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“Granny, do you think I can ride Socks today?”
“We’ll ask Aunty Posy when she wakes up.”
“Will she wake up soon? I woke up at five o’clock, but Melly was asleep, so I lay there and didn’t move.”
“You’re a thoughtful girl.”
Stewart emerged, his hair spiky from the shower. “I need to clear the paths. Posy and Luke will struggle to get from the barn.”
“She’s in the mountain rescue team. If she can’t find a way to get through the snow, there’s no hope for the rest of us. Sit down for a minute.” Suzanne rummaged in the cupboard for a jar of her whiskey marmalade, which she knew was Jason’s favorite. She’d given away so many as gifts she had only one left. “The pancakes are warm and the coffee is brewing. Merry Christmas.”
Stewart kissed her, taking his time over it. “Merry Christmas. You’re looking unusually relaxed. Usually by now you’re running round slamming turkeys into ovens.”
“I feel unusually relaxed.”
“It’s because I’ve been helping her.” Ruby climbed onto a chair. “Merry Christmas, Grandpa. Santa came.”
“That’s good news. Glad his sleigh didn’t get stuck in all that snow.”
Ruby looked at him pityingly. “The reindeer fly.”
“Of course they do. There are days when I wish I could fly, too.”
“Will you have to go and rescue people today, Grandpa?”
“I hope not.” He sat down next to her. “I plan on playing with my grandchildren and eating my Christmas lunch. Let’s hope everyone else does the same and that no one gets into trouble today.”
“Why did those people get in trouble? Were they naughty?”
“The people the other night? No, they weren’t naughty. Bu
t they didn’t have all the skills they needed for the walk they planned. Do you know what a compass is?”
“I know.” Melly sat on the other side of him. She was wearing a new princess costume that Suzanne assumed had been a gift from Santa. “It’s something that tells you which direction to go.”
“That’s right. But these people—” Stewart served the girls pancakes and then added two to his own plate “—they put their compass in the same pocket as their mobile phone.”
“Was that bad?” Ruby stuck her spoon in the honey, dribbling most of it over the table instead of her pancakes.
“Turns out it was bad, because the case for the mobile phone had a metal closure and that reversed the polarity.”
Suzanne poured herself coffee. “Grandpa means that the compass gave them the wrong information and they went in the wrong direction.”
Jason walked through the door, yawning. “That happens? Seriously?”
“Yes. North became south, and that’s the way they walked. Unfortunately, south wasn’t where the road was, so they became lost.”
“And you rescued them,” Ruby said, jumping off her seat to run to her father. “Merry Christmas! Santa came.”
“Well, of course he came.” Jason scooped her up and sat down with her on his lap. He picked up the jar near him. “Mmm. Whiskey marmalade. My favorite. This whole room smells like Christmas.”
“We put cinnamon on the pancakes,” Melly said.
“Better eat them fast before everyone else wakes up and wants some.” Stewart helped himself to another one, but at that moment everyone else piled into the room.
Beth was wearing a bright blue sweater and a pair of large silver earrings.
“You look pretty.” Melly smiled her approval. “Grandma knitted that sweater.”
