Page 56 of Christmas All the Way

‘I think she’s been worried far too long as it is,’ Jim said, reaching for his walking stick. ‘It’s time I put that right. And once again, I’m sorry for all the upset Jesse has caused.’

‘No harm done,’ Keeley said, as another wave of compassion washed through her.

With a suddenness that made them all jump, Deke clapped his hands and rubbed them together briskly. ‘Well, this has been a lot more entertaining than usual.’ He fired a cheeky grin Gavin’s way. ‘Any chance of that whisky now?’

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

For Christmas brings out the best in mankind, and makes children of us all.

The Merriest Month, ELIZA NORTON

‘Wow,’ Grace said, when Elspeth answered her knock on the front door of Juniper Cottage and she took in her immaculate Victorian maid’s costume. ‘You look amazing.’

‘Good evening, Mrs Murphy,’ Elspeth said politely, bobbing into a shallow curtsey. ‘Miss Norton is expecting you. Won’t you come in?’

‘I’d love to,’ Grace replied, stepping into the candlelit hall and smiling at the shimmering Christmas tree that took pride of place at the bottom of the curved staircase. Her gaze slid to the banisters, thick with swags of lush greenery and laden with clusters of red berries. It didn’t matter that she’d known exactly what to expect, having hung half of the decorations herself. The overall effect was stunning, made all the more atmospheric by the low light and shadows.

Elspeth handed her a flute of something fizzy – Prosecco, Grace guessed, since the price of a ticket for the tour probably wouldn’t stretch to include champagne. ‘I’m horribly early,’ she said, taking a sip. ‘And you don’t have to stay in character with me. I’m here to help Keeley, not as a paying customer.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Elspeth said, with a commendably straight face. ‘Miss Norton insists all visitors to her home are to be made welcome and treated the same.’ She lowered her voice. ‘Apart from that scoundrel Geronimo Glover, of course.’

Grace grinned. She was very familiar with Eliza’s efforts to escape the amorous Mr Glover. ‘I believe he is away from home on business at present,’ she said in a confiding whisper. ‘So you may relax your guard this evening.’

Elspeth’s mouth twitched. ‘I am very glad to hear it.’

At that moment, Keeley appeared from the doorway that led to the corridor beyond. ‘You’re here,’ she said, enveloping Grace in a quick hug that wasn’t fast enough to disguise the pinched anxiety around her eyes. ‘I’m so glad to see you.’

‘How are you feeling?’ Grace asked as they separated. ‘The house looks great, by the way. The wreath on the front door is a work of art.’

‘Mostly thanks to you and Raff,’ her friend replied. ‘I’m really grateful you sacrificed so much time to help me get ready.’

It had taken the best part of Sunday to pull the greenery into enough wreaths and garlands to decorate the cottage to the standard Keeley felt Eliza would have insisted upon, and then most of Monday and Tuesday evening to fix everything in place. But at last it was done, and in good time for the first tour on Wednesday evening. At one point, Grace had been afraid they might still be pinning up swags an hour before the first ticket holders arrived.

‘It was my pleasure,’ she said, smiling. ‘Although Raff says he never wants to see a roll of florist’s wire again as long as he lives.’

‘Ha,’ Keeley said, grinning back. ‘He did well, considering he’s more used to growing leaves than arranging them. How’s Ivy doing?’

‘Better, I think,’ Grace said. ‘Santa’s Secret has been so busy that I’ve hardly seen her over the past few days but Raff says she’s been a lot less stressed since Jim Bairstow straightened everything out.’

‘I should hope so,’ Keeley said, and frowned. ‘Jesse has a lot to answer for. I really hope the judges didn’t choose the switch-on night to visit Freezy Tye.’

It was a thought that had crossed Grace’s mind too but, since there was nothing she could do to change what had happened, and no way of knowing when the judges planned to visit, she’d decided not to dwell on it. ‘Gavin says he’s had a lot of positive feedback in the pub.’ She hesitated, afraid she might sound as though she was singing her own praises. ‘I think everyone is enjoying the light trail.’

‘Of course they are,’ Keeley said, batting her on the arm. ‘It’s incredible. You did an outstanding job. Gav keeps telling me I have to lock you in my spare bedroom until next year.’

Grace laughed. ‘Raff said something similar a few weeks ago.’

Her friend eyed her impishly. ‘His reasons for wanting to lock you in a bedroom don’t have anything to do with the village Christmas lights.’

Instantly, Grace’s cheeks were on fire. ‘That’s not what I meant!’

‘I know,’ Keeley said. ‘But it’s still true, even if you both refuse to admit it.’

Grace opened her mouth to object but Keeley was glancing at her watch. ‘Time’s getting on,’ she said. ‘Jenny and the others are waiting in the staffroom. Why don’t we go and say hello? You can leave your coat and bag in there.’

Jenny looked even more anxious than Keeley, Grace thought as she greeted her. She supposed it was only to be expected; Keeley was used to public speaking and had delivered several talks on Eliza’s life and works – her worries about how the evening might go were down to the logistics of trying something new at the cottage rather than the thought of delivering the tour. Jenny, on the other hand, had little performance experience, although Keeley had told Grace she was a natural.

‘I’m not sure I should have volunteered for the first night now,’ Jenny confessed, when Grace asked her how she was feeling. She nodded at Isobel and Marco. ‘These guys get to shadow Keeley’s tours before delivering their own tomorrow. I’m straight in at the deep end.’