Chapter Fifty-One
It was tradition, after the annual Christingle, for the Kivvi family to retire to the cinema room of Chalet Edelweiss and watch a Christmas movie while Cat cleaned up the kitchen, and the staff cleared up the empty glasses, the half-eaten canapés and the napkin detritus, scattered all around the home.
But not today. Lumi had sent Aapo, Stella and Mika ahead to choose the film, while Viktor’s assistant, Benjamin, paced around Viktor’s study flapping.
‘How dare they!’ Benjamin snarled.
Lumi looked at him. He was definitely exceeding his brief. Viktor looked out of the window, hands in his pockets; his crinkled forehead in waves.
‘Peasants don’t know how to behave so they resort to punching!’
‘And you resort to name calling Benjamin?’ Lumi said with a sage look of disapproval.
Benjamin seemed to have even more disdain for the locals than Viktor had.
His strong views on immigration were conveniently forgotten when it suited his job to live nomadically across borders.
Benjamin was the sort of nationalist to go on torch-lit marches with far-right friends on his weekends off in Helsinki; yet enjoy the trappings of Viktor’s homes in Kristalldorf, New York and St Bart’s.
He smoothed his quiff upwards.
‘All I’m saying is these people have done nothing but make life difficult for you and your husband,’ Benjamin said, curtly.
Lumi wanted to laugh at the irony.
‘These people offered Viktor what he wanted on a plate today,’ Lumi said, with a waning smile. ‘The chance to own the entire building, which was his dream!’ Her Oscar de la Renta gown felt heavy now, and she wanted to change into a house suit and get out of this stuffy office.
‘Hmm, that is true …’ Viktor said, looking out at the town with a self-satisfied smile. This entire development would be his, as it should be.
‘Great!’ Benjamin hissed, as his phone lit up. ‘That’s the press – now I’m having to do damage limitation …’
Lumi approached her husband by the window.
‘Come, let’s watch a film with the children …’ she said soothingly.
‘Give me a minute will you, woman!’ he snapped.
‘Fine.’
Lumi couldn’t stand to be in the men’s company for a second longer, so she went to change, passing staff cleaning on her way through. She remembered Catalina in the kitchen, and went to check on her.
Cat was wildly wiping down the pale blue oven when Lumi poked her head around the door.
‘You’ll take the colour off it at that rate!’ Lumi said.
Cat looked up and stopped.
‘Oh, hello Mrs Kivvi, is everything OK?’
Lumi didn’t seem vexed by what had happened, but then she rarely seemed vexed by anything.
‘Can I get you a plate of snacks for the cinema room?’
‘No Catalina, we’ve all eaten plenty thank you, I just wanted to commend you for an exceptional menu today. You really did excel yourself.’
Cat smiled gratefully.
‘Got a little dramatic with the desserts there …’ Lumi said with some diplomacy.
Cat sighed heavily.
‘That was quite a memorable one Mrs Kivvi, but you know what they say?’
‘What’s that?’
‘If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.’
She gave a solemn smile.
‘That’s the spirit, Catalina,’ Lumi smiled, and left the kitchen. Cat leaned on her forearms, on the impeccable oven top, dropped her head, and cried.