The Italian Surgeon's Christmas Miracle (14 page)

The children peered from the windows of the taxi but all they could see was the swirl of snowflakes in the headlights of the small line of cars.

‘Will Father Christmas find us when it’s snowing?’ Chantelle asked. ‘How will he know where we’ve gone?’

‘Maybe he’s got GPS these days, too.’ The cab driver chuckled. Then he glanced in his rear-view mirror and saw the expression on the little girl’s face. ‘Hey, Santa comes from a very snowy place. It’s no problem.’

Amy had something new to worry about now. The few presents tucked away for the children were lost. Shops might be open until late tonight but with the time it would take to travel back to the city and the time she needed to spend with Summer, how could she manage to fit any shopping in? How on earth could she do anything about giving these children any kind of Christmas surprises?

Would Luke’s grandmother even have a tree?

The prospect began to appear unlikely. Huge iron gates swung open a short time later, presumably because Luke had a remote control in his car. Snow was piling up in drifts on either side of the long driveway and it was settling onto bare branches of the massive old trees that gave the impression of a guard of honour.

The house was enormous and dark and forbidding. Even Amy’s taxi driver fell silent as they parked at the base of semi-circular stone steps that had huge lions on pillars at each side.

Luke got out of his car and came to Amy’s taxi.

‘Stay here for just a minute or two,’ he instructed. ‘I’ll be back.’

Amy cuddled the children close and tried to banish her sense of foreboding as the heavy front door opened and the house swallowed Luke.

If Luke had thought his grandmother nervous in his office yesterday, he had to consider her alarmed now. She was standing near the huge fire in the library. Beside a small table with spindly legs on which a decanter of sherry and small crystal glasses stood on a silver tray.

‘Whatever’s going on, Luke? What are all those taxis doing outside?’

‘We have visitors.’

The housekeeper, Elaine, closely followed by her husband Henry, hurried through the door.

‘Is everything all right, Lady Harrington?’

‘That’s what I’m trying to find out myself. Luke?’

‘We have visitors, Grandmother. For Christmas.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Henry said they look like children,’ Elaine reported. ‘He was watching from the garages.’

Henry looked at his feet. Luke looked at his grandmother just as steadily. ‘They are children,’ he said. ‘There are six of them and they range in age from about six to fourteen.’

‘Oh,
my
!’ Elaine breathed.

‘Are these the children I was trying to discuss with you yesterday, Luke? If so, I can make arrangements. They don’t even need to get out of the cabs. Let me call Lucy and—’

‘No. I will not allow that.’

His grandmother fluttered a hand, looking shocked.

‘There was a fire this morning,’ Luke continued. ‘The house that is home to these children was extensively damaged. I have brought them here for a reason.’

Prudence sank onto the edge of an overstuffed couch. ‘I don’t understand.’

‘Elaine?’ Luke smiled at the housekeeper. ‘Could you prepare some rooms, please? At least four, I would think.’

‘But…’ Elaine looked at her employer, but Prudence had closed her eyes. ‘They’re
children
…’ The word was slightly awed.

‘You’re good with children, Elaine. Maybe you’ve still got that box of toys somewhere. You know, the ones they used to keep in the kitchens for me?’

A smile tugged at Elaine’s mouth. ‘I think I know where it is. Oh, my! Children. Here for Christmas.’ She turned away. ‘Henry? I’m going to need your help. Let’s sort out some linen.’

Prudence opened her eyes and waited. Luke sat on the edge of the couch beside her.

‘I know this is a shock,’ he began. ‘But things have happened in the last couple of days that have made me start to question my life.’

‘This has something to do with that nurse, doesn’t it? The one you were…ah…’

‘Kissing,’ Luke supplied. ‘Her name is Amy and, yes, it has a lot to do with her, but that’s beside the point just now. Look.’ He fished in the his coat pocket and brought out a rather crumpled photograph. ‘Look at this.’

‘Oh!’ Prudence put a hand to her throat and tears sprang instantly to her eyes. ‘Caroline!’

‘She was happy,’ Luke said quietly. ‘She loved my father and, by all accounts, he adored her. Maybe he wasn’t suitable but my mother’s death broke his heart. Losing his son was another tragedy as far as he was concerned and it was one that he didn’t have to suffer.’

Prudence was silent.

‘He
did
suffer,’ Luke went on. ‘And if I don’t help his family and the children he loved,
they
will suffer, and that would be wrong.’

He picked up his grandmother’s hand and held it. ‘You are my family,’ he said, ‘and I haven’t said this for far too many years but I love you. You did what you thought was right but you took something away from me. The chance to know my father. It’s something that I think mattered a great deal.’

‘I’m…sorry, Luke. I—’

‘I know.’ Luke leaned over to kiss her cheek. ‘I’m going to bring the children in now. They’re frightened and cold and hungry. Please, welcome them because this is also something that matters a great deal.’ He stood up. ‘We can’t turn the clock back but we’ve got a chance here to do something right. Something honourable. Do it for me. Please?’

‘I’ll…try.’ Prudence took a shaky breath and sat up a little straighter. ‘Just for Christmas?’

‘Just for Christmas,’ Luke agreed.

One step at a time, he told himself as he went back to the waiting cars. For himself, as well, because he was stepping into alien territory here. An emotional landscape that had no map.

They trooped inside, silently.

They stood, silently, gazing at the biggest Christmas tree Amy had ever seen, positioned at the base of a stairway that curled gracefully up and then divided to form a U that swept past an uncountable number of doors.

A woman with grey hair in a bun, holding a pile of linen, beamed down at them before hurrying through one of the doors.

The tree was doing its best to reach the banisters of the U so it had to be at least twenty feet tall, and it was covered with thousands of white fairy lights in the form of tiny icicles that were twinkling on and off in sequence. A discreet few, gorgeously wrapped silver parcels lay at its base.

Luke ushered them on. ‘Come into the library,’ he commanded. ‘My grandmother is waiting to meet you.’

Amy’s misgivings made her heart thump alarmingly rapidly but she stepped forward, a twin attached to each hand. Robert, Kyra and Andrew were behind them but Chantelle, her face shining, skipped ahead. She came to an abrupt halt on entering the library, however, because standing in front of a roaring fire, with a forbiddingly remote expression on her face, was the woman who had dismissed Amy yesterday with no more than a passing glance.

Chantelle’s mouth dropped open.

‘Are you the
queen
?’

For a moment there was an odd silence and Chantelle gave Amy a look of trepidation.

‘She
looks
like the queen,’ she said in a small voice.

‘Che?’
Marco didn’t understand.

‘This is my grandmother,’ Luke told the children. ‘My
nonna
,’ he added to Marco and Angelo. He smiled at Chantelle. ‘But she does look a bit like the queen, doesn’t she?’

Lady Prudence Harrington wasn’t smiling but the tension in the room eased just a little. Amy kept her gaze on Luke, loving him so much for the way he hadn’t let Chantelle feel she had said something stupid.

‘Excuse me for a moment,’ Luke said. He vanished through the door and the awkward silence fell again as Prudence stared at the wall of silent children.

‘I forgot,’ Luke announced as he came back through the door. ‘He was asleep on the back seat of my car.’

‘Monty!’ the twins shrieked in delight.

‘Luke!’ The tone was as shocked as it had been yesterday when Prudence had caught her grandson kissing a nurse in his office. ‘What in heaven’s name are you thinking of, bringing a
dog
in here?’

‘It’s Monty.’ Chantelle had been gazing at Lady Harrington as though still convinced she was in the presence of royalty. ‘He’s
our
dog now.’

‘Dogs belong outside.’ Prudence moved to push a button on the wall. ‘I’m sorry, Luke, but this is too much. I need to call Henry.’

‘Come with me.’ Luke offered his grandmother his arm. ‘We’ll both talk to him. And Elaine. We need some hot food and drink for our visitors.’

They were left alone in the library for what seemed a very long time. Amy heard muted voices and more than one door closing. A telephone rang, the fire crackled and a grandfather clock at one end of a huge bookshelf ticked solemnly.

Then a man they hadn’t seen before came in.

‘I’m Henry,’ he told them. ‘I have a message for you, Miss Phillips. From Mr Harrington.’

‘Call me Amy, please.’

Henry blinked. ‘I’m not sure that’s—’

‘Spit it out, Henry.’ The woman with the grey bun came bustling in. ‘I’m Elaine,’ she told Amy. ‘The housekeeper. I’ve got your rooms ready if you’d like to come and see where you’re all going to sleep?’

The children eyed her suspiciously.

‘And then we’ll all go down to the kitchens,’ she added. ‘Beryl is making dinner for you. And for—Oh, my! He’s a big dog, isn’t he?’

‘That’s Monty,’ Chantelle said.

‘Well, we’ll find some dinner for Monty, too. And some nice old blankets. He could sleep in the scullery where it’s all nice and warm from the coal range. If that’s suitable?’

Robert gave a slow nod. He approved of Elaine. Amy could feel herself relaxing a little.

‘What was the message?’ she asked Henry.

‘Oh, yes. Mr Harrington had to return to the hospital somewhat urgently. He said you’d be wanting to follow him and I’m at your disposal.’

‘You’ve got another wee one who’s sick at the moment, haven’t you?’ Elaine’s face was creased with sympathy. ‘Let me settle the others and get them fed and bathed and into bed.’

‘That’s too much work for you,’ Amy protested. ‘I’ll stay and help.’

Elaine shook her head. ‘It’s been too long since this house heard the sound of children’s voices. It’ll be a treat.’

Amy was quite sure Lady Harrington didn’t see it as a treat. It seemed rather pointed that she hadn’t returned to the library.

Elaine seemed to be reading her thoughts. ‘Lady Harrington sends her apologies,’ she said, ‘but she’s not feeling very well and has had to retire to her room. She’ll see you in the morning.’

Christmas morning.

‘Whenever you’re ready, miss,’ Henry said kindly. ‘And you’re not to worry about your family that’s coming, either. I’m to stay in the city tonight and meet them at the airport tomorrow. Mr Harrington said to tell you not to worry about anything.’ Henry smiled. ‘That everything’s in hand.’

Things may have been taken out of her own hands but Amy felt curiously safe with the astonishing flow that was pulling them all along. It was as though someone was waving a wand to take care of everything that was worrying her.

A tiny seed of something as effervescent as excitement took hold inside her.

Miracles did happen sometimes, didn’t they?

And what better time for a bit of magic than Christmas?

S
HE
was asleep.

Tangled, dark hair framed a pale face that was cradled on one arm. The other arm still lay on the bed, fingers cupped around a much smaller hand.

Luke kept his voice low. ‘How long has she been asleep?’

‘Most of the night. She’s woken every time I’ve done Summer’s recordings but she’s barely moved.’

Luke gave the latest set of recordings another satisfied glance. Then he turned his head to nod at someone else.

Henry ushered three women into the ICU, his fingers on his lips to warn them of the need to stay quiet and calm, and then he faded back into the corridor. One of the women was easily as old as Luke’s grandmother. A small, slightly hunched figure leaning heavily on a walking stick and probably hampered by the long, black skirt she was wearing. The other two looked remarkably like Amy and Luke gave them a smile that came from the bottom of his heart.

‘Only a few minutes,’ he warned the new arrivals. ‘There’s only supposed to be one or two close relatives at a time.’

Amy’s grandmother scowled at Luke rather ferociously but her mother was clearly struggling with tears. Hyperventilating as she tried to control herself. Luke put both his hands on her shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

‘Summer’s doing very, very well, Mrs Phillips. Be strong.’ He smiled again. ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she wakes up when she hears your voice.’

Amy woke up at the sound of her mother’s voice. She lurched to her feet to be enveloped in a hug, first from Marcella and then a long, tight, relieved embrace from her older sister.

‘Buon Natale, cara! Buon Natale!’

‘You, too, Rosa,’ Amy whispered back.
‘Buon Natale!’

Happy Christmas!

‘Buon Natale, Nonna.’
Amy helped her grandmother into the chair she had been sleeping in.

‘Buon Natale, Mamma.’

But Marcella wasn’t listening. Ignoring all the monitors, the IV lines, the beeping noises and everything else alarming, she was leaning over the bed, gently touching Summer’s face, murmuring a constant stream of endearments.

‘Oh!’
Amy clutched her sister’s hand and spoke in a hushed voice, not wanting to break the spell. ‘Rosa,
look
! Summer’s waking up.’

And she was.

Slowly. Peacefully. Surrounded by the voices and touch of the three women who were all mothers to her. Watched over by a benevolent small figure who sat, imperiously, in the armchair nodding and muttering approvingly at regular intervals.

Staff came and went unobtrusively, keeping a close watch on what was happening but not disturbing this special family moment.

Luke was there. He smiled at Amy. A smile that told her he understood how special this was. That he understood how much this mattered.

Amy smiled back. Including him. Pulling him in to share the magic. Trying to find and reach through that crack she knew was there. To reach inside Luke—so he wouldn’t feel lonely.

To let him know he never needed to feel lonely again.

The smile went on. And on.

It was no wonder Rosa noticed. She looked from Amy to Luke and back again. Then she stepped to where Luke was standing, well back from the end of Summer’s bed.

‘Does it hurt?’ she queried. ‘Where her chest was cut open for the operation?’

‘Surprisingly little,’ Luke responded. ‘Pain from fractures comes from movement and there’s very little movement of the sternum involved in breathing. Most children can be discharged from open-heart surgery with nothing more than paracetamol needed to relieve any discomfort. You’ll be amazed at how soon Summer’s up and about.’

Rosa had been listening carefully. Watching and assessing Luke just as carefully. She gave Amy a quick grin as she stepped back towards her sister.

‘E un bell ‘uomo, vero?’

Amy just raised her eyebrows. This was hardly the place to talk about how good-looking Luke was. Just as well he didn’t speak Italian, wasn’t it?

There was just a hint of a wink in Luke’s expression as he nodded at Rosa while moving away, however.

‘Grazie,’
he murmured.

Nonna scowled disapprovingly. Rosa’s jaw dropped and she flushed bright pink. Amy shut her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and then walked after Luke, but he was now standing beside the ICU consultant so she could hardly apologise for her sister’s inappropriate comment.

‘Summer needs to rest,’ the consultant reminded Amy. ‘It’s great if she has one or possibly two of you with her at all times, but we can’t have this many here all day.’

‘And it’s Christmas,’ Luke added. ‘You’ll all want some time with the other children, yes?’

Amy nodded.

‘Henry’s waiting. He’ll take you back as soon as you’re ready.’

‘Rosa will want to see the twins,’ Amy thought aloud. ‘And Nonna will need a rest after travelling. I’ll talk to Mamma. I can stay if she wants to see the others.’

Luke frowned, as though that plan wasn’t the best. But then he simply nodded. ‘Let me know,’ he said, a little curtly. ‘I have to go myself. I have a few things that need attention.’ He turned back to the ICU consultant. ‘I’ve got my mobile, of course,’ he said, ‘but I’d prefer not to be called unless it’s an emergency.’

The consultant smiled. ‘Of course. Enjoy your Christmas, Luke. Things are looking good here. You’re happy with the lad you were working on last night?’

Luke nodded. ‘Poor kid. Getting caught up in a gang fight and shot on Christmas Eve was a bit rough. He lost a lot of blood but I’m happy his cardiac function will remain normal. What we need to watch is…’

His voice faded into the background as Amy went back to her family. So Henry was taking them back to the manor and Luke had things that needed his attention. Was he not planning to go home for Christmas? Some of the shine of happiness from Summer’s waking up and the reunion with her family faded.

Marcella elected to stay.

‘I’ll come and see the rest of my
bambina
later,’ she said firmly. ‘Right now, it’s this little
angelo
that needs me the most.’

‘We’ll take Nonna with us, then,’ Rosa said. ‘Come on, Amy. I can’t wait to see the boys.’ She took her turn to kiss Summer. ‘See you later,
tesora
.’

Summer smiled and gave an infinitesimal nod, but her gaze went straight back to Marcella.

‘Mamma,’ she whispered.

‘I’m here,
carina
. I’m staying right beside you.’

‘Chiesa!’

‘It’s a chapel, Nonna. A small church.’ Amy hadn’t seen the beautiful stone structure in the dark last night, but this morning, with its roof and the tops of surrounding gravestones softly blanketed by the deep snow, it was clearly visible amidst a forest of huge tree trunks.

Her grandmother crossed herself and nodded approvingly.
‘Buona.’

She approved of the Harrington family’s faith. What would she say when she learned the Italian connection with a woman who lay buried in that small private cemetery? There was no way she would approve of a broken family. A father who had been deprived of his only child. Maybe it was just as well she spoke only her native language.

Rosa was still getting her head around the astonishing information Amy had shared—in English—during their journey from the city.

‘It’s so weird! Uncle Vanni’s son? And you’ve been working with him for so long and we never knew. Who’d have thought?’

‘He keeps his background very private.’

‘I can see why.’ Rosa was gaping as the manor house came into view. ‘It’s like something out of a fairy tale. If people knew how rich he was, he’d be beating women off with a stick.’ She eyed her sister. ‘He’s not beating you off, from what I could see.’

‘I’m not after his money,’ Amy said sadly. ‘If anything, I wish he didn’t have a background like this. It makes things impossible. Wait till you meet his grandmother. She hates me so much she couldn’t bear to stay in the same room as me last night.’

‘Because you’re in love with her grandson?’

‘We haven’t got that far. I think she hates me because I’m half-Italian. And because I’m connected with Uncle Vanni. I remind her of how she lost her daughter.’

They were parking in front of the house now. ‘I saved that scrapbook,’ she told Rosa. ‘It might be the only thing of Uncle Vanni’s that isn’t lost in the fire. I’d been carrying it in my bag to show Luke and I’d forgotten all about it,’

Which had been hardly surprising because that had been when she’d been swept off her feet. Made love to with a passion that had driven all else from her mind. And from there she had been whirled into a series of unexpected and very sharp turns in her life.

‘I left it outside Lady Harrington’s bedroom door last night when I went back to be with Summer. I wonder if she’s even looked at it?’

There was no sign of Lady Harrington when Elaine met them at the front door.

‘We’re all in the kitchen,’ she told Amy, ‘having our Christmas breakfast.’

Nonna seemed to be overcome by the sight of the Christmas tree in the foyer. Amy took her arm and urged her gently forward.

‘It’s just the Christmas tree, Nonna,’ she said reassuringly. ‘
Albero di Natale
. Isn’t it beautiful?’

Nonna made a clucking sound that said, very eloquently, that she disapproved of such opulence, but she followed Amy and Rosa willingly enough.

‘I’ve made a room ready for your nanna,’ Elaine said to Amy. ‘She’ll need to rest, I expect.’

‘Soon,’ Amy agreed.

‘Where’s Lady Harrington?’ Rosa queried politely. ‘I should introduce myself.’

Elaine looked embarrassed. ‘I expect she’ll be down soon.’

Christmas morning with six children in a house should have been seething with excitement, but the atmosphere in the huge, old kitchen was very solemn until Marco and Angelo spotted their mother.

‘Mamma!’
They scrambled from their seats at the table and launched themselves in Rosa’s direction like small, human torpedoes.

Elaine laughed. The cook, Beryl, wiped her hands on her apron and grinned. Monty got up from his blanket in the corner to see what the fuss was all about. The other children, however, stayed at the table. They had plates of food in front of them. Slices of crusty bread and butter that looked homemade. Bacon and eggs and tiny sausages beside baked beans and mushrooms and potato cakes. The sort of food that was a special treat but they didn’t seem to be eating much of it.

When the initial excitement of Rosa’s arrival subsided, they all sent wary glances towards Nonna, who was now sitting at the far end of the table, and then went back to playing with their food.

‘What’s the matter?’ Amy finally asked. ‘Aren’t you happy Summer’s OK? You’ll all be able to visit her in a day or two. Only one at a time, but I think she’ll be home again before very long.’

That did it. Robert pushed his plate away, his fork clattering onto the china.

‘We haven’t
got
a home any more,’ he said sullenly. ‘It got burned, didn’t it?’

‘Not all of it. We’ll fix things,’ Amy promised.

‘No, we won’t. And even if we do, your Mr Harrington’s going to take it away from us, so what’s the point?’

Elaine exchanged a glance with Beryl. Raised eyebrows and quick head shakes indicated they knew nothing about this.

‘And…’ Quiet Andrew was looking as miserable as Robert. ‘It’s Christmas!’

Chantelle burst into tears. ‘And we haven’t got any presents,’ she sobbed. ‘Not even
one
!’

Amy sent a desperate glance towards Rosa, but her sister looked stricken. Maybe the credit card hadn’t been robust enough to deal with any airport shopping.

‘Hey!’ Amy gathered Chantelle into her arms, taking her chair and smiling at the rest of the children. ‘We’ve got each other, haven’t we? We’re all safe and we’re all together. That’s what
really
matters.’ She waited until Robert raised his head and caught her gaze. ‘Nobody is going to take our house away. Nobody.’ She hugged Chantelle. ‘And Summer got a present, didn’t she? The best present she could ever get. A new heart.’

‘So she’s not going to die?’ Robert’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his voice cracked and rose.

‘She’s got every chance of living now,’ Amy said confidently. ‘Much, much more than she had a couple of days ago.’

‘And Monty’s OK,’ she went on, trying to put a positive spin on this strange Christmas Day. ‘And he’s like a present, too, isn’t he? He can’t live with Zoe and her mum any more so he’s our pet.’

‘Really?’ Rosa reached past the twins to stroke the huge dog. ‘Cool!’

Elaine put a steaming cup of tea in front of Nonna.

‘Grazie,’
the old woman said.

Elaine patted her hand. ‘You’re welcome, Nanna.’

Beryl filled the kettle again. ‘Your Henry’s coming back from putting the car away. He’ll be wanting some breakfast.’

She didn’t take the kettle away from beneath the tap, however. She was still intent on peering out the window.

‘Mercy!’ she said, as cold water flowed over the top of the kettle and then her hand. She abandoned the tea-making and peered from the window again. ‘I don’t believe this,’ she muttered.

‘What?’ Elaine joined her at the sink. ‘Oh,
my
!’ She flapped a hand in a beckoning gesture. ‘Children! You’d better come and see. Quick! Out the front.’

The excitement was contagious. A small stampede of children followed, Elaine with Rosa and twins bringing up the rear, closely followed by Monty who gave a single, loud woof as he bounded through the kitchen door.

Amy looked at Nonna but she was sipping her tea, apparently unperturbed.

‘I’ll stay with your granny,’ Beryl offered. ‘You go and see.’

Amy went.