‘We’ve made biscuits and cakes and hot chocolate and all sorts of things for the party,’ Rosie gushed, her adorable round face gazing eagerly up at Hayley, more than ten years her junior, but one of her ‘favourite heroines’. ‘I wanted you to sleep in my room, but Dad says I snore, so you and Aiden can be in one of the cottages with your dad when he comes. And I don’t snore,’ she informed her father, treating him to her most ominous scowl. ‘Aiden, Laurent said to tell you that he’ll be back soon and if you’re up for some Xbox, he is too.’ Thirteen-year-old Laurent, David’s youngest child and Rosie and Anna’s half-brother, lived right here on the island with his father, grandmother and half-sisters, while his mother preferred to stay in Paris.
‘Sick.’ Aiden grinned, and giving Rosie a giant hug, he said, ‘You’re so cool, I think I might have to start dating you.’
‘Oh yes!’ she exclaimed excitedly. Rosie was big-time into dating. ‘I’d like that. And then we can dance together tomorrow night. I’ve got a lovely new dress for the party that Grandma helped me to choose.’
‘She so did not,’ Anna protested, coming out to join them. ‘It was me who took you shopping and me who paid for it.’ Anna, at twenty-seven, was almost as chaotic in nature as her sister and so incredibly like her dead mother, with her exquisite heart-shaped face and mass of dark curls, that Cristy felt sure David must think of Lexie every time he looked at his middle child.
Hayley, very like her own mother with her natural blonde waves and shining blue eyes, went straight into Anna’s embrace, while Cristy moved into the circle of David’s arm and watched as Connor, Jodi and Aurora were treated to their own Rosie-welcome.
‘You’re staying in one of the cottages,’ she informed them, ‘but Grandma wants everyone to come inside first so she can see the baby … Can I hold her, please?’
Stepping in before Rosie could make a grab, Anna said, ‘She’s sleeping, but I’m sure Jodi will be happy for you to hold her when she wakes up.’
‘Any chance we can go inside now?’ Cristy asked. ‘It’s freezing out here.’
‘Dad lit all the fires,’ Rosie announced as they started for the door. ‘The kitchen, the sitting room, the orangery … Oh no, not the orangery – we don’t have one in there. That’s where the main party is going to be. We’ve already installed an amazing bar where you can get anything you want to drink … I’m going to have champagne, or I might have some of my special cider … Dad’s really excited; he’s even got a jazz band coming and a magician and … somebody else … I can’t remember who … Oh, and we’ve got a really big surprise for you—’
‘OK, enough,’ David cut in, pulling her into a gentle headlock and pretending to zip her mouth.
‘It’s a secret,’ Rosie said, ‘and everyone says I’m not very good at keeping them, but I am. We’re going to have dancing in here,’ she declared, waving her arms to indicate the spacious entrance hall with its double-height ceiling, fascinating collection of artworks and mirror-image staircases climbing each curved side wall.
‘Ah, here you all are.’ Cynthia, David’s mother, smiled, coming out of the kitchen to greet them, her age-crumpled face and warm grey eyes almost as dear to Cristy as her own beloved mother’s. ‘I see Miss Chatterbox is filling you in on everything, but let’s get you in by the fire now and some refreshments going.’
The aroma of fresh baking, burning pine logs and Golden Retriever was as welcoming and familiar to Cristy as the L-shaped kitchen itself, with its large, open workspace, biground table and fireside sofas. Henry, the dog, leapt up gleefully at the sight of visitors, waggling his furry body and whipping his tail so hard his feet left the floor.
Grabbing Henry’s collar, David said to Connor, ‘I’ll take you down to the cottages when you’re ready. The heating’s been on since yesterday, so everything should be good. Hayley and Aiden, you’re in the house with us tonight, unless you’d rather go and settle yourselves …’
‘We don’t mind either way,’ Hayley assured him, going to slip an arm around her mother. ‘Are you excited?’ she whispered.
‘Very,’ Cristy murmured, watching Aiden getting stuck into the brownies as Anna began filling mugs with hot chocolate. Rosie gazed adoringly at Aurora, who was still sleeping in Jodi’s arms.
‘We have various plans for tomorrow,’ Cynthia announced, going to take a small cake from the oven. ‘Walks, a spot of sailing, shopping for anyone who fancies going into town; there’s a table booked for lunch at Pier One … David, are you collecting Matthew from the airport?’
‘I think he’s renting a car,’ David replied, finally managing to press the dog back down on its bed.
‘He is,’ Cristy confirmed. ‘He’s bringing Hugo, Hayley’s boyfriend, and Harry and Meena. I’ll probably go to pick up Clove and Jacks …’
‘I’ve already arranged for them to get here,’ Anna told her. ‘We can’t have you playing taxi service on your big day. And Iz is coming in from London? There’s a car booked for her too. We’re putting her in the top room here – a bit of a squeeze, but maybe better than banishing her to a hotel on her own. Oh, Hayley, we’re in for a blow-dry at ten in the morning, Jodi and Cristy same time for manicures … Grandma, did you want to come with us? I’m sure they can fit you in.’
‘I’m with caterers and planners most of the day,’ Cynthiareminded her, ‘and I’ve already had my hair done – thanks for noticing.’
Since it was scrunched into a jaunty clip on the top of her head, with stray strands doing their own thing in every which way, they all laughed, and David went to give her a hug.
‘Always the belle of the ball,’ he told her. ‘Now, go sit while I take over here and make sure everyone has whatever they need.’
An hour later, after David had driven down to the cottages with Connor and Jodi, Cristy was helping Cynthia to clear up while the others slumped on the sofas or sat around the table, checking their phones.
‘I’m not going to tell you what the surprise is,’ Rosie failed to whisper to Cristy.
‘Rosie,’ Anna warned.
Rosie giggled. ‘Do you want to know?’ she asked Cristy.
‘No, she doesn’t,’ Cynthia told her. ‘Remember, you promised to keep it to yourself.’
‘Will she like it?’ Aiden asked mischievously.
Rosie nodded eagerly, then gasped. ‘What if she doesn’t?’ she asked her grandmother.
