he would take every day. Everyone except Victor could tell that Jack hated it. Her mother was holding her shoulders high, as if she was mortified by his arrival, especially when he lifted up the painting and insisted it was part of his inheritance. He was so drunk that he kept going on about cuckoos invading his nest or, maybe, it was about Jack living in cloud cuckoo land. He was speaking so fast it was hard to make out what he was saying. He pushed her father away when he was asked to leave and almost fell on top of Cordelia when he plonked himself down beside her on the sofa.
‘Anyone care to join me?’ he said and laughed when he saw the mistletoe on the ceiling. ‘Sophia, how about a kiss for Christmas? I’ve missed our—’
‘You’re not welcome here.’ Jack spoke so suddenly that Victor stopped in mid-sentence. ‘I’ve tolerated your presence for long enough. I may be half-blind but I can see through smoke and mirrors. And when the smoke is dense enough, I see even more clearly.’
Jack was always speaking in riddles but Victor was no longer laughing as he heaved himself up from the sofa.
‘It’s a sad day when my uncle refuses to welcome me into his home at Christmas,’ he said. ‘Oh, well, I guess I’ll be in my way then.’ He shrugged when no one answered him and closed the front door with such force that it rattled the horseshoe knocker.
‘What did you want to tell us, Jack?’ Her father turned from the window where he and Isobel had been watching Victor walking unsteadily towards the gate in the wall.
‘The moment has passed but it will come again.’ Jack shook his head and the happiness that had carried him through the day left him.
Sophy was by his side instantly. ‘I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day,’ she said. ‘It’s time to rest.’
‘It’s the first time since the fire that I’ve been able to forget this body.’ He touched the wrinkled skin on his cheek. Isobel guessed it was his way of saying he’d enjoyed himself, apart from Victor’s unexpected arrival.
Her father said it was also time for him to leave. He hugged her and Julie really hard and shook Jack’s hand.
‘Goodnight, Sophy,’ he said. He hesitated, as if he was going to hug her, too.
‘Goodnight, Luke,’ she replied then bent to help Jack to his feet.
Above them, the white berries on the mistletoe glistened like tears that could not be kissed away. No magic this year.
Chapter Thirty
Sophy
Victor’s visit had taken a severe toll on Jack’s energy yet he was reluctant to go to bed. Sophy helped him into his armchair and Caesar, overfed on turkey scraps, sprawled drowsily on the living room rug.
‘This is my last Christmas,’ he said. ‘But, of course, you’re as aware of that as I am. Thank you for making it a very happy one.’
‘I’m not God, Jack,’ she replied. ‘Neither are you. You’ve a strong heart and a will of iron. Hopefully, we’ll all be together again this time next year.’
‘She’s calling me,’ he said. ‘I hear her voice more clearly every day.’
‘Who is?’ she asked.
‘The love of my life. I planned to tell you about her today but Victor wearied my heart.’
‘I’m sorry he upset you.’
‘What about his heart? Have you broken it, Sophy?’
‘His heart is hard to find and even harder to break.’ She smiled ruefully. ‘You did warn me.’
Victor’s arrival had ruined the cheerful atmosphere Sophy had tried to maintain throughout the day. She had been awash with memories of other Christmases she had shared with Luke, the anticipation and excitement, the sheer joy of making it a special occasion for their family. The longing to forget the hurt and bitterness had swept over her when he followed her to the kitchen. He told her he loved her. He spoke clumsily where once he would have uttered such endearments with passion and confidence, yet his words had touched her. The moment passed when Isobel opened the door and demanded to know what was keeping them. Jack was waiting to make his important announcement.
Victor had arrived at the same time. The provocative slope of his bottom lip flaunted their shared memories and Luke had turned away, as if sickened by the knowledge he saw there. Jack’s mood had also changed and whatever he had planned to tell them still remained unsaid.
He exhaled loudly and tapped the watch Victor had insisted on strapping to his