“Maybe we should include little stories in our family receipt book,” Aunty Cait suggested.“This one about the mulled wine, and Amy, do you have a story about the plum pudding?”
“Only that it took me nearly twenty years to get the recipe right.”
“There’s more, Mama,” Hugh interjected.“Remember how you always say the Stir-Up Sunday wishes come true?”
“That’s lovely,” Aunty Cait said.“A bonnie tradition.”
“Then it’s settled,” Aunty Kendra decided.“Every year at Christmas, each lady will bring a recipe with a story or legend behind it.For a sweet.”
Aunty Cait squealed.“The wishbone!”she cried around a mouthful of pudding.“Again!”
“Again?”Uncle Jason’s brows knitted in confusion.“When’s the last time you found a wishbone in plum pudding, given that you haven’t eaten any in more than a decade?”
“Um…”
Aunty Kendra cleared her throat.“She might have sneaked some pudding yesterday.Maybe.”
“What?”Aunty Cait’s three boys chimed in unison.
“Oh, heavens,” Aunty Kendra said.“What does it matter?Clearly she was meant to find the wishbone regardless,” she added before anyone could tell her why it mattered.“It’s a sign of luck!It means she’ll have her girl at last.”She turned to her eldest brother.“Jason, are you looking forward to having a daughter?”
“I’ll believe we’ll have a daughter when I’m holding her,” he said.
Aunty Cait nodded emphatically.
And everyone laughed again.
The genial family harmony flowed into Jewel like warm honey.She loved her family, loved the thought of creating her own new family to blend with all of her loved ones here.
For the first time in days, she was feeling happy.Relaxed.Content.
Young Rebecca found something next.“A thimble!”she exclaimed.
“A life of blessedness,” Jewel’s mother told her.
“Truly?”Rebecca’s twin, Marcus, raised a brow.“Then this whole thing is stupid, because everyone knows Rebecca is theleastsaintly person in this room.”
“Egad, Marc!”Aunty Violet chided.“What a thing to say about your sister.And at Christmas, no less.”
Well, maybe the family wasn’t precisely harmonious.But the bickering wasn’t ruining Jewel’s happiness.She loved the bickering, too.
“Look, I got the anchor,” Aidan announced.“Which is patently ridiculous,” he added beneath his breath.
“Because you made it?”Jewel whispered beside him.
“Because it symbolizes safe harbor, and thelastthing I feel right now is safe.”
He’d said that a little too loudly.Jewel’s gaze shot to her mother.She looked upset.Or maybe she looked chagrined.Or she might be feeling a few other things, but it was quite clear that none of them were positive.
Jewel spooned more pudding into her mouth, feeling sympathy for Mama, but also annoyance that she was pushing Aidan into a life he didn’t want.
The annoyance might be stronger.She couldn’t quite decide; perhaps the mulled wine was making it hard to tell.But although she’d stayed out of her parents’ disagreement so far, as Aidan’s big sister she felt she should say something.
Then, before she could open her mouth to say she-didn’t-know-what, she bit into something hard and knew what it was immediately.“Oh, no,” she said instead, holding up the pudding-encrusted ring.“Someone else was meant to get this, given that I have no plans to marry anytime soon.”
Mama sighed, looking even more despondent.
Jewel hated seeing her so unhappy.
