Chapter 38

THIRTY-EIGHT

WEDNESDAY 20TH DECEMBER

Stella managed an early finish thanks to the defence barrister in the armed robbery trial she was prosecuting having suddenly taken ill. She'd sent round a quick text to the group of friends, offering them all a lift to Clifftop Cottage. Having recently switched her sporty Mercedes for a sleek Range Rover Evoque in a stylish shade of metallic grey she now had room for everyone.

‘Were you being so savage in court, you frightened the life out of your opponent and made him ill?' Jasmine asked, when they were driving down Skitey Bank, making them all giggle. Her mum, now fully recovered from her stomach bug, had said she'd sit with Zak and Chloe while Jasmine popped out.

‘Not at all. Aiken Ferdinand is very experienced, fights his corner. He'd been complaining of feeling rough in the robing room first thing. Thought he'd eaten something dodgy the night before. Poor Ferdy actually looked green when we were in court, so I'm amazed he managed to keep going as long as he did. The judge adjourned till tomorrow in the hope he'll be feeling better, but from the way he was looking I very much doubt it.'

Bear met them at the door of Clifftop Cottage, his huge shoulders filling the space, a beaming smile on his face.

‘Hello, Daddy Bear,' said Lark, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his whiskery cheek.

‘"Daddy Bear", I like that,' he said, his beam growing wider. ‘Come in, lasses, Mags is dying to see you all.'

In the cosy kitchen, they found Maggie sitting on a cluster of plumped-up cushions in a rocking chair by the Aga, a little bundle snuggled up in her arms, their Labrador Daphne lying protectively at her feet. The warmth of the room stood in stark contrast to the bitterly cold temperatures that raged outside.

‘Mags, congratulations! You look gorgeous,' said Florrie, taking in the picture of contentment before her. It was true – Maggie looked positively radiant, her cheeks flushed pink, her hair glossy. Florrie's heart filled with happiness for her friend, who'd been desperate for this day to arrive for so long.

A flurry of congratulations followed as Bear filled the kettle in readiness for an enthusiastic round of tea drinking and Maggie filled them in on what had happened after they'd made their hasty exit from Danskelfe Castle.

‘Lady Caro was amazing and ever so calm. She just took control and got us there safely, saying to call her if we needed anything. She gave Bear her private phone number,' Maggie said in amazement.

‘Quite a way to end the sleigh ride, Mags.' Jasmine giggled. ‘Which, I might add, was a fantastic experience. I won't go on about how you all shouldn't have spent so much on the kids and me – which you did, by the way – but seeing the expressions on their faces was priceless. They haven't stopped talking about it. So, thank you all.'

‘It gave us so much pleasure to see them enjoying themselves too, Jazz. They're adorable children.' Lark gave one of her gentle smiles. ‘And it was definitely something amazing to add to The Happy Christmas Memory Project. I'll bet Ed's still talking about it, too.'

All eyes turned to Florrie. She mustered up her best smile and said, ‘He loved it. It's thanks to Stella for mentioning it, and it looks as though going over those bumps helped with this little one's arrival.' Time to divert attention away from Ed and The Happy Christmas Memory Project.

Which worked perfectly. While Maggie set to opening the pile of gifts they'd brought, each of the friends took a turn in holding baby Lucy, even Stella who'd sworn she was never going to have children, declaring herself allergic to them. ‘Seems you're a natural, Stells,' Jasmine said, a knowing look in her eye as their friend got to her feet, rocking the little bundle in her arms, gazing down at her in wonder.

‘You'll be next, flower,' said Maggie, waggling her eyebrows, when it was Florrie's turn for a cuddle.

‘I'm not so sure about that,' Florrie replied, more lightly than she was feeling. A pang of loss squeezed in her chest and she pushed away the image of Ed that had loomed in her mind. She couldn't imagine that featuring in her life plan any time soon. Her heart twisted at the thought.

It was when she was driving home that she peeled off her brave face, let her act drop and allowed the tears to flow. And flow they did, leaving her all puffy eyed and snotty nosed. The hurt Florrie felt at Ed's unexpected departure went way deeper than the first time. It was going to take an age to get over him, if she ever could. She honestly had no idea how she'd managed to get through these last few days without breaking down and ending up a sobbing, crumpled heap on the floor. It was probably why tears had started tumbling down her cheeks as soon as she was alone and well clear of Maggie's. As for getting a good night's sleep, there was no chance of that any time soon. She knew as soon as her head hit the pillow, her mind would start running over every possible reason Ed could have had to leave her again, just as it had done the last couple of nights, tormenting her way into the early hours and leaving her exhausted. She had no idea how she was going to tell her parents – they'd be devastated, too. As for poor old Gerty… Ugh!