Charis (21 page)

Her reply had been, “You don't need to see me shaving my legs or
putting on deodorant or even brushing my teeth. And you certainly don't need to
see me sitting on the toilet.”

So he’d asked her, “What about when you're in the bath or having a
shower?”

“Oh, I don't mind you being there then,” she’d answered.

“Do you mean you don't mind me being in the bathroom or in the
shower with you?”

She thought about that for a minute and then said, “That might be
quite an interesting experiment.”

So they’d tried it and
interesting
was not the adjective Ben
would have chosen to describe the experience, which they had repeated several
times since.

He waited for her to return, when he knew she would slip back into
bed and come lovingly into his arms before they had to get up and begin their
day.

The concert was in the evening but Charis was planning on spending
some time at the Academy in the afternoon helping to get everything ready.
Jennifer, Emily and Giles were coming up from Hampshire for it and would be
staying with them overnight, catching the train from Winchester and a taxi at
the London end of their journey.

The concert was used as a fundraiser for the Academy and Ben had
bought twenty tickets which he’d distributed among their friends and his
colleagues. He knew that David was planning on going, barring an emergency at
work, and James and Helen would be there, but he wasn’t sure about the others.
In the end, Charis had quite a large entourage come to cheer her on. Graham and
Allison were there, as were Tim Markham and his wife Janet, and Kathy, the
receptionist from St. Anne's, with her boyfriend. The Chandlers came and Frank
and Isabella Norris. Charis was surprised, and pleased, to see Imran and Mariya
there, but the most surprising of all was Mrs. Everett. Ben had felt terrible
about the way he’d snubbed her and as a peace offering had taken a ticket to
her and offered to drive her. Because Charis had to be there early, he’d taken
her first and then come back for his parents and their next door neighbour.

The first half of the programme was the younger and newer students -
Charis' two students were in this group. There was a variety of instruments
played, not just piano, that included the violin, harp, flute, clarinet, cello
and even drums. They all did an excellent job. The second half began with a
choral group, including a couple of soloists, followed by three of the previous
years’ outstanding graduates, then Charis on the piano.

She was wearing the dress she wore for their wedding and Ben thought
he’d never seen her look lovelier. She played brilliantly, putting depth and
feeling into her music. A few more of the top current students performed, a
couple of singers took the stage, and then Charis again. She’d changed into her
dark blue dress that Ben liked so much –he always thought of it as her magic
night dress – and she sang. She sang the Canzonetta Sull' aria by Mozart,
A
Little Song on the Breeze
from The Marriage of Figaro. Her voice was
incredible, sweet and pure. Ben thought she sang like an angel and was once
again in awe of her talent and it seemed as though the rest of the audience
appreciated it, too, if the applause was anything to go by. The finale was the
Academy orchestra playing a medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes and then the
concert was over.

The Academy director invited everyone to stay for refreshments which
were to be served immediately in the hall behind the auditorium. DVD’s of the
performance could be ordered by anyone who wished to buy a copy on their way
out. Several of the students were sitting at a table in the foyer waiting to
take their orders.

Suddenly Charis was with them and engulfed in Ben's arms, as the
rest of the group stood close by. “Oh, my love!” he smiled. “What did I ever do
to deserve such a beautiful and talented wife?”

“You liked it?” she asked.

“Liked it? Oh, Charis, what an understatement! You are incredible! I
could listen to you all day.” But he had to let her go. All their friends and
family wanted to talk to her, too, to give her a hug and congratulate her. She
looked and felt overwhelmed so Ben eventually rescued her by reminding them all
to go and get some of the refreshments.

As Charis and Ben leisurely followed behind towards the refreshment
table, Charis smiled and thanked those that offered compliments on her
performance. A movement to her left caught her eye and as she turned her head,
there stood Henry, leaning on a column, slowly clapping at her.

Charis’ breath caught in her throat and she stumbled over her feet.
The blood rushed from her face, leaving her pale and her forehead clammy.
He’s
here!
Ben was looking in the opposite direction. Charis closed her eyes and
attempted to take a deep breath. She would not let him ruin this night.
He
cannot hurt me anymore.
Opening her eyes slowly, she was determined to show
him that she was no longer scared of him…but he’d disappeared.

*****

Later that night as they lay in bed together, Ben had a thought. “Has
Helen ever heard you sing or play before?” he asked.

“I don't think so. Why?”

“Well, I was just thinking. She's always on the lookout for talented
people for her TV show.”

“Oh, Ben! Don't say that. Don't even
think
it! She couldn't,
could she? Anyway, I'm not good enough for that,” Charis tried to reassure
herself.

“Well, it certainly wouldn't surprise me at all,” was his response.

And Ben was right. Just two days later, in the evening as they were
relaxing after dinner, Charis' phone rang. She made Ben answer it, shaking her
head as she handed it to him and saying, “I'm busy. Take a message.”

She heard Helen's voice on the other end but couldn’t make out what
she was saying, just Ben's answers.

“Yes, it was good, wasn't it? I'm glad you enjoyed the evening.” And
then, “Yes, I agree, she has an incredible talent. No, I don't think she would.
She's always said her music is for her own enjoyment - not for a profession.”
And then, “Well, I'll pass your message on to her but I'll be very surprised if
she'll agree.”

Charis began pacing in front of her husband as he continued. “No, I
couldn't do that. You see, I'm with her on this one and she certainly has no
ambition in that area.”

And all the time Charis was shaking her head and mouthing, “No, no,
no!”

“Yes, I promise I'll talk to her about it but don't get your hopes
up, Helen. By the way, how are the twins doing?” When he finally put the phone
down he said, “Well you don't have to worry about anything yet. The series is
finished for a few months. She's just trying to line things up for next year.”

Charis breathed a sigh of relief and pushed it to the back of her
mind.

*****

Suddenly Christmas was upon them. Ben had three days off – Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day but had to be on call the weekend before and
the weekend after and at work the New Year holiday. They decided that as Charis
hadn't had a proper Christmas since she was seven years old they would spend
their three days at Willow Bend. Emily was overjoyed. There was nothing she
liked better than having her family around her. They were assigned two of the
children to buy gifts for; Jessica who was four, and seven year old Stephen. They
had enormous fun shopping for presents. For Jessica they bought a set of
gloves, scarf and hat, a matching pair of tights and some pretty things for her
hair, and as they had a couple of pounds left over, they got a colouring book
and crayons. Ben said that they were the kind of things his family would give.
Charis had a harder time deciding on Stephen's gift but ended up with a couple
of computer games that were all the rage that year. 

As they weren't going to be home for the important part of the
Christmas season, the decorating of their home was minimal. But Charis bought a
wreath for the front door and a garland and fairy lights to go down the
staircase bannister, and another for the upstairs fireplace mantelpiece. A
small tree sat beside the french doors in the upstairs sitting room and a
Nativity set was placed on the Welsh dresser in the living room downstairs and
they were done.

They also shopped for each other. Ben went back to the little
boutique in Knightsbridge and bought Charis the negligee set she’d admired and
Charis bought Ben a new leather briefcase, as she thought his old one was
getting decidedly shabby. They also debated long and hard about getting a gift
for Ben's parents and finally decided to give them a holiday. It had been months
now since Giles had retired from his law firm – up until then he seemed too
busy to spend much time away. 

After much discussion and research they bought tickets for a two-week
Mediterranean cruise in March, at the end of winter when it would be nice to
get away for some sun. Giles had always earned good money as a leading
barrister but he had a large family to support, a big house and six children to
educate. There was never a lot of money to spare for holidays. Ben and
Elizabeth were both quite wealthy with an inheritance from their biological father,
but Giles refused to touch their money even to pay for their education at the
best schools. So Ben and Charis paid for a luxury cabin on a cruise ship and
several day trips they knew would interest them at various ports of call. But
since this was an extra present, not included or expected in the family
Christmas gift giving, they would have to give it to them quietly…privately…without
the rest of the family around, which is how they exchanged their own gifts.

They were due to arrive at Willow Bend before lunch on Christmas Eve
so they gave their presents to each other the evening before. Ben arrived home
from the hospital, they ate dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and then opened
their gifts and were both delighted with the other's thoughtfulness. Of course,
Charis had to wear her new negligee and nightie when she got ready for bed, and
of course, she looked very beautiful in it. But Ben had been right – it spent
the night on the floor.

*****

Christmas Eve in London was cold, grey and cloudy, promising rain,
if not snow, so Ben and Charis were not sorry to be leaving and heading for the
country. After a quick breakfast they put their suitcases in the boot and
headed for Hampshire and Willow Bend, the clouds disappearing and the sun
shining again as they drove further south and west.

Once more Emily must have been watching for them because as they climbed
from the car she had opened the front door and was running down the steps, arms
outstretched. Charis received the first hug, as Ben was retrieving their
luggage from the boot. Charis carried their beautifully wrapped gifts, the
children's names prominently displayed, but, as instructed, not the name of the
donor.  Giles was waiting in the doorway and gave Charis a warm hug, slapped
his son affectionately on his shoulder, and took one of the cases from him to
carry upstairs.

They were the first to arrive, and as Jennifer had gone into
Winchester to do some last minute shopping, as soon as they had their
belongings settled in Ben's old room they went downstairs to give their present
to Emily and Giles. Sitting around the table in the big, welcoming kitchen,
with a steaming cup of coffee for Giles and Emily and hot chocolate for Charis
and Ben, Ben took the envelope that contained the cruise tickets out of his
pocket to give to his parents.

“Mum, Dad,” he began. “You have spent your
whole
married
lives caring for all of us…never thinking of yourselves…spending all your time,
effort and money on us children…giving us all not only an idyllic childhood,
but good manners, ethics and education as well, and
never
asked for
anything in return. We’ll never be able to repay you or thank you enough, but
Charis and I want you to have this,” and he handed the packet to his mother.

She immediately began to protest.

“No!” Ben said. “Not part of our family gift giving. Just something
you deserve for being the best parents any child could ever have.”

Emily opened the envelope and out fell the tickets. Her eyes filled
with tears as she passed them over to Giles. “You really shouldn't have,” she
began.

“Yes, we should,” Ben interrupted. “
Nothing
is too good for
you…for either of you. We want you to go and have the kind of holiday you've
needed for years; just the two of you to get away from everything, relax and
refresh yourselves. It's really not much you know, only two weeks, but we hope
you enjoy yourselves. Have a second honeymoon.”

Emily laughed through her tears. “We never had a first you know – we
already had four children between us when we got married – it will be the first
holiday we’ve ever had, with just the two of us.”

“Well, good,” said Ben, smiling at her. “Go and have your first
honeymoon then.” And he added, “It's not for another ten weeks though.”

“That should be just enough time for your mother to organise herself,”
said Giles, teasing his wife, but he looked very emotional, as though he
couldn't really trust himself to speak.

Charis knew that the memory of that Christmas would stay in her mind
and her heart forever.

By the evening, not only was Jennifer home from her shopping
expedition, but Simon and Lorraine, and Amelia and Charles had arrived, too.
Elizabeth and Adrian and their families would join them on Christmas Day, as the
children had to be at home for Father Christmas to come and fill their
stockings. Jennifer was disappointed that David couldn't be with them, but he
was working and had to visit his parents. He’d be joining them on Boxing Day.