The Christmas Sisters

Suzanne wasn’t sure how her life would have looked without them. Right from the beginning, she’d given up consulting books when she had a problem and asked her friends instead. Armed with their own experience, they’d shared ideas on dealing with temper tantrums, sleep problems, friendship issues.

They were the first people she turned to when she had a problem, and she had one now.

“For once, it’s not Hannah.” She reached for another ball of yarn. “Beth is home. Arrived a few hours ago. Which is lovely, of course, but we weren’t expecting her until next week.” And Beth wasn’t given to unpredictable behavior. She rang when she said she was going to ring, never missed a birthday and was a devoted mother.

“I saw her.” Rhonda stood up and stretched, rolling her shoulders to shake off the stiffness that came from sitting still. “She and Posy drove past me on the way here.”

“Posy went to fetch her from the airport. She called me a little while ago to say that Beth was fine, and that they were going to the pub together to catch up.”

“You must be excited to have your grandchildren home.”

“The girls are still in New York with Jason. They’re flying later.” At least, she hoped they were.

“Maybe she wants a little time to herself, and no one is going to blame her for that.” Rhonda sat down again and picked up her knitting. “With kids of that age, it’s hard to find a moment to breathe.”

“That’s true, and I’m sure you’re right. That’s probably all it is.” Suzanne put her knitting down on the table. She’d tried calling Stewart, but his phone had gone to voice mail, so she’d left a message asking him to check on Beth if he was home before her. “Beth is my steady one. No problems.”

“That’s always the way with children. Just when you think it’s safe to breathe, they do something you weren’t expecting. I remember how I felt when my Alice suddenly announced she was divorcing Will.”

Suzanne felt a flicker of alarm. Were Beth and Jason having problems? No, surely not. The two of them seemed so happy together. She’d never seen anything in their relationship to give her cause for concern. “I don’t think it’s anything like that.”

“We need wine.” Maggie put her knitting down and headed to the fridge, returning with a bottle of sauvignon blanc and four glasses. She put the tray down on the table. “This is Beth, not Hannah. Couldn’t you just ask her? Or could Stewart talk to her? They’ve always been close.”

“He’s out giving a talk to a youth group tonight and she’ll probably be in bed by the time he gets home.”

“When is Hannah arriving?”

“Not for another week.” Suzanne opened the wine. “She didn’t come last year. I’m going to try hard not to smother.”

“You should stop trying, Suzanne, and enjoy your own Christmas.”

“I want to see her happy.” She poured the wine into glasses and everyone took one.

“You’ve done everything you can. No mother could have done more.”

Rhonda shook her head. “I sometimes think children are sent to worry us. My Rose has decided to give up her safe, secure, well-paid job as a doctor to retrain as a primary school teacher.”

Elaine glanced up from her knitting. “She’ll make an excellent teacher.”

“But all that training.”

“Does it matter? In the end you want them to be happy.”

Was Beth happy?

Suzanne had assumed she was, but now she was wondering.

Whatever had brought her home early, Suzanne hoped it wasn’t something serious.

Maybe Stewart should talk to Beth. If anyone could get to the bottom of what had brought her home early, he could.

12

Beth

Beth woke to bright winter sunshine and knew it was late.

On the table next to the bed was a large glass of water, painkillers and a piece of paper covered in her sister’s untidy scrawl.