AllFreeNovel
Share Us
13
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
‘Emily!’ comes a screech throughout the house, echoing in the hall. ‘Emily, where are you?’
I pop the last bit of my sandwich in my mouth and rush out of the kitchen, down the main corridor and into the hall, where my grandmother is tottering over her cane, momentarily regaining her breath against the door frame of the drawing room, which is alight with Christmas. The incredulous look on her face says it all.
‘What have you done to my drawing room? And the hall!’
‘You mean the Christmas decorations?’
‘My husband has just died. Do you really think that I want to celebrate Christmas, with him barely in the ground?’
I blink. Surely she remembers asking me to put them up. She’s probably so frazzled that she’s completely forgotten. Either that or I need to tell Dr Martin Miller. I feel for her, really.
‘I’m sorry, Grandmother. I’ll put everything away.’
‘And you will no longer address me as Grandmother. I’m Lady Heatherton to you.’
I suppress a gasp. Is she really doing this? Is she really trying to push me away when all I want is to get closer to her? Why won’t she accept me? What could I possibly have done to offend her? It’s not about the Christmas decorations. They’ve only acted as a catalyst for her rage towards me. At first I thought it was merely indifference, but now I realise I’m a true imposition on her. Well, we can fix that immediately.
‘I’ll pack everything up. And then I’ll go.’
I’d better call Penny at The Old Bell Inn to see if I can get my room back. Or any room. Even the cellar would be more welcoming than this pile of rage.
‘That is not necessary, although I’m sure you must have a life elsewhere.’
‘Oh, I do have a life, Lady Heatherton. I have a job and a fiancé. You needn’t worry about me.’ The fact that I need time away from both is none of her business.
‘I don’t. Now, clear up this mess. Later, I’d like to discuss a few things with you.’
I groan. ‘Like what?’
‘The grocery list for next week.’
Don’t you just want to strangle her! I can already see the headlines in the local rag: London School Teacher Throttles Long-lost Grandmother with Fairy Lights. Oh, yeah…
The sudden ring of my phone jerks me out of my thoughts. I look down at the screen, which is bright in the twinkling room. It’s Maisie, my lifeline.
‘Excuse me, I’ll be right back,’ I say as I move into the next room for some privacy.
‘Enjoying the manor life?’ she quips. ‘The old harridan warmed up to you yet?’
‘Not exactly.’
‘Then why don’t you come home?’
Why don’t I, indeed? ‘I just want to make sure she’s OK.’
She snorts. ‘Women like that are always OK. They drive other people into their graves.’
Which is exactly what I’m thinking. Lady Heatherton is aloof, insensitive and distant.
‘So, whenareyou coming home?’ she asks.
‘I don’t know, Maisie. I need some time to think. Plus, my grandmother’s housekeeper is away and all she has is Calvin.’ I don’t mention my tiff with the grand lady.
‘Who?’
