Page 58 of Christmas All the Way

She found she was holding her breath as the group followed Keeley back to the drawing room. Would Belinda and Sue have managed their task in the short window of time available to them? But she need not have worried. The gasps of delight as Keeley opened the door to reveal the glittering pile of presents beneath the tree told her the miracle had been achieved. The group crowded inside, marvelling at the freshly stuffed stockings and plate of mince pies that now sat on the table, beside bowls of glittering sugared fruits. ‘It appears that Christmas has arrived at Juniper Cottage! May goodwill and blessings be upon us all!’

Over the top of their heads, she grinned at Grace, who doffed an imaginary cap. One look at the smiling, wonder-filled faces around them told her the tour had been a triumph, although she had no idea how Keeley was going to persuade them to leave. ‘I’d better go and meet Jenny,’ she murmured, sidling close to Keeley. ‘Good luck getting this lot out.’

Keeley grimaced. ‘Thanks. Tell her to break a leg!’

It was clear from the moment Jenny greeted the next group of visitors that she was nervous. Her voice quavered slightly as she introduced herself, trying to emulate Keeley’s confiding manner. The lantern rattled when she lifted it and entreated them to follow her into the house. But her nerves seemed to settle once they were in the library, and Grace wondered whether the comfort of the familiar surroundings gave her confidence a boost. As before, it was not long before the page from the manuscript was discovered and Jenny copied Keeley’s example to lean into the illusion that it was fresh from Eliza’s quill. She grew in assurance as the tour moved from room to room and, by the time they returned to the drawing room, some thirty minutes after their first stop there, Grace thought she was every bit as comfortable as Keeley had been.

‘You were amazing,’ she told her, as the group spread out to admire the gifts under the tree. ‘How do you feel?’

‘Relieved,’ Jenny admitted. ‘I thought I was going to drop the lantern, my hand was shaking so much.’

‘Nobody would have known,’ Grace reassured her. ‘And the first one is always the hardest.’

‘I hope so,’ Jenny said. ‘I’ve got to do it all again in forty-five minutes.’

‘You’ll smash it,’ Grace promised. ‘Just visualise the lovely glass of wine I’m going to pour you when it’s over.’

Jenny puffed out her cheeks. ‘Thank you. But I’d better wrap this tour up first or Belinda and Sue won’t have time to reset the room before Keeley’s group arrives.’

There was no sign of nerves in her second tour of the night. Grace could only watch in admiration as she guided the final group of paying guests around the cottage, her sense of playfulness coming to the fore as she relaxed into her role and made it seem possible that Eliza really was there, if always just out of sight. As before, the paper on the writing desk caused much excitement but it was the sleight of hand in the drawing room that produced the biggest gasps of wonder.

‘It was exactly the same with my second group,’ Keeley reported, when they all convened in the staffroom for a debrief after the last guests had gone. ‘None of them tried to guess how it had been done. It was as though they were children again, desperate to believe it was all real.’

‘I don’t know why you’re surprised,’ Grace said, looking from Keeley to Jenny. ‘You encouraged them to suspend their disbelief the moment they walked through the door. Is it any wonder they were totally under your spell by the end of the tour?’

Keeley smiled. ‘When you put it like that, I don’t suppose we should be surprised.’ She turned in her chair to nod at Belinda and Sue. ‘Really well done to both of you for timing everything so perfectly. I don’t think any of the groups had the slightest clue you were there. Were there any issues?’

Belinda grimaced. ‘Apart from me dropping one of the stockings and losing a satsuma under the chaise longue, you mean?’

‘Did you find it?’ Grace asked.

‘Only once everyone had gone,’ Belinda said, sighing. ‘At least it rolled out right to the back and couldn’t be seen.’

‘Anything else?’ Keeley asked.

Elspeth raised her hand. ‘Brian needed to get home to his cat but he said he’d had a few issues getting cars in and out of the car park safely, with all the people walking around the light trail. He thinks we might need to work on a one-way system.’

Keeley scribbled down a note. ‘Okay, I’ll catch up with him tomorrow and make some recommendations to Helen. How were things from your perspective, Elspeth? Did you enjoy playing Sally?’

The older woman nodded. ‘Oh yes, it was wonderful.’ She raised a hand to the starched white collar of her costume. ‘Although I can’t wait to take this off.’

‘I can imagine,’ Keeley replied, wincing in sympathy. She glanced at Isobel and Marco. ‘How about you two? Do you feel ready to deliver your own tours tomorrow? Grace and I will be on hand to help with any problems.’

Isobel nodded. ‘I think so.’

‘It was helpful being able to see how you and Jenny did it,’ Marco agreed. ‘I’ll be sticking fairly closely to your template.’

Keeley let them all go shortly after the debrief, reminding them to contact her in the morning if they had anything they needed to discuss. At almost nine o’clock, the village green was quietening down as Keeley and Grace walked the short distance home, and Grace was surprised by how worn out she felt. ‘I didn’t even do anything,’ she complained. ‘Everyone else did the hard work, I just listened.’

‘But you’ve also done a full day at Santa’s Secret,’ Keeley pointed out. ‘Thanks for being there to hold Jenny’s hand, by the way. I really appreciate it.’

Grace waved her thanks away. ‘I enjoyed it. In fact, I think I spotted a new detail each time I went round. It really is a brilliant tour. You’ve outdone yourself.’

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘I must admit, I had my doubts when Xander first suggested it, and even when I’d agreed, I resisted all the immersive elements he came up with. But they really worked, didn’t they?’

‘Yes,’ Grace said simply. She gave her friend a sidelong look. ‘Do you think you should be telling him that?’

‘Maybe,’ Keeley said, in a tight tone that told Grace she had absolutely no intention of doing so.