Christmas at the Village Sewing Shop by Helen Rolfe

Author:Helen Rolfe
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781398706194
Publisher: Orion

Chapter Fourteen

Loretta

Ivor lowered himself onto the third step of the staircase and Loretta squeezed in beside him.

‘Wonder how long we’ll have to sit here before they find us,’ Ivor chuckled. He and Loretta were ready to turn back time and watch the girls hang ornaments on the quilted advent calendar, but all three of them were cooking in the kitchen. ‘I know I’m old and I sometimes need a bit of a head start to get somewhere, but I don’t want to sleep here.’

‘Come on, girls,’ Loretta called, exactly the way she had done when they were little, when the house had been chaotic, loud, a commotion but in a good way that was, quite simply, their family. Already her daughters were coming together in ways she’d hardly dared to imagine. They’d been sourcing material for Ivor’s quilt, they’d been talking through ideas, and with each passing day it felt as though slowly the family was coming back together.

Fern was first, the other two girls filing after her. She was still wearing Loretta’s beige apron with the yellow and white daisies imprinted on it as well as a big splash of what looked like red wine. ‘The dinner is almost done, I’ve set the timer for it to rest for ten more minutes,’ she announced, glass of wine in hand.

‘And I’ve mashed the potatoes,’ Ginny added, ‘the veggies are ready too.’

Ivor rubbed his hands together in anticipation. ‘Butterbury Lodge does have a good menu but there’s nothing like a home-cooked meal with your family.’

Loretta watched her daughters admiring the calendar and giggling between them as they debated who got to be the first to hang an ornament. She interrupted the banter. ‘You do realise we’re well into December. Each of you will get to hang a few, so does it really matter who goes first?’

Fern reminded them all of today’s date. ‘And ten divided by three is three, remainder one.’

‘Always the mathematician,’ Ivor smiled.

‘Grandad, it’s hardly Archimedes-level maths.’

Loretta watched her daughters and for once Fern seemed more relaxed, as though enveloped in a warmth and steadiness she hadn’t had in a long while. But as nice as it was to witness, it had Loretta worrying that there might really be something wrong at home with Everett or with the boys, or even both, something she wasn’t about to share with anyone. And she hoped whatever it was Fern wouldn’t leave it too late to sort out.

‘Who’s Archimedes?’ Daisy whispered into Ivor’s ear, distracting Loretta from her worrying. ‘What? Maths was never my thing,’ she told her older sister who cast a bewildered look her way.

Fern explained who Archimedes was before Ginny said, ‘Come on, let’s get this show on the road.’

Daisy agreed and handed her glass of wine to Loretta. ‘There’s a glass waiting for you in the kitchen, Mum. And you can relax, I’ll take Grandad back to the lodge later.’

‘You sure?’

Daisy waved a hand as though it was no problem. ‘Flo apparently needs a bit of help with one of her projects.

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