The Christmas Bookshop(50)

‘Skylar!’ said Pippa. ‘Skylar! Phoebe got scared at a monster on the television.’

‘Oh, dear me,’ said Skylar.

And she entered the little sitting room, took the remote from Carmen, turned off the TV and switched on the little lamps, making the room cosy and warm, then turned around and beamed at everyone. Carmen saw there were still snowflakes resting on her hair.

‘Oh, don’t worry, everyone, I’ll fix it?’

And then she caught sight of Blair and was struck dumb. Carmen, standing to the side, felt dumpy and square and completely invisible next to the pink-cheeked fresh sheer youthfulness of Skylar.

‘Hello!’

‘Well, hello,’ said Blair, going full teeth.

‘I’m Skylar!’

‘What a lovely name.’

‘Sorry, are you Blair Pfenning? I’ve read all your books! I really, really loved Find Your Love Light and Let It Shine.’

Slightly irritated with herself, Carmen remembered she had meant to take a look at at least one of Blair’s books at the shop but had been utterly engrossed in A Christmas Murder instead and hadn’t got around to it, apart from looking at his jacket photograph of course.

‘Did it help you?’ said Blair in his special soothing voice. Meanwhile, Phoebe was still pointing at the now-off television in horror.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Carmen, crouching down. ‘There is a scary ghost thing.’

‘AND! TINY TIM IS DEAD!’ came a cross voice behind them. Pippa was folding her arms, still not happy.

‘He’s not dead.’

‘There’s an empty chair and the pig is crying!’

‘Also why are some of them frogs and some of them pigs?’ said Jack earnestly. ‘Is that what happens if your mother is a pig and your father is a frog?’

‘Yes,’ said Carmen wearily. ‘All the girls will be pigs and all the boys will be frogs.’

‘Come, let’s get you a drink,’ said Skylar to Blair. ‘Ooh, you brought Champagne! So naughty drinking on a school night.’

‘It gets happier in the end,’ Carmen was saying to the children as Skylar led Blair to the kitchen. ‘It’s fine! It all ends up fine.’

‘But Tiny Tim is dead and they’re in a graveyard,’ explained Pippa.

‘With a MONSTER,’ wobbled Phoebe.

‘It’s all lovely and happy at the end, I promise,’ said Carmen desperately.

‘You’re developing quite the knack for terrifying children,’ said Sofia over her shoulder, following Skylar and Blair through to the kitchen, where the delicious aroma of lasagne, as well as the freshly heated blinis, made everything seem amazing. Carmen stood up to follow them.

‘Auntie Carmen,’ said Pippa, ‘I think it would be the best thing if you came to watch the end of the film with us.’

‘What?’ said Carmen.

‘So Phoebe isn’t tramat-at-ised.’

‘I’m not traumata-taised!’ came a wailing voice.

Carmen sighed.

‘Maybe I’ll just grab a glass of Champagne to take—’

‘No – now!’

‘So,’ she could hear Skylar saying, as they sat round the comfortable kitchen table, ‘I try and follow a very spiritual path myself? But I’m always doubting myself, you know? I just wondered if you could give me any advice.’

Carmen would have snorted, seeing as she didn’t think Skylar had doubted herself for a second in her life, plus she could see Blair settling back with the look on his face of a man who absolutely just adored being asked for advice, and inwardly sighed.

A little paw grabbed hers and she looked down at the wide brown eyes of Phoebe’s, so like hers.

‘Are you sure the baby frog doesn’t die?’ came the little voice.

‘I absolutely promise,’ said Carmen, and grabbed Phoebe and sat down with the little one on her lap, and Pippa and Jack on either side.

In fact, though, she had forgotten how good and serious Michael Caine was in it and how funny Gonzo and the rat were, and she laughed in an over-the-top way every time the rat fell over to show Phoebe it was all right and there was nothing to be scared of.

And then, as the look of fear came over Scrooge’s eyes and he decided to change his terrible ways – how the screen erupted with songs and skating and penguins for some reason, and every Muppet danced for joy.

And Phoebe leaned closer and closer to the screen till Carmen had to haul her back, as the entire parade sang a song around the houses, got to the house of the frog and the pig – Carmen could feel the worried intake of breath in the little body – flung open the door with his gigantic turkey, and there was Tiny Tim, hopping about on his little froggie legs, and Phoebe cheered and just about exploded with joy, and all four of them laughed and gathered together and, when Carmen intoned ‘God bless us, every one!’ along with the film, they stared at her in disbelief that she knew it.

‘It’s a very famous story,’ she said. ‘Lots of different ways to tell it. You’re going to love them all.’

‘I want to watch it again,’ pronounced Phoebe. ‘Right now.’

‘We’re not allowed too much television,’ said Pippa. ‘It’s bad for your chi.’