Finding Father Christmas (11 page)

“They don’t exactly make this easy, do they?” Edward asked.

Ellie leaned closer. “Do you need the instructions?”

“I can get them, Father. Are they in the box?” Mark looked up and noticed my slow entrance. “Hallo. Are you Miranda?”

“Mark, mind your manners,” his father said. “You should walk up to our guest, offer your hand, and introduce yourself.”

Bounding past the patches of cast-aside gift wrap, Mark followed his father’s instructions and came skidding up to me with
a free-spirited expression that I was sure he inherited from his mother. “I am ever so pleased to make your acquaintance,
madam. I am Master Mark Robert Whitcombe.”

“Mark, don’t be pert,” Edward said.

“I’m not Pert. I’m Mark.”

He received a stern look from across the room.

“Yes, Father.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mark.” I shook his outstretched hand. “My name is Miranda.”

“My sister said you’re from America, but you’re not a film star.

“She’s right. I am an American, but I’m not a movie star.”

“Are you an actor, then?”

“No, I’m not an actor.”

“Do you know any actors?”

“Yes, I have met a few.”

“Really? Any ones that I would know?”

“No, none you would know.”

“Mark, I have this put together now. Will you come have a look?”

Like a gazelle, the lanky twelve-year-old bounded across the room and eagerly took the controls from his father. Mark pressed
a button, and out from under the camouflage of gift wrap a remote-controlled truck rumbled across the floor, heading directly
for the wall. Mark used his whole body as well as his thumbs to urge the rolling vehicle to make a turn toward the center
of the room.

“Well done, Mark,” Ellie said.

“This is brilliant!” Mark directed the truck around a leather chair as the revved-up vehicle made a louder humming sound.

“Make it go up the wall, Markie.” Julia was on her feet, watching the new toy do its stuff for the small audience.

“It doesn’t go up walls. Just on floors. Don’t get too close, Ju-Ju. Step back.”

Ellie motioned for me to come closer to where they gathered around the tree. “If you dare,” she said with a smile.

I slid onto the end of the sofa and took in the full view of the tree. Julia came over and sat beside me, showing me her new
dolly and chattering about all the doll’s special features, including its pony. She hopped off the couch, went for the unwrapped
pony under the tree, and showed me how the doll could fit on the pony. Then Julia galloped around the room with her new toy.

Ellie shuffled the wrapping paper into a mound. Edward looked over at me and said, “Did you sleep well, Miranda?”

“Yes, very well, thank you.”

“Glad to hear it. I understand you’ll be joining us for church this morning.”

“Yes. I hope what I’m wearing is okay for church. My luggage is still in London.”

“What you’re wearing will be fine,” Ellie said. “You might need a warmer coat. I have several you’re welcome to choose from
to borrow.”

“Thanks. I do need a warmer coat.”

Edward seemed to be studying me. “If you don’t mind, may I ask you a personal question, Miranda?”

“Certainly.”

“How is it that you came to visit Carlton Heath? Our little town isn’t exactly one of the usual tourist sites.”

My heart beat faster. This was the opening I needed. I just hadn’t prepared what to say. “1, urn, I came here because—”

“Didn’t Katharine say you were going to meet someone?” Ellie inserted. “Or did she say you were trying to find someone?”

“Yes,” I said plainly. “I was trying to find someone.”

“And how did that turn out?” Ellie asked.

This was it. This was the moment to tell Ellie and Edward who I was and why I was here. I drew in a deep breath and sat up
straight.

B
efore a full sentence could tumble off my lips, everyone turned to the front window, where the driveway was visible. Up to
the front of the house came a large farm horse wreathed in a harness of loud jingle bells and saddled with a big red sack
of wrapped gifts. Holding the reins was a merry rounded fellow with a long, flowing snowy white beard and a long robe.

“Father Christmas!” Julia shouted, leaving her doll and pony and rushing to the front window. “It’s Father Christmas!”

Mark stopped pushing the buttons on the remote control and hurried to the window. Edward and Ellie exchanged surprised glances.
I stood for a better view, and for the blink of a moment, I almost believed.

“Father Christmas! Father Christmas!” Julia beat her flat palm against the front window.

“Come on, Ju-Ju.” Mark was already sprinting toward the door.

Ellie and Edward followed, and I was right behind. We stepped into the crisp air. Pillowed snowdrifts lined the rounded drive.
As Father Christmas strode toward the children, he hitched up his robe to reveal argyle socks that I knew had to belong to
Andrew.

“Happy Christmas, one and all!” Father Christmas’s booming voice caused a layer of peaceful snow to quiver off a nearby tree
branch and sift its way to the ground.

Bright-eyed and full of glee, Julia gave a little hop that landed her in the snow in her yellow ducky slippers. “Hallo, Father
Christmas! It’s me, Julia!”

Father Christmas came close and cupped her chin in his gloved hand. “And so it is!”

“We already got our presents,” she proclaimed. “We’ve opened them. I already ate the Lion Bar. They’re my favorite. Did you
come back because you have more presents for us?”

“Indeed I do.”

If Mark recognized Andrew, he was to be commended for keeping a straight face and playing along for the sake of his sister.
However, it seemed that Mark may have been convinced that the larger-than-life man who stood before him
was
Father Christmas.

“I understand you have been a most helpful chap this year,” Andrew said, doing a fair job of masking his Scottish accent.

Mark nodded.

“That’s very good. Very good indeed. I happen to have a special gift here for a young man such as yourself. Young Mark, this
present is for you.” He reached into the red sack tied to the saddle of the old horse and handed Mark a long box that was
wrapped in gold foil and tied with a big red bow.

“And for you, young Julia… ” He hesitated, and she shivered with excitement, giving two little hops. “Ah, yes, here it is.
A gift for a special young lady who has also been a good helper to her mother this year.”

“Thank you, Father Christmas!” Julia took from him a box also wrapped in gold with a red ribbon.

“I have another gift here for the master of the house and his lovely wife.”

“That’s my mum and dad! Mummy, you get a present, too!”

The smiles on Edward and Ellie’s faces as they received the gold box were more than pleasant expressions. Both of them seemed
touched by what Andrew was doing for their children. The couple slipped their arms around each other, and Ellie rested her
head on Edward’s shoulder.

I wondered if, by this grand performance, Andrew was picking up the Father Christmas gap that had been left when Sir James
passed away. Whatever the reason, Andrew’s magical appearance was a gift to all of them.

“I have one more present here. Let me see. Who is this for? Oh, yes. Miranda.” His rolling brogue peeked through when he said
my name. I think that one slip unveiled to Mark the identity of Father Christmas, if he hadn’t figured it out before. Mark
was a good big brother, though, and kept the discovery to himself.

Andrew, or rather, Father Christmas, handed me a small gold box with a red ribbon. I thanked him politely and played along
by adding a bit of a curtsey. Julia followed my cue and gave a curtsey as well, jiggling with joy.

“Happy Christmas to you, one and all!”

“Happy Christmas to you, Father Christmas!” Julia could barely contain herself as Andrew mounted the stout horse and urged
it to trot away.

“Thank you, Father Christmas!” Mark called out as the
endearing man and his horse etched a trail in the snow down the long driveway. “Come back next year!”

“And bring me a pony!” Julia called out.

Edward and Ellie laughed.

“May I open my present now?” Julia wiggled like a jitterbug. “Please, Mummy?”

“Of course, but wouldn’t you like to go inside first?”

“Yes, my feet are cold!”

We all agreed, stomped our feet, and returned to the comfy drawing room by the fire where we sat with our gifts on our laps.

Julia and Mark didn’t need to be invited twice to open their gifts. Julia unwrapped a little girl’s tea set and gave a squeal
of delight. She immediately went to work, placing the cups and saucers on one of the end tables.

Mark pulled from his opened box a bow-and-arrow set, complete with a quiver and its long strap to position over his shoulder.
His excitement was uncontainable.

Ellie and Edward exchanged glances that said, “We’re going to have a talk with Andrew about this later.”

“May I try it out now?” Mark asked. The strap was in place, the three arrows were in the quiver, and his feet were heading
out of the room.

“Go in front of the house,” Ellie said, “so we can watch you.”

“And aim away from the house,” Edward added.

Mark gave his parents a gleeful smirk over his shoulder, as if they should know he was mature enough to aim the arrows in
the right direction without their having to tell him.

“What did Father Christmas bring you?” Julia moved toward
me, eyeing the only unopened gift left in the room. Ellie had opened the box of candy that had been given to her and Edward.

“I don’t know.” I shook the small box next to my ear. “I can’t imagine what it could be. Can you guess?”

“I think it’s a turtle,” Julia said.

I smiled at her whimsical answer. “It might be. Would you help me open it?”

I handed the gift over to our expert, and she put her five-year-old fingers to fast work, peeling back the gift wrap.

“It’s not a turtle.” She looked up, a little disappointed. “It’s only a teapot with a ribbon.”

Julia dangled the dainty Christmas tree ornament in front of me.

“Lovely,” Ellie said. “And fragile, isn’t it, Julia? We must be careful not to drop fragile ornaments.”

“I love it.” I received the gift as Julia carefully placed it in my open hands. It was the first Christmas ornament I had
ever been given. I found the kindness shown to me by Ellie and now by Katharine to be far beyond my ability to understand.
Were all British people this trusting and generous to strangers? Or had Katharine and Ellie sensed the same inexplicable connection
to me that I felt to them?

“I know where you can keep the teapot safe,” Julia said.

“Where is that?”

“You could put it in your stocking. Your Christmas stocking.”

“That’s a good idea, Julia. I’ll do that.”

“If you like, I could put it in your stocking for you. That way it won’t get broken, will it, Mummy?”

“That’s right, darling. A stocking is a good place for a delicate ornament.”

I handed over the little teapot to Julia for safekeeping. She scampered off, and Edward went over to the front window, nodding
at Mark, who was ready to take aim at a tree with his bow and arrow. Ellie tidied up the room, chattering about the explosion
of gift wrap being messier than in years past.

I realized this would be a good time for me to speak up. A much better time than earlier, when the children were in the room.
What I had to say was for Edward and Ellie to hear.

“Keep your elbow up, Mark,” Edward called out through the front window, pointing to his elbow. In a lower voice he added,
“Andrew is going to have a piece of my mind before this week is out.”

“He was being kind to the children. So kind. And Mark is twelve, you know.”

“Of course I know he’s twelve. And he’s holding a better stance than I thought he would. Has he done archery before?”

“Last summer. At the Culliford’s lawn party. Do you remember how young Anna challenged Mark and the other boys to an archery
contest and then bested them all?”

“Oh, yes, that’s right. I had forgotten about that.” Edward waved and nodded at his son, as Mark made an improved shot that
glanced off the side of the tree trunk. “It might be all right after all. He does have the posture, doesn’t he?”

“He’s your son.” Ellie sent a soft smile across the room to her husband’s back.

A brief pause hovered over us, and I opened my lips to speak. Nothing came out. I began to tremble. Swallowing and
stepping over to the fireplace, I reached up for the framed picture. Gathering all my courage, I tried to speak again, this
time with a visual aid.

“Edward, Ellie, I wanted to say something to you both, and now seems like a good time.”

They turned to face me.

I smiled.

Go ahead. Tell them.

As my lips parted, Julia skipped into the room. “Miranda, is this yours? This little blue pillow?”

J
ulia, no!” I nearly dropped the framed photograph in
my
hand as I rushed to snatch the blue velvet purse away from startled Julia. Her lower lip quivered.

“It’s all right,” I said quickly. It didn’t appear that she had opened the purse. “I was surprised to see you with this, that’s
all. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Julia, it’s not polite to touch other people’s belongings,” Edward said with a fatherly firmness.

Realizing I was still holding the frame, I took the admonition along with Julia and returned the photo to its rightful place
on the mantel.

“Sorry, Miranda,” Julia said in a small voice.

“It’s okay, sweetie.” My voice came out light and softer. I smiled in her direction, and she seemed to perk up. “Really, honey,
don’t feel bad.”

“Julia loves to help out, don’t you, darling?” Ellie went to her daughter and gave her some reassuring pats. Looking at me
Ellie added, “She’s forever fetching items for me. Coats and purses. Is everything all right, then?”