Ghost Diaries 1_Gigi's Guardian_Paranormal Romance Page 20

  “Where I always do - right here. Ralph is with his family and I haven’t gone home in seven years. I think my stepmother would faint if I walked in the door. Perhaps she wouldn’t even recognise me; she hasn’t seen me since I was sixteen. What about you?”

  “If things had been different, I’d hoped to spend my first Christmas with James. Now, I’m going to stay in bed late. Afterwards Finn has offered to cook a meal for us.”

  “Out of one bed into another?”

  “Not right away! We’ll eat first, sing a few carols, have some fun. I thought you might be staying here. Jane and I are both away and you're not close friends with any of the others, are you?”

  “No.”

  “Would you like to come with me to Finn’s?”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. You mean well, but I don’t like playing gooseberry and I’m sure Finn prefers to be alone with you.”

  “When he asked me, I told him that depended on you. This is probably the last year I’ll be in London, because I doubt Mum will let me stay here much longer. I want to be with as many of my friends as I can. Finn’s one, but so are you. I wish Jane could be with us too. Pity she arranged to go to Tommy’s ages ago. You wouldn’t be playing gooseberry anyway, I keep telling you Finn and I are only friends and...”

  “...who are sleeping together.”

  “Not all the time. We do other things as well, such as cook and eat and laugh. Finn’s told me he wants you to come and he isn’t just being polite. He means it and I’d miss you if you stayed here.”

  “Good of you to ask me. It means a lot to me.”

  “You and Jane take care of me. You’ve put up with me when I’ve had the blues. You are the best friends I’ve ever had. I ...Finn and I want you to spend Christmas with us.”

  “I’ll come.” Adele turned away to hide her eyes, which suddenly filled with tears.

  “Finn thought of inviting her,” I said to Maude. “He was horrified when Gigi told him Adele would probably stay with the others who had nowhere else to go. Gigi’s described how bleak this place is and what the food is like.”

  “I didn’t think she'd accept. She’s always been so touchy when people offered her sympathy before.”

  “Maybe she's agreed because she knows Gigi so well. Adele realises she’s still hurting inside, in spite of Finn.”

  “Whatever the reason, I’m glad she’s going.”

  “Me too.” I’m quite looking forward to Christmas. With three of our clients together, we can take turns to spend time with our own families. I wonder what Nanna is cooking this year? She always used to dream up a surprise treat every Christmas on Earth. Heaven has to be even better. Yum, yum.

  25th December 1967, Christmas Day,

  Monday, London.

  “How lovely, thank you.” I opened Maude’s present, a tiny mirror surrounded by delicately carved flowers. The writing around the edge was in a language I had never seen before. “What do the words mean?”

  “I can’t read them either. They're supposed to tell you the mirror shows the face of your one true love.”

  “And does it?”

  “I never dared to find out,” she confessed. “The mirror’s a pretty ornament, but you’ve got to be brave to use it. Eli would never forgive me if I didn’t see his face. He’d make sure I didn't hear the last of it. However, I thought a reality check might be useful to you.”

  “You mean, would I see Ivan or someone else?”

  “You’re not the sort of person who needs forty-three lovers to keep her happy and you never mention Michael anymore.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed with a giggle. “I’m not feeling brave at the moment. I’ll try another day. The time isn’t right for me yet, but thank you for giving me the mirror. I promise I will look into it eventually.”

  “Only if you want to. The mirror's a present, not a gun to your head.”

  “One day I’ll need to find out, to stop myself making another mistake."

  Leilani had given me a flask of Waikiki sunshine to ‘brighten up the English winter’. Thelma had embroidered a pair of green gloves in a traditional pattern of hearts and flowers. She’s always sewing or knitting. She made the gloves while we were chatting beside the fire.

  “Keep your hands warm and your heart will never be cold,” she said when she gave them to me.

  I was a little ashamed of my own gifts - they were much more down to Earth. Leilani, Maude and Thelma told me they liked their trinkets, but they may have been being kind. I remembered my family’s tastes, of course, so I easily found gifts for Nanna and Granddad and Auntie Pam. I dithered about Ivan, whether I should give him a present or not. In the end, I realised that he is also a friend, even if my feelings for him are anything but friendly. Hard to put into words what they really are. I took a long time to find something suitable, until I spotted a Russian eagle in a little shop in Holborn. The carving stood on the shelf, strong and proud, with its wings outstretched. The workmanship was good, but the eagle had none of the charm of the unusual. I hoped he would like it. I must be more imaginative next year, though. Gigi’s parents had sent her a large parcel, full of all the food she had been missing in London. She intended to have a feast when Jane came back. Adele had given her white mittens to match her favourite coat. Jane's gift was a brooch like a soaring bird. Finn said he'd give her his present when they were alone together. He wanted to watch her open it. She had bought him a tie in a wild paisley design. She kept wondering if he would like it because she had never yet seen him wear such a thing.

  When the two girls arrived at Finn's flat, they found he had transformed the place. He had cut paper chains out of newspaper. He'd covered a miniature tree in birthday cake candles. More importantly, there was a wonderful smell of cooking.

  “I didn’t know people could cook Christmas dinner on a Baby Belling!” Adele exclaimed when the greetings were over.

  “Everything's in the timing.”

  “This should be a goose, of course,” he said as he served the tiny chicken. “Even a small one wouldn’t fit in this oven.”

  “Your mother did a great job, teaching you to cook!”

  “She thinks I starve over here.” He grinned. “So she sent me a pudding and mince pies.”

  “Wasn't she upset when you told her you weren’t going home?”

  “No. I’m supposed to be studying.”

  “Are you?”

  “Some of the time, but not today! Let me fill your glasses again.”

  Finn never had a single regret about staying in London for Christmas. The cooking might not be as good as his mother’s. The meat and vegetables had to be eaten separately, but the company was excellent. Gigi had brought wine. Adele had splashed out on a half bottle of brandy and some cheap crackers. They told stories, played games and sang along to the carols playing on the radio. Much later, Adele stood up and put her coat on.

  “You don’t need to go,” Finn lied. He got up, still cradling his mug of coffee.

  “Yes, I do. I’ve had a wonderful time - one of the nicest Christmas Days I can remember. You’ve been sweet. Now I’ll go and you can relax together.”

  She hugged them. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Gigi. Merry Christmas, both of you.”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  “I’m sorry she's gone,” Gigi said.

  “I'm not. One of the things I like best about Adele is her excellent sense of timing. Come here, don’t you want your present?”

  “Oh yes!”

  He had put on the psychedelic tie. He told her it was fantastic, exactly what he wanted, although none of us believed him. He pulled a small packet from his pocket. Inside was a golden ring in the shape of a heart held by two hands. Gigi hesitated, but he pushed it onto her right hand.

  “This is a Claddagh ring for luck and friendship - a tradition in Ireland. Leave it on your right hand for now. If you ever put it on the left, I’ll know you want more than friendship from me.” He kissed her.

  They had a lovely
Christmas day and an even better Christmas night.

  Day 116, Heaven /Christmas Day/

  25th December 1967, Monday, London.

  A festival is always going on somewhere in Heaven and most people go to one every week. You could spend all your time celebrating if you wanted to do so.

  “Some folks do,” Maude told me, “until they never want to celebrate anything again. They overdo everything, which is a pity. Most of us celebrate the things we always did, with one or two others thrown in for a change. That way you can keep going for centuries and stay interested.” Seems like good advice and I shall do the same.

  Thelma went Upstairs first, but neither she nor Maude stayed long. “The house is bedlam, with all the kids and the grandkids and the great-greats," Maude came back muttering. “I’m glad I had an excuse to get away this year.”

  Thelma, however, told me the real reason they had been so quick. “Maude and I have had lots of Christmases Upstairs. This is your first. Enjoy yourself and don’t come back unless I buzz your panic button. You’ll be here in seconds. Nothing important is supposed to happen tonight anyway, so don’t worry. Set your alarm for dawn and we’ll be fine until then.”

  I believed her. Thelma and Maude were sitting at a table, which was groaning with good food and wine. A roaring log fire blazed on the hearth and a string quartet played carols softly in the background.

  I took off through shining clouds, waving happily to Ramona as I passed the Pearly Gates. I landed and looked around for Nanna’s house but I couldn’t find it! Everything was covered in snow and more flakes drifted down from a clear pink sky. I shook my bracelet, thinking the coordinates were wrong.

  Whoosh! A snowball hit me on the nose, making me sneeze and I heard Pam laugh, as she peeked round a tree. I stooped and lobbed one back at her. Then I realised something was different. This snow tingled like the real stuff, but it was warm!

  “Merry Christmas.” Pam gave me a hug.

  “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

  “Come in, we’ve been waiting for you.”

  “How? Where’s the door?”

  I stared at the place where a front door should be, but all I saw was a snow covered mound. Pam grinned and whistled shrilly. Rory came bustling round the corner leading half a dozen friends. They started to dig into the heap, kicking up snow in all directions.

  “They love doing this,” she told me. “They think it’s fun. We ask for snow every year especially for them and because we were so tired of green Christmases in England. We can have the weather any way we want up here.”

  The dogs didn’t take long to clear a pathway. Pam opened the door and they ran straight through into the kitchen. A heap of bones awaited them, to reward them for their labours.

  Milky light shone through the snow-covered windows. The house was warm and fragrant and welcoming, everything a home should be. Nanna and Granddad waited for us with mulled wine and big kisses. We had a huge dinner of chicken and duck and pork and beef with roast potatoes, cauliflower and parsnips. Since this was Heaven, we didn’t need to wait, in order to make room for dessert. Christmas puddings and trifles completed a wonderful traditional meal. Nanna’s special treat this year was ‘Divinity’, a type of nougatty sweet. How apt.

  “What a scrumptious feast,” I told Nanna, “better even than the Christmas dinners you used to make on Earth.”

  “So it should be. Everything is better in Heaven, didn’t you know?”

  “I never expected to experience it for myself.”

  “None of us did, but isn’t it marvellous?”

  “It certainly is.”

  “Now, if we’re all finished, time for presents.”

  Granddad led the way to a magnificent tree, shining with candlelight. My family gave me a pretty purple velvet muff with a matching hat and scarf. Strange how everyone seems to realise my hands are freezing this winter, in spite of my ghostly protection. Oh well, as they say ‘cold hands, warm heart’! And speaking of ‘warm heart’...

  “I’ve got another present for you,” Nanna told me. She handed me a long black box, tied with a scarlet ribbon.

  “I thought everyone had given me their presents already. Who is this one from?”

  “A handsome young man came round and left it with me. He asked me to tell you he was sorry not to be with you today, but he was thinking of you.”

  Pam chuckled at the sight of my face. “He’s tall, with dark hair and a beard, dressed like someone out of an oil painting by Rembrandt.”

  “Ivan,” I said. It couldn’t be anyone else. I hadn’t expected anything from him, because we won’t be meeting until James and Gigi get together again. The eagle was a just-in-case. How lucky I bought something for him at all. When I opened the box, a fragrant perfume filled the room, like all the roses of summer blossoming at once. Inside lay a single, perfect red rose, shimmering in the milky light.

  “A rose.” How disappointing. Nice but mundane, the sort of careless present you send to a girl without much thought.

  Pam, though, looked as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Hold the petals to your lips,” she told me. The rose didn’t feel like a flower, but warm and sweet and passionate, like the touch of Ivan’s kiss.

  “Lydia’s roses contain the essence of each person’s kiss,” explained Pam.

  “I wonder how many of these he gave away this Christmas,” I said acidly.

  Nanna’s answer staggered me. “Only this one, they’re incredibly rare. Lydia is the only one who knows the secret of making them. She is so busy that she rations everybody to a single rose once every fifty years. I waited more than a decade for mine." She smiled at Granddad. "Your young man must have made a good argument to jump the queue. Amazing for you to receive one, when you have been here such a short time. If someone sends you a Lydia Rose, he loves you very much.”

  “Oh!” I sat down suddenly. Could Ivan love me? I’d always thought he was just having fun, in spite of what Thelma had told me about him. This gift meant something far more and I didn’t know how to react.

  “You should thank him for such a wonderful present,” Nanna reminded me gently. I will, but this is one secret I’m going to keep. Otherwise Maude and Leilani will tease the life out of me.

  I had a fabulous Christmas day, with my family, friends and my rose from Ivan. One problem left, though - whatever do I say to him the next time we meet?

  26th December 1967, Tuesday,

  early Boxing Day morning, London.

  “Did you have a good time?” Thelma greeted me when I arrived back at Finn’s. She sat, toasting her toes by the fire, sipping ratafia and reading ‘A Christmas Carol’. Apparently she likes Victorian treats at Christmas. She says they make her nostalgic, although the effect only lasts for a day.

  “Brilliant, but why are you alone?" I asked, with a pang of compunction, surprised to find Maude nowhere in sight.

  “Maude hasn’t been gone long and I brought a book. Your timing is excellent. The tea is brewed. Have a quick cup, before you get busy.” Thelma pointed to a lazy swirl of colour, seeping under the door of Finn’s room. I understood at once.

  “Gigi’s dreaming again?”

  “Yes and the colours are getting wilder. Join her, while she’s so happy.”

  “What should I say to her?”

  “Tell her that friends often make the best husbands and a handsome man isn’t always Mr. Right.”

  Thelma went back to her book and I found myself walking towards Gigi, along a beach washed by the warm Caribbean Sea.

  “Hello, Molly.” She smiled at me. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you too. What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at home.”

  “The barbecue’s smoking and the music's too noisy. I wanted a bit of peace.”

  “I don’t blame you.” I gazed out over the sparkling waves. “Pity this is Christmas day, we could go sailing.”

  “True, but neither of us can stay away that long. We’d be missed. I’m
so glad you’re here. I want to tell you something.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll be coming home soon now.”

  “Don’t you like living in London any more?” Was she seriously thinking of leaving? Why? I thought she had no intention of going back. What had changed?

  “I do, but it’s time out from real life and has to come to an end.”

  “Don't you have someone special over there?”

  “He’s gone, so no more reason for me to remain. I’m beginning to miss my friends and the sunshine.”

  “What about the other fellow?”

  “What other fellow?” I caught my breath; she lay sleeping right beside him. Gigi hadn’t mentioned Finn or James to Molly. Her Christmas card had only said ‘love Gigi’. Dreams are supposed to be mixed up, though, aren’t they?

  “The red-haired one.”

  “He’s fun to be with, but I’m only going through the motions with him. He deserves far more.”

  “The other one wasn’t good to you, was he?”

  “He was at first.”

  “The red-haired one is your friend and friends often make the best partners.” I followed Thelma’s instructions faithfully.

  “I’m not sure I believe that. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. He’s going home himself soon.”

  I was about to say more, when a shadow fell over us. We turned round and Gigi jumped up to hug Ivan.

  “Hi Sam, what are you doing here?”

  “I'm home for Christmas,” he replied, as he kissed us both.

  “I must talk to you,” I whispered to him.

  “Later,” he murmured back.

  “Is your girlfriend with you?” Gigi asked him.

  “No, she’s still in New York.”

  “Why didn’t you bring her? I want to meet her and so does Molly.”

  “I came to see you both and she'd be in the way.”

  Gigi frowned at him and then she glanced at me. “I thought once you two would get together.”