"She is!" Mr. Dewar interjected before his wife could object.
Duncan felt more comfortable now that the conversation was on a steady path. Caroline asked his father about his teaching position and the discussion rolled on from there in a pleasant fashion. Mr. Dewar told a few anecdotes about university students and everyone enjoyed themselves. Harold still stared at Caroline and sat too close, but she acted as though she did not mind. Duncan excused himself and changed into a suit for dinner.
It was after seven when he joined the family again. He announced that they needed to leave for their dinner reservation. He had made arrangements to dine with Caroline at the Balmoral's French restaurant. It was a special chef's menu in honor of Christmas, and they could not be late.
In the car, he apologized for Harold's behavior, stating, "I'm sorry about my brother, Harold. I don't know what got into him. He's not normally that strange."
"Duncan, I was raised with three brothers. I didn't find Harold strange at all. He's just young, and it sounds like he's a real genius with that system of his. Do you think he'd really share it with me?" she asked.
"I'm sure he'd be delighted to," Duncan said.
He didn't bother explaining how appreciative he was that she was so gracious to his family or how proud he was to have her as his date. They arrived at the hotel well before eight, the time of their reservation. She went back to her room to freshen up while Duncan waited in the lobby, lost in happy thoughts regarding Caroline. He did not notice when she got off the elevator or walked towards him, unlike earlier. Now, it was her turn to observe him.
"Hello," she said.
Duncan flinched, startled. She stood before him in a burgundy, shantung dress. Her clothing produced a soft glow as only silk can. He wondered if her clothes were all custom-made, as the fit seemed always perfect. As he rose to greet her, Duncan took in the details of her dress. Another boat neck, just deep enough to reveal her collar bone, fitted sleeves to the elbow, burgundy embroidery along the bottom of the jacket-like top and a fitted pencil skirt, hemline just below the knee.
"You are lovely," Duncan said.
"Why thank you, Duncan. You clean up well yourself."
The evening was over all too soon. The well-known restaurant offered a prix fixe menu, featuring Chateaubriand. He held her hand throughout the meal, caressing the wrist he had bruised weeks before. They finished their supper with a delicate apricot souffle. Duncan walked Caroline to her room. As she placed the card key in the door, he stopped her. He took her arm and pulled her to him, slipping an arm around her waist. He rubbed a thumb over her lips with his free hand. She lifted her gaze to meet his.
"Duncan, I…"
"Shh," he cut her off. "I should leave before you open that door," Duncan said in a low tone, still caressing her mouth.
She nodded, closed her eyes, and parted her lips to receive his kiss. He was aware of his fingers, entwined in her hair, as her face tilted towards his. She was aware of his thumb, tracing up and down her spine. They both lost track of time, in a swirl of passion. It was Duncan who pulled away first, taking several steps backwards, down the hall.
"Good night," he said, smiling.
He moved further away and watched from afar as she unlocked the door and waved at him before entering her room. It was eleven p.m. when he drove home.
Duncan was surprised to find his family still up, sitting around the kitchen table. Their conversation stopped abruptly as he entered the house. Once in the kitchen, all eyes were on him.
"What's this? A family meeting?" he asked, allowing his annoyance to intrude on a near perfect day. The only imperfect occurrences involved his family.
"No, Mum just wanted to make sure you made it home in one piece," Angus said with a sly grin.
"Did you have a good time, Duncan?" Margaret asked her son.
"We had a brilliant time, at dinner. I'm lucky Caroline is a good sport, because things got a little shaky around here," he said.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I think everything came off just fine. Caroline is a lovely girl and it was lovely to meet her," Duncan's father said. Then he added, "Well, we'd better all get off to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day."
Harold shot up the stairs, happy to evade a scolding from his brother. He would sleep in the bedroom his sisters vacated years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Dewar turned off lights and sauntered to their room, while Angus stayed seated, that grin still on his face.
"So, how did it really go? She kick you out?" he asked.
"It was nothing like that, Angus. We had dinner that's all."
"What time are you picking her up in the morning? Mum put a stocking up for her, you know."
"We'll have to do stockings a little later than normal. She's going to have a spa treatment in the morning. After that, I'll bring her back to the house."
"Ooh, Mum won't like her missing church on Christmas," Angus said, then clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, shaking his head from side to side.
"Goodnight, Angus," Duncan said and went to bed, leaving his brother in the kitchen, still clucking.
Chapter 15 - A Christmas to Remember
The Dewar family attended an early service at the local kirk on Christmas morning. They marched to church, bundled in winter coats. Overcast as usual, the temperature proved bearable, but the wind cut an icy swath through anyone caught outside. The minister expounded on Matthew, chapter two, and the wise men.
He explained, "The Greek word used in the text was magi, where the English word magician comes from. The wise men were actually scientists of that day, the line between science and magic sometimes blurred at that time," he claimed, capturing Duncan's complete attention.
The vicar went on to expound on who the wise men might have been. Six hundred years before Christ, the prophet Daniel was included with Babylon's wise men. Daniel had prophesied about the coming Messiah, and there were other prophecies in the Old Testament regarding a star. It was likely the wise men from the east knew of Daniel's prophecy. He ended his brief sermon stating that wise men still seek Christ.
Duncan had heard two sermons in about a month. Both spoke to him, and he reviewed them in his mind on the walk home. He was still thinking about wise men and scientists, comets and hewn stone blocking his path, when his mum directed her boys to rearrange furniture in the lounge. Duncan and Harold moved a low table to his parents' bedroom while Angus brought a folding table down from the house's crawl space of an attic. Club chairs were also placed in a bedroom while kitchen chairs were moved into the lounge. They created a makeshift dining room by adding table linens, flatware, crackers, dishes and stemware. Mrs. Dewar trusted her men to get the table correct as she worked in the kitchen. She was checking her roast when Duncan left to retrieve Caroline.
* * * * *
Mr. Dewar removed a stocking from the fireplace and gave it to his wife. When the children were small, everyone hung their stockings from their footboards. Now that the family consisted of adults, they followed the American tradition of stockings on the mantle. Mrs. Dewar peeked inside her narrow knit stocking and pulled out a small, black package.
"I wonder what this could be," she said to her husband, pulling the box open. "Ah," Margaret exclaimed, and turned the box around, revealing a pair of small, silver metal hoops that sparkled with tiny pave diamonds.
Everyone voiced their approval. Duncan's mum dug further into the stocking and pulled out a tube of extra strength eucalyptus hand balm and a small kitchen contraption to chiffonade herbs. The Dewar matriarch was clearly pleased and thanked her family for the gifts.
Next, Mr. Dewar handed a dark blue stocking to Harold. Harold attempted to dump its contents onto his lap, but nothing budged from the stocking. Plunging his arm inside, he retrieved a pair of leather work gloves, a calculator, stopwatch, and bag of hard candy. He grinned from ear to ear and began tinkering with the stopwatch before thanking everyone.
In the Dewar family, gifts were placed in the stockings anonymously. If the
giver wished to remain unknown, that was fine. Sometimes, people chipped in to buy one costly item and other times, everyone purchased their own gift for a loved one. It was all part of the fun.
Mr. Dewar handed Caroline a hot pink stocking, trimmed with cream crochet, saying, "This is for you, Dear."
Caroline had not anticipated being included in the Dewar stocking ritual and was overcome with gratitude.
"Oh, I didn't expect this. Thank you so much," she said, slightly flustered.
"Wait until you see what's in there before you thank anyone," Margaret said, and everyone laughed.
The first item Caroline retrieved from the stocking was a bag of dog biscuits.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed. "I'll be able to give the pups a peace offering when I get back. They can be a little sullen if I desert them for any length of time," she added.
Next, she found a small, cloth bound journal.
"Thank you," Caroline said, glancing around the room, "I can use this."
She set the journal and dog biscuits on her lap.
"Keep going," Duncan encouraged.
Caroline reached into her stocking again and pulled out a tiny booklet, made from lined notebook paper. Blue ink scrawled across the front, and a staple served as binding. Caroline flipped the miniature pamphlet open. Inside, were Harold's predictions for the rest of the football season. On the back cover, Harold listed the phone numbers where he could be reached for further information. Caroline was delighted.
"Back in the States, they call something like this the gift that keeps on giving!" she enthused, adding, "you couldn't have given me a better gift, Harold. Thank you!"
Harold left off messing with his stopwatch and beamed.
"Keep looking," Duncan said, after giving Harold his moment of glory.
"I'm spoiled here," she said, dropping her hand into the stocking.
She reached farther inside, blushing, her cheeks a light pink. She felt something soft in the toe and pulled out a dark blue, velvet pouch. She held it up for the group to see before loosening its drawstrings. She grasped the contents between her thumb and forefinger, removing a vintage marcasite brooch in the form of a sunflower.
"It's beautiful!" she said, gazing at Duncan.
The small mineral chips embedded in the silver brooch shone like diamonds.
At this point, Caroline gave the Dewar family her gift of French chocolates.
Margaret absconded to the kitchen with the box, saying over her shoulder, "I'll take custody of these. Please continue with the stockings."
Mr. Dewar distributed stockings to Angus and Duncan at the same time, knowing that his wife needed help in the kitchen and trying to hurry things along. Duncan gestured for Angus to go first.
"What do we have here?" Angus said after delving into his stocking.
First, he pulled out a bag of shelled pistachio nuts, then a pair of ear buds. Finally, he removed a jar of moisturizing hand cleanser for mechanics.
"Bravo! Thank you everyone," Angus said.
Duncan found a bottle of cologne, caramels, and a pair of socks, guaranteed to keep feet warm, in his stocking. Pleased with his treasures, he thanked his family and strolled to the kitchen to check on his mum while Caroline huddled with Harold over her betting booklet.
"Do you need help, Mum?" he asked.
"Nothing your Dad can't do," she answered, pointing to Duncan's father who had followed him into the kitchen. "Since we had steaks a few nights ago, I decided on a roast turkey today. I've got parsnips roasting away as well, and at the moment I'm concentrating on the finishing touches for the Cock a Leekie Soup."
Duncan hovered over the stove, breathing in the scent of the broth. Chunks of leeks, chicken, potatoes, celery, and onions bobbed among fresh parsley and thyme. He could smell the turkey and turnips as well, and his stomach began to rumble.
"Everything will be ready soon, Duncan. Get the soup bowls down from the cupboard and then join the others in the lounge. There's no telling what Angus and Harold are getting up to in there with your friend," his mum said, shaking her head. She added, "Your father and I have it under control in here."
It turned out that Caroline was holding her own quite well with his brothers, and before they knew it Mr. Dewar announced that dinner would be served. Everyone took their place at the table and James Dewar said grace. Then, they pulled apart their colorful Christmas crackers. Each opened with a pop and tissue crowns tumbled out along with a printed joke and a small gift. Margaret's cracker contained a deck of cards, while her husband's held a domino set. Angus found a sewing kit in his cracker while Harold received a shoe horn. Duncan discovered a travel mirror and Caroline uncovered a bottle opener under her paper crown.
"Everyone don your crowns and James and I will serve dinner," Margaret ordered, placing a pink tissue crown on her head.
Duncan's father put on his bright yellow crown, which did nothing for his complexion, and followed his wife from the room. Wearing the crowns added a jovial element to the party. His parents returned, serving bowls of soup.
Margaret announced, "Our first course is Cock a Leekie Soup, please enjoy."
Quiet fell on the room as each person savored their soup. Some slurping could be heard, but Margaret chose to pretend she did not notice.
"What do you think, Caroline? Does the soup meet your standards? I hear you run a tea room at your castle," Duncan's mum said.
Caroline pushed another spoonful of broth with a potato chunk in her mouth and swallowed before answering.
"It's delicious. I've never had better, Margaret." She paused and Margaret smiled, satisfied. Caroline continued, "It's true we have a seasonal tea room at the castle, but I only administer it. I have to hire someone to do all the cooking. I'm afraid I'm all thumbs in a kitchen."
Margaret's children and husband all chimed in that this was the best Cock a Leekie they'd ever experienced as well. The next course was a refreshing melon with ginger and port. His mum infused honey with fresh grated ginger. Then she tossed the mixture with melon balls and sprinkled port over the cantaloupe before chilling. She served the course in pretty little crystal stems inherited from her own mother.
"Tell me about your time in Virginia. It's such a beautiful state," Caroline said.
"I lectured at university there for several years. Margaret and I enjoyed our time there," Mr. Dewar replied.
"But it was hard on old Duncan here," Angus started, unable to control his ornery nature.
He smacked his brother on the back.
Then, he continued in a low tone akin to a conspiratorial whisper, "They found him up to his elbows in Mum's toiletries, trouble adjusting you know."
Angus winked at Caroline, who looked uncomfortable.
"Decided we had to pull out of the U S of A immediately and get back to Scotland, where real men wear skirts, not pancake makeup."
Angus crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned back in his chair, satisfied with his latest coup. She looked to Duncan for an explanation, but he had covered his face with a serviette.
Duncan was busy struggling to discretely clear his throat of a clump of cantaloupe that had lodged in his windpipe when Angus hit his back. He appeared to be sobbing into the linens, not choking on melon.
"That's enough, Angus," Margaret said, giving her son that threatening look he was so familiar with, inspiring a degree of fear in him. "Ignore Angus, Dear, he thinks he's being funny," she added.
Just as his mum finished her sentence, Duncan dropped his serviette. With one deep, horrible, body rattling cough, the chunk of melon, once lodged in his throat, launched across the table, hitting Harold in the face.
"Hey, what did I do?" Harold exclaimed, turning red and wiping his face.
No one noticed that Duncan was almost purple from lack of oxygen.
A degree of panic and confusion ensued. Margaret chastised Duncan for becoming overly agitated with Angus and taking his frustration out on Harold. Duncan was too hoarse to defend himself. Carolin
e helped Harold dry his face, offering her own linen serviette as backup, while Mr. James Dewar retained a degree of decorum in the chaos. He had learned long ago to remain silent during times like these. Angus summoned all his self control to refrain from laughing, but his body shook from time to time with a stifled snicker. He may have been the source of the occasional snort that was heard as the afternoon unfolded.
As things began to calm, Mr. Dewar said, "I think it's time for the main course, don't you, Dear?"
"I certainly do!" Margaret said, rising from the table.
When the elder Dewars left the room, Angus said, "There's going to be hell to pay for ruining Mum's holiday dinner, Duncan."
"Don't start, Angus," he croaked at his brother.
It was only then that Caroline realized Duncan had choked, the gravel in his voice giving it away.
She patted Duncan's hand and said with a smile, "I can see there's never a dull moment in this family."
It was some time before Mr. and Mrs. Dewar appeared with the roast turkey and vegetables. Obviously, Mr. Dewar had calmed his wife down somehow in the interim. Margaret acted as if nothing had happened, adopting the Queen's motto of Never complain, never explain. Dinner continued with Caroline showering Margaret with compliments on the turkey and Margaret questioning Caroline about her morning spa treatments. By the time they served the Cranachan, all seemed well.
Duncan's throat felt quite uncomfortable, like it had been scraped with a sharp object, but he did not let that stop him from enjoying the caramelized oats, raspberries, honey and cream in the glass before him. The whiskey didn't hurt either.
Chapter 16 - Return to Taye
The sleet began almost as soon as Caroline left Edinburgh. A day later snow fell. Only a few inches accumulated, but it was a welcome change from freezing rain and stinging ice pellets. A growing depression nagged at Duncan's brain and battled with the optimism her visit had created. His mind often returned to the sermon fragment he heard when he first entered the old kirk at Taye: He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. Duncan wondered if his own path had become crooked, if his vision was somehow impaired. He had come to believe that the sermon contained a personal message for him, perhaps a warning. He was also bothered by the theme of the Holmes mystery he had found waiting for him at Cat's books.
Mystery: The Merlon Murders II: A Duncan Dewar Mystery of Murder and Romantic Suspense (Duncan Dewar Mysteries Book 2) Page 15