question bubbled up inside her yet it was easier not to know. He had changed since that night. He seemed to be standing straighter yet she didn’t remember him being stooped. Sometimes, she found him sitting on the stump of a tree, just gazing ahead. She trusted his silence and knew that when he was ready, his thoughts would come back to them.
He was working in the woods one afternoon when she brought him sandwiches and a flask of tea. He looked burly and flushed in his padded anorak. Sweat had darkened the navy bandana he had tied around his forehead. He tore off the wrapping on the sandwiches and took a huge bite. ‘Mmmm! Chicken and stuffing, my favourite.’
‘Is Jack going to die?’ Isobel wiped a smudge of muck from his cheek.
‘We’re all going to die someday,’ he replied and chewed faster.
‘That’s not an answer. Is he?’
‘I don’t know. And neither does he.’ He shrugged, as if he was not particularly worried but the line between his eyebrows deepened. ‘Why all the questions?’ He poured tea from the flask into a mug and took a sip. ‘Just the way I like it. Strong enough to trot a mouse on top.’
‘Gross. If Jack dies you won’t have a job,’ she said. ‘If Mum can’t look after Jack any more, then she won’t have a job either.’ Isobel waited for him to say something. When he remained silent, she added, ‘That means you’ll be separated from us again.’
‘We’re still separated, Isobel. Distance is not the only thing that makes a separation. But Jack won’t die until his work here is done.’
‘He can’t cheat death a fifth time.’
‘Everyone’s luck runs out sooner or later.’
‘Like yours did?’
‘I allowed my luck to run out. I had a fortune right in front of my eyes and I squandered it all.’
‘Do you mean us?’
‘Who else could I mean?’ He pinched her cheek and smiled. ‘Who needs Lady Luck when I have my two wonderful girls to love. How do you feel about Hyland Hall now that you’ve become acquainted with Jack?’
‘I hated it so much but …’ She tried to explain her confusion. ‘I guess it’s okay in ways and Jack doesn’t frighten me anymore but I just wish… You know what I wish...’
‘I know, I know.’ No explanations were necessary. ‘I’m sorry your mother and I can’t grant it. But, hear this, no matter what the future holds…’ He paused for emphasis. ‘I’m only ever going to be a hand’s reach away from you and Julie.’
Soon it would be Christmas. Frost glistened on the trees but with the central heating repaired, Hyland Hall was as warm as toast. Her father cut down two fir trees. They would decorate the dining room and music room. Isobel and Julie decorated them with fairy lights, and made garlands of laurel for the mantelpiece and bannisters. Holly wreaths hung from the front door and were draped around the necks of the stone lions. But the mistletoe was the most important Christmas decoration of all.
Isobel went to the woods with Charlie, who pointed to what looked like a deserted bird’s nest high up on a sycamore tree. She climbed into the branches and gathered handfuls of waxy green stems with white berries. When she returned to Hyland Hall, she decorated the house with it. As an extra precaution, she hung sprays of berries over the front and back doors. She didn’t believe in vampires but she had never stopped believing in the magic of Christmas.
On Christmas Day, Hyland Hall smelled of spices, herbs, plum pudding and a roasting turkey. Her mother was basting the turkey when her father entered by the back door. A sprig of mistletoe hung directly above them but they didn’t notice it. He put his presents down on the kitchen table and opened his arms to Isobel. Instead of his usual muddy jeans and anorak, he was wearing a casual jacket and black cords. His black shirt was open at the neck. He looked smart and handsome, just like he used to do. She wanted her mother to turn around and look at him, really see him. But the roasting tray almost overbalanced and she said, ‘It’s okay, I can manage,’ in a breathless voice when he tried to help.
‘What’s with the mistletoe, Isobel?’ He finally noticed the sprigs on the ceiling. ‘You’ve hung it everywhere.’
‘I picked too much and didn’t want to throw it away,’ she replied.