Page 19 of Christmas All the Way

He smiled and she felt a little like a deer caught in the beam of an oncoming car. Hastily, she turned to Keeley, as much to break the spell as anything, and saw her friend looked even more irritated now.

‘Where do you want to begin?’ she said, without preamble. ‘As agreed, we’ve decorated the hall and the drawing room. Did you want to go up the stairs?’

Xander eyed the staircase, now swathed in greenery and looking very festive, and nodded in approval. ‘Very nice,’ he said. ‘It would be a shame not to include it when you’ve gone to so much trouble.’

Keeley nodded stiffly. ‘Okay. There’s a fire lit in Eliza’s bedroom and I laid out some letters on the bureau. I couldn’t find a cat, unfortunately.’

This made Xander laugh. ‘No Ebenezer double – got it.’

Grace looked from one to the other. ‘Ebenezer?’

‘Sorry, private joke,’ Xander explained. ‘There’s a sort-of resident cat at Delores Semple’s house that Keeley admired.’

‘Only because he was so unexpected,’ Keeley countered. ‘But Eliza never owned a cat, so it seemed a bit manipulative to borrow one purely for publicity purposes.’

‘Agreed,’ Xander said, and Grace couldn’t tell if he had genuinely missed the chilliness in Keeley’s tone or whether he was simply choosing not to hear it. ‘So I think we’ll start with a nice sweeping shot of the door opening to allow entry to the hall. I’ve already taken pictures and video of the outside.’ He paused. ‘Nice wreath, by the way. Captures the pagan elements of the season nicely.’

Keeley didn’t even glance at it. ‘Good,’ she said briskly. ‘Now, let’s get started. It’ll be dark soon.’

Xander didn’t argue. He recorded several videos of the door opening to reveal the glittering tree, and then swept around the hall to take in the full glory of the staircase. From there, they moved into the drawing room, where Xander once again praised the decorations and the table laid for tea. ‘This is perfect,’ he told Keeley, beaming at her. ‘Great job.’

From the set of her jaw, Grace knew the compliment had missed its mark and thought she understood why. It must feel to her friend as though she was being put on her mettle, no matter how likeable and enthusiastic Xander was about the task in hand. But Keeley was a professional; she wouldn’t let ruffled feathers affect her work, no matter how much it cost her.

Once Keeley had poured steaming hot tea into the cups, Xander set about capturing the scene.

‘One last thing,’ he said as the shadows lengthened outside. Reaching into his bag, he produced a bottle of champagne and three crystal flutes. ‘We’re offering a glass of fizz on arrival. I think we should use it as another hook.’

Grace could only agree as she watched him set the scene; the champagne flutes looked especially good on the freshly cleared table, with the light of the fire flickering behind them. ‘Seems a shame to waste them,’ Xander said, once he’d finished taking pictures. He handed one flute to Keeley, and another to Grace before taking the third himself. ‘To a very Victorian Christmas,’ he said, raising his glass in a toast.

‘To a very Victorian Christmas,’ Grace and Keeley chorused, although Grace observed her friend’s gaze did not meet Xander’s as their glasses touched. Grace took a sip, enjoying the burst of bubbles on her tongue before putting her flute back on the table. ‘I’m driving,’ she said, in answer to Xander’s quizzical look.

‘Are you?’ Keeley asked, surprised. ‘I assumed you’d stay with me, since you’ve got work tomorrow morning.’

Xander gave her an interested look. ‘Do you work here too?’

Grace shook her head. ‘No, I work at the Christmas shop in one of the neighbouring villages,’ she explained, then turned to Keeley. ‘Sorry, I must have misunderstood. I didn’t realise it would be okay to stay over again.’

‘You’re always welcome,’ Keeley said. ‘Even when you’re not moonlighting as a volunteer.’

Grace sighed. ‘I’m tempted, especially since it would mean dodging those temporary traffic lights, but I don’t have anything to wear for work in the morning. I’ll have to drive home.’

For a moment, she thought Keeley would argue but then she nodded. ‘Okay. But I mean it – the spare room is yours whenever you need it. Next time, bring an overnight bag.’

Xander had been studying the screen of his camera, presumably to afford them a little privacy as they discussed their plans for the evening, but now he glanced up. ‘I think I’ve got everything I need for now. We’d better start taking these decorations down or Grace is going to have a very late night.’

‘Not just me,’ Grace said, spotting an opportunity. ‘You must have a bit of a journey home too. Where do you live?’

‘Chiswick,’ he replied, grimacing slightly. ‘So not the shortest drive back.’

Grace matched his wince. His journey offered the choice of two notoriously fickle major routes and either could produce miles of tailbacks in the blink of an eye. ‘Ouch.’

‘Don’t worry about helping to take the decorations down,’ Keeley said, stepping forward. ‘Grace and I will do it.’

He hesitated, glancing from one to another. ‘Are you sure? I’d hate to go and then have you talk about me behind my back.’

Grace tried not to smile, because they were almost certainly going to be discussing him the moment he had left the cottage. But she knew Keeley was itching for him to leave, and so she kept her face as straight as she could. ‘Of course not,’ she reassured him. ‘We’ll be too busy for that.’

His mouth quirked. ‘That’s all right then.’ He eyed Keeley once more. ‘You’re sure?’