Chapter 16 #5
“After dinner we’ll go to Henry’s place and collect his things,” Kathleen said, then she turned to him. “How much do you have anyway?”
Henry chuckled. “Just my clothes, a few books, and a few vinyl records.”
“Will it fit in my boot?” she asked.
“We’ll make it fit,” Henry replied with a grin.
“Tomorrow we have rooms booked in Winchester. I added one before we left Birmingham,” Ashley said.
“My travel agent.” Jessica jerked her thumb toward Ashley.
“She’s been doing a fine job,” Kathleen said.
“The three of us can bunk together and you and Henry can have your own room. Might be too crowded in the manger.” Ashley laughed.
“Brilliant!” Henry said. He looked closely at Ashley. “Except for the hair, I might have a problem telling the two of you apart.”
Emily and Ashley’s eyes darted at each other. “We have a few ideas already,” Emily said impishly.
“The following day they’re dropping me off in Oxford on the way to Cambridge,” Ashley said.
“Oxford and Cambridge. Now that’s an interesting development,” Henry said. He realized there was a lot of catching up to do.
They ordered pints all around and toasted to the reunited family. They ordered a grazing platter with cheese, meats, and smoked salmon. Kathleen asked the waitress if there was a church nearby for service.
“What type of church are ye lookin’ fer?” she asked.
“Any type will do!” Kathleen said.
The waitress looked at her strangely. “There’s a bunch of ’em.” She rattled off a few.
“The closest?” Kathleen asked.
“One round the corner. Service starts at eleven.”
“Thank you,” Kathleen said. She turned to the group. “It’s right if we show our gratitude, eh?”
“Absolutely!” the crowd said unanimously.
When they finished off their pickings, Kathleen and Henry headed to his place. “We’ll meet you back here before church.”
Jessica, Emily, and Ashley headed for their rooms. “I can use a nap,” Jessica said.
“Ditto.”
“And ditto.”
Two hours later they were dressed appropriately and met Kathleen and Henry in the lobby. “How’d it go?” Emily asked.
“Brilliant. He was right. Not much to pack,” Kathleen said.
“Buster had his walk, so we’ll leave him in your room, if that’s alright,” Kathleen said to Emily and Ashley.
“No problem. He can stay with us too,” Emily offered and turned to her father. “Do you think he’ll mind?”
“Nah. He could use some fresh faces. I’m sure he’s rather bored with mine.”
Emily brought the dog to the room, then caught up with everyone in the lobby. The night clerk gave them directions to the church and the crew headed out the door.
It was a small, quaint, old church with candles surrounding the altar, emitting a warm, welcoming glow. Poinsettias lined the front of the sanctuary. There were around one hundred people scattered in the pews. The family took the last row together and held hands in a long chain of togetherness.
The service was uplifting. Inspiring. Toward the end, the minister asked that everyone greet each other and bid them a Happy Christmas.
The folks in the row ahead turned toward the Evans and Chapman family and extended their hands, everyone expressing their good wishes.
The salutations continued as they left the church.
“I should do this more often,” Kathleen said.
“We’ll do it together,” Henry responded and threaded her arm through his.
When they returned to the hotel the pub was still open. “Shall we have a glass of cheer before we go to bed?” Henry suggested.
“It wouldn’t be a Merry Christmas Eve without one!” Jessica added.
Henry leaned toward her. “I believe I like your sort.”
The following morning, they packed their luggage as if it were a three-dimensional puzzle. Everything fit with just enough room for Kathleen to see out her rearview mirror. Buster snuggled on top of Emily, Ashley, and Jessica’s feet.
Winchester was exactly as described. Banners of Christmas lights spanned from one side of the street to the other.
Trees were brightly lit with colorful bulbs and shiny ornaments, and the Winchester Cathedral Christmas market was a marvel.
Truly one of the finest they had seen on their journey.
In the background was the requisite Ferris wheel.
Once they checked into the hotel, Jessica was on her ornament mission, while Emily and Ashley searched for gifts for Henry.
He had always been meticulous about his appearance and nothing had changed over the past decade.
His clothes were neat. Conservative. Nothing fancy at all.
Why would they be? He had a navy blazer, which he wore to church the night before.
He’d purchased it on a whim, something he thought might be necessary at some point.
When, he didn’t know, but he kept hope upon hope.
Ashley considered he would need a good tie for the hearing and purchased one with navy stripes.
Emily bought him a white cashmere scarf and a pair of black leather gloves.
“What shall we get for Kathleen and my mom?” Ashley asked.
Emily chuckled and said, “More scarves!”
By noon they had their arms loaded with shopping bags. “I don’t know how we are going to fit all of this in the car,” Emily remarked.
“We’ve come this far, sister. We’ll figure it out.”
After Emily and Ashley took Buster for a walk, the five of them met up in the hotel dining room for the traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and a variety of sides. They finished off the meal with a helping of Christmas pudding, a heavy fruit and brandy dessert, topped with cream.
The fireplace in the lobby was alive with a crackling fire. Two musicians played soft holiday music on a violin and guitar. Henry requested a glass of port for the dozens of guests; they relaxed and basked in the warmth of a wonderful Christmas night.
The following morning, they were up early maneuvering the packages and luggage in the back of the car. Ashley’s and Jessica’s were on top, since they were being let off in Oxford, which was just over a half hour away. When they finally reached Ashley’s flat, they unloaded the car.
Duncan, Ashley’s friend, met them at the curb and offered to help. “I see you did a bit of shopping.” He counted several shopping bags and several pieces of luggage.
“Just a bit,” Ashley said. “Duncan, this is my mother, Jessica.”
“Nice to meet you. How’s your journey been so far?”
Jessica looked at Ashley, then said, “It’s a story for the ages, and it might take that long to describe it.”
“How about you tell me over dinner?” Duncan offered.
“That’s quite lovely of you, Duncan,” Jessica said in response and gave Ashley a little nod.
After he helped carry the bags into Ashley’s place, they agreed to meet at half past six.
“He seems like a nice lad,” Jessica said. “It was kind of him to offer to take us to dinner.”
“The Brits are very polite,” Ashley said with a grin. She surveyed her flat. “A lot more boxes than I remember. Good thing I marked them. It’s going to take forever to unload.”
“I’ll stay as long as you want, dear,” Jessica offered. At that moment her mobile phone rang. She did a double take. “Noah! Hello! Happy Christmas!”
“Happy Christmas to you. I trust your trip has been going well.”
“Even better than we could have imagined!” she said enthusiastically.
“I can’t wait to hear about it,” Noah said. “That’s if you’d like some company for New Year’s Eve.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I have a client who wants me to look at some items in Edinburgh next week. I thought if you don’t mind, I’d crash your party plans.”
Jessica chuckled. “I have to say, everything is rather fluid right now, but please jump the pond if you don’t mind going with the flow.”
“That sounds like fun. Where are you staying?”
“I’m at Ashley’s in Oxford until the thirtieth, then I’m staying at Westminster London Curio.”
“Great! I’ll be right down the street,” Noah said with enthusiasm.
“When are you arriving?” Jessica asked and stared at Ashley, then shrugged.
“The thirtieth.”
“We should be getting back into town the same day.” Jessica paused. “As of now, Ashley and Emily are going to a party.”
“Emily?” Noah asked.
“Ashley’s twin,” Jessica said as if it was common knowledge.
“Her twin?” Noah asked quizzically.
“Yes. Long story, and we also located her birth mother and birth father,” Jessica said happily.
“That’s wonderful news. Right?”
“Exceptional,” Jessica said. “Let’s plan to meet for dinner on the thirtieth. I understand people dine later in London.”
“Splendid. I’ll ring you when I arrive and we can decide. Will Ashley be joining us?”
Jessica turned to her daughter. “Will Ashley be joining us?” she repeated.
Ashley nodded. She needed one more scoop of the handsome Noah.
That evening they had a delightful dinner with Duncan, who seemed to be quite familiar with Oxford.
Jessica was glad that Ashley had someone to show her around.
Be her friend. She wasn’t sure about any romantic aspirations, but it didn’t matter.
Ashley could think on her own. Besides, she now had family only a couple of hours away instead of thousands of miles.
A few days later, Ashley and Jessica headed to London and met Noah for dinner. It was lively and relaxing. The only thing hanging over their heads was Henry’s appointment the following day.
London
Crown Prosecution Services
New Year’s Eve Morning
Henry was so nervous he felt as if his legs were about to give out.
He was surprised that the meeting was being held in one of the offices rather than a large courtroom.
Kirkland explained that most of the staff were on holiday, but he was able to convince the judge that this required immediate attention.
Kathleen waited patiently in an area outside of where they held the proceedings.
The judge appeared. Henry and Kirkland stood.
“Good morning, gentlemen.” The judge looked down at the papers on his desk. “I see that you are requesting a recall of the warrant in a case involving a shooting of a councilor in Manchester.”
“Yes, Your Honour,” Kirkland answered.