Read Online The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan - Free Book Online Page B

There’s loads of places where people get held hostage – Cumbria, for instance – and I don’t want you going to any of them.’
    ‘People don’t get held hostage in Cumbria!’
    Lilian furrowed her brow.
    ‘A lot of mysterious things happen in Cumbria.’
    ‘Well anyway. The charity is going to let us ride along with them, we’ll be perfectly safe.’
    Lilian sighed.
    ‘It all sounds very fishy to me. Are you
sure
you can’t just send them a postal order?’
    Rosie shook her head.
    ‘Stephen wants to go. He feels committed, from before. It’s his duty to the family to make sure the girl is well taken care of.’
    Lilian pouted.
    ‘That’s a given, if he’s taking you.’
    ‘I think they’ve got plenty of medical staff there,’ said Rosie. It hadn’t actually occurred to her that her skills might be needed.
    ‘And where does it end?’ said Lilian. ‘Are you sure you won’t make things worse rather than better?’
    ‘You can never be sure,’ said Rosie. ‘About anything.’
    ‘Hmph, I suppose that’s true,’ said Lilian. ‘Well, come back safe and never leave the village again. That’s all I ask.’
    Planning the trip had been, in retrospect, wonderful for Rosie. She couldn’t forget what had happened, of course, not entirely, but there were vaccinations to arrange, routes to plot. They’d booked their flights – Angie had not been exactly happy to know they weren’t coming out to Australia, but had heard the spark of life back in her daughter’s voice and that had been almost enough – and Faustine was going to let them camp with them, so all their money could pay for Célestine’s trip to the mission hospital. They’d also sent vitamins, supplements, nappies and baby clothes on ahead.
    Moray poked his head round the door, having been in to see one of the other residents. He’d heard Rosie’s voice.
    ‘Hello!’ he said. ‘Give me some gin!’
    Rosie looked up.
    ‘It’s a bit early for gin.’
    ‘Not when you’ve been doing what I’ve been doing,’ said Moray. ‘Are you joining me or shall I tell you in great detail? It involves use of the word “weeping”.’
    Rosie fled to get the gin bottle and the tonic from Lilian’s mini fridge, and grabbed a lemon and some ice from the kitchen, and they sat round the fire, a convivial threesome.
    ‘So you’ve heard of her nutty plan,’ said Lilian.
    Moray gave a half-smile.
    ‘Rather you than me,’ he said. But in fact, after the hard time Rosie had had so far this year, he absolutely approved. A change of scene, some sunshine, and other people to focus on rather than turning inwards. He was the only person aware of her fertility issues, and he hated her carrying the burden alone, even though he understood her reasons.
    ‘Actually,’ he said, ‘I think you’ll fall in love with it and go all Meryl Streep and come back saying “I hed a ferm in Efrika” and start talking about the moon over the savannah and the smell of the dust.’
    ‘I don’t see what’s wrong with Lipton,’ said Lilian.
    ‘I’m only going for a trip,’ said Rosie. ‘Don’t listen to Moray.’
    ‘Until Robert Redford turns up with a big gun and sweeps you off your feet,’ said Moray, and they both swooned a little, and Lilian said what on earth were they talking about, and Rosie was shocked when she realised Lilian had never seen the film, so she found it in the library and put it on, and they had more gin and tonics and watched it and all three of them swooned over Robert Redford, and Stephen was entirely confused when Rosie turned up at home late and slightly tipsy, talking about how much she couldn’t wait for their trip.

    It had been a good, busy summer season and now it was late October, with fewer daytrippers and hikers coming through. Célestine’s baby was due in two weeks, so they probably wouldn’t be there to see it born, but they would visit the capital, spend a night in the village and make sure everything was all right there,