by Amanda James
He cracked out laughing and then put his finger to his lips and pointed to the closed kitchen door. ‘Mustn’t let Lucy hear. So glad you went to see her. I was supposed to tell you when I was here the other day, of course, but thought the shock might be too much for you.’ He nodded at her bump and ran his fingers through his raven-black hair. ‘I tried to hint with talking about your “job” and “saving” the Christmas card – you know, like stitching saves lives?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Sarah giggled. ‘I did think it was an odd choice of word.’
‘And then I just stared at you while I wondered how to pass on my grandmamma’s message in a non-shocking manner. You must have thought I was a, “how you say”, loopy-cracker.’
Oh, how cute. Ella will just swoon when I tell her. ‘We say crackers, or loopy, Corbin, but not generally both. I do like loopy-cracker, mind you.’
Corbin smiled. ‘I see, yes. And then Lucy walked in and I couldn’t think how to tell you, apart from leaving the newspaper … a little to chance, nevertheless. But chance smiled on you, no?’
‘No.’ Sarah nodded, then laughed. ‘I mean, yes. We had a lovely time catching up, Veronica and I. Though I must say I found the whole story of you and needling hard to take. Didn’t Lucy ever wonder about your surname?’
‘Non. She has some French but not enough to realise that my name meant needle. Though she’s getting more fluent now, having lived in France for a while, so eventually she might think it is a little odd – us sharing the same surname in English and French.’
‘To be pedantic, our name is Needler, not Needle, but we are splitting hairs here.’
‘Hares? You mean rabbit creatures? How cruel and what have they to do with it?’
Sarah could hear that Lucy and John were about ready to bring out the drinks so hissed, ‘Never mind that now. Veronica and I think that Lucy could be a great Stitch if she was given some encouragement.’
Corbin raised his eyebrows and then shook his head slowly … no.
Sarah chose to ignore it and ploughed on. ‘But in order for that to happen, I think it would be a good idea if you tell her that you are a Needle, Veronica’s link and everything.’
‘Absolutely not,’ Corbin growled, an angry blush darkening his handsome features. ‘Can you imagine the shock of it? She would feel humiliated realising that I had known all along about her family through the powers, but had decided not to tell her. She wouldn’t understand. And that might be the beginning of the end for us. Do you have any idea how much I love her, how much I want to protect her from any unhappiness?’ Corbin’s pale-blue eyes flashed almost navy with anger.
Oh dear. This reaction had not been drawn upon Sarah’s perfect storyboard strip of the day. John had warned her, but had she listened, had she? Oh, no, just steamrollered in as per usual, imagining she knew best for the whole family. Well, perhaps she did, but she had to admit that she had a good few years ahead of her in matriarch school before she could just take it for granted. Corbin had looked away into the fire, his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair.
Damn it. What to do now? After a few moments looking anxiously from Corbin to the kitchen door and listening to the laughter coming from behind it, her heart said, just tell all the truth and nothing but. Deep down the main reason she wanted to tell Lucy wasn’t for any glory or family leadership, it really was just to make the woman happy. And if Lucy didn’t want to join ‘the business’ it didn’t really matter. Sarah calculated that her next words could change things for the better, and she didn’t see another way through if she was honest.
‘Listen, Corbin. If in the end you decide to keep things as they are, then I will of course respect that, but please, just listen for a moment?’
He turned from the fire and sighed. ‘I’m listening.’
Sarah told him everything Lucy had said when she’d confided in her about her worries the other day. ‘So, you see, it would be best for everyone if she knew. You wouldn’t have to hide what you were up to and slink off any more and Lucy would feel supported by us all, whether or not she chose to stitch in the future.’
Corbin stood and threw his hands up. ‘But I would never have an affair! How could she even think it?’
‘What would you think if it was the other way around?’ Sarah levelled a calm stare into his confused face.
Corbin sat down again and cupped his face in his hands. ‘I just don’t know … this whole story. Grandmamma, me, you … it is too fantastic for anyone to believe.’
‘Lucy isn’t anyone, is she? She’s grown up with it. She’s the daughter of a Needle and Stitch – her brother’s a Needle, too.’
‘Hmm.’ He looked at her, his face clouded by worry. ‘I guess the real problem is that she’ll leave me. After all, I have deceived her from the beginning. I couldn’t bear that.’
‘I would bet the farm on her not leaving you if you tell her. But I think she might if you keep up all this cloak and dagger stuff, though. Lucy has already jumped to the wrong conclusion and will continue to jump, I reckon.’
‘I didn’t know that you had a farm … and I don’t have a cloak or dagger.’
‘You look serious, sweetheart,’ Lucy said, coming in from the kitchen with a tray of canapés.
Sarah released the tension and her amusement at Corbin’s misunderstanding by allowing a torrent of hysterical giggles to escape. After she got her breath back she said, ‘No, it was something I said that he took literally. Now I want a miniscule sherry. Anyone care to join me?’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
In her best French accent Sarah whispered in John’s ear, ‘I was right, no?’ She handed him a glass of wine, slipped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder as he looked out from the patio windows at Lucy and Corbin. The two of them looked so much in love walking arm and arm round Gwen’s garden later that afternoon.
‘Aye, but remember it was touch and go before he agreed to tell her, madam. So don’t get reyt cocky wi me,’ John whispered back in an exaggerated Yorkshire one.
Sarah giggled and prodded his belly.
‘Ow, watch out for me turkey and stuffing. I’m liable to explode.’
‘Christmas pud time in a bit. You need to save the explosion for later.’ Sarah groaned. The Christmas dinner had been outstanding, one of her mum’s best, but the thought of pudding was one morsel too far. Thankfully the morsel of earth shattering importance had been duly passed on by Corbin to Lucy before they had arrived at Gwen’s. Corbin had taken her for a drive around and told her as they were driving. He had figured that was safest as Lucy wouldn’t be able to strangle him or storm off.
Sarah hadn’t managed to talk to Lucy about it yet, but as they walked into her mum’s, a little late, she had smiled at Sarah and mouthed ‘thank you’.
The guess was that Harry had been told though, as not long after lunch, Sarah noticed him chatting in a corner to Lucy and then him walk over and clasp Corbin to his chest in a bear hug. Then the two men had left the room deep in whispered conversation. Lucy had looked as if she was going to come over and talk to Sarah after that, but she was collared by Ella. Now though, as the happy couple walked in though the patio doors, Lucy grabbed Sarah’s arm. ‘I want a word with you, young lady,’ she muttered and manhandled her into one of the bedrooms.
Once ensconced in Gwen’s en suite Lucy sat on the bath edge, face deadpan and pointed to the toilet. ‘Take a pew.’
Sarah did as she was told, not entirely convinced any longer that Lucy was thankful of her interference. Perhaps she had been just putting on a show for Corbin to make him think she was happy with what she’d learned. Perhaps now Sarah was for the high jump. ‘Are you okay with Corbin—’
‘I ask the questions here,’ Lucy snapped, her eyes narrowing.
Sarah gulped and looked at the floor. Damn it. Looked like she was in big poop. Then she felt a gentle thump on her shoulder.
‘Your face!’ Lucy chortled. ‘So easy to wind up. Just like your daft husband
.’
With her spirits rising in competition with her colour, Sarah laughed. ‘You had me there! So you are happy with it?’
Lucy tossed her chocolate curls, her eyes bright as two precious emeralds. ‘Hmm, I can’t say that I am in love with the revelations. It would have been preferable for Corbin to have explained his absences by telling me he had an unhealthy obsession with night-fishing, photography or something. Anything apart from he’s a bloody Needle.’
Sarah nodded sympathetically and patted Lucy’s hand.
‘But I am so relieved he’s not cheating on me that the rest is bearable.’ She gave Sarah a huge smile. ‘And I am so thankful that you pushed him into it.’
‘Phew, that’s a relief. I agonised about getting him to tell you, but I was sure that it would put you out of your misery. Well, partly, you still have to put up with a family of “time folk” to quote Corbin’s grandmamma.’
‘What a character! I warmed to her immediately when I met her on her birthday.’
‘She is, and so lovely too. I didn’t use to think so though.’ Sarah gave Lucy a potted history of her travels with Veronica.
‘What do you make of the weird link between her, you and us? It blew my mind, I can tell you.’ Lucy leaned her elbows on her knees and cupped her chin in her hands.
‘I have no firm theory, but Veronica thought that our families were linked because we all had more lives to save and …’ Sarah hesitated. She had to make sure she didn’t blurt out about her being Veronica’s mentor and so the logical support for Lucy in the future etc. ‘And we could all rely on each other to help each other out … be in the know and so forth.’
‘Hmm, I think there’s more to it than that, but we shall see. Time will tell, pardon the pun.’ Lucy crossed her arms and studied Sarah’s face carefully, obviously searching for any telltale sign of more information under the surface.
Sarah deliberately kept her expression unreadable. Lucy had clearly learned to look carefully out of habit when talking to her big brother. A chuckle bubbled in her throat when Sarah realised she herself was employing John’s ENF.
‘Right, then. We’d better go back to the festivities. Did you tell your dad about it all?’
‘Yep, and he will have told your mum by now. He was well chuffed that his son-in-law is a Needler. In fact, everyone here seems to be but me.’
‘The people here in the know, you mean,’ Sarah said, leading the way out of the room.
‘Ah, yes. The only people who don’t know about our bloody weirdo lives are Ella, Jason and Angelica. Is that right?’ Lucy asked.
Sarah nodded.
‘Lucky beggars. How nice to be oblivious of the whole madcap situation.’
‘Yes. And John is a bit fed up of it all at the moment, well fed up of me doing it, that is. I think he would like me to settle down and just have a normal family life.’
Lucy put her hand on Sarah’s arm just before she went back into the living room. ‘But I thought you had decided to do just that after everything you have been through recently?’
Sarah stopped and thought for a moment. ‘Yes … but Veronica made me reconsider. Her love and enthusiasm for “the business” reminded me of why I agreed to do it all in the first place. It’s a bit like teaching, I guess. The rewards outweigh the misery.’ She patted Lucy’s hand and opened the door and gave a sudden laugh. ‘Well, most of the time.’
Still under the quilt at past noon, Sarah nuzzled John’s shoulder and whispered. ‘Time to move your bones, baby. We can’t spend all of New Year’s Day in bed, can we?’
‘Don’t see why not. A man needs his rest after his body has been used so wantonly all morning.’
Sarah laughed and slapped his bum. ‘Didn’t hear you complaining.’
A grunt and a yawn was all she received in return, so she got up and allowed the shower to waken her resolve to go downstairs and do something about lunch.
Wrapped in a towel ten minutes later she went back to the bedroom to find her clothes and found instead, John, just replacing the phone on the handset. Unaware of her return, he sat on the bed, grim faced and pushed his hands through his hair.
Oh God, what the hell had happened? A twist in her gut prevented speech and then he saw her in the mirror.
‘Oh, Sarah … that was Corbin phoning from France. Here come and sit by me.’ He patted the bed.
Sarah couldn’t move. Had something happened to Lucy? She put her hand against the wall to steady herself. ‘Just tell me, John.’
He swallowed and took a deep breath. ‘It’s Veronica, love. She passed away this morning at eleven o’clock.’
A wave of relief tinged with a brushstroke of sadness rushed through her. ‘Thank God, I thought it was Lucy!’ She went over and sat by him.
John’s look of surprise was only surpassed by his babble of confusion. ‘Oh, yeah, right – no, it isn’t her, thank goodness. But I thought you would be devastated about Veronica.’
Sarah was silent for a few moments while she remembered her old friend, then she took his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly. ‘I am saddened, yes, of course, but I kind of expected it. So really, I suppose I am happy for her. She’s gone to be with her Edward and we will raise a glass of champagne or perhaps in my condition a Bucks Fizz to celebrate her life later. I am so glad I saw her before she went.’
‘I’m glad you did too.’ John took one of her hands and kissed it. ‘I wasn’t at first because you came away wanting to stitch again, and as you know I wanted a “normalish” life. A bit like you wanted before you deigned to make your commitment to me last year,’ he said with a chuckle.
‘Er, it was hardly that straightforward, mate,’ Sarah growled. ‘There were one or two spokes that the Spindlies decided to hurl into my wheels.’
‘Yeah, and I have decided that without ever stitching again you wouldn’t be the Sarah I have come to know and like a bit.’
‘You like me? Oh, I am so flattered.’ Sarah put the back of her hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon.
‘You are my wife and reason for life, dear heart.’
‘Aw, how lovely.’ She stood and went to find her clothes noting that John had slid back under the covers, a soppy smile on his face. Perhaps now was a good a time as any to spring her idea on him.
‘John?’ she said, zipping up her jeans, something which she wouldn’t be able to do much longer.
‘Yup?’
‘You know we haven’t talked much about names for the twins and when we have we can’t agree?’
‘Ye-s.’
‘What do you think about these? I thought Esmé Veronica and Harry John.’ Sarah held her breath as she watched him silently chew them over.
‘Harry John for a girl, that’s not working for me.’
Sarah stuck out her tongue.
‘Seriously, I couldn’t have picked better if I had pondered for weeks, and Dad will be thrilled.’ He grinned.
‘Yay! That’s sorted then. Okay get showered, dressed and by then I will have lunch on the table.’
Cold spicy chicken, garlic bread, salad and pickles … now what’s missing? Sarah surveyed the table. Ah yes. Sarah rushed off to find the mayonnaise and bumped into John in the doorway.
‘Steady on, anyone would think you were hungry.’ He laughed.
‘I am starving. You would hardly credit it after all the stuff we’ve gobbled this Christmas, especially after Mum’s gigantic and too delicious dinner.’
‘Yes and talking of her we have a lovely wedding to look forward to this year. In fact,’ he rubbed her tummy. ‘We have one or two exciting things to look forward to this year.’
‘We do indeed.’ Sarah nodded, side-stepped him and grabbed the mayonnaise from the fridge. ‘It is going to be a great year.’ She stuffed a bit of garlic bread in her mouth and sat down at the table.
‘The best.’ John smiled and then reached for something behind his back. ‘Okay, give me a kiss, woman, and then lets demolish this lot.’ He held a
battered piece of mistletoe over his head and leaned forward across the table.
Sarah felt a little tickle of mischief leap up and caper around her tummy. She adopted a Harry pose – hands behind her back chin pulled to her chest and mimicked, ‘Why would you want to kiss someone who refuses to give you a normal family life with roses around the door and so forth?’
John laughed and pulled her towards him. ‘Normal is overrated and roses are a bugger to keep clear of greenfly.’ He tossed away the mistletoe and placed his lips on hers.
As Sarah melted into him she made a wish that they would remain as happy in the future as they were in that very moment. A tall order when life had this really annoying habit of tripping you up, especially with the crazy life that they had. But she decided that with the bestest, cutest, sexiest, unselfish, and supportive husband in the whole wide world by her side, they just might manage to achieve it.
About the Author
Amanda James was born in Sheffield and now lives in Bristol with her husband and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, singing and spending lots of time with her grandchildren. She also admits to spending far too much time chatting on Twitter and Facebook! Amanda recently left her teaching role (teaching history to sixth form pupils) to follow her ambition to live her life doing what she most enjoys – writing.
Amanda is a published author of short stories and her first novel with Choc Lit, A Stitch in Time was chosen as a Top Pick in RT Book Reviews magazine in the US in July 2013.
Follow Amanda:
Blog – www.mandykjameswrites.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook – www.facebook.com/mandy.james.33
Twitter – @akjames61
More Choc Lit
From Amanda James
A Stitch in Time
Prequel to Cross Stitch
A stitch in time saves nine … or does it?
Sarah Yates is a thirty-something history teacher, divorced, disillusioned and desperate to have more excitement in her life. Making all her dreams come true seems about as likely as climbing Everest in stilettos.