Baby It's Cold Outside

‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said. ‘The weather is terrible, Tansy. Do you have somewhere to go?’

Tansy shook her head.

‘We’re booked into a hotel in Edinburgh,’ she said. ‘I guess we’ll not get back there tonight?’

Mum chuckled.

‘Even without the snow you wouldn’t make it back to Edinburgh at this time of night. I think you and Parker will have to stay the night.’

Tansy looked as though she was going to object, then she glanced at her son, curled up peacefully next to her and smiled at Mum.

‘That’s so kind of you,’ she said, politely.

‘I’ve made up the spare room,’ Mum said. ‘I think it’s time we all went to bed, don’t you?’

Jamie and I looked at each other. He raised an eyebrow and I shrugged. We didn’t have a spare room. Apparently, though, that wasn’t a problem. Just as the table had grown to accommodate Eva and Allan, so the house had expanded to fit Tansy and Parker. I guessed that meant they were welcome in our home and the idea made my heart sink a little bit.

‘I’m exhausted,’ I said, standing up. ‘Let’s talk more tomorrow.’

‘I’ll be up in a bit,’ Jamie said, giving me a kiss.

I looked at Tansy.

‘It was nice to meet you,’ I lied. Then I fled.

Chapter 3 (#u4e683b0f-ad14-5cda-a78a-982484a4eb99)

I scuttled up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to get into bed, pull the duvet over my head and shut out all thoughts of Tansy and Parker and inherited diseases. My mind was racing. What did Tansy’s arrival mean for Jamie? And me? What about the wedding? Our future? I needed to sleep on it and see if it all made more sense in the morning.

On the landing I paused. The door opposite me was the airing cupboard and next to that, where normally there was a blank wall, was another identical door. This had to be the mysterious spare room. Cautiously, I turned the handle and peered round the door. It was a spare room all right. It was small, with two single beds, each covered in a rainbow-striped crocheted blanket – Suky’s handiwork I assumed. She loved to crochet and had whiled away her hours of cancer treatment creating blankets like these. There was one in just about every room in the house and they were perfect for snuggling up under on cold winter nights like tonight, especially as the ramshackle house was never very warm. Tansy and Parker would be glad of those blankets, I thought.

In between the beds was a small chest of drawers and on top of that was a lamp that was bathing the room in a warm, orange glow. One of Allan’s prints was on the wall and the whole room looked cosy and welcoming. I frowned. I didn’t want Tansy getting too comfortable.

Hearing soft voices from down the hall, I closed the door again and went to Harry’s room. I knocked gently.

‘H,’ I whispered. ‘Are you awake?’

‘Come in,’ Harry called. I slunk round the door and grinned at her sheepishly.

‘Got time for a chat?’ I asked.

Harry, who was in bed, rolled her eyes but she leaned forward and patted the end of the duvet anyway.

‘Come on then,’ she said, like she was talking to Mum’s old grumpy cat Bella. ‘Come and sit down.’

I made myself comfy on the end of the bed, pulling Harry’s crocheted blanket over my legs and leaning back against the iron bedstead.

Harry and Lou were sitting up, looking at me expectantly. Harry was wearing cute silky pyjamas in a dark grey that suited her swarthy colouring and looked more glamorous in her nightwear than I did on a night out. Louise was wearing Harry’s old Harvard University T-shirt.

I pushed aside the papers Harry had been frowning at when I came in the room – she never stopped working. Louise had been reading a leaflet, which she’d pushed under her pillow as I entered. Now she smiled at me.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked, her pretty face concerned. ‘Is Jamie okay?’

She and Jamie were old friends from their university days and they shared an easy affection that I’d once been very jealous of. Now though, I had bigger things to worry about.

‘He’s a bit floored, I think,’ I said. Harry squeezed my hand sympathetically.

‘Not surprised,’ she said. ‘Is the wee boy definitely his?’

‘Looks like it,’ I said. ‘I don’t see why she’d lie.’

Louise looked serious.

‘You’d be amazed what people will do,’ she said. She knew what she was talking about. Her job as a DI in the Edinburgh police CID brought her into contact with all sorts of unsavoury characters.

I grimaced.

‘I know,’ I said. ‘But she seems genuine.’

‘So why is she here?’ Harry asked. ‘Is she still here?’

I nodded.

‘The snow’s too bad for her to go now,’ I said. ‘And that’s another reason I think she’s genuine. She’s staying in the spare room.’

‘Ohhhh,’ said Harry.

Lou looked bewildered.

‘What?’ she said. ‘What have I missed?’

Harry nudged her affectionately.

‘I forget you’re an outsider,’ she said. ‘We don’t have a spare room here, do we? Think about it.’

‘We’re in here,’ Louise said, counting on her fingers. ‘Ez and Jamie are next door, Tess is down the hall and Suky’s in the attic room.’

She looked from Harry to me in confusion.

‘So where’s the spare room?’

‘It’s next to the airing cupboard,’ I said. ‘It’s nice. The house has obviously made its mind up.’

‘Sometimes, if we need an extra room – and the house thinks we deserve it – one appears. Just for as long as we need it for,’ Harry said.

‘And does this happen often?’ Louise said.

‘I only remember it happening once before,’ Harry said. ‘When we had a huge family get together one Halloween. Remember Ez?’I shuddered. I remembered it well. It was back in the days when I was trying to shrug off witchcraft and anything related to it – including my family – and I’d not lasted long at the party.