Page 205 of The Sun Sister

‘I...okay.’

‘I’ve also managed to purloin a number of delicious things for us to eat. I’ll fetch them in a moment,’ he added, giving her a peck on the cheek. ‘Merry Christmas, Cecily.’

She was rather taken aback by her husband’s unusually high spirits. Trying but failing to remember how Bill had been last Christmas – the whole thing had passed in such a blur of misery, the memory had been wiped from her mind – she was glad he seemed so cheerful. It might aid her cause.

‘Oh! I almost forgot, there’s a hamper from Kiki which Aleeki dropped off at the club for you. It’s still in the back of the pick-up, and I’m pretty sure from the smell that it includes a side of smoked salmon. It probably needs eating pronto.’

‘Smoked salmon sandwiches, what riches!’ Cecily smiled as Bill bolted out of the door to retrieve it.

She poured them a gin and vermouth each, as Bill filled up a bucket with soil and positioned the ‘Christmas’ tree in it so they could decorate it.

‘It’s all a bit “make do and mend”, but who cares?’ he said. ‘One should definitely celebrate Christmas as well as one can.’

‘You like Christmas?’ Cecily stated the obvious.

‘I love it. Always have, since I was a little boy. It may seem out of character for a man like me but I just enjoy the fact that everyone is in a good mood. Even my parents didn’t fight over Christmas. Now, I’m sure we have some decorations from last year in the barn. I’ll go and get them.’ Bill moved towards the back door.

‘Wait! I...’

‘What is it?’

‘Oh, I’m just a bit weary, that’s all. Could we put them up tomorrow?’

‘Cecily, tomorrow is Christmas Day, and it’ll all nearly be over bar the shouting. It won’t take me a minute to get them and I can put them on the tree myself if you’re too tired.’

Bill was out of the door and Cecily was out of excuses to stop him. She hoped against hope that he wouldn’t notice the things that were missing from the barn.

He was back in a trice, carrying the box of decorations.

‘All the things you gathered for the baby have disappeared. May I ask what you’ve done with them?’

‘Oh...I’ll tell you later. Now, let’s get these decorations on the tree,’ she said, gulping back some gin as she led Bill towards the drawing room.

‘You know, Cecily, the difference in you from this time last year is remarkable. You stayed in bed on Christmas Day, do you remember?’ he asked her as they began to hang baubles on the tree.

‘I’m ashamed to say that no, I don’t.’

‘You were not yourself by any means...’

A sudden loud screech emanated from beyond the drawing room.

‘Good God! What the deuce is that?!’

‘I...don’t know.’ Cecily felt herself blushing to the roots of her hair.

The screech came again, and then turned into a full-scale wail.

Cecily’s heart sank; she’d been hoping to tell Bill what had transpired before she introduced him to Stella, but now it was too late.

‘It’s coming from somewhere inside the house. Have you got a wild animal locked up in here or something?’

‘No, I...’

But Bill was already on his way along the corridor to find the source of the caterwauling.

Cecily followed him anxiously as he looked into each of the bedrooms in turn and eventually pulled open the door of the tiny room wedged between them. She watched as Bill leant over the bassinet, then recoiled in shock.

‘Bloody hell! What is this?!’ he demanded as he turned to her.