And do you know why? Because we’re all here together and that’s what really matters, OK?’

  She nodded, realising he was right.

  She was where she finally belonged. She was home.

  *

  After a lovely evening at the pub, the family made their way back home.

  As Will, Arthur and Rose headed upstairs to their bedrooms, only Annie and Sam were left downstairs to close up the house.

  With the doors locked and most of the lights switched off, they stood in front of the Christmas tree which twinkled in the almost darkness of the entrance hall.

  ‘Are you all ready for your first Christmas at Willow Tree Hall?’ asked Sam, with a soft smile.

  Annie felt her heart thud as she looked up at him, the stress about the Christmas dinner finally slipping away. . ‘I think so,’ she replied.

  ‘Good.’

  He turned his head to look at the presents which had been placed under the huge tree at various times by all the family. Crouching down, Sam leant across the vast pile to pick up a small box that she hadn’t notice before.

  Standing up, he said, ‘I know Father Christmas hasn’t officially been yet but I wanted to give this to you whilst it was quiet.’

  She was amazed. ‘This is for me?’

  He smiled and nodded, holding out the small present for her. The box had been immaculately gift-wrapped by someone other than Sam, she suspected as she held it in trembling hands. She pulled on the ribbon and lifted the paper to reveal a velvet case.

  With a quick glance at Sam, she slowly opened the jewellery box.

  ‘I thought that they looked like your kind of style,’ he told her as she stared at the diamond earrings in silent shock. ‘They’re vintage. Classic.’

  ‘They’re beautiful,’ she said, still trying to take it all in. ‘But…’

  ‘No buts,’ he quickly said. ‘It’s for you, with grateful thanks for looking after my grandad and aunt this past year. For everything you’ve done for all of us.’

  She watched as the diamonds caught the twinkling light of the Christmas tree close by.

  She took one last look at the earrings before smiling up at him. ‘I love them,’ she told him. ‘Thank you so much.’

  And because she didn’t know what else to say or do, she reached up and kissed him softly on the cheek. Except when she went to draw away, he turned his face slightly so that their lips met.

  It was gentle to start with, until Sam placed his hand behind her head, seeking a deeper, stronger kiss. In turn, Annie reached up to touch his hard chest under her hands before they slid around his neck of their own will.

  For a while she was aware of nothing else but his embrace. She wanted or needed nothing in the world but his kiss.

  Only the sound of a door closing upstairs brought her to her senses. They pulled apart, both breathless and flushed from their passion.

  She didn’t know what to do or say.

  But luckily he just smiled at her. ‘Happy Christmas,’ he murmured, stealing one last peck on her lips before heading up the stairs.

  Chapter 29

  Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. The snow had finished falling and was now dazzling in the low winter sunshine.

  Annie knew she should have felt embarrassed after her kiss with Sam the previous evening but, if anything, she felt more relaxed and happy than she had done for a long time.

  The house quickly came to life that morning with the sound of various showers being had, new bedrooms being tried out. Suddenly the house had begun to be filled with chatter and laughter once more.

  After they had attended the traditional service at the tiny church in the village, it was all hands on deck to prepare the big lunch. Everyone joined in to peel the vegetables that Bert had brought in from the garden. Beryl had brought with her a slow cooker into which they placed all the potatoes, parsnips, carrots and Brussel sprouts. The cranberry sauce was decanted from ready bought jars into serving dishes that Annie found in a box in the garage. The bread sauce and gravy were ready to be zapped in the microwave.

  ‘But what about the turkey?’ asked Annie.

  ‘No worries, mate,’ said Will, putting
on an Australian accent. ‘I had a bonza idea yesterday.’

  He led her outside to where Sam stood on the snow-covered patio next to a hastily assembled homemade barbeque.

  ‘It’s not quite a roast but it will do,’ Sam told her, with a smile.

  Annie looked over at Arthur who had come to join them. ‘What do you think?’

  Arthur laughed. ‘I think it’s a brilliant idea,’ he replied.

  And just like that, Annie’s perfect Christmas was back on track.

  Somehow, she found time to quickly call her mum to wish her happy Christmas. It would have been nice to be together for once but in a way she felt more relaxed with the Harris family.

  From the scenes of devastation on Snapchat, it appeared that Megan’s toddler-filled Christmas was also going well. Albeit noisier and accompanied by many plastic toys pinging and beeping at full volume.

  Eleanor had tried to put a brave face on being stuck away from her family and was texting photos from a swanky bar in London where champagne was obviously the most important part on the menu.

  With Sam’s iPhone playing Christmas music, they sat down in the dining room a few hours later. The turkey had cooked beautifully on the barbeque to everyone’s surprise. Their plates were groaning with food and the wine flowed throughout the meal.

  Everyone clapped when Arthur lit the brandy-soaked Christmas pudding with a match and they all laughed at the jokes in the crackers before putting on their paper hats.

  Then Arthur stood up, trying to look dignified despite the yellow paper crown on his head.

  ‘I’d just like to say,’ he said, in a wavering tone of voice, ‘how thankful I am to have my wonderful family around me today. Because that has been the best present of all this year.’

  ‘Hear hear,’ said Rose, nodding in agreement.

  ‘A very happy Christmas to you all,’ added Arthur, holding up his glass. ‘And may our lives be filled with many more.’

  ‘Happy Christmas!’ said everyone with a cheer, clinking their glasses together.

  It was the best Christmas she had had in a long time, thought Annie.

  There was only one thing that would have made it absolutely perfect, she realised.

  And that would have been another kiss from Sam.

  *

  Much later on, when the washing up had been done and presents had been exchanged, they all relaxed in the drawing room with their feet up in front of the roaring fire. The snow was beginning to come down heavily once more outside and it was the perfect excuse to stay snuggled up in the warm.

  ‘What a fantastic Christmas,’ declared Will, sitting down on the sofa.

  ‘It was indeed,’ said Arthur.

  ‘Not exactly traditional,’ said Sam, with a smile.

  ‘Maybe it’s time to start a few traditions of your own, lad,’ Arthur told him.

  Sam looked over at him and they exchanged a wink before Arthur closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep in one of the comfy new armchairs. He looked warm and content. It was the most relaxed Sam had seen his grandad for a long time.

  And it had been a really good day. All he needed to make it perfect was to find a quiet moment to get Annie on her own.

  He glanced over to where she was sitting with her feet curled up at the end of the sofa. He knew he had to stop kissing her but her response the previous night in front of the Christmas tree had at least told him that she had enjoyed it as much as he had.

  He was just contemplating suggesting a romantic walk in the snow when his phone rang. With a roll of the eyes, he went into the entrance hall to take the call, wondering which of his many bands had a work problem on Christmas Day. But it wasn’t work at all.

  When he went back into the drawing room, his aunt looked up at him. ‘Everything OK, darling?’ asked Rose.

  ‘Yes and no,’ he said. ‘That was Alex. He came down to see his grandmother this morning. She lives about ten miles away but he’s got stuck at her nursing home due to the weather. He was wondering whether he could come here for Boxing Day tomorrow?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Arthur. ‘Do you know, I don’t think I’ve seen young Alex for years.’

  ‘If you refer to him as young, he’ll be unbearable for the remainder of the holidays,’ said Will.

  ‘That’s not all,’ added Sam. ‘Apparently Hazy Memory have been stuck in some godforsaken hotel nearby today. They haven’t been able to get home to their families at all, thanks to the snow.’

  ‘They should have called,’ said Arthur. ‘There’s plenty of room for everyone here.’

  ‘I’m glad you said that,’ Sam told him. ‘Because I’ve invited them to come here tomorrow as well.’

  ‘It’s your home too,’ said Arthur, with a soft smile. ‘Of course they’re welcome.’

  Sam was grateful for his grandad’s support. ‘Mind you, they might end up staying as well if this weather continues.’

  He glanced out to where the snow continued to fall.

  ‘I’d better check the bedrooms,’ said Annie, quickly standing up. ‘I’m not sure what bed linen we’ve got.’

  ‘They’re going to have to sleep on the floor anyway,’ said Will. ‘As rock gods, I’m sure they’re used to that.’

  ‘Do you have to do it now?’ asked Arthur. ‘You could leave it until later.’

  ‘It won’t take long,’ Annie told him.

  ‘You know, we used to have a Boxing Day party for all the tenants,’ said Rose, tapping her chin in thought. ‘Do you remember, Arthur?’

  ‘Of course,’ he told her.

  ‘What do you think?’ she said. ‘Should we send out an invite to everyone for tomorrow evening? Is it too late?’

  ‘I think it’s an excellent idea,’ said Arthur smiling. ‘We can really christen the place properly.’

  ‘Excellent!’ said Rose with a wide smile. ‘It’ll be our very first party at the brand new Willow Tree Hall!’

  The only problem was that with all the unexpected extra work, Annie was busy for the rest of the day and so Sam never got a chance to catch her for another kiss.

  *

  Annie was rushed off her feet the following morning and hadn’t realised Sam had even left the house to pick up Alex before she heard the commotion in the entrance hall.

  She stared wide-eyed as a gangly, dark-haired rocker walked about, along with four other leather-clad men before realising that she was looking at the famous rock band Hazy Memory.

  Mick, the lead singer, stopped and gave Annie a slow once-over upon spotting her. ‘Hello, my darlin’,’ he rasped.

  Annie blushed. His youthful blue eyes twinkled, the best asset that he had used to woo many hundreds of women over the years, including his three ex-wives. With his long-hair, he had all the hallmarks of a classic rock star, albeit one now enjoying middle age.

  Although two feet shorter, Alex deliberately stepped between them and scrutinised Mick. ‘Whoever said you could pull off matching leather trousers and a jacket was obviously blind.’

  ‘It works well with the ladies,’ said Mick, with a twinkle in his eye.

  ‘Mind you,’ carried on Alex. ‘I suppose all that squeaking disguises the sound of your arthritic hips. You know, one day I will get you lot out of that leather.’

  Mick laughed. ‘Ha! You wish, darling. I’m way out of your league.’

  Sam shook his head. ‘It’s always the same with you two.’

  They all stepped into the drawing room to be introduced to Arthur and Rose.

  Whilst Hazy Memory probably weren’t quite to Arthur’s taste, they were still well known to most people thanks to their enduring Christmas hit.

  Rose twittered and flirted with the band as Alex watched on.

  ‘It’s nice the way people still admire ancient relics,’ said Alex, shooting a wink at Annie.

  ‘Could be worse,’ said Howard, the drummer, slumping into an armchair.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Ron the guitarist, rolling his eyes. ‘You didn’t have to sing that
bloomin’ song fifty thousand times this month.’

  Hazy Memory had the dubious honour of recording the most annoying Christmas single of all time. They all hated their Christmas hit but knew it was a necessary way to make a living.

  ‘Think of the money,’ said Sam, winking at them as he stood next to Annie. ‘How else are you going to replace that clapped-out old Jaguar of yours?’

  ‘Leave off!’ said Mick. ‘It’s a classic.’

  Annie hovered on the edge of the room, not knowing how to behave in front of the famous band.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Sam told her. ‘They’re actually quite nice for a bunch of old rockers.’ He nudged her forward so she had to sit down on the sofa next to him.

  Rose leant forward to pour them a cup of tea.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Mick, his eyes gleaming at the sight of the teapot. ‘We’ve been stuck in some awful hotel where the food was terrible. They couldn’t even make a decent cup of tea, could they, lads?’

  So much for a bunch of wild rock stars, thought Annie.

  But she was suddenly aware of Mick giving her a friendly leer across the room. ‘So who are you then, my lovely? Friend of the family?’

  ‘This is my housekeeper, Annie,’ Arthur told him.

  ‘I can see why they hired you, gorgeous.’

  Annie blushed bright pink but to her surprise, it was Alex who stepped in to defend her once more. ‘She’s never going to be interested in an old-age pensioner like you,’ he declared, with a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘How old are you all now? Sixty?’

  Mick laughed. ‘Fifty-five, mate. As well you know.’

  ‘Fifty-five? Again?’ said Alex, raising his eyebrows. ‘Such a shame your wrinkles show off your real age.’

  ‘I’ve been told wrinkles are a facial road map,’ said Ron, the guitarist, before snatching a mince pie from the plate.

  ‘Dear God,’ drawled Alex. ‘You must have put some considerable mileage in over the years.’

  But the band merely laughed, used to Alex’s bitchy comments.

  Annie felt relieved. They were actually a nice bunch of old rockers whom she actually felt quite safe to be around. She actually felt more nervous that it was Sam’s leg pressing up against hers as they were squeezed onto the sofa.