Christmas and New Year at the Goole House
The ghost orphans were growing up. Emily wondered whether this was the last Christmas they would all spend together. Donna and Darla had just finished their first term at university. Donna wanted to follow Emily into teaching when she’d finished her degree, while Darla, who had refused Ambrosia, was studying politics, determined to campaign for Ghost Rights after graduation.
Emily kept hoping that one of her relatives would discover another small orphan for her to mother but only Izzy had met any ghost children recently and the young Remingtons had a family. Well, maybe she and Kid could fill up the house again…
For the moment, though, she had things to organise. She hugged the returning students and settled them into their old room. Now there were party games to plan and extra beds to make up. The Google kids were staying for a couple of days while their parents were in Riverview and then there would be more visitors over Christmas and New Year…
* * * * *
Wearing fancy dress on Christmas Day had become one of their traditions.
Fortunately, there were spare costumes in the dressing-up box, so their unexpected extra guests could join in.
Patrick might have the least imaginative costume (if you discounted Marabel dressing as a pirate
again) but he certainly knew how to make an entrance. Emily couldn’t decide whether to be amused or exasperated by his showing off.
After breakfast, they were about to gather around the tree when the doorbell rang. Emily, managing to keep her face straight, sent Opal to answer it. It was Father Christmas himself!
Of course, the kids saw through his disguise almost at once but it was fun to pretend he was the real Santa anyway.
While Will ho-ho-hoed and Tina-Pat asked everyone whether they’d been good this year, Emily and Donna rearranged the living room, so that ‘Father Christmas’, grandly enthroned, could preside over the gift-giving.
* * * * *
The kids insisted on wearing their costumes again the following day, which at least gave Emily the chance to wash the Google twins’ other clothes. From the weather forecast, it looked as though they might be staying for a while. Surrounded by friends and new games, they seemed to be coping surprisingly well with the separation from their parents.
* * * * *
Emily had been hoping for a real family reunion at New Year. Obviously Izzy and Ben wouldn’t be able to make it, with their baby due any day (or, as it turned out, because the babies had already arrived and Riverview was still snowbound). Chris was in the Himalayas somewhere – some tall story about finding a baby Yeti and having to stay put until it was old enough to fend for itself. Tom and his boyfriend were on holiday in Isla Paradiso and Fred, Liv and Kate all had families of their own. No-one was quite sure where Lee was (“as usual,” said Will). Since she’d started working for the French government, her location, like the exact nature of her job, was top secret.
While Hidden Springs was as snowy as Riverview, they were used to coping with wintry weather. Twinbrook was still snow-free, much to the children’s disappointment, so Joe and Macy had a pretty straightforward journey back to their old home.
Surprisingly, Louisa and Tavares came with them. Lou had initially been reluctant to visit but had changed her mind when she’d learnt that there was no chance of running into Deirdra. Emily, ever the peacemaker, decided she would have to do something about that.
After her guests were settled in, Emily manoeuvred Lou into the study and shut the door firmly behind them.
“Lou, I know you’re still grieving for Sam. We all miss him. He was such a lovable scamp of a boy. But why are you…?”
“Being so mean to Deirdra? She deserves it. She sent him there. Because of her, I lost my son; my grandchildren were just characters on a reality TV show, instead of real kids I could love and spoil. And now they’re long gone, too. But you know the worst thing?”
“No. What?”
“Lily. That poor girl. I wanted to write to her – tell her that we loved and supported her. But Deirdra wouldn’t let me. Said it wasn’t allowed: nothing could get through into their world. But that’s rubbish, isn’t it? Riley keeps sending those dolls, so it must be possible!”
“But none of us know how he’s doing it – or why, come to that. Ask Izzy. She’s known Riley all her life and says she still doesn’t understand him. Neither does Brian. Riley’s always been strange. He’s sending those dolls for some reason of his own. Deirdra isn’t ‘letting’ him do it, so please don’t blame her for that.
“And as for sending Sam into that world, you heard what he said. He was happy there. He and Sophia were made for each other. Without Deirdra, they’d never have met. Even though they had such a short time together, they thought it was worth it. You need to face up to that – and move on. Stop pushing everyone and everything away: Tavares, your family, your music. Sam wouldn’t want you to be like this, would he?
“I’m sorry. That came out harsher than I intended. But please remember, Lou: we love you and we don’t want to lose you as well.”
* * * * *
As the last few hours of the old year ticked away, Lou thought about what Emily had said.
It was true. She hadn’t been fair to Deirdra. Nobody had ever been able to make Sam do anything he didn’t want to do. In his own way, he was as stubborn as Grandpa Will. The New Year was a good time to make a fresh start. The next time she saw Deirdra, she wouldn’t storm off.
As twelve o’clock approached, Will sat down at the piano and started playing.
Joe picked up his guitar and joined in.
The clock struck midnight. It was a new year. Time for that fresh start.
Louisa still hadn’t played the guitar Tavares had given her for Christmas. What better time than now? As Will and Joe launched into
Auld Lang Syne, she walked over to the windows and started playing.
Will segued straight into his piano transcription of
Quartet for Ana. Then Lou hesitantly picked out a tune. Will looked briefly startled and then accompanied her as she reached the end of the intro and started singing. It was
Poison Boy. Just as they finished, the doorbell rang.
“Probably first-footers,” said Emily, as she went to open the door. But it wasn’t. The two people who stood on the doorstep had had a long, hard journey – and it appeared that they had brought the snow with them.
Lou hung back as the travellers were welcomed inside and exclaimed over. Then she screwed up her courage. It was far too early to start breaking New Year’s resolutions. She walked over to Deirdra and apologised.
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