Page 50 of The Christmas Star

‘But blimey.’ Maeve chuckled. ‘I’m in shock.’ She put a hand up to her chest. ‘Actually we both are, aren’t we?’

‘We are.’

Keen to see the figures Mum was referring to, I hit pause and checked out her profile. ‘How many?’ In absolute awe, I blinked a couple of times to make sure my eyes weren’t seeing something that wasn’t there. ‘That’s amazing.’ Good amazing, or bad, I didn’t yet know, but Mum and Jackson were certainly giving established influencers a run for their money. I filled my cheeks with air and exhaling, got back to the video.

‘Now, before we get into it. I’d like to discuss the unkind comments we’ve received and to those of you who left them, I have a question.’

I wondered if engaging with her trolls was such a good idea. Keyboard warriors feed off interaction and delight on the impact they have on their targets.

Maeve tilted her head. ‘Are you well?’

Going off what I’ve read, clearly not!

‘You’re obviously going through something at the moment. Just know, there’s help out there when you’re ready.’

Mum’s expression oozed sympathy but I knew she was being sarcastic. Her favourite saying when it came to people creating discord was kill them with kindness and as I chuckled, it was good to see that in action.

‘You can talk to friends and family, counsellors, your doctor even. I understand you’re disappointed in life, let’s face it, things don’t always turn out the way we hope. But saying mean things to people on the internet to make yourself feel better… well that’s just plain silly. My advice is make some changes. Try and alter your mindset.’

You’re a better woman than me. I’d be telling them to get a life.

‘Start small if you have to. Look for the joy in the little things.’ Maeve smiled. ‘Appreciate rather than denigrate.’

Again, I let out a laugh. You should put that last bit on a T-shirt.

‘Now, getting back to the good stuff, we do have a couple of things to report, don’t we, Jackson?’

‘We do.’

‘Firstly, I spoke to Gisèle this morning…’ Maeve said. ‘…and she told me about a carol concert being held in the centre historique part of town. At their abbey no less. On Christmas Day. Not only that…’ Maeve’s smile grew. ‘…she suggested we might like to attend.’ She jiggled in her seat. ‘With her and her family.’

A clue to where she and Jackson were headed, I committed it to memory.

‘Didn’t she, Jackson?’

‘She did.’

‘Well, of course, we said yes.’

I smiled. Intentional or not, Mum and Jackson were an odd pairing and the two of them clearly didn’t realise how funny they were. As I wondered if that was the key to their success, they played their parts to perfection; Mum being the comic of the duo and Jackson the straight man.

‘Anyone who knows me understands how much I love King’s College Choir. Every year, on Christmas Eve, Erin and I settle down with a glass of sherry to watch them on telly. No, that’s not strictly true, Erin prefers Baileys. But you know what I’m saying. It’s the tradition that counts. Anyway, because we’re here and not at home, I think Gisèle’s invite will be an excellent substitute. Don’t you, Jackson?’

‘I do.’

‘And I can always watch King’s on catch-up, can’t I?’ Suddenly serious, Maeve turned to Jackson. ‘It will be on catch-up, won’t it?’

Jackson shrugged. ‘I dunno.’

Maeve looked directly into the camera. ‘Erin, if you’re watching this, can you record the concert for me? Just in case.’

I frowned at Mum’s audacity. No, I blooming well can’t. After the upset she’d caused, even if I’d have been in a position to, I doubted I would have.

It saddened me to think Mum thought so little of me. That she genuinely expected me to be sat at home awaiting her return. I’d just risked my life for the woman. A woman who seemed to have no idea that disappearing without warning, let alone at Christmastime, would cause concern.

Again picturing myself straddling the tree, I wondered if I should really be criticising someone else’s antics and aware the answer was no, my shoulders slumped.

‘Now to our second bit of news,’ Maeve said.