Page 48 of Christmas All the Way

Freddie lifted his phone and spoke into it. ‘Ready when you are, Paul.’

There was a very faint hum, then the toy box erupted into light. Grace clapped her hands in delight as she took in the alphabet cubes piled on top of each other, the train set and the tin soldier picked out in red and black.

‘It’s even better if you stand back,’ Raff said, and Grace followed his suggestion.

Sanjay waved a hand at a large, plastic-encased button mounted on a pole to one side of the display. ‘Don’t forget to make a sign telling them to press this,’ he said. ‘The lights go off after two minutes, to save on power, but pressing the button will switch them on again.’

Grace pulled the notebook from the pocket of her coat and scribbled a reminder. ‘I’ll make sure that gets done,’ she said. ‘Do the other stops work the same way?’

He nodded. ‘All except the Christmas tree, which is on all the time. Oh, and the Sugar Plum Fairy scene, which has two circuits that light up different sections. You’ll want to make that clear with your signs.’

‘Noted,’ Grace said, scrawling another note. ‘Are the others ready?’

Sanjay laughed. ‘Give us a chance! We’ve only just finished this one.’

It was all Grace could do not to hover over them as they worked. Eventually, Raff suggested they go to Eliza’s Pantry for a hot chocolate. ‘Am I that bad?’ Grace laughed.

‘Like a child on Christmas Eve,’ he replied, grinning. ‘Come on, I’m buying.’

They managed to squeeze into a table in one corner, among a throng of visitors who had clearly come from Juniper Cottage. ‘Looks like another busy day for Keeley,’ Raff said. ‘I need to get in to tidy the garden before winter really sets in but she says it won’t be possible until they close at the end of this week.’

Grace dipped her head. ‘I’m not surprised. The queue to get in still leads halfway around the garden most of the day. You wouldn’t be able to reach the flowerbeds.’

‘I’m delivering the tree for the hallway on Sunday, and a second one for the drawing room,’ he said, sipping his cream-topped hot chocolate with evident relish. ‘I’ll be able to see how much work the gardens need then.’

‘And you’ll have more time to get things done next week,’ she reminded him. ‘They’re only open in the evenings for the whole of December.’

He tipped his head in agreement. ‘Keeley has also asked for a mountain of greenery to turn into wreaths and garlands for the inside of the house. Are you helping her with that?’

‘I am,’ Grace said. ‘That’s my Sunday taken care of, and possibly my evenings next week. The first tour is on Wednesday and I know Keeley wants everything to be perfect.’

‘I can imagine,’ Raff said wryly. ‘With the amount of attention Eliza has earned recently, I expect she’s feeling the pressure.’

‘She is,’ Grace replied. ‘Between interviews and requests for articles and invitations to literary festivals, she’s swamped. I don’t think she remembers to eat lunch most days.’

Raff frowned. ‘Doesn’t she have a PR assistant to handle all that for her?’

Grace hesitated, wondering how much to reveal. ‘She does, sort of. But he’s only part-time and, well, they had a bit of a falling out over the manuscript, back when it was first found. I don’t think they’ve seen eye to eye since.’

He eyed her curiously. ‘Is this Xander Jones? I wondered why I hadn’t seen him around as much. One of the volunteers was quite taken with him – she seemed to think Keeley had told him to stay away.’

‘Don’t tell me – her name is Elspeth,’ Grace said ruefully. ‘But yes, Xander is handling the press side of things, as well as the cottage’s social media accounts. And I can’t fault him on that score. I can’t stop scrolling through the Juniper Cottage feed – he’s a real master of his craft and I noticed he’s started tagging the Britain’s Most Christmassy Village feed in some of his posts.’

Raff nodded. ‘I follow the Juniper Cottage account. I have a professional interest in making sure he shows the gardens in a good light, remember?’

‘Of course,’ she said, and flashed him a teasing smile. ‘Sometimes I forget you have a job that doesn’t involve Christmas lights.’

When at last Sanjay called to say the installation was complete, Grace and Raff eased past the crowded cafe tables and made their way back to the green. Small groups of onlookers had gathered here and there, and Grace smiled as she passed them. ‘Come back tomorrow night for the big switch-on,’ she called, waving a hand at the shuttered food stalls huddled in the centre of the green. ‘As well as our incredible Nutcracker light trail, we’ll have food and drink – mulled wine and mistletoe!’

‘You’re quite the saleswoman,’ Raff observed, as several people called out that they’d be there.

‘It’s easy to sell,’ she replied, with a modest shrug. ‘Freezy Tye is Britain’s Most Christmassy Village, after all. The judges can’t have been wrong seven times in a row!’

He flashed an admiring look her way. ‘I’ve got a feeling this year will be the best yet.’

She was saved from having to work out how to respond to the implied compliment by Sanjay, who had come to meet them. ‘Ready, boss?’ he said, grinning.

Grace glanced at Raff, who was shaking his head in amusement. ‘He’s talking to you.’