I sat back on the bed, feeling much happier now I knew the rest of my family were close by. Now there was just the teeny problem of how to get them over/through/under the huge pile of snow that sat between them and me. Without magic. Bloody, bloody Tansy, I thought. I wondered again if we could somehow use our magic secretly, then dismissed the thought just as fast. Tansy was annoying, certainly, and in my way, but she wasn’t stupid. She was really switched on and Jamie was right, if she got wind of anything odd she’d make it her mission to find out what it was.
She wasn’t here now though, was she?
Feeling defiant, I shot pink sparks at Jamie’s trainers, which were lying by our bedroom door, and watched them walk themselves to the wardrobe and jump inside.
Then I did the same to the jeans I’d worn to the survivors’ party, which were lying draped over the back of a chair. I liked the way they looked, walking across the floor, so I shot more sparks and made them dance, chuckling to myself.
Then I sparkled my dressing gown down from its hook on the back of the door and made that dance too.
I knew I was being childish, but the thought of doing magic just for the sake of doing magic, while Tansy sat downstairs oblivious, gave me smug satisfaction.
A footstep outside the door made me gasp. I waved my arm and the jeans and dressing gown dropped to the floor, just as Jamie came in.
‘Helloooo,’ I sang. He gave me an odd look.
‘Tess said your dad’s here,’ he said. ‘That’s great.’
Behind him, the leg of my jeans twitched. In a hurry I knelt up on the bed and hugged Jamie, surreptitiously shooting sparks over his shoulder. My jeans flew into the wardrobe and my dressing gown rearranged itself on the back of the door. Relieved I let go of Jamie, who looked slightly startled, and sat back against the pillows again.
‘Dad’s here,’ I agreed. ‘And Olivia and the boys. They’re in the cottage.’
‘Brilliant,’ Jamie said. ‘So now we just need to work out how to get them to Claddach.’
He flopped on to the bed next to me and I stroked his hair.
‘Are you tired?’ I said. ‘Did the baby arrive okay?’
‘A boy,’ Jamie said. ‘Called Sven.’
‘Sven?’ I said. ‘Is the family Scandinavian?’
‘Nope,’ Jamie laughed. ‘He’s named after the reindeer in that Frozen film Chloe’s kids are obsessed with. His two big sisters chose it apparently.’
I giggled.
‘That’s cute,’ I said. ‘Ooh, guess what? Harry and Lou are going to adopt.’
‘No way!’ said Jamie. ‘I knew they were up to something. Louise has been very distracted recently.’ Jamie adored Louise – who he’d known for years – and had been delighted when she and Harry got together.
‘Harry says it was Parker who really helped her make up her mind.’
Jamie smiled.
‘He’s amazing, isn’t he? Dad’s completely bowled over – though Mum’s still not sure.’ A shadow crossed his face. ‘She’s resisting all my efforts to get her to meet him.’
‘It’s as much a shock for them as it was for you,’ I pointed out gently. ‘Your mum will come round. She just needs time to get used to being a granny.’
Jamie kissed me.
‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘And how can she not love him once she’s met him.’
‘Jamie,’ I began, thinking now was a good time to mention him not being named on Parker’s birth certificate. Then I bottled it.
‘I thought after the wedding I’d draw up a contact agreement,’ I said lamely. ‘Make sure you don’t lose Parker now you’ve found him.’
‘Oh we don’t need to go that far, do we?’ Jamie said. ‘Tansy won’t stop me seeing him.’
‘She didn’t tell you he existed for five years,’ I snapped. ‘So while I’m touched by your trust in her, I can’t help thinking it’s a little misguided.
‘Woah,’ Jamie said. ‘Okay you’re right, I’m sorry. Please do a contact agreement.’
I gave him a thin-lipped smile.
‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘So anyway, tell me about today,’ Jamie said, very sensibly changing the subject. ‘Did you do everything you wanted to do?’
‘Yes,’ I said, burrowing under his arm so he could cuddle me more comfortably. ‘We did lots of stuff.’
‘Did you see Kirsty?’
‘I did,’ I said. ‘At her work.’
Jamie grinned.
‘And how was that?’
‘It was okay actually,’ I said. ‘I didn’t see anything horrible.’
‘Glad to hear it,’ Jamie said, who’d seen way more than his share of horrible stuff during his time in Africa and who was nice enough not to point that out.
‘I went through everything we’ve planned,’ I told him. ‘She’s got the readings, and she gave me a printout of the vows we can choose from.’
‘I wanted to write my own,’ Jamie said.
‘Seriously?’ I was surprised.
‘Nope!’ Jamie laughed. ‘Can’t believe you fell for that.’
I whacked him with a pillow.
‘Anyway,’ I said. ‘That was all really straightforward. Kirsty’s great. And Leona’s amazing. She’s got the dresses all under control. Harry has sorted out all the food with Millicent. I’m just going to leave that to them – they’re far too terrifying when they’re together.’
‘They’re fairly terrifying when they’re apart,’ Jamie said, wryly.
I giggled.
‘And Douglas’s got a friend who’s a photographer,’ I said. ‘He’s left him a message asking him if he’s free on Saturday. I’ve got his details so we can check out his website later.’
‘Great,’ Jamie said. ‘So do you reckon you can take a day off from wedding stuff?’
‘Probably,’ I said. ‘Do you need help at the surgery?’
Jamie looked very pleased with himself.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a much better plan.’
He dug into his jeans pocket and pulled out a wooden key fob with two keys attached.
‘Look what I’ve got,’ he said, swinging the key by my nose. I made a grab for it.
‘Is it the lodge?’ I said, sitting up and examining the key fob. ‘Really?’
Jamie’s parents had a little lodge, up in the mountains. It was tiny – just one bedroom, a small bathroom and a lounge/kitchen. But it was perfectly located, right by one of the ski lifts and I absolutely loved it.
‘Are the lifts open, though?’
Jamie nodded.
‘Not all of them, but enough. And Dad’s given me his car keys so we can go up the back way in the 4x4. It’s up to you, though. How is your wrist? Are you still sore?’
I grimaced.
‘My legs are a bit achy, but my wrist seems fine. It definitely won’t stop me holding my poles. And my head’s okay too, I reckon. I think a day on the slopes could be just what the doctor ordered.’
Suddenly all I wanted was to be in the lodge, snuggled up with Jamie in front of the fire. No worries about the wedding, no Tansy, no Parker. Just the two of us, together, alone.
‘If you’re sure?’ Jamie said.
‘Absolutely sure,’ I said. I threw my arms round him.
‘This is amazing,’ I said, kissing his face all over. ‘But what about all our stuff?’
‘Mum’s skis are at the lodge and she says you’re welcome to borrow them,’ Jamie said. ‘And your boots and clothes are all here aren’t they? I know mine are.’
But I shook my head.
‘They’re in Edinburgh,’ I said. I’d joined Harry and Louise on a skiing weekend in France at the start of the year to celebrate their fortieth birthdays and by the time I next visited home, the ski season was over. So though normally my skiing stuff stayed in Claddach so we could head off at any time, just when I needed them most, they were a hundred miles away.
‘I could get them,’ I said to Jamie, looking up at him from under my eyelashes. ‘Can I get them? Please. We can’t go if I don’t have my stuff, and Tansy won’t know…’
‘Oh go on then,’ he said, kissing me on the nose. ‘I’ll go downstairs and chat to her – just in case she spots any wayward sparks.’
As Jamie’s footsteps disappeared down the stairs, I reached out with the witchy part of my brain and grabbed my ski boots in their soft carry-bag, and the rucksack full of my skiing kit from the top of our wardrobe in our small Edinburgh house. As both bags dropped onto the bed in a shower of sparks, I allowed myself a small smile. A night away with Jamie in the most romantic location, and using magic to make it happen? That, I thought, was definitely Esme one, Tansy nil.