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And if she felt this way, why couldn’t he?
*
Dinner was good,not perfect, the turkey a little dry, but the delicious gravy countered the dryness, and everything else was equally tasty. Everyone was in such a good mood, and there was lots of talk, and lots of laughter, and the wine poured freely, and by the time they’d finished seconds, and some had thirds, the question was—what would they do next? Obviously there would be dessert, but they wanted to wait and return to the table for Mrs. Johnson’s Christmas pudding later, which Emma said she’d already begun steaming.
“I have a suggestion,” Frederick said. “I was a teenager when Cluedo came out, and it was a favorite game of mine. I used to play Cluedo with William and Emma when they were children, and we always played on Christmas. It was a Sherbourne tradition. I’d like to play, if you will all join me.”
“Do we even have the game anymore, Uncle Frederick?” Emma asked.
“I think we do,” Alec answered. “Mrs. Booth moved the games from the library to the billiard room a couple years ago. Let me have a look.”
Alec returned with a very old game, and as Cara looked at the box, she saw that Cluedo was essentially the game her family played, Clue, and the characters and illustrations were still from the original edition.
What happened next was a fierce, rousing, spirited game producing much laughter, and then it was dessert time, and they played a second round while eating their Christmas pudding and maybe it wasn’t a typical Sherbourne Christmas with everyone shouting and laughing but it was fun, and then Alec stunned everyone by asking Cara to sing a carol before bed, any carol, could even be something she sang earlier.
“Here?” she said. “A cappella?”
He nodded then looked at his family. “You have to hear her.”
“No pressure,” Cara murmured but she was flattered.
She thought for a moment, letting the song fill her head and heart, and drawing a breath began to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful,” a song she’d loved her entire life, and when she got to the end she was blinking back tears, overwhelmed with gratitude and wonder. She’d come here to do something new, to feel something new, and she’d never imagined in her wildest dreams that she’d fall in love.
And she’d fallen in love.
“One more,” called Uncle Frederick at the end. “Please, one more.”
Cara blinked again and smiled at Frederick. “Do you have a favorite?”
“‘Angels We Have Heard on High’?”
“I love that one,” she said. “Uncle Frederick, will you sing it with me?”
“I don’t have a very strong voice,” he said.
“That’s okay. Just sing what you can.”
Cara began to sing, and after a moment Uncle Frederick joined in, his voice quavering at first, but getting stronger as he went, and then Alec joined in at the chorus, and before long Emma and Dorothy were singing, too, their arms around each other, their voices rising, and it was moving, uplifting. When they came to the last stanza, Cara was the only one who remembered the words and she finished the song alone, but it was powerful and inspiring, and Uncle Frederick went to Cara and gave her a long hug.
“That was beautiful. You’ve touched my heart tonight,” he said.
“I’m glad. Thank you for singing with me.”
And then everyone was saying good night, and hugging and kissing, and more than one person said they had to do this again next year.
Then it was only Cara and Alec downstairs.
*
Everyone had goneto bed, and Cara and Alec retreated to the big chairs by the fireplace in the library where the fire burned low. When Cara went to sit in her own chair, he caught her hand, and drew her down onto his lap, settling her firmly against him.
“We are so different,” he said, his hand on her hip. “But I kind of like it.”
“Just kind of?” she asked, feeling the heat of his palm on her hip, her skin incredibly sensitive. “I think it’s a good thing when people are different. We can complement each other, instead of competing with each other.”
“And yet you are so very competitive. I’ve watched you play Cluedo.”
She laughed and reached up to cup his cheek and jaw, letting the bristles scrape her palm. “Okay, just a little competitive but usually only in a good way.”
