Page 44 of Christmas All the Way

The Merriest Month, ELIZA NORTON

It seemed to Grace as though the universe hit the fast-forward button in October. The days seemed to flash by in a whirl as she split her time between working at Santa’s Secret, tackling the seemingly endless to-do list that had somehow landed in her inbox since volunteering to help with Freezy Tye’s Christmas display, and nursing Jack through occasional bouts of homesickness. The decision to move into Keeley’s spare room turned out to be a sound one, especially since she’d also stepped in to help as a volunteer at Juniper Cottage, which had seen a surge in visitors once the news about Eliza Norton’s unpublished manuscript had broken. It had begun with a brief mention on the local news as Grace was driving to work.

‘And finally, a previously unknown manuscript by Victorian novelist, Eliza Norton, has been independently confirmed as her work,’ the newsreader said. ‘The novel, which was discovered at Juniper Cottage, in the village of Freezy Tye, is thought to be an early example of Norton’s work and is expected to raise considerable interest when it comes up for auction next week.’

Grace had immediately called Keeley. ‘I know,’ her friend had said. ‘Brian heard it too and filled me in. Apparently, one of the broadsheets is going to run a biography of Eliza, describing her life and work.’

‘People really seem to love the idea of a long-lost manuscript,’ Grace agreed. ‘The story is only going to get bigger from here.’

Her prediction had been spot-on. But it wasn’t until the rights to publish The Merriest Month had gone up for auction that Norton fever had really taken hold. The exact amount of the winning bid was not revealed publicly but Grace had watched the colour drain out of her friend’s face when she took the call from Malcolm.

‘How much?’ she gasped, dropping to the living-room sofa as though her legs had given way. ‘But that’s – it’s –’

‘It’s insane,’ Grace said, when Keeley finished the call and confided the exact six-figure sum. ‘No wonder they’re keeping it under wraps. But I reckon you might be able to renovate the stable block now.’

The problem with withholding the auction amount was that it created a social media storm, one that was fuelled by wild speculation, both in the UK and the USA, as well as the significant increase in those visiting Eliza’s home. On the days she wasn’t working at Santa’s Secret, Grace found herself directing cars to the hastily arranged overflow car park in the yard of Potts Farm, or managing the queues that snaked around the cottage gardens. The village shops and businesses were not complaining; the uptick in visitors meant more customers for them, but residents were less enthusiastic and Grace knew Keeley had embarked on more than one charm offensive to placate angry homeowners unable to park outside their houses.

‘It’s great for the cottage,’ she sighed wearily one evening, after another villager had knocked on her door to complain. ‘But I’ll be glad when we close the doors in a few weeks and only open up in the evenings for the tours.’

For Grace, another unexpected development was dominating what little head space she had left over. She arrived at a meeting of the Freezy Tye stage management subcommittee at the Golden Lion on the last Wednesday of October to find a new member had joined.

‘Evening, Grace,’ Gavin greeted her cheerfully when she stopped just inside the doorway to blink in surprise at the group huddled around a pair of tables. ‘You must already know Raff, what with working at his mum’s place. He’s joined us to lend some much-needed horticultural expertise. The more the merrier, I say.’

‘Yes,’ Grace said, unwinding the scarf from around her neck and hoping she didn’t look as flustered as she felt. ‘Hi, Raff. Hello, everyone.’

The others nodded and called out greetings but Grace found she was acutely aware that Raff was watching her. When at last she finished hanging up her coat and risked a glance towards him, his expression suggested that he wasn’t entirely sure she’d be glad to see him. She offered a reassuring smile, and felt a jolt of pleasure when he smiled back, closely followed by a surge of mild embarrassment when she realised Gav was talking to her. ‘Earth to Grace,’ he said, waving a hand in her direction. ‘What would you like to drink?’

‘Oh,’ she said, startled. ‘Um – a glass of Prosecco, please.’

It was her usual order but it wasn’t until Gavin had disappeared behind the bar that it occurred to her that it might be better to keep a clear head, especially since the only spare seat was next to Raff.

‘I hope you don’t think I’m muscling in,’ he said quietly, when she’d picked her way to the seat and the buzz of conversation resumed among the other committee members. ‘I was thinking about what you said, the last time we spoke, about Jesse having things his own way for too long, and, well, it really struck a chord. So I thought I’d offer my services, see what I can do to stop him in his tracks.’

Grace glanced at him curiously. ‘Is there much call for horticultural advice at Christmas? Obviously, there’s a big push for Christmas trees, and holly.’

‘Don’t forget mistletoe,’ Gavin interrupted, winking as he placed a flute of fizz in front of Grace. ‘We’re going to have a kissing station so people can snap selfies for their social media. Raff is going to source a supply of fresh mistletoe for it.’

‘Oh,’ Grace said, taking a hurried sip of her drink, because thinking about kissing while sitting next to Raff made her feel rather too warm. ‘That will be popular.’

‘As long as they tag the village in their posts,’ Amanda said from across the table, with a savviness Grace thought Xander would approve of. ‘We’re going to need all the help we can get this year. I heard Flaxwood is having a couple of those animatronic dinosaurs installed on their village green.’

Gavin snorted. ‘Because nothing says Christmas like a massive T. rex giving you the eyeball.’

‘I’m just telling you what I heard,’ Amanda said, raising her hands. ‘So it’s a good thing we’ve got Grace on our side. What’s the latest with the light trail?’

Grace opened her notebook. ‘Installation is scheduled for 26th November – that’s when the frames will go up and we can test that everything works. We’ll then have twenty-four hours to check for any issues before the switching-on ceremony on the 27th.’

‘I’ve called in a couple of favours with friends to make sure we’ll have electricians on hand for the install,’ Paul said. ‘And obviously I’ll be around for the switch-on. We’ll do a dry run the night before, to iron out any wrinkles. That’s when the residents who are hosting their own displays have been told to aim for.’

‘Let’s hope it stays dry,’ Grace said. ‘I’m having nightmares about the weather.’

Amanda shuddered. ‘Do you remember the year we had a blizzard at the start of December? That was a challenge.’

‘Looked very Christmassy, though,’ Gavin pointed out. ‘And we still won. The judges mentioned it in their comments.’

‘No snow,’ Grace said firmly. ‘Not until 25th December.’

Gavin grinned. ‘Make a note, Raff. The weather is your department.’