She was keen to change the subject. ‘Dinner’s ready.’
‘I’ll give you a hand, Grace,’ James offered.
As they concentrated on dishing up, Ben sat down on the floor, murmuring softly to Millie as he admired her presents. Annabel joined them and began to tell him about the ball.
A few minutes later, Grace and James put four plates of steaming food on the table. Grace strapped Millie into her high chair in front of her own small offering.
They took their places and started to eat. James speared a brussel sprout as he said, ‘So, Ben, it’s been pretty handy for Grace that you’ve been able to help her get things moving here.’
James’s tone made Grace look at him sharply. Ben nodded. ‘Yes, lucky for her and for me – she’s kept me from being at a loose end.’
‘Annabel tells me that you’re house-sitting?’ James persisted. ‘How long will you be here for?’
‘Another few weeks,’ Ben replied as he poured gravy over his meal. ‘The owners are due back in early February.’
Grace wondered if she would have finished the renovations by then. She imagined living in the village without Ben nearby, and was alarmed at how downhearted she felt. ‘Where will you go then?’ she asked.
‘Back to Australia. Pick up where I left off.’
Annabel took the gravy boat from him. ‘And where was that?’
‘I work for a small architecture firm in Sydney. I’ve had some time off for long service, among other things, but it finishes at the end of February.’ He sat back, studying them in turn. His eyes fell on James. ‘So what do you do?’
‘I work for a Swiss bank.’ James straightened his shoulders as he spoke. ‘And spend most of my spare time on the ski slopes. I can’t get enough of it. Don’t suppose you have much chance to ski, living in Australia.’
‘Actually, there are some great spots in Victoria,’ Ben replied, his arm hooked casually around the back of his chair. ‘But I live close to Sydney and spend more of my time surfing. I’m lucky enough to have a place near the water. There’s something pretty magical about catching waves. I really miss it, actually.’
In the silence that followed, Annabel caught Grace’s eye, raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly, before she said, ‘Don’t you have man-eating sharks in Australia?’
‘We do,’ Ben grinned. ‘But so far I’ve been lucky.’ He looked at James and Annabel. ‘So how long are you two staying?’
‘A few days,’ James said.
Grace could have sworn that Annabel tried to bat her eyelashes. ‘Until New Year.’
‘Are you keeping an eye on the weather?’ Ben asked. ‘Because it’s forecasting snow at any time. You do know this village can easily get cut off in the snow?’
‘Oh, I’m used to snow,’ James replied with a wave of his fork, before he turned to Grace. ‘Do you remember that year we stayed in the Cotswolds and it snowed the whole time? We made that snowman and put Annabel’s underwear on it.’
‘Yeah, I remember not talking to you both for the rest of the day,’ Annabel added. ‘That stuff cost a fortune.’
‘Ben has a good point, though,’ Grace interjected, trying to include him in the conversation. ‘I hope we’ve got everything we need.’
‘We bought plenty of food yesterday – we’ll be fine,’ James said confidently. ‘Anyway, we could get out if we really needed to.’
Ben took a sip of his beer. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure about that, mate. Don’t underestimate the weather around here – it can make things pretty hairy.’
James looked irritated at being contradicted, and Grace tried to lighten the atmosphere. ‘All the better if they do get trapped in, Ben, because as you know there’s a cellar full of crap below us that needs sorting through.’
Ben laughed, while Annabel gave Grace a dirty look.
‘You’ve not started that yet then?’ Ben asked.
‘No,’ Grace said, ‘it’s so bloody cold.’
James got up. ‘You’ll have to show me what’s down there. Perhaps you’ll find something valuable – who knows, you might be sitting on a goldmine. Anyone else for seconds?’
As Grace watched him walk across to the kitchen counter, she thought of the boxes waiting beneath them. Could there be something valuable down there? Why did she feel as though she were missing something?
‘I doubt there are any hidden gems in the cellar,’ she said as James came back to the table, his plate replenished. ‘In the attic, maybe, or in here.’ She gestured around her, trying to quash the sense of disloyalty she felt towards Adam’s family while they talked like this. ‘Adam thought the grandfather clock would be worth something.’ As she spoke, she could hear it ticking steadily in the background, punctuating the conversation. That was one thing she couldn’t wait to be rid of. What was it about the damn clock that got under her skin so much? She remembered it stopping in the dead of night soon after she’d arrived. Had that been one of her strange dreams? No – she clearly recalled watching as it began working again.
‘That clock is awesome,’ James said. ‘My aunt and uncle used to have a clock like that, and I loved it when they let me look inside. I wound it up for you earlier.’ He picked up on Grace’s consternation, and glanced at the others, puzzled. ‘Was that the wrong thing to do?’
Ben excused himself soon after the meal, saying he didn’t want to leave Bess on her own for too long. Grace and James washed up, then joined Annabel, who was applauding while Millie pulled a squawking plastic pelican round the room, its broad beak opening and shutting.
‘Shall we play a game or something?’ Grace asked, looking to Annabel, as it was something of a family tradition. ‘I’ve got cards – how about Hearts, or Spades, or Chase the Ace?’
‘I’m too tired,’ Annabel moaned, and James didn’t even reply.
Grace was beginning to accept that Christmas was officially over when the phone rang.
‘Merry Christmas, love,’ her mother said when she answered. ‘Have you had a nice day?’
Grace couldn’t help but acknowledge how homesick she felt upon hearing her mother’s voice, but she tried to sound cheerful, not wanting her mother to worry. They chatted inconsequentially for a while, telling each other about their days. Then her father came on the line, and after wishing her a merry Christmas, asked, ‘So how are you getting on?’
‘Good,’ Grace replied. ‘I had the kitchen wall knocked down last week.’
‘What on earth did you do that for?’ He sounded horrified.
As she began to explain, she felt herself stumbling over the words. She knew him too well, and the silence on the other end of the line was a bad sign.
‘I’m not sure you’re fully aware of what you’ve taken on, Grace,’ he said when she’d finished. ‘These are big jobs – they’ll all take time. Do you really want to be there for months?’
Grace felt her hackles rising. ‘I haven’t just had the wall knocked down. You should see the amount of clearing out I’ve done. When that’s finished I’ll be able to get on with redecorating.’
‘Well, it’s up to you.’ She hated the way he did this – his words offering her a choice, while his tone conveyed exactly what he thought. ‘But remember, after this holiday you’ll be on your own. You can’t expect Annabel to be driving up to see you every five minutes.’
‘I don’t expect her to, Dad! For goodness’ sake! I thought you’d rung to wish us a happy Christmas, not to have a go at me.’
‘Calm down, love. I am wishing you happy Christmas. I’m simply looking out for you – I don’t want you to run into any trouble while you’re there on your own.’
‘Well, it feels like you’re getting at me,’ she said grumpily.
‘I’m not. Now, have you got enough money to be getting on with?’
That question couldn’t help but make Grace smile. Annabel and Grace had a joke that even if they became multi-millionaires, their dad would still ask them if they had enough, as he had done when they were teenagers heading out for the evening.
‘Yes, I have enough,’ she said, turning around to see her sister look up and grin. ‘Now, do you want to speak to Annabel?’
The rest of the evening passed in a weary haze of wine and television. When Grace climbed into bed,
