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Chapter 73: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 13
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Master's Child Chapter 74: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 14
Christmas DayThe heap of gifts stacked under the tree is bright with coloured wrap and ribbons. James waves an arm down at the stack. "You're closest, Michael. You're in charge."Michael takes a small gilt-wrapped package from the top, checks the label then offers it out to Beth. "For you."Beth peels off foil and ribbons to reveal what is very obviously, a perfume bottle. She opens it, then smiles brightly at Richard. "It's lovely, thank you. The old one has almost run out."Michael is already reading the label on another gaudy parcel, bulky and soft, in the kind of economy wrapping paper you might find in a supermarket or newsagent. "This one's for you, James."He accepts it, raising brows and looking to Charlotte, but she shakes her head. "It's not from me."He turns over the tag, jagged-edged, perhaps pinked from an old birthday card or similar. His head inclines. "Why, Mitch, thank you. You shouldn't have. You're only just getting back on your financial feet..."Kle
The Master's Child Chapter 75: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 15
I poke my head around the kitchen door. James is there ahead of me at his workspace, be-aproned, sleeves rolled up on the Christmas sweater, trimming the rind from bacon.At the table, Charlotte sits peeling carrots. Beside her, Mitch wraps bacon around sausages. Between them on a thick furry blanket, Cara burbles and blows bubbles."Can I help?" I say.James looks up, smiling. "Absolutely you can help. You can peel the chestnuts for the stuffing."I eye the contents of a bowl close by, already containing onions, breadcrumbs and judging by the smell, garlic. "Isn't that the stuffing?""Yes, it is, but since this is a special occasion and we have plenty of people here to eat the results, I thought we would have more than one kind. This is going to be sage and onion. Those are for the chestnut and cranberry." He waves across to a cupboard. "Aprons in there. Find something that fits."As I tie the bow on my apron, "I see you have another helper already?"James looks blank fo
The Master's Child Chapter 76: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 16
I sit with Charlotte and Cara in the nursery, taking in the mass of murals, colourful and bright, occupying the walls. Mobiles hang from the ceiling, dangling birds and horses and little bells which sway and tinkle with the slightest movement.From outside comes the slam of a car door.More visitors?Charlotte, feeding Cara, is still pale but a touch of pink blushes over her cheeks.Recovering a day at a time...Uncertain as to how I approach the subject, I speak carefully. "How are you feeling now?"But she simply smiles slightly. "I'm getting better. I'm not coughing much now." She strokes Cara's face, very gently, not disturbing her daughter from her meal. "The important thing is that Cara is healthy. When they had me prisoner in there, yes, it was awful, but the main thing I was thinking about all the time was whether they'd damaged her by drugging me. Or whether it was doing her any harm because I wasn't well..."She seems set to keep talking but is interrupted by a
The Master's Child Chapter 77: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 17
Sumptuous smells are drifting in from the kitchen. James refuses any more assistance from me, instead pouring me an egg-nog, and another for Ryan, then ambling through to the lounge with me to take his accustomed armchair by the fire.Most of the Christmas household are there ahead of us. Michael, Beth and Richard are playing a board game. Ryan sits behind Michael, apparently in the role of 'Chief Criticiser' of his moves.Mitch, sitting with Larry on the couch, has the bundled Cara in her arms. Eyes closed, the baby sucks contently at a bottle.A bit startled by the sight, "Where's Charlotte?""Getting changed for dinner. I said I'd finish Cara's feed." Mitch follows my eye to the bottle. "It's Jenny's milk, expressed. I told her early she'll have an easier time if Cara can be fed by anyone.""Damn!" Michael tosses dice to one side."Told you," says Ryan. "You should have put a hotel on the square while you still had the cash."Richard hums, sweeping up miniature plastic
The Master's Child Chapter 78: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 18
"Crackers!" Michael holds up his; red and green crepe paper wrapped with silver foil. He leans across the table, arm outstretched, flashing eyebrows. "Pull a cracker with me, Mitch."James picks up his from the side of his plate, sounding piqued. "They're nothing like the one we had last year, I'm afraid." Michael shrugs, unperturbed. "So there was no time to arrange your fancy hand-made affairs. They're just the first packet I could grab off the supermarket shelves. It's anyone's guess what's inside. It doesn't matter. It's Christmas. That's what it's about." "Oh, stop fussing, James." Mitch makes a grab for the cracker. "So long as they have a paper hat inside and a bad joke, they'll be fine." She tugs, and with a Snap! the cracker splits and multi-coloured shrapnel confetti's out.With a grin, she unrolls a vivid green elf-hat, slipping it atop her immaculate red up-do. Craning up to the mirror above the hearth, she checks her reflection.Mmmming, she takes off the hat,
The Master's Child Chapter 79: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 19
Beth shifts uneasily in her seat. Richard murmurs something quiet to her, and she nods, grimacing. Then, "Can you excuse me, please. I'll be back in a minute."Charlotte pipes up. "Bladder?"Beth blushes. "Um, yes, actually."Charlotte sets down her knife and fork. "I'll come with you if you like. Give you a hand. I know what it's like when you're that size and you're trying to manage with your dress and everything."Beth gives her a grateful smile as Richard stands, sliding her chair out as she heaves herself upright. But Charlotte is struggling herself to get up from her seat and Mitch rises too. "I think you both still need help in that area," she says.I could do with a comfort break myself, but with Ryan's finger working spirals between my pussy lips, I'm conscious of the dampness under me...Black dress, not red...Hmmm...As the three women exit, Ryan taps me on the shoulder. "Kirstie, why do women go to the toilet in groups?"I turn an austere expression on hi
The Master's Child Chapter 80: Kirstie's Christmas, Part 20
We make our way to the courtyard at the back of the house. A path cuts through, shovelled and cleared from the first fall of snow. Nonetheless, there is still a covering of a couple of inches over the ground and snowflakes fall around us, brushing my nose like iced feathers.Michael grumbles, "I'm going to have to bloody well do this again, aren't I...""Yes, you are," says James blithely. "But you opted for that instead of peeling vegetables, didn't you."Michael tugs his jacket around himself, scowling.We follow the path to an outbuilding. Mitch's 'apartment' is next door, but this is...Charlotte's face lights up. "The stable?" She spins on her two husbands, mittened palms raised to her cheeks. "Oh... You haven't..."Richard clicks his tongue. "Oh, yes, they have."From beyond the stable door comes a nicker. I've never had much to do with horses, but I know animals well enough to recognise the sound of welcome when I hear it. Charlotte dashes for the doorway, flinging
The Master's Child Chapter 81: Predator, Part 1
JamesAh, there he is...Out beyond the French doors, Klempner stands out on the snow-covered terrace. By his feet, Blackie nudges the hand of the strange, grim man, and he reaches into a pocket, producing some small thing which the dog accepts and swallows.Can't handle having people around him all the time?Let's give him some practice...*****KlempnerFrom my viewing-point at the front of the house, I look out, down and all around. The view is glorious. Open fields lead down the mountain to the frozen and snow-covered lake below. In the bright sunshine, the place is startlingly lovely.But I can't bring myself to relax and enjoy it.The mountain snowscape is beautiful, yes. Open, beautiful and vulnerable.The cold bites, penetrating my several layers of clothing and regardless of what I might think of Mitch's sense of humour, I've topped it all off with the hideous garment Mitch gave me for Christmas.I've not yet fathomed why she chose to inflict the hand-kni
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The Master's Child Chapter 193: Natale, Part 31
It's cold outside, but Klempner sits on the low terrace wall wearing no more than a thin pullover."Want one of these?" I proffer a coffee, heavily laced with whiskey, topped with thick cream.He startles, but then, "Thank you, James." He doesn't smile. His eyes are soft with melancholy as he stares down, watching October mist curling over the lake."Will you visit the grave?""Yes." The single word isn't followed by any others."When will you go?""Sooner rather than later." He breathes steam and fragrant alcohol. "I'm making arrangements now. The Canadian winter arrives early and in force. It'll be under six feet of snow there very soon, and for the next several months.""Would you mind some company?"He twists to face me. "You want to come?""I'd like to pay my respects to the brave woman for whom my daughter is named."He blinks, nodding as he casts his gaze down. "Thank you, James. I appreciate that.""Charlotte wants to go as well."And now he smiles. I
The Master's Child Chapter 192: Natale, Part 30
JamesFamily...All gathered together around the breakfast table: Michael to the left of Charlotte, I'm to her right, bouncing Cara on my knee while Charlotte takes a break to get some food down her throat. Beyond Michael, Beth feeds Adam, Richard flanking them.Klempner and Mitch sit side by side. She's turned discreetly away, feeding Vicky. Larry watches, still wearing that slightly spaced-out expression...Man-in-shock?For all the right reasons...Charlotte is very quiet. She eats, but her gaze sweeps the table and back again.Once she had nothing...Briefly, her eyes lock with her father's. He cocks his head, eyes full of question, but then her gaze moves on.What's he thinking?It's not hard to figure. Right from the time Klempner arrived back with us, although he's clearly content to be here, he's had an air of... waiting...The Rat-Tat! of the front door rattles down the hall.Michael pushes his chair back. "I'll go." A half-eaten slice of toast in one h
The Master's Child Chapter 191: Natale, Part 29
RichardMy intercom buzzes. "Yes, Francis?""I have the police commissioner on for you, Mr Haswell. He... doesn't sound very happy."I can guess what this is going to be about. I've been waiting for it. "Thanks for the warning, Francis. Put him through please..." The line clicks and reconnects. "Richard?""Good morning, Will. What can I do for you?""I think you can guess why I'm calling you. I'm hearing rumours I don't like. Disturbing rumours.""I believe, Will, that I know which rumours you mean. I've been wanting to discuss them with you. Perhaps you would like to meet for lunch to discuss the matter? Somewhere quiet? ""And away from the office? Yes, I think so."*****The waiter sets a plate in front of each of us, steak in pepper sauce for Will, a prawn souffle for me. He tops up the glasses of Cabernet. "Is there anything else, sir?""No, thank you. That's perfect." I wait until he is out of earshot before I speak. "So, Will...These disturbing rumours?
The Master's Child Chapter 190: Natale, Part 28
KlempnerThe view is restful. Living in Mitch's small apartment, hidden away from the world, does...... I suppose...... constitute 'domestic bliss'. But that's at night. For much of the day, we spend our time in the main family home of Jenny's Triad. The women chatter and gossip. The men alternate between business and banter. One or other of the babies always needs attention...It's exhausting.But when it comes to it, that's not the root of my problem.Retreating from noise and activity and 'family-fun' to the sanctuary of the terrace, I let the view wash away the anxiety gnawing at the back of my mind.It's always the waiting...Give me action and some lunatic with a gun every time...Stay calm...Mist curls over the lake far below. On the slopes close by, every blade of grass is etched with a rime of frost that will thaw to dew when the sun crests the mountain. Further down, the individual blades meld into a smooth sheet of silver that merge into haze and wa
The Master's Child Chapter 189: Natale, Part 27
Two coffeepots later, we've run out of croissants and moved onto toasted muffins. James slices one in two, dropping the halves into the toaster. He pauses, "Another one, Beth?"She's sitting up against the headboard, next to Charlotte, the two propped up against each other, eating from a shared plate. Beth slathers butter and blackberry jam onto what she has. "Thanks, but I'm fine with this, James. I'll not eat again 'til suppertime.""Charlotte?""Mmmm..." She nods, mumbling through a mouthful, wiping a smear of melted butter from the corner of her mouth. She swallows, then holds up half a muffin - minus two bites. "What is it about muffins and bad weather? I always want more of them."James rolls a look at her, then to me, shaking his head...A wise man says nothing...Richard sucks jam from his fingers, lips smacking. "On a complete change of subject... Elizabeth and I were talking..." Beth falls still, her shoulders slumping... "... Please don't take this the wrong way,
The Master's Child Chapter 188: Natale, Part 26
MichaelIt's dark...What woke me?Somewhere down and beside me, the sound of whining. "Scruffy? You need to go out, boy?"At this hour?What the hell time is it?I'm snug and comfortable, draped with a thick duvet. Charlotte, warm and fragrant, sleeps tucked in beside me. Through the curtains, it's pitch-black.Scruffy whines again, this time scratching at the bed.Wonder if he's eaten something he shouldn't?Stretching an arm blindly out beyond the cosy comfort of the blankets, I pat across the side-table, hunting for the light switch. When I find it, as it turns out, it's not Scruffy's habit of eating every bit of rubbish he comes across that is at fault. The clock tells me it's half past seven and my rag-tag mongrel is making a perfectly reasonable request to be let out to relieve the pressures of the night.But outside, there's no sign of daylight and, joys of joys, rain lashes against the window.Goodbye to summer...Scruffy's whining ups by half an octave
The Master's Child Chapter 187: Natale, Part 25
JamesAn orderly tries to block the way, arms outstretched in front of the door. "Sir, you can't..."Klempner simply brushes by him.From beyond, Mitch's voice. "Let him in..."The orderly spins, mouth open. "What? All of them?""Yes!!!! Ah... Fuccckkkk...."The monk's feet skid uselessly over the polished floor as he tries to resist his inexorable forward journey into the delivery room. His voice rises to a wail. "But I'm not a priest. I can't do this." Klempner growls, "I don't care if you're a priest, a rabbi, an imam, or if you ran the Bring-and-Buy at the church garden party. The lady here wants our child born in wedlock. You're going to marry us."Klempner turns his attention to Mitch, lying on her back on the delivery table, yelling her way through another contraction. She flings out an arm, grabbing at his wrist. He winces, but lays his other hand on top. "We'll just let this one pass..."The midwife, checking a bleeping monitor, flashes a look at Mitch. "Yo
The Master's Child Chapter 186: Natale, Part 24
RichardMy mobile bleeps: James.Landed. at airport now. home approx 90 mins. Tell Mitch he's keenElizabeth grins at me as I tap in the reply.don't go home. come city hospital. Mitch in labourThere's a short pause...Elizabeth holds up her hand, counting down silent fingers: Five... Four... Three... Two...... and my mobile bleeps again.When M go into labour?3 hrs doc and midwife say early but all normal all goodWith you ASAP K got taxi flying on wings of fire*****The corridor is painted the required institutional off-white, scraped black in long stripes at trolley-bed height. The lighting is the compulsory harsh fluorescent white. One strip blinks on and off. Signs point off down apparently identical corridors: Intensive Care... Reception... A & E... Chapel and Prayer Room... Radiology... Cardiology... Breast Screening...How many ways is it possible to be sick?Footsteps echo along the corridor; marching footsteps, almost stampeding footsteps.A
The Master's Child Chapter 185: Natale, Part 23
KlempnerAt last, I get some privacy with her. James ushers out Jenny, protesting all the way. Michael leaves too, turning as he exits to give me a kind of approving nod.Haswell poured glasses of champagne, passing them around at their side of the screen, although I did notice that he poured for Mitch from a different bottle. The top of the flute is just in view, spitting the odd bubble over the rim."Are you alone now?"She looks sidelong, off-screen. "Yes, they've gone.""What's Kirstie doing there?""I'm fitting her for her wedding dress. They've set the date for Christmas, remember.""I didn't know that.""Oh... no... Of course you wouldn't." She takes a sip of her bubbly, looking away. "It's been so long. They said you were dead. The police said there was a body.""There was, but not mine."She peers into the screen, searching my face. "How are you? What happened?""I'll tell you sometime, but not now. What's important, is how you are and..." I nod down, bel
