the same.’
‘Is the chimney blocked?’ Luke asked.
‘Only by old newspapers and the like,’ Harold told him. ‘It would be easy enough to pull it all out and get the flue swept.’
‘What do you think, Freya?’ Luke asked me. ‘Would you fancy reinstating the original fire?’
‘I’d love to,’ I told him. ‘As long as it wouldn’t be too expensive.’
‘I’d bear the cost,’ he said, ‘although I daresay we could do most of it ourselves.’
‘You could even use Lisa and John’s youngest to sweep it,’ Harold chuckled. ‘I bet the little rascal would fit up there a treat!’
‘I daresay he would,’ Luke laughed.
‘Do you think we could get it done before Christmas?’ I asked.
‘I don’t see why not,’ said Luke. ‘It’s not as if a modern sweep makes a mess, is it? You wouldn’t need to clear the room or anything.’
‘The electric fire only needs unplugging,’ Harold pointed out. ‘It’s not wired in.’
‘And I could get the board off tomorrow,’ I said, keen to make a start, ‘after I’ve finished helping Graham with his Winterfest session.’
‘And first thing Monday I’ll ring around and find a sweep,’ Luke nodded.
‘I’d leave the papers stuffed up there until the sweep comes,’ Harold advised, ‘just in case there have been any birds nesting. You won’t a mess coming down and spoiling your lovely decorations.’
‘Your decorations, Harold,’ I reminded him.
‘I think they’ve switched allegiance,’ he said happily, while making a fuss of Nell who was scouting for crumbs. ‘They’re all yours now, Freya.’
Luke cleared away the tea things while I thanked Harold and gave him another kiss on the cheek and promised to look after everything just as he always had.
‘Everything all right?’ I asked Luke, who seemed to be taking ages.
‘Yes,’ he said, quickly closing the sink cupboard door as I walked into the kitchen.
‘Were you checking the pipework by any chance?’ I laughed.
He nodded, looking very much like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t.
‘Zak’s done a great job,’ I told him. ‘Down here and upstairs. There’s nothing to worry about.’
‘That’s good,’ he said. ‘And a weight off my mind. What do you make of his personality change? He’s helping Finn out today and they seem to be getting on really well.’
‘I know Finn’s delighted,’ I told him.
‘But do you think Zak’s going to revert to his formerly flirtatious and mischievous self?’
‘No,’ I said, ‘I don’t. I know I didn’t know him for all that long before his conversion, but he’s neither said nor done anything to make me doubt him.’
‘A peaceful Christmas might be in the offing after all, then,’ Luke smiled.
‘I’m certain of it, and we’ve got the official opening of the Winter Garden to look forward to, haven’t we?’
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘and I’m looking forward to that more than anything else.’
‘Don’t let Jas and Abigail hear you say that,’ I laughed. ‘I think the appearance of a jolly gent in a red suit is the thing we’re supposed to be most excited about at this point in the year!’
* * *
Finn arrived, fresh from the shower, just in time for dinner and carrying a beautiful handcrafted bird table which was yet another gift for me.
‘You really are a man of many talents, aren’t you?’ I said, wrapping my arms around him once he’d carried it through the house and set it up just outside the kitchen window.
‘Oh yes,’ he said, making my knees buckle as he gave me a kiss which demonstrated his artistry perfectly, ‘and you don’t even know about half of them yet.’
I was very much looking forward to discovering what else he had up his sleeve.
‘And given the gorgeous smell in here,’ he smiled, ‘I’m guessing you’ve got few more strings to your bow for me to find out about, haven’t you?’
‘Oh, definitely,’ I nodded, ‘and not all of them confined to my skills with the slow cooker.’
While we ate the stew, which was a melt-in-the-mouth triumph, Finn told me about his day. Everyone had taken something away with them, be it a more complicated hedgehog home or a simple bird box with a slightly skew-whiff lid.
‘It was harder than I thought though,’ he said, helping himself to the last ladle of gravy and grabbing some bread to soak it up with. ‘I’d pre-cut all the kits so it was just a simple construction production line, but some people still managed to make a hash of it.’
‘But you got there in the end,’ I pointed out, ‘and everyone enjoyed themselves, didn’t they?’
‘They did,’ he said, ‘but I was shocked