Chapter 12 Hayley #3
Jenny was barely listening. “Jamie, did you take the luggage upstairs? Oh, Rosie, what have you done to the dog?”
Percy ambled into the room wearing a pair of brown velvet antlers.
“I’m training him to be a reindeer.” Rosie bent down and straightened the antlers. “Everyone else in this family has to multitask, so I don’t see why Percy should be the exception.”
“He looks rather confused,” Jenny said.
The whole family is mad , Hayley thought, intrigued that the antlers didn’t seem to be bothering the dog. But the chaos of it all helped her to relax. Nothing was perfect here.
“Jamie has already taken our luggage upstairs, and Brian is pottering up there. You know what he’s like. These are presents.” Rosie’s grandmother waved the bags. “They’re to go under the tree, but not too close to the fire. Why is Rosie laughing?”
“Because you said exactly what we knew you’d say about it all being too much work and how you should come for the day and it’s funny.” Rosie wrapped her arms round her grandmother and kissed her. “I love you, Granny. You’re adorable.”
“Well, that’s nice. I can’t believe it’s Christmas again already. It seems like yesterday since the last one. So much fuss and bother and work and then it’s over in a flash. Are you going to play the piano and sing for me later?”
Rosie pulled a face. “I don’t think—”
“No, she is not.” Jamie retrieved the antlers that had fallen off under the table and slipped them back onto Percy’s head. “Rosie, I’ll pay you not to sing.”
“I’d love to sing, Granny,” Rosie said. “Anything to make you happy. I shall sing morning, noon and night. I will even serenade Hayley and Jamie in their bedroom. Deck the halls with boughs of holly —” she sang loudly, beaming at her wincing brother, and then grabbed her grandmother by the hand and led her to Hayley.
“This is our newest family member, Hayley. Hayley, this is our grandmother, Phyllis. You should probably just call her Granny.”
Slightly overwhelmed by the sibling interplay, Hayley extended her hand and found herself being hugged again. This was less surprising than it had been when Jenny and Rosie had hugged her. Maybe she was getting used to it.
“It’s good to meet you.”
“Jenny told me your wonderful news,” Phyllis said. “So exciting. A real whirlwind, which is romantic. Or maybe you’re pregnant? Which would be delightful by the way, so don’t worry that there will be any judgement from me.”
“Agh!” Rosie covered her face with her hands. “You cannot ask people that, Granny. Boundaries, remember?”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Rosie.” Her grandmother settled herself at the table. “This is family.”
“All the more reason to have boundaries,” Rosie muttered, shooting Hayley a look of apology.
Her grandmother hadn’t finished. “I could ask you the same question, Rosie.”
“You could, but you’re not going to,” Jenny said quickly, looking more stressed than ever. “How were the roads when you drove over here? Were they clear?”
“The roads were fine, although what that has to do with being pregnant I have no idea.” Phyllis unfolded a napkin.
“Don’t give me that look, Jenny. All I’m saying is that I approve of Jamie and Hayley just going ahead and getting married, whatever the reason.
There’s too much fuss these days. And the money people spend!
I always wanted to elope, but Brian wouldn’t hear of it. ”
“Is that true, Granny? Tell us more.” Rosie sat down next to her grandmother, her focused expression suggesting she was taking personal responsibility for the conversation topics for the remainder of the season.
“I didn’t want all that fuss, and my parents couldn’t afford it.
If we’d lived in Regency times, I would have gone straight to Gretna Green, particularly as your grandfather wanted us to get married before having sex.
He was very old-fashioned. Fortunately I put an end to that thinking and successfully seduced him. ”
“Granny!” Rosie screwed up her face in appalled horror at the image. “Too much information.”
“Stop being prudish. I was young once too, you know.” She gestured to Hayley to sit next to her and Hayley dutifully sat, braced for whatever was coming next.
She’d asked Jamie on more than one occasion if he thought his family would assume she was pregnant. He’d replied that if they did, they would be far too polite to ask. Clearly he hadn’t factored in his grandmother.
“I thought you did live in Regency times.” Rosie was still trying to steer the focus of the conversation away from her and Hayley. “Just kidding. You’re a spring chicken, Granny. And if you had lived in Regency times you would have looked gorgeous in the dresses.”
“Except that I would have been cleaning the kitchens, not wafting around the manor house. And anyway, I’m not sure I would have looked good in Empire Line. Do you have photos, Hayley? An album? I’d love to look at it.”
“I have lots on my phone but it’s upstairs charging,” Hayley said. “I’d love to show you later.”
“I look forward to it. I should have known the photos would be on your phone. These days everything is up in the sky, isn’t it.”
Rosie grinned. “It’s the cloud, Granny.”
“Same thing. Basically it’s not real. Not the same as having a lovely old-fashioned album that you can flick through.
Now tell me, Rosie, how was The Nutcracker ?
” She reached into her bag and pulled out her glasses and a cutting from a newspaper.
“I saw this review and cut it out for you. I wish I could have seen it.” She turned to Hayley.
“I used to take Rosie to the ballet when she was little. It was something we did, just the two of us. Being a twin wasn’t always easy, and those girls were so different from each other.
I like to think I contributed to Rosie’s career choice. ”
Hayley imagined Rosie and her grandmother seated side by side in the darkness, enchanted by the shimmer and twirl of dancers onstage.
“I’ve never been to the ballet, but I’ve seen it on TV and I once illustrated a book about a dancer.”
“I’d love to see those illustrations. You must show us later. I’ve seen some of your drawings on your website. Wonderful. Rosie loved ballet as a child,” Phyllis told her. “She was a very talented dancer but she also loved making things and in the end that passion won.”
The tension around the table eased as the conversation shifted onto safer ground.
“I did love dancing, but I was a bit clumsy. Remember that performance when I tripped over that boy who was a tree trunk?” Rosie reached down to stroke Percy, who had settled himself by her chair, hopeful of being given a treat.
“I seem to remember he couldn’t keep still, which was why you tripped. Now tell me about The Nutcracker . Was it as good as that performance we saw together in Edinburgh when you were sixteen?”
This is what a family is , Hayley thought, a group of individuals knitted together by shared moments and memories. How did you become part of that? It wasn’t about doing or saying the right thing. It was so much more than that.
“No, but that might have been because that time we were in the audience,” Rosie said.
“This time I was backstage and in full-blown panic mode. It was the first time I’ve made a costume for the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I have photos to show you. The tulle was a bit of a nightmare to work with and I never want to see another sequin in my life, but it looked fabulous under the lights.
I wish I could have sneaked you in to see the performance. ”
“London is too far away. Why can’t you work closer to home?”
“Because London is my home.” Rosie reached out and stole another couple of berries.
Jenny pulled the bowl away from her. “Stop snacking on berries! Or at least serve yourself a proper portion in the bowl.”
“I like grazing.”
“You’re not a horse, and we’re trying to make a pretence of being civilized here.
What is Hayley going to think of us? Martin, how are those pancakes coming?
” Jenny bustled around, checking for missing items on the table and encouraging everyone to sit down.
“Isn’t this a treat? All together, apart from Becky, and she thinks they should be with us just after lunch.
Oh there you are, Dad!” She crossed the kitchen and hugged the man who had just walked into the room.
Phyllis put her hand on Hayley’s arm. “Brian, this is Hayley.”
He turned to her, eyes twinkling. “Ah, Jamie’s new girlfriend.”
“Wife,” Phyllis reminded him, “not girlfriend. And you need to behave yourself.”
“That’s right, wife.” He winked at Hayley.
“And as she is already a member of the family, I don’t see that the way I behave matters.
It’s too late for her to change her mind.
” He gave a generic wave to everyone at the table and headed straight for Martin, who was flipping pancakes.
“I could use your input into my chapter on the impact of cold weather on the heart.”
“Right. Well, we’ll get to that after breakfast, Brian.” Martin handed his father-in-law a plate of pancakes and gestured to the table. “Let’s eat, shall we? And you can tell us how it’s going. The writing I mean.”
“Never ask a writer how the writing is going.”
Phyllis rolled her eyes. “If he’s tetchy, it’s because he’s not actually writing.”
“I am writing.”
“Writers write, Brian, whereas you spend most of the day staring out of the window.”
“I’m sure Shakespeare had moments of staring out of the window. I’m thinking. Planning.” Brian put the pancakes in the middle of the table. “I assume these aren’t all for me, so tuck in.”
“I’m sure thinking is the most important part of planning a book.” Soothing and conciliatory, Jenny moved the bowl of berries next to her mother. “Help yourselves. I know how much you love them.”
“They’re a wanton extravagance at this time of year.” Despite that, Phyllis heaped berries onto her plate, and Jenny caught Hayley’s eye and struggled not to smile.
“Well, if you can’t be wantonly extravagant at Christmas, I don’t know when you can be. Hayley, do you have everything you need? Don’t be polite or you’ll starve. Help yourself.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Phyllis eyed Hayley’s empty plate. “Eat, dear, or Jenny will worry that you don’t like the food.”
Hayley helped herself to pancakes and bacon.
“Have a few berries too. Vitamins.” Phyllis spooned them onto her plate. “Now tell us everything. I especially want to know about that first moment when you knew you were in love with Jamie.”
“I apologise for my wife’s intrusive questioning.” Brian sighed. “Give the girl space, Phyllis.”
“It’s not being intrusive, it’s showing interest. And I’m sure there are things she’s happy to share now she’s part of the family.”
“What if she isn’t happy to share them? You’re putting her in a very awkward position.”
Jamie sat down next to Hayley and she felt his hand on her leg, under the table.
He leaned closer to her. “Ignore them. They’re always like this. You did say you wanted to experience a family Christmas.” He was openly laughing. “Welcome to my family. A gathering of dysfunctional misfits.”
“Speak for yourself! And I don’t know why you’re whispering, Jamie,” Rosie said, “because we can all hear you. I’d like to know everything about Hayley too.”
“Maybe she could eat her breakfast before the inquisition starts.” Jamie heaped pancakes onto his plate and covered them in maple syrup. “This, by the way, is one of the reasons we got married on a beach by ourselves. I thought if we waited until she’d met you all, she might back out.”
“Charming.” Rosie shot her brother a look. “And Percy is very hurt because he would have enjoyed being Dog of Honour.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Jenny sat down in a vacant chair.
“Can we please at least pretend to be normal for the duration of one short meal? Hayley, I’d like to say they’re not usually like this, but it would be a lie.
Answer any question you feel like answering and ignore the rest. Now let’s eat, because there is a lot to do in preparation for tonight.
” She helped herself to bacon. “And please would someone take those antlers off the poor dog.”