‘Did I hear the door?’ Derek’s ears pricked, head shooting up like a meercat. ‘I’ll get it.’
As though someone had pressed play on a paused scene, everyone rolled into action at once. Derek racingfor the door, Lizzie clearing up the discarded wrapping paper (and socks), and Rory diving across the room for the forbidden TV remote. Desi and Joel stood, cradling their unexpected gifts from Lizzie. Only Callum and I sat still.
‘We are going to take these wonderful gifts upstairs,’ Desi said in a flat voice. ‘Excuse us.’
‘Yes, upstairs,’ added Joel as though reading lines from a script. ‘We’ll be back in a minute.’
‘They look heavy, I’d better help you carry them,’ Rory said, snatching a tiny box of chocolates off the top of Desi’s pile when Joel winked in his direction, held up a miniature bottle of scotch and made a drinking motion. Lizzie manhandled her giant ball of wrapping paper out the room behind them, muttering to herself as she went.
‘I can’t keep this,’ I said to Callum, palming the weight of the locket. ‘It isn’t right.’
‘Don’t worry about it now,’ he replied, squeezing my shoulder. ‘We’ve only today to get through. Tomorrow it’s all over.’
‘Well, yes but …’
The words died in my throat. It’s all over? What did that mean?
‘When do you leave for Paris again?’ I asked.
‘Sunday,’ he replied, absently scratching his chin. ‘First train out of St Pancras.’
As well as being Christmas Day, today was Friday. We would leave Balmaclay on Saturday. My face fell slack as I worked through all the variables, the potential complications. No matter which way I looked at it, nothing changed. In two days’ time, he’d be gone.
‘I can’t believe we pulled it off.’
Callum stared at the locket, eyes gleaming with wonder. There it was, proof of our successful subterfuge. ‘I won’t lie, I had my doubts, but for Mum to give you her locket? They really believe we’re togetherandthey’ve accepted it?’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘Feels as though we could keep it going forever, doesn’t it?’
‘But if they think you’re with Caroline, how will we explain …’ I waved a hand between us. ‘This?’
He blinked at me, seemingly confused.
‘How will we explain us?’ I clarified.
‘Us?’
One word. Two letters. An upward inflection.
I was torn to shreds.
‘Elsie, can you at least take your bloody boots off?’ I heard Lizzie say, the sound of marching feet stomping towards us as I stared at Callum.
‘Fantastic, you’ve tracked sheep shit all through the house,’ Lizzie said as Elsie strode into the living room, Derek, and for some reason, Shiv, right behind her.
‘Where are the other two?’ she demanded without so much as looking at me and Callum. ‘Where’s Svet-bloody-lana?’
‘Upstairs,’ I said, vacant and still cross-legged on the floor as Callum stood to meet them. ‘Why?’
She grabbed Shiv by the wrist and pulled her to the fore.
‘Go on,’ she prompted. ‘Tell them what you told me.’
Shiv pulled her rose-printed fleece around her body, shrinking inside until all I could see were her eyes, nose and hands.
‘If someone would like to tell me what’s going on, that’d be magic,’ Derek said. ‘There’s a batch of mince pies coming out the oven with my name on and I’d liketo enjoy them without wondering whether or not my kids are tearing each other limb from limb.’
‘I knew something was up.’ Elsie said when Shiv declined to offer her explanation. ‘As soon as she rolled in, I knew something was off.’
Rory, Desi and Joel reappeared and the lofty living room felt very, very crowded.
