The Christmas Sisters

Posy glanced over her shoulder. “Skilled help such as you, definitely. You’ve already trained with us three times. Are you sure you want to spend your afternoon on an exposed mountaintop where winds are gusting at ninety miles an hour and the wind chill is minus twenty-five?”

“Can’t think of a better date.”

Hannah was baffled. She didn’t understand her sister at all, but Luke seemed to. Maybe they were well suited after all.

There was a flurry of activity. Stewart kissed Suzanne, and then they were gone, the door torn out of their hands by the wind, and then slamming shut behind them.

A moment later they all heard an engine roar to life.

“I apologize, Adam.” Suzanne finished carving the chicken. “Family lunches aren’t normally as crazy as this one.”

Adam stood up and passed her the plates. “I don’t find it crazy.”

He looked comfortable, which somehow made Hannah feel worse.

Beth looked at Suzanne. “How can you let him go if it worries you so much?”

“Because he’s doing something he loves. And so is Posy. I wouldn’t want to stop them doing something they love. Does it worry me? Of course. Do I relax for a moment when I know they’re out there in the mountains and the weather is bad? No. But I tell myself that they know what they’re doing. And neither of them is a risk taker. They don’t go looking for danger.”

They ate lunch, and then Ruby grabbed Hannah’s hand.

“Will you play with me?”

Worried that she’d do something else that would upset her sister, Hannah forced a smile. “I’m not that great at playing, Ruby.”

“I’ll show you how,” Ruby said kindly. “You can learn. All you need is practice. We’ll play libraries. I’ll bet you’re good at libraries because you like books.”

Hannah stood up. Why would such a simple statement feel like a thump in the chest? “I’ll come and play with you. We can play anything you like.” She knew she should be talking to Adam, but the weather was too wild to go for a walk and she didn’t fancy hiding away in her room, where anyone walking past could be listening.

Adam stood up. “I have a proposal to finish, so I’ll go and do that. Thank you for a delicious lunch.”

Hannah played with Ruby for a few hours. It was just the two of them in the downstairs den, and she found herself relaxing.

First they made Christmas decorations, using copious amounts of glue and glitter, much of which landed on Hannah’s jeans.

After an hour, Melly joined them. “Can I do your makeup, Aunty Hannah?”

Hannah dutifully sat on the floor while Melly carefully made up her face. She was already covered in glitter. How much worse could she look?

“You’re very pretty, Aunty Hannah.” Melly turned her attention to Hannah’s hair. “You’d look good with ribbons.”

Hannah, who had never considered herself a ribbon type of person, sat still while Melly brushed her hair and tied it in a pink ribbon.

She didn’t dare look in a mirror.

“It’s my turn to play with Aunty Hannah.” Ruby grabbed her hand and tugged her across the room. “You need to lie on the floor. I’m going to bury you and then rescue you. You’re allowed to scream if you like, because you’re very scared. I’ll reassure you.”

Hannah was hiding under a pile of sofa cushions for the fourth time, when Adam walked into the room.

Ruby was delighted by the arrival of more potential victims. “Would you like to play my rescue game? I’m a firefighter and you’re buried.”

“That is one of the most appealing offers I’ve had in a while,” Adam said soberly, “but I was hoping to steal Hannah away. I need her help with numbers.”

Ruby was understanding. “She’s very smart.”

“She is.”

Hannah crawled out from under the cushions. She had glitter on her trousers and a ribbon in her hair and she didn’t need a mirror to imagine how she looked. In fact, now would probably be a good time to scream.