Ezz sent back anOK. If the problem wasn’t her and she still merited a kiss, that was something she supposed.
She found Thea lying in wait for her on the landing,her dark eyes filled with concern. ‘Are you OK?’ she demanded. ‘You’re so quiet and sad. You must be more upset than I realised about Mats Larsson.’
Glad that Thea hadn’t tuned in to the discord between Ezz and Valentina, she went for a simple – and truthful – response. ‘Yeah, but I’ll get over it. Sorry if I’m bringing the party down.’
Thea tiptoed to give Ezz a big hug. ‘Let me show you the nursery to cheer you up. Though it looks like an empty room rather than a nursery just now.’ She led Ezzie two steps up the landing to her tiny spare room, which currently boasted bare floorboards and an uncurtained window. ‘The old furniture’s gone to a charity so we can paint the walls before choosing a new carpet,’ Thea explained, beaming. ‘We’re going to get one of those things that start as a cot and then become a bed later, because it’s such a titchy room. There’s a wardrobe to match. I’ll show you on my phone.’
While Thea located the appropriate website, Ezz slipped an arm around her lovely little sister. ‘Next Christmas will be a lot different, won’t it?’ she said, concentrating on the good things. ‘I’ll be able to spoil your baby with an entire sackful of gifts.’
And a whole year would have passed – ample time for Ezz to have got over Mats, when he’d returned to being a very occasional visitor to Rothach again.
Christmas Day began slowly. Ezzie awoke wondering what Mats was doing and whether the children at the hall had loved their presents. She pictured Mats lying on the playroom floor, helping Astrid with her Lego princess palace and then, more painfully, imagined Inger joining the family for the festive meals.
Luckily, Thea, Dev and Daisy arrived to take Ezz for a wintry walk. ‘We didn’t suggest it yesterday because I never know if I’m going to wake up with morning sickness,’ Thea explained candidly, her hood pushed back from pink cheeks. ‘But as I’m OK, we thought a walk, then you come to us for a Christmas brunch of home-made pancakes, fruit and yoghurt, and we can give you your presents. After that I’ll probably get tired, so can we bring our food down to you and we all have Christmas dinner together? Maybe we’ll be able to get Valentina then. I tried again this morning, but she didn’t answer. Have you tried?’
Ezz was able to answer with perfect truth, ‘No, but I haven’t been up long. Those Christmas Day plans sound great. I can cook dinner while you chill.’
‘We’ll do it together,’ Dev said.
Daisy whined, probably wanting to get on with her ramble around the village.
After the walk in a perfect frosty day that made the bracken and heather amber and bronze, transformed the burn into a snake of ice and hung the rocks with icicles, the idea of brunch at Thistledome was even more appealing.
‘I’m in charge of pancakes,’ Dev announced, and spooned out batter to make beautifully even circles that turned golden first on one side and then the other as he flipped them.
‘I made fruit coulis yesterday,’ Thea explained. ‘It’s got sugar in, obviously, but not too much. Would you like to put out these strawberries, the fresh pineapple and yoghurt?’
Ezz inspected the feast. ‘I think it needs chocolate.’
Dev’s face lit up. ‘Let’s grate some.’
After brunch, they gathered around Thea’s Christmastree – a ‘wee one’, as Dev called it, because Thistledome was ‘wee’ too. Ezz gave her gifts first, wrapped in gold paper with red ribbon. Thea’s was a red, snuggly fleece dressing gown. ‘It’s wraparound, so there’ll be plenty of room for baby,’ Ezz said.
To Dev she gave crystal whisky tumblers with pewter bases. He beamed. ‘I’ll have a wee dram later.’
And she gave them both the knitted rabbit-ears hat and bob-tailed bootees that she’d bought in Portree for the baby. ‘I know it’ll be a summer baby, but you can get chilly summer days here on Skye.’
Thea’s eyes glistened. ‘Aw, Ezz.’
Dev grinned and walked the bootees over Thea’s stomach to make them all laugh.
When Ezz unwrapped her presents from them – the wrapping paper bore pictures of Highland cows in Santa hats – she found the most gorgeous smoky blue angora hat, with thick faux-fur trim, and navy-blue sweatshirt bearing the legend ‘Auntie’ on the front.
After such a large brunch, it was early afternoon before they loaded up Dev’s car to transport the turkey, veg and Christmas pudding to Ezz’s place. ‘You’ve done more Christmas food shopping than me,’ Ezz said guiltily. ‘I wasn’t feeling very Christmassy when I shopped.’
Thea just beamed. ‘You can do it all next year when I’m busy with the baby.’ That made Ezz’s eyes fill with happy tears.
Ezz and Dev carried in the supplies while Thea put Daisy’s bed in the kitchen. Then Thea was despatched to the sofa to doze before the TV while Ezz put the turkey in the oven. She’d just said, ‘Dev, do you think you could wash the patio set ready to bring into the lounge later?’ when her front door banged open.
Daisy gave a shocked, ‘Arf, arf, arf!’ and rose vertically from her bed.
Then Barnaby jumped into the hall wearing a pirate costume, complete with plastic cutlass, bellowing, ‘Merry Christmas! I’m Captain Jack Sparrow.’
Ezz jumped so hard she hit her hip painfully on the front of the oven. ‘Barnaby?’ she asked faintly, wondering if she was seeing things.
Thea appeared in the lounge doorway. ‘Barnaby? What are you doing here?’
‘It’s Christmas,’ said Barnaby, plainly puzzled by the question. Then, as if it might make a difference to his welcome, he doffed his pirate hat and bowed.
