A Family For Christmas (41 page)

‘Do you think it'll happen
again?' Eliza asked, vowing to keep watch for any sign of Farrant.

‘It might,' Grandfa Sam sighed.
‘The best thing is not to mention this to anyone and carry on as usual. Waft some of that
perfume of yours around to disguise any lingering smell of smoke. Amos, you keep an eye on the
dispensary and help Eliza in the shop if things get busy. I'm going up for a rest.'
Eliza watched as Sam shuffled up the stairs and felt a pang. He looked exhausted and really
didn't need this extra worry.

‘Don't worry, I'll keep an eye
out for Farrant,' Amos assured her. ‘Let's get cleared up so we can open for
business.'

While Amos attended to the dispensary, Eliza
quickly washed the sills of the windows and the doorframe with scented soap, then sprinkled a
few drops of perfume on the displays. As the aroma of sea breezes wafted around the little shop,
she felt her spirits begin to lift. Taking a good look about, she was surprised that, apart from
the bare floors, there was nothing to show there had even been a fire.

Then, as the little bell tinkled and the morning
rush of customers hunting for Christmas gifts began, she became too busy to reflect on the
previous evening's events. Halfway through the morning, she was reaching up to get one of
the boxes from the shelf when a shadow blocking the
light caused her to look up. Monsieur Farrant was staring in
through the window, his lips curled in annoyance. Fire flared up inside her again and, calling
to Amos to take over, she ran outside. Seeing her, Monsieur Farrant gave her a sneer and began
walking away.

‘Stop right there, Farrant,' she
ordered, oblivious to the curious stares of people passing by.

Surprised by her strident tones, he paused.
‘You wish something from me, Mademoiselle?' he smirked, sending his shiny moustache
quivering like a beetle's antennae.

‘I know you were responsible for last
night's fire …'

‘That is preposterous. The fire in your
shop, why it could have been caused by anyone,' he said, shrugging.

‘Ah, so you admit there was a
fire?'

‘Well, yes, you just said so, did you
not?'

‘I never said where it was,' she
pointed out.

‘You think you are clever but you have no
proof,' he hissed, moving closer. The smell of his peculiar odour wafting her way
galvanized her into action.

‘I think the police would be interested to
hear …'

‘As I said, you have no proof of your
outrageous allegation,' he said, moving away.

‘But I am sure they would be very
interested to hear about your night-time visitors to the perfumery and what goes on in that
building at the bottom of the garden.' He stopped dead. ‘I saw it all with my own
eyes the night I left.'

‘You wouldn't dare,' he
blustered, fear sparking in his eyes.

‘Try me,' she challenged, staring him
straight in the face. ‘There are enough people here to witness what I've just
said.'

He
stared around in horror, suddenly aware of the attention they were attracting. Cursing her to
hell and damnation, he turned and hurried away.

‘If you ever show your face round here
again I shall make sure everyone hears about your nightly activities,' she called after
him for good measure. He broke into a run, his coat-tails flapping like sails in his wake.

‘What's going on?' James asked,
appearing by her side. ‘I was just leaving the lifeboat station and heard you shouting.
Then I saw Farrant haring up the street like the devil was after him.'

At his choice of words Eliza couldn't help
but burst out laughing.

Sensing they were being watched, Eliza looked up
to find Nan beckoning from the upstairs window.

‘Come on, Nan's itching to know
what's been going on,' she said, pulling James back into the shop. ‘I'll
put you both out of your misery over one of her cure-all cuppas.'

‘Are you all right, Eliza?' Amos
asked, looking up. ‘That customer I was with dithered so long I couldn't come and
help.'

‘All sorted,' she said, rubbing her
hands together. ‘From now on, Monsieur Farrant will be nothing but an annoying fly on some
distant turd.' As Amos and James exchanged shocked looks, she chuckled. ‘Don't
worry about it, boys. That was the most satisfying experience of my life. Come on, James,
let's go and have that tea. You all right to watch the shop?' she asked Amos, who
smiled and nodded.

‘Take as long as you like. I've got
to make sure the medicine ledger tallies before I can go home for Christmas. It's a
dog's life,' he moaned good-naturedly.

‘Better than being a fly on a turd, though,
eh?' James grinned, slapping him on the back.

‘Well, you certainly told that
pompous-looking little man,' Nan chuckled, as they entered into the parlour.

‘How do you know?' Eliza asked in
surprise.

‘I just happened to be shaking my duster
out of the window,' she shrugged.

Grandfa Sam snorted. ‘You had your face half out of the
window, woman. I tell you, Eliza, if that man had put a step wrong she'd have been out
there with her poker.' Eliza smiled at Nan, for hadn't she said the selfsame thing
on her first day in the shop when Eliza had been worried Monsieur Farrant might come looking for
her?

‘I told you Nan and Grandfa would look
after you, didn't I?' James said.

‘Yes, and you've all been so kind to
me,' she said, relaxing back in her seat and staring around the cosy room. ‘And one
day I intend making it all up to you. I shall pay …' She broke off as Nan shook her
head.

‘There's really no need. As I keep
saying, that's what families are about,' Grandfa Sam smiled. ‘Now, what was
that all about outside, eh?'

Briefly Eliza told him, adding, ‘That
perverted little creep will never bother us again, of that I am certain.'

‘Remind me never to get on the wrong side
of you, Eliza,' James laughed. ‘You scared the living daylights out of me, the way
you were shaking your fists and looking so ferocious.'

‘Happen you'll have to behave
yourself then, our James,' Nan chortled, pouring more tea into their cups.

‘Talking of behaving oneself, where's
young Luke?' Grandfa Sam asked.

‘He's tidying his side of the
bedroom,' Nan said.

‘Now I've heard everything. How did
you manage that?' Eliza gasped.

‘Bribery, I would imagine,' Grandfa
Sam said, grinning as Luke bounded into the room.

‘I've finished, so what's my surprise?'
he asked.

‘Sit down beside me, boy, and I'll
tell you.' Grandfa Sam waited until Luke had settled at his feet then he leaned forward.
‘As you know it's nearly Christmas,' he began, ‘and that man with the
sleigh, what's his name now …?' He stroked his chin, pretending he'd
forgotten.

‘You mean Father Christmas,' Luke
said.

‘That's right. Well, at the moment he
is loading his sleigh with presents and …'

‘That ain't no good, he never comes
to us,' Luke cut in. ‘Father said he only visits rich houses where they leave him
things to eat and drink.'

Grandfa Sam looked taken aback.

‘Well, I've news for you, young
man,' Nan said. ‘Here in Salting Regis, Father Christmas visits all girls and boys
who have been good.'

Luke eyed her warily. ‘You kiddin'
me, missus?'

‘Luke,' Eliza warned, but Nan
smiled.

‘No, I'm not. So have you been
good?'

‘Blimey, I've bin an angel,' he
assured her. Eliza smiled. With his spiky hair, grimy face and ripped shirt anything less like
an angel she'd yet to see. ‘Why, I've bin collecting that seaweed and stuff
for ever and ever.'

‘Indeed you have, so you'll have to
think what you'd like that man in red to bring you,' Grandfa Sam agreed.

As Eliza sat watching them, her heart filled with
warmth. Did she dare to think she'd be spending this Christmas with the people she loved
and that it might be filled with happiness?

‘What about you, Eliza? Do you know what
you want?' Sam asked.

Eliza smiled and nodded. There was only one thing she'd
ever wanted but it hadn't come true yet and she wasn't about to put a jinx on it by
voicing her wish aloud. She turned to look at James and as he smiled back she thought she should
amend her list to two wishes.

‘Well, I know what I want,' James
said, staring into her eyes until she felt her cheeks grow warm.

Eliza woke early on Christmas morning, a sense
of anticipation and excitement bubbling up inside her. Luke was already up and she could hear
him chatting excitedly to Nan in the scullery. She loved having her little brother around and
now things had settled down she was going to try to contact her sisters. Dear Nan and Grandfa
Sam had showed her the real value of family life and she was determined to follow their
example.

Sitting up in bed, she reached for her treasures,
which lined the table beside her. What a year it had been, she thought, stroking the smooth wood
of her box then lifting the lid and peering at her mementoes stored safely inside. Silently, she
sent up a prayer for her dear departed grampy, mother and brother, and for Duncan, who had so
carefully restored the box. Nan had said she could invite him to spend Christmas with them, but
Eliza knew in her heart he'd have felt like a caged tiger cooped up in their small home.
To think she'd once believed herself in love with him. How patiently he'd tolerated
her infatuation, she thought, shaking her head at her childish notions.

Next she picked up Fae's receipt book and
thumbed through it until she came to the last page, which was blank. Carefully she penned in the
ingredients for Sea Breeze.
‘There, your
book is complete now, Fae. Merry Christmas, and be happy, wherever you are,' she
whispered. ‘If only you'd told me you used to live by the sea, it would have saved
me hours of searching.'

Undoing the top of the little black bottle, she
inhaled its lingering smell. ‘I hope you are able to see how I've used your legacy
and that you approve.' It might have been her imagination, but the scent seemed to grow
stronger, the room warmer, bathing her in a rosy glow of contentment.

Shaking herself back to the present, she replaced
her treasures, then put on the lovely dress Nan had made for her birthday, along with the shoes
James and Mr Cary had crafted for her. Then, tying her hair up in a peach ribbon she'd
bought in the market, she went through to the scullery.

‘Merry Christmas, Nan,' she said,
kissing the woman's cheek. ‘What can I do to help?'

‘Merry Christmas, Eliza dear.
Everything's done. This young scamp woke me in the small hours to see if Father Christmas
had been. I told him before we could find out he had to help me prepare the
vegetables.'

Luke grinned at Eliza, through chocolate-coated
lips.

‘And he's been well rewarded for his
efforts, I see,' she laughed.

‘We're just waiting for Grandfa Sam
and then we can go through to the parlour. Ah, here he is now.'

‘Merry Christmas, Grandfa Sam,' Eliza
said.

‘And season's greetings to
you,' he responded. ‘Right, if everyone's ready, shall we go through and see
if Father Christmas has been?'

‘Yes,' shouted Luke, just as James appeared, followed
by Mr Cary.

‘I'm so glad you came, Jimmy,'
Nan cried, holding out her arms in welcome.

James grinned at Eliza and kissed her cheek.

‘Merry Christmas,' he whispered.
‘I made it this year.'

‘I should hope so, seeing as you only live
on the other side of town now,' she replied.

‘We still had to battle through the snow,
though,' he teased, brushing white flakes from his sleeve.

‘Hurry up, we need to see if he's
been,' Luke cried, jumping up and down as he tugged at Grandfa Sam's arm.

‘Come on then,' he said, theatrically
throwing open the parlour door.

‘Oh,' Eliza gasped, shaking her head
in disbelief. A beautiful tree adorned with myriad twinkling candles stood on a table in the
window. Holly and ivy festooned the picture rails and the dining table, covered in a snowy
cloth, was beautifully set with silver cutlery and sparkling glasses. The logs crackling in the
grate sounded homely, its warmth contrasting against the snow falling outside. ‘That all
looks quite beautiful.'

‘As do you,' James whispered in her
ear, sending tingles down her spine.

‘Blimey, we never had a tree before,'
Luke exclaimed. Then he saw the brightly wrapped presents nestling beneath it. ‘Father
Christmas has been,' he cried, beside himself with excitement.

Eliza smiled at his animated face, then at James,
who smiled knowingly in return.

‘There's just one thing
missing,' he said, handing Eliza
a little
parcel. ‘Go on, open it.' Folding back the paper, she saw a little fairy doll,
complete with halo and silver wings. ‘Every Christmas tree needs a fairy on the top to
bring good luck. Fae means fairy in folklore, so I thought it appropriate,' he
explained.

‘Oh, James, she's wonderful,'
Eliza whispered.

Only James could have chosen this perfect gift,
she thought, carefully placing it on the highest branch. Breathing in the scent of Christmas,
she blinked back tears of happiness and smiled at the people who meant so much to her. Never
before had she experienced such feelings of warmth and contentment. Then, as James leaned
forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, she felt her insides fizzing like bubbles in
champagne.

Surrounded by love, joy and good cheer, her wish
for a happy family Christmas had finally come true.