woman! What have you got in ’ere? Is it full o’ lead off the church roof or somethin’?’
Amy blinked the snow from her eyes as she moved her valise from one hand to the other. ‘Actually it’s full of Christmas presents for you, my gran and your mam,’ she told him, and with their heads bent they battled on, contently silent in each other’s company. Suddenly, she was very glad to be home.
By the time Amy opened the door of the cottage, her feet were so cold that she had lost all feeling in them and her nose was glowing. She was so tired that she was sure she could have slept for a month, but the sight that met her eyes made her forget all about her tiredness, and she stopped so abruptly that Toby almost ran into the back of her. She never failed to experience a sense of homecoming whenever she entered the cottage, but tonight she felt as if she was walking into a Christmas grotto. Holly and mistletoe were everywhere she looked, and in pride of place next to Molly’s dresser stood a little Christmas tree that Molly had decorated with remnants of ribbons all the colours of the rainbow, left over from her ribbon-weaving days.
Molly smiled at the look of pleasure on Amy’s face as she asked eagerly, ‘Do yer like it, lass?’
‘Like it? Why, it looks absolutely beautiful, Gran,’ Amy answered truthfully as she dropped her valise on to the floor and flexed her frozen fingers.
‘I can’t take all the credit for it,’ Molly admitted. ‘Most of it is down to our Toby ’ere. He nearly ripped his hands to ribbons, God bless him, collectin’ all this holly an’ mistletoe. But we thought yer’d like it.’
As Amy’s appreciative eyes swept the room, Toby looked embarrassed, and hurriedly crossing to the table, he deposited the large box on it.
As Amy’s eyes settled on a big bunch of mistletoe hanging from one of the beams she had the urge to kiss him there and then, but she wisely stemmed it, not wishing to embarrass him any more than he already was.
Holly was strewn all along the mantelpiece, its scarlet berries glowing in the firelight, and candles standing erect in little pot saucers were dotted here and there adding to the enchantment of the cosy scene.
‘I’ve brought you something that might make the tree look even prettier if that’s possible,’ Amy bubbled as she hurried to the box that Toby had placed on the table.
‘But it ain’t Christmas Day yet. Yer shouldn’t be givin’ out presents just now,’ Molly objected.
‘It doesn’t matter. This is something that you can have right away.’ Amy rummaged about in the box as excited as a child and eventually withdrew an ornate gold box. Carrying it to the hearth, she beckoned Molly to join her and once the old lady was seated in her old rocking chair, Amy placed it into her twisted hands.
‘Go on, Gran, open it,’ she urged expectantly.
‘Well, I’ll be!’ Molly exclaimed when she had done as she was told and withdrawn the first of its contents. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anythin’ quite so fine in the whole o’ me life.’ In the palm of her hand was a small blown-glass ornament suspended from a fine silver cord in the shape of a little reindeer. Eager to see the rest now she delved into the box again and this time she came up with a snowman. One by one she unwrapped the contents to reveal an angel and a bell, and so it went on until she had twelve items in all spread out across the coarse calico apron that covered her lap.
‘They’re for the Christmas tree.’ Amy’s eyes were dancing as much as the flames that were licking up the sooty chimney, but Molly was so taken with her gifts that she could only stare at them in awe.
‘By the gods, it’s just amazin’ what they can do nowadays,’ she muttered as she turned the baubles over one by one. ‘But I reckon you an’ Toby had best put ’em on the tree. Wi’ my old butter fingers I’d likely drop ’em.’
Amy and Toby spent a pleasant few minutes doing just that before sitting back on their heels to admire them.
After a while Toby stood up and told her, ‘I’d better get off now. I ain’t even washed the muck off me yet an’ me mam will be thinkin’ I’ve got lost.’