Read Online A Family For Christmas by Linda Finlay - Free Book Online

you do that?’ Rose asked,
her mouth hanging open in surprise.
    Eliza chuckled. ‘Practice. If I
didn’t keep the babes quiet at home, Father would hit the roof – or
worse.’
    Rose looked at her speculatively, opened her
mouth to say something but was overtaken by a huge yawn.
    ‘Why don’t you go and get some
rest?’ Eliza suggested.
    ‘He’ll only start up again as soon as
I walk away.’
    ‘Take off your cardigan,’ Eliza
suggested.
    ‘Why?’ Rose frowned.
    ‘It’ll smell of you and Joshua needs
to be able to recognize your scent in order to settle.’
    ‘Really?’ Rose asked sceptically, but
took it off anyway. Eliza swaddled him in the woollen, then placed him back in his cradle.
Humming softly, she rocked it from side to side until his eyelids fluttered closed and the
hiccups gave way to little snorts.
    ‘Well I never,’ Rose exclaimed.
    ‘Now he’s settled, take a nap,’
Eliza urged.
    Rose nodded gratefully and disappeared into a
room on the other side of the stairs.
    With a last look at the sleeping infant, Eliza
made her
way back down the stairs. However, her
exertions of the morning caught up with her and she caught her twisted foot on the step. Just as
she began to fall, a hand reached out and pushed her back onto the landing. Shaken, she stared
at the old man before her. With his whiskered chin and kind eyes he reminded her of Grampy.
    ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. He smiled
and waved his clay pipe in a friendly gesture. As he placed it back in his mouth, she noticed
the tops of the fingers on his right hand were missing.
    ‘Are you all right?’ Duncan’s
anxious face was peering up the stairs at her.
    ‘I nearly fell but luckily he saved
me,’ she explained, gesturing behind her. Duncan frowned and, spinning round, Eliza saw
the man had disappeared, leaving behind the faintest whiff of tobacco smoke. ‘He was here
a moment ago,’ she added, taking Duncan’s proffered hand.
    ‘You need a rest and something to
eat,’ he said, helping her towards the kitchen. ‘We’ve set out
luncheon.’ She saw three plates set with slices of mutton pie and pickles.
    ‘Won’t the old man be joining
us?’ Eliza asked Ben, who gave her a strange look. ‘Only I saw him on the stairs and
…’
    A piercing wail came from upstairs but as Eliza
got up, Ben shook his head.
    ‘I’ll go, you finish your
meal,’ he said, giving a rueful grin and striding from the room.
    ‘I fear you’ve overdone things,
Eliza. Ben’s great-grandfather once lived here but he’s been dead for
years.’
    ‘He can’t be. He saved me from
falling. He had the kindest eyes and was smoking a pipe. I remember clearly, for the tops of his
fingers were missing.’
    Duncan frowned then got to his feet. ‘Come with
me.’
    ‘Where are we going?’
    ‘To see a picture,’ he said abruptly,
striding out of the room.
    ‘Yes, that was the man who saved me,’
Eliza said, as they stood looking at the portrait of the man with kind eyes and whiskered face.
‘Do you believe me now?’
    Duncan nodded. ‘I didn’t disbelieve
you, Eliza. You haven’t had time to venture down to this old hall so you wouldn’t
have known about those otherwise, would you?’ he said, pointing to the damaged fingers
holding a clay pipe.
    ‘That’s definitely the man who saved
me,’ she said, shaking her head in wonder.
    ‘Apparently, his wife hated him smoking so
he used to hide himself away down here and smoke his pipe in peace.’
    ‘Do you believe in ghosts, Duncan?’
she asked after a few moments.
    ‘That’s a good question, young un.
Ghosts? Spirits?’ He shrugged. ‘What’s in a name?’
    ‘But you do believe?’
    ‘I believe something of us – our
energy, perhaps – remains behind, otherwise what’s the point of this
life?’
    ‘I’m so pleased,’ she said,
clapping her hands excitedly.
    ‘It means that much to you?’
    ‘Oh, yes. You see Grampy was the only
person who ever really loved me, what with …’ She