Read The Night Before Christmas for Free Online Page B

make it as far as this room, no radiators either.’ Spotting a china shepherdess ornament out of place on the mantelpiece, Katy hopped over a footstall to realign it, turning back to survey the room and all her handy work. ‘This room hadn’t been used for years, we don’t think. When we arrived, it was full of junk and looked like the family had been letting their pets run riot in it. But I did find that old chaise, in surprisingly good nick, under all the rubbish, and a few other bits and bobs that we’ve put around the place, like Little Bo Peep here, and this old, old photo of the year the lake froze over and people could skate on it.’
    Lydia flashed a surprised look at Stephen, but he seemed engrossed in staring at his new surroundings.
    ‘Of course,’ Katy continued, ‘we’ll get the fire going once the real guests arrive, but it took me an age to get this looking right, so for now I just like to come and stare at it sometimes and threaten the children with murder if they touch anything.’
    ‘It is very posh,’ Lydia said. ‘I feel like I should be taking a turn around the room with Mr Darcy on myarm. Katy, you are so clever, you’ve turned all this into a spread from
Country Living
.’
    ‘Do you think so?’ Katy beamed, all traces of tiredness at least temporarily banished from her round face. ‘I am rather proud of it, I must say. Come on, now for the hidden delights of the Heron’s Pike servant quarters.’ Crossing a dark, narrow, wood-panelled corridor, Katy opened another stripped door to reveal the family sitting room, about half the size of the other one, but even more lovely and infinitely more cosy, almost glowing with the warmth of a roaring fire scented with pine cones. His hosting duties over for now, Vincent curled up on the hearth, falling fast asleep almost immediately, despite the din from a room teeming with excitable children. Lydia knew that, technically, two children could not be considered great enough in number to ‘teem’, but somehow, despite being aged only six and four respectively, Jake and Tilly usually managed it.
    ‘Do you want to hear a song about a bra?’ Jake asked Lydia by way of greeting, the moment she entered the room.
    ‘Did you say a bra?’
    ‘Please God, not again. Jake, if you sing that one more time in my hearing, I will throw you in the lake,’ Alex grumbled.
    ‘You won’t because I shall just run away and you won’t be able to catch me,’ Jake scoffed, not in the leastbit offended or intimidated by his honorary aunty. ‘You’re not very fast and you are very fat.’
    ‘Jakey, mate, we all love your song,’ Jim said, crossing the room to greet the new arrivals, ‘but at least wait for Aunty Lydia to sit down and have a glass of pop in her hand!’ Lydia dodged Jake, and hugged Jim, kissing him lightly on the cheek, which took some doing as he was an impressive six foot four and looking rather rugged these days since he’d lost the city suit and let his sensible haircut grow out a bit. The stubble wasn’t a bad look either, Lydia mused, wondering if the same look would suit Stephen. Stunning house, strapping husband, cute if unruly kids, a slightly mutilated dog … Lydia felt a pang of jealousy; Katy really did seem to have it all.
    Obviously a little merry already, Jim’s breath was scented with mulled wine, Lydia noticed before he released her to give a rather stunned Stephen one of his trademark bear hugs.
    ‘Glad you two aren’t dead in a ditch,’ he said, cheerfully. ‘Did Katy tell you our folks are all stuck where they are? So, no grandparents for these guys. Shame for them, but we can have another celebration in the New Year. And, you know, any day without an in-law in it is always a bonus in my book.’
    ‘Jim!’ Katy chided him gently as she peered into an old dark-wood sideboard and produced a couple of wine glasses, handing them to her guests.
    ‘Don’t pretend like you don’t feel the same,’ Jim chuckled as he