‘An ECF?’ It was an acronym he’d never heard of.
‘Expected commencement of film.’ Jess waved the packet of dried spaghetti at him. ‘Go. Gather information. Return. Yes?’
Chapter 28
Dee had wanted to get a chance to talk to Freya alone, before Christian arrived. She wanted to ask her daughter all the questions which had been plaguing her. Wanted to find out how Freya felt about her husband, about the life she had chosen, without the man there to colour her answers. Because Dee was more convinced than ever, now Henry had gone, that she needed the truth.
A crazy thought had crossed her mind, a scenario in which all her children were back at Kirkshield, living with her again. It might cost her relationship with Robbie, and although Dee knew it wouldn’t be healthy for her fully grown children – and probably not for her, either – that particular fairy tale replayed itself inside her mind.
But in the time she’d been at Kirkshield, Freya had been so busy with the boys that they’d had barely enough time to grab a cup of coffee together, let alone have time for a proper talk. And they were plummeting headfirst towards Christmas, which also meant Freya, Olivia and Candida had disappeared off shopping, leaving ‘Gramma’, as Karl called her, to look after the boys.
Freya still hadn’t returned by the time Christian arrived. Sebastian was caught up with paperwork and Jess was out visiting her aunt, so Dee hauled open the castle’s main door to welcome him.
There had always been something about Christian which left Dee uneasy. Perhaps it was nothing more than his strikingly upright posture, which made a tall man seem even more unapproachable. Or maybe, even though he spoke excellent English, it was his halting pronunciation, his heavy Austrian accent. Either way, Dee had always found him austere. He was not a man to smile easily.
Although that shouldn’t be something which fazed her – Henry’s smiles had been incredibly hard-won. Dee just didn’t want her daughter to have fallen into the same trap she had done, thirty years previously.
‘Welcome back to Kirkshield, Christian,’ she said, doing her best to apply her brightest smile as she glanced outside. ‘Looks like you’ve brought some seasonal weather with you.’
The snow was falling again, settling well on the cold ground.
‘We have already more at home,’ he said, leaning down to kiss her cheeks. ‘You are looking very well, Dee.’
Background noise heralded the arrival of Freddie and Karl, who pounded down the picture gallery and across the hall to throw themselves at their father.
Dee couldn’t help but smile as he grabbed them both by their waists and lifted them into the air.
‘I trust my sons are behaving themselves?’ Christian asked.
‘We’re not sons any longer,’ Freddie said. ‘We’re ghosts. Uncle Sebastian says the castle doesn’t have any, so we’re pretending.’
‘’Tending,’ Karl added.
‘That’s what I said, idiot.’ Freddie grabbed at Karl’s sleeve.
‘Now, now. Enough of this.’ Christian set them down. ‘What kind of ghosts are you being?’
‘I’m the one that leaves green goo everywhere,’ Freddie said, blowing a raspberry as he pretended to cover the hallway in ectoplasm.
‘Me too,’ Karl said, misinterpreting Freddie’s actions and managing to blow his nose, trails of his own ectoplasm running down his face.
‘Yuk. Karl did a bogey, Daddy.’
In those few moments, as Dee watched Christian search his pockets for a handkerchief, then deal with Karl’s nose, she was at least reassured about her grandsons’ relationship with their father. She took a deep breath, becoming aware of the extent of the unease she’d been carrying as it began to loosen its grip on her. The last time Freya’s whole family had been at Kirkshield had been two years ago, at which point they’d been accompanied by a nanny to help with the children. A pretty, young, Austrian woman with little English and therefore an overwhelming need to converse with Christian rather than anyone else. Ever since then, Dee had worried that Freya was suffering the same fate she had done.
‘Come with us,’ Freddie said, grabbing at his father’s hand. ‘Come and be a big ghost.’
‘Scare Uncle Sebabian,’ Karl added.
Christian glanced at Dee, raising his eyebrows as he said, ‘Do you mind? I don’t get to spend enough time with my sons.’
‘Please do, have fun. I’ll arrange for some tea in the drawing room. We can catch up properly then.’
When Jess delivered tea into the drawing room a while later, she had to stifle a laugh at the haphazard decorations on the tree. Every time she saw it, the tree looked more and more as though it hadn’t wanted to be adorned and had done its best to shake off the decorations, like a wet dog. Freddie and Karl’s handiwork, she’d assumed. It was nice that they’d allowed the children to decorate it, even if the result was … interesting.
She set down the tray, laid out the cups and saucers, then heard the elephantine gallop of children’s footsteps in the picture gallery. The thundering continued and the boys burst into the room, grinding to an inelegant halt as they caught sight of her. If only she had the same powers of control over the grown-up family members …
‘Hi there,’ she said to the children, earning herself two identical frowns, four suspicious eyes tracking her as she moved to add a log to the fire. ‘Do either of you like shortbread?’
