‘I can’t leave yet; I’m staying with Arlo. I’ll come with you as soon as Max gets back.’ Ella thought privately that a Christmas bonus wasn’t a bad idea and resolved to have a word with Max herself. ‘How about Secret Santa, shall we do that?’
‘What, when we all spend a fiver an’ give each other mugs?’
‘Same principle, but let’s see if we can’t be a bit more creative with the gifts. Shall I organise it?’
‘Aye, long as I don’t get our Pearl. I ’ave enough problems tryin’ to buy her presents without findin’ another. I reckon she’s tryin’ to trip me up in knittin’ needles, she ‘as that many.’ Stan stamped his feet. ‘I’ll be in me workshop when you’re ready.’
‘Won’t be long, I promise.’ Ella indicated her running kit. ‘No time for me to have a shower and change first?’
‘Nope. We’ve got a party to sort an’ trees to fetch. Them kids deserve a good time an’ there’s gonna be a Christmas tree in the courtyard if it takes me all night to get it up.’ He coughed awkwardly. ‘If you’ll pardon the expression.’
‘Never even occurred to me.’ She saw his grin and returned it, then closed the door before Prim could take off after him.
After the excursion with Stan to find trees, Ella was lying in the roll-top bath in her en suite and admiring Pearl’s social media posts for the Christmas open day. Although the shower in the house was a revelation after the sorry little drip in the flat, she loved a good soak and had decided she could spare twenty minutes of her working day. She and Stan had found five Christmas trees in the far reaches of the woodland that belonged to Halesmere and he’d cut down the first one and dropped it off at the church on their way back. It was apparently a tradition for the house to supply the church with a tree and Sandy was delighted with their choice.
When she stepped out of the bath and wrapped herself in a huge, fluffy towel, she felt refreshed and ready to tackle more preparations for Lily’s party. She had left her bedroom door open, and she padded across the new carpet to close it. Her hand stilled on the doorknob as she heard music rising from the hall beneath. She walked slowly across the landing, drawn by the sound and peeped over the banister.
Max was sitting at the grand piano, playing with something she could only believe was an exquisite joy and ease. Goosebumps rose on her body, and she felt the hairs on her arms standing up as she listened. Something in the melody seemed familiar but she couldn’t have named it. She watched, captivated, as his body followed the lightness and skill of his hands, needing no sheet music to remind him of the notes. He might have been playing from his soul straight to her heart; she was holding in tears, smiling through the emotion she’d rarely found in classical music before now. The house was still and yet felt suddenly alive with beauty and life, and she wanted this moment to never end as the music filled her senses.
‘Ella!’
She jumped, clutching her towel and trying to hold on to those few, intimate memories of Max playing. The music abruptly ended and through the open door to the drawing room she saw Arlo on a sofa. Max sprang up and backed away from the piano.
‘Come and see my cast, it’s red.’ Arlo was squirming excitedly, and Max glanced from him to Ella on the landing.
‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were here,’ he said quickly. ‘I thought you were still out with Stan. I would never have come in if I’d known.’
‘It’s fine, please don’t apologise. Stan needed me in a hurry. And it is your house.’
‘But yours for now, and you deserve some privacy at least.’ Max avoided her gaze as he pushed the stool in under the piano. ‘We’ll leave you in peace.’
‘You don’t have to. I’m on my way out again, so stay if you like.’ She was lingering, wanting to let him know how she felt. ‘Your playing was beautiful. It made me want to cry but in a good way.’
‘I’m glad you liked it. But I’m out of practice for a piece like that, I’m sure Rachmaninov wouldn’t thank me for nearly murdering it.’ Max’s smile seemed shy, almost self-conscious as he shrugged a shoulder. ‘I always played for the kids at night when they couldn’t settle. Arlo was fractious and his arm was hurting, and he asked me to bring him over so I could play. He fell asleep and I couldn’t resist carrying on.’
‘I wish you hadn’t stopped.’ Ella’s own smile was wistful too.
‘You might not be saying that if I had carried on.’
‘I think I would.’ She was still holding the towel in place, and she saw his glance flick over her, felt the jump in her pulse. ‘I’d better get changed, I want to see Arlo’s cast and Stan will be hunting me down if I’m not hiding stuff in the garden in the next fifteen minutes.’
Later Ella ran down to school with Prim to meet Lily, who came out laden with the usual bags and belongings, plus cards and gifts for Arlo. Several adults came over to ask how he was, and a few said they’d see Ella tomorrow at Lily’s party. She was giddy with excitement and Ella told her very firmly that she was not allowed in the garden or the courtyard until it was time for the party. Back at the cottage, Arlo was happier to see his gifts than his sister and once she had gone to change out of her uniform, Max pointed to the kitchen island.
‘Look at this. Pearl’s dropped in some shopping in case I can’t get away and she brought my mother a bottle of wine to cheer her up. Sandy from the church called and read Arlo his favourite story, and Pete’s wife has sent vegetable lasagne and chocolate cake, so I don’t have to cook tonight. And now all this from school. Everyone’s been amazing.’
‘So not as invisible as you think then, hey.’ Prim was hovering, waiting for a meal, and Ella went to the kitchen to feed her. ‘People do know you’re here, Max. You are part of the community, even if you don’t realise it.’
‘I haven’t given much back though, have I?’ His eyes were glistening, and he shook his head.
‘You have time to change that, to make Halesmere a proper home for you all.’ Ella put Prim’s bowl down, smiling as the dog dived in. ‘How is your mum? I did call earlier but she must have been working.’
‘Okay.’ He let out a long breath. ‘She was thinking about cancelling her trip to France, but I’ve said she should still go. With you here, Ella…’ He caught her hand for a second. ‘I know you’ll look after Lily and Arlo if we need you.’
Ella knew if she and Max had been alone, she would have gone to him, slid her arms round him. But Arlo was on the sofa, and she couldn’t show Max what it meant that he trusted her to take care of his children. ‘Any time.’
‘I know. And thank you.’
By three p.m. on Saturday the light was already fading, and the task of keeping tabs on the children was made harder by Stan’s inventiveness in hiding items for the scavenger hunt. Ella had also elicited his help in stringing fairy lights around the garden, and he’d managed to fix a huge Christmas tree in the courtyard. It looked magical, shimmering with coloured lights, candy canes strung on the lowest branches as part of the winter wonderland hunt.
