Naked Hope (30 page)

She stiffened and stopped.
Vivienne’s suite?

He explained, “Mother had the rooms redone. The house is full of guests tonight, since I knew you’d object to staying with me, I wanted you to be as close as possible.”

Jill shivered as she looked around, taking in the spacious room done in warm creams and golden taupe. A fire whispered in the fireplace. They stood at the bay window overlooking the river, enjoying the beautiful view.

Gavin drew her into the circle of his arms and kissed her as the last of the light faded. “Merry Christmas, Jillian.” He placed his hand at the small of Jill’s back, guiding her along the hall, down the stairs and into the great room where the family was gathered.

The space was a large, rectangular room with rounded vaulted ceilings and burnished wood floors covered in thick deep red rugs. In the center, an open fireplace crackled and by the window stood a swollen-looking tree decorated in bows and streaming ribbons of red, green and gold plaid. The tree was anchored by an immense amount of splendidly wrapped presents, and almost blotted out the baby grand tucked into the corner of the room. Beethoven’s
Pie Jesu
played in the background. The room overflowed with family. Jill steeled herself anticipating an onslaught of curiosity.

Gavin first introduced her to his great Uncle Raleigh, an outrageous flirt.

With surprising agility for a man his age, Uncle Raleigh leaped from his chair and captured both of Jill’s hands, covering them with ardent kisses. “My dear, you are a beauty,” he cried. To Gavin, he said, “Did you bring her for me?”

“See what I mean? We’ll be back, Uncle.” They turned away and Gavin spoke in a low voice. “Uncle Raleigh has lived most of his life in South Wales. His wife died a few years ago and after his heart attack last year, Mother insisted he move here. You’re about to meet my Mother’s sister Caitlyn and her husband Jonathan.”

Gracious, soft-spoken and bright eyed, Caitlyn looked like a slightly younger version of Edith.

Across the room, a high spirited, crimson-cheeked Olivia chatted with Gavin’s cousin Addison and her husband Cade, her face bright and alive. She spotted them and cried, “We’ve been waiting and waiting. Addison’s going to have a baby girl. Why don’t you and Daddy have a baby,” she suggested, taking Jill’s hand and placing it in Gavin’s.

“Olivia,” Edith called. “Come help me get everyone seated for dinner.”

Olivia left them, reluctance written all over her young face.

For all their bluster and stony strength, the Fairfield men didn’t have a chance in the wake of Edith whose quiet dignity, intellect, and wit always won the day.

At the table, Gavin took her hand, murmuring, “You don’t need this now, do you?” He kissed the tips of her fingers.

She smiled. “How will I cut my meat?”

He chuckled. “We may have to live on wine and cake tonight because I don’t plan to let go of this

” he gave her hand a quick squeeze, “—any time soon.”

According to Gavin, the Fairfield tradition allowed one person to open one present on Christmas Eve. Addison and Cade lived just across the river, and would be returning home later that evening to spend Christmas morning with Cade’s family. So, Addison suggested that Olivia open their present.

But Olivia cried, “No, I don’t want to open their old present. I want to open Dr. Jill’s.”

Jill observed Olivia’s behavior with concern.
What had changed that would cause Olivia’s behavior to escalate?

Just then, Baines and Cade came into the room carrying a box the size of a timpani wrapped in green and gold.

Frustration smoothed into glee as Olivia ripped away the wrapping. She sat back on her knees, clapped her hands over her mouth and gazed in delight at a dollhouse furnished and inhabited by an entire family of miniature dolls who were seated at a miniature table enjoying tea from a miniature china tea set.

“The dollhouse was mine when I was your age,” Addison told her. “Now the little house is yours. See how they need someone to love them? They’re so lonesome,” she pointed to the family of dolls. “And I’m too busy. But look at the way the little girl is smiling. She can’t wait to make friends with you.”

“But Addison,” Gavin protested, “You’ll want this for your child.”

Addison smiled the way only a woman who is about to bring life into the world, can. “By the time our child is ready to play with the doll house, Olivia will be ready to relinquish it. And if not, you can build our child a new one.”

He grinned. “You drive a hard bargain—you always did.”

Jill made a mental note to get the back story one day.

Olivia’s ear-splitting outrage pierced the moment. “It’s mine. I won’t ever give it back. No, no, no. You can’t have it.”

“No one wants to take the doll house, Liv.” Gavin reassured, but Olivia would not be comforted. When she wouldn’t settle down, Gavin carried her from the room, her arms strangling his neck.

Addison sat down next to Jill. “Gavin made that dollhouse for me.”

“He did?”

She smiled. “When I was ten, my parents and I came home one day to find fire-fighters putting out the last of a fire. As fires go, it wasn’t too bad—most of the house was salvaged, and no one got hurt. But the kitchen and my room took the worst of the fire. I lost just about everything, including my dollhouse but nothing as extravagant as this.” She pointed to Olivia’s dollhouse. “But I loved it. Gavin would have been about fourteen at the time and taking a shop class. Instead of making a birdhouse or picture frame like most boys his age, he built this dollhouse.”

She smiled and slipped her arm through Jill’s. “He can’t help himself. He’s just naturally an overachieving charmer.”

When Gavin returned with Olivia, she was calm enough to go with the family to the midnight church service. But angry dark circles blacked her eyes, and she had clearly retreated into herself.

As Addison and Cade prepared to leave, Edith said, “I wish you could join us for the midnight service.”

“When the baby comes,” Addison promised. To Jill, she whispered, “You’re good for him. I hope we won’t be strangers.”

Jill hadn’t been inside a church in a long time. She wasn’t opposed to church, and believed in a higher power, but her beliefs were more spiritual than religious. She preferred to think of God as the Creator who connected everyone and everything in a circle of endless love where all creatures have souls, and that those souls live forever. When asked, she referred to herself as “unrestrainedly non-denominational.”

Illuminated by white candles at both ends of every pew, the beauty of the sanctuary at midnight, and the sacred sound of carols being sung, called to her. Gavin sang in a rich baritone. Olivia had a quieter alto.

With a start, Jill realized,
Olivia’s singing on key, and keeping time.

But how? The accident hadn’t affected her vocal chords, but her brain was too injured to recognize notes, cadences, or any kind of musical pattern. The sound she produced should have been as toneless as her tapping at the piano.

The carol ended and Olivia began to cry. Before either of them could react, she’d pulled away from Gavin and flung herself against Jill. Her sobs rang out in lamentation, reverberating against the stone arches of the sanctuary. Jill fought against every instinct to cradle the little girl in her arms, aware that whatever consoling needed to be done, should be done by Gavin.

Gavin gathered Olivia into his arms and carried her out of the church. Jill followed as Olivia screamed, “Not you Daddy. I want Dr. Jill.”

Olivia buried herself in the folds of Jill’s coat. Jill held the girl fast in her arms stricken by her obvious distress and tried again to understand what could be causing her to exhibit such extreme indications of stress. Over Olivia’s head she asked Gavin, “Do you have any idea?”

He only stared.

****

After tucking Olivia in for the night, Gavin joined the family in the great room. His face drawn tight from exhaustion. “She’s asking for you.”

Jill nodded and excused herself.

“Hurry back, my beauty,” Uncle Raleigh called after her, and then twinkled merrily at Gavin. “I think she likes me.”

Except for the tension in her eyes, Olivia seemed much improved. “How does it end?” she asked from under the folds of her pink comforter.

“How does what end?”

“The story—how does it end?”

When Jill didn’t respond, Olivia said, “Daddy finished reading me your books, but the story isn’t over.”

Now that Jill understood the context of Olivia’s question, she smiled. “How right you are.”

“So, how does it end?”

Jill smoothed the covers up under Olivia’s chin. “I don’t know. I haven’t written the end yet. Maybe it doesn’t.”

Olivia pushed the covers away and sat up. “Well, that’s just silly. Everything ends. When will you know?”

Jill tucked her back in, kissed her cheek, and tapped her index finger lightly to the tip of her nose.

“About some things we just have to wait and see.”

Gavin hung in the doorway as she slipped from Olivia’s room. He caught her hand and led her down the hall to his suite. A fire had been lit and the lights lowered. Outside, the snow fell without sound.

His nearness made her toes curl and her breath shallow as he bent his head.

“You’re so good with her.”

“Something is wrong, Gavin.”

He pulled her closer. “It will pass.”

She could feel his heart beating under her hand. Jill shook her head. “No, something is very wrong.”

“Perhaps. But we won’t solve anything tonight.”

“No, I guess not,” she agreed.

He held out a small package tied with a delicate gold and silver bow.

“I have something for you.”

“But my present for you is downst—”

“Open it.” He pulled her into one of the loveseats.

Jill looked at the exquisite wrapping. She hated to tear at the lovely package.

He gave the ribbon a slight tug. The gauze-like tissue fell away. He laid the box in her lap.

She was slow to open the lid. Inside laid a diamond-studded heart in a platinum setting.

Gavin lifted it from the box.

The liquid chain dropped out and collected in her palm.

“Come closer.” With his free hand, he smoothed the length of her hair away from her neck.

She sat with her back to him as he placed the heart at her throat. He kissed the nape of her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his hands on the flat of her belly. Their breathing synchronized, she ached to have him turn her in his arms and kiss her. But they were both distracted. Something was wrong with Olivia and neither of them knew what, or what to do. His ache collected and mingled with her own. A clock chimed the hour from the hall beyond.

They sat in the room lit only by fire, watching the shadow play of the flames and listening to the soft whine of the logs. She opened her mouth to say something, but he placed two fingers over her lips. She understood he was asking her to let things be because like her children’s series, they didn’t yet know how Olivia’s story would end. And so they sat, silent in the moment.

In the morning, just as Gavin had promised, Christmas at the Fairfields proved a wonderful place to be. Olivia ran through the house, waking everyone a little before seven. People shuffled downstairs in their bathrobes for yet another family tradition that would allow Olivia to open one present before breakfast. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate in hand, they gathered around the tree in the great room where only a few presents remained under the tree. What had happened to the sea of presents she’d seen the night before?

Olivia took her time contemplating which present would be the one to open until after breakfast while the others snuggled back into the comfort of the great room. Gavin sat beside Jill and dropped a light kiss to her cheek.

Jill touched her hand to the heart at her throat. “Thank you,” she murmured.

He slid his arm around the back of the sofa and smiled, but said nothing.

“Beautiful necklace, dear,” Edith commented nodding at Gavin’s gift.

Jill blushed, realizing for the first time just how clearly Edith understood the implications of Gavin’s gift.

To Gavin, she added, “Baines has loaded the car. After breakfast, why don’t you run the presents over to the community center before we open any more here.”

Gavin nodded and grinned at Jill. “I’ll have to eat fast. Liv won’t be able to wait much longer.”

The morning rushed by far too fast. Although most of the presents had been donated to the community center, Olivia still sat among a deluge of books, clothing, mittens and hats, her first pair of pierced earrings, and a flood of other treasures.

Edith suggested they gather around the piano and sing some carols. “Gavin, would you mind?” She indicated the piano.

Gavin’s face locked into one of resignation.

They couldn’t have passed for a choral group to save their lives, with the exception of Gavin and Olivia, and Jill wondered again how she could carry a tune. While she didn’t remember most of the words, she remembered the melody and hummed along as the rest sang.

Olivia ate almost nothing during the noon meal. Her gaze kept darting over to Steven. Before the meal was over, she bolted from the table, crying.

Gavin stood but Edith was already up.

Soon afterward, she returned without Olivia. “She’s resting now. I think she may have caught a bug. She threw up and while she doesn’t have a fever, she’s quite agitated. I finally got her to settle down.”

But Olivia crept in moments later as everyone was leaving the table. “I have a surprise,” she announced. “S-something Master S-steven and I have been w-working on.” Her eyes were feverish and her speech broken. Jill noted with concern the return of Olivia’s stutter.

Jill looked at Gavin, who stared at the floor.

Olivia led them into the great room and pulled out the piano bench. “This is called
Flying Leaves
,” she announced.

Jill held her breath, realizing that Olivia intended to play.

Olivia closed her eyes, her hands resting lightly on the keys. But she didn’t play. Instead, she flung herself at Steven, sobbing and beating his chest. “You said I could do it. But I can’t. Why did you tell me I could do it?”