Chapter 53: Chapter 53

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We crunch through snap-topped snow, having to pick up our feet to get from the car to the door. A trail of footprints leads back and forth from the door to the garden and in a few places, what look like the exploded remains of snowballs lie star-fished on the surface.

From somewhere comes drifting the scent of roasting meat, fruit and spices.

“Who’s doing the cooking?” asks Elizabeth. “It smells amazing.”

“James, I believe.” And I’m not disagreeing with her. It does smell amazing.

Unloading the back of the car, I pile Elizabeth’s arms with the wrapped cake, a box of candied fruit and the armagnac I know James is partial to. Then I take my own load; the gifts we bought for the three, including a bourbon which I think might appeal to Michael.

Arms full, I struggle to ring the bell on the be-wreathed oak door, eventually shoving at the button with my elbow. From beyond, there is first silence, then a scuffling noise, followed by the click and creak of the door opening. And then Michael’s comically astonished face.

Elizabeth and I burst out laughing. “You didn’t know we were coming then?” I say.

“He never breathed a word.” Michael looks back over his shoulder, then as he stands back from the door, opening it wide for us, his smile drops to Elizabeth’s blushing face.

His eyes rise to meet mine. I hold them for a second.

“Aaahhh….” he says, starting to laugh himself and scraping a hand through his hair.

“What’s funny?”

As if I didn’t know…

His voice drops. “If you knew how many times this morning James has stopped me cornering Charlotte and um… wishing her a Merry Christmas.”

James kept you off her?

Wonder how?

I bet you've had a very frustrating morning, my friend….

Having said that….

I shift my stance, my pants growing tight as I run a mental replay of my own morning.

James, dressed almost as one attending the opera, appears behind him. “Are you going to keep them on the doorstep all day?” For all that he’s trying hard to keep a straight face, he is twitching with humour.

Enjoyed your little joke…?

“Oh, I’m sorry,” says Michael. “You caught me by surprise. I’m not thinking straight….” He gives James a wry look. “Someone kept me in the dark about this.”

James raises brows with an ‘Oh, yes?’ kind of expression “Who is it?” Charlotte’s voice.

“Come and see,” shouts back Michael, smiling down at Elizabeth. Heat flushes over her cheeks.

James’ and Michael’s shared wife appears from the kitchen wearing an apron over her dress and wielding a wooden spoon which drips sauce over the tiles.

She sees me and Elizabeth, her eyes and mouth fling open and she comes racing down the hall yelling and smiling. “I didn’t know you were coming. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Merry Christmas, Charlotte,” I say.

“Merry Christmas,” laughs Elizabeth, as she and Charlotte throw their arms around each other. “James wanted us to keep it a surprise.”

Charlotte spins around to James who wears an expression somewhere between pride and pleasure.

He snakes out an arm, tugging her away from Elizabeth and pulling her in close to kiss her forehead.

“For your first Real Christmas. I thought the other half of your family should also be here.”

“Thank you, Master.” She pulls the heel of her hand across the corners of her eyes.

Michael watches this, hands pushed into his pockets, saying nothing. Noticeably, Elizabeth stands almost exactly half-way between him and me.

James is brisk. “Come on in from the cold and let’s get that door closed.” He looks down at Elizabeth’s snow-boots. “Michael, I’m still in the middle of cooking dinner. Would you like to show Richard and Beth up to the blue bedroom. I made it up for them….” He waves vaguely upstairs. “Get yourselves comfortable; there’s an en-suite. And then come down and join us. We’ll all have a drink before lunch, I think.” He scans our armloads. “What’s in those bottles you’ve brought?”

Elizabeth glances up to me and I make a small gesture to Michael who offers her his arm. “I’ll show you where the room is.”

Charlotte inhales, then looks to me. I hold her eyes for a long moment then her gaze shifts to James, who also gives her a long look. Just for a moment, I see the Dom there; the Master telling his sub that something is required of her, and her eyes raise back to mine.

“Where do you want these James?” I hold up the bottle in my hand; nod towards Elizabeth’s payload.

“Through here in the lounge will do nicely.” He takes bottle and packages from Elizabeth. “Let me take the weight from you, Beth.”

The Threesome’s lounge is perfect for James’ planned Real Christmas. The open fire burns brightly with logs which, I assume, come from the woods to the rear of the house.

Michael knows how to use an axe….

As their attackers learned to their cost….

…. last Christmas….

“Lovely tree,” says Elizabeth, fingering something dangling from one of the branches.

James beams. "Isn’t it. Michael cut it from the woods at the back and Charlotte decorated it."

Elizabeth holds up the small ornament she is examining. “Home-made?”

I peer in. Set amid gold and green and red tinsel is a whole flock of tiny birds made from folded paper.

The paper itself looks to be taken from glossy magazines so the birds have plumage bearing a mix of images and print and bright colours.

“Michael showed me how….” Charlotte dimples…. “…. last year, when we were here before the gunmen arrived. We couldn’t go out to buy decorations. It was too dangerous, so we had a sort of make-do tree with whatever we could find.”

“They’re lovely, Charlotte,” I say. She smiles and nods but shifts uneasily.

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