damage.’ He gripped the
tube like a hammer and tapped it against the glass to get his bearings. ‘What is
it?’
Sam’s voice came from the blackness. ‘My torch.’
There was a long silence.
‘Your torch?’ Ruby said.
‘That’s right,’ Sam said.
‘You idiot.’
Gerald fumbled for a moment. Then a beam of light pierced the night, enough for everyone
to see Sam looking sheepishly back at them. ‘Whoops,’ he said.
Gerald shook his head and turned back to the window. A sharp tap with the metal torch
smashed a hole large enough for him to reach in and unlock the sash. A minute later
all four of them were inside.
Felicity and Sam ventured down a long hall while Gerald and Ruby gathered the backpacks
in the spacious entryway.
‘Nice job,’ Ruby said.
Gerald nodded a thanks, and then he saw it: a snowflake on the tip of Ruby’s nose.
The moment had arrived.
Gerald reached out his gloved hand and brushed the snowflake clear.
‘Oh,’ said Ruby in surprise. Her eyes smiled at him. A sudden warmth glowed in Gerald’s
chest.
Limerick time.
He cleared his throat.
‘There once was a girl named Ruby…’
A quizzical expression formed on Ruby’s face. Before Gerald could say anything more,
Sam rushed up to them. ‘Come and see what we’ve found!’ He grabbed Ruby by the hand
and dragged her. ‘It might even stop you whinging. And hating me.’ Gerald watched
as the Valentine twins scampered down the hallway. He sighed and trudged after them.
‘This must be a hunting lodge, closed for the winter,’ Sam said as he led the way
down the wood-panelled corridor. ‘Ruby, I think you’re going to like this.’
They burst through a doorway into a roomy lounge and came to an abrupt stop. A huge
smile spread across Ruby’s face. ‘Oh, this is perfect,’ she said.
A massive stone fireplace in the far wall was set with kindling and chopped wood.
The panelled walls were hung with mounted stag heads and stuffed trout. A brown leather
chesterfield, complete with tartan rugs, sat in front of the hearth like a tired
uncle after too much Christmas lunch.
Ruby looked at Sam. ‘You are almost forgiven,’ she said. ‘Almost.’
Within minutes, a fire crackled in the grate and Ruby and Felicity sat, legs outstretched
on the hearthrug, poking marshmallows onto long toasting forks. Their boots were
kicked to the corners and their wriggling toes defrosted in the glow of the flames.
Outside, the wind howled like a lovesick wolf.
‘I wouldn’t fancy camping in a tent on a night like this,’ Sam said from a plush
armchair. His face was suffused with utter contentment. ‘Lucky I found this place,
isn’t it?’ He paused for a moment as the girls turned the marshmallows on their forks.
‘Imagine all those sorry sods between here and the checkpoint, freezing in their
tents. Who’d want to be in a tent tonight, eh?’
There was a long silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire.
‘Tents—’ Sam continued.
‘All right!’ Ruby said. ‘You’ve made your point. Well done. Congratulations. Leaving
that tent behind was an act of genius. What do you want? A medal?’
Sam leaned back in his chair, his hands clamped around the back of his head, exuding
smugness.
Felicity popped a toasted marshmallow into her mouth. ‘This is so good,’ she said.
‘Do you want one, Gerald?’
Gerald knelt at a coffee table where he had set up their camp stove. A pot of baked
beans was just beginning to bubble. ‘Yes please,’ he said, stirring the brownish
goop with a wooden spoon. ‘There might be no electricity but we’ve got candles and
beans. What more could you want?’
Ruby tossed a toasted marshmallow to Sam and prodded another onto her fork. ‘Do you
know what this reminds me of?’ she said. ‘That night in the caretaker’s cottage at
Mt Archer in California. All of us bunking down in front of a fire while a blizzard
raged outside.’
Gerald scooped a spoonful of beans onto a plate. ‘At least
tube like a hammer and tapped it against the glass to get his bearings. ‘What is
it?’
Sam’s voice came from the blackness. ‘My torch.’
There was a long silence.
‘Your torch?’ Ruby said.
‘That’s right,’ Sam said.
‘You idiot.’
Gerald fumbled for a moment. Then a beam of light pierced the night, enough for everyone
to see Sam looking sheepishly back at them. ‘Whoops,’ he said.
Gerald shook his head and turned back to the window. A sharp tap with the metal torch
smashed a hole large enough for him to reach in and unlock the sash. A minute later
all four of them were inside.
Felicity and Sam ventured down a long hall while Gerald and Ruby gathered the backpacks
in the spacious entryway.
‘Nice job,’ Ruby said.
Gerald nodded a thanks, and then he saw it: a snowflake on the tip of Ruby’s nose.
The moment had arrived.
Gerald reached out his gloved hand and brushed the snowflake clear.
‘Oh,’ said Ruby in surprise. Her eyes smiled at him. A sudden warmth glowed in Gerald’s
chest.
Limerick time.
He cleared his throat.
‘There once was a girl named Ruby…’
A quizzical expression formed on Ruby’s face. Before Gerald could say anything more,
Sam rushed up to them. ‘Come and see what we’ve found!’ He grabbed Ruby by the hand
and dragged her. ‘It might even stop you whinging. And hating me.’ Gerald watched
as the Valentine twins scampered down the hallway. He sighed and trudged after them.
‘This must be a hunting lodge, closed for the winter,’ Sam said as he led the way
down the wood-panelled corridor. ‘Ruby, I think you’re going to like this.’
They burst through a doorway into a roomy lounge and came to an abrupt stop. A huge
smile spread across Ruby’s face. ‘Oh, this is perfect,’ she said.
A massive stone fireplace in the far wall was set with kindling and chopped wood.
The panelled walls were hung with mounted stag heads and stuffed trout. A brown leather
chesterfield, complete with tartan rugs, sat in front of the hearth like a tired
uncle after too much Christmas lunch.
Ruby looked at Sam. ‘You are almost forgiven,’ she said. ‘Almost.’
Within minutes, a fire crackled in the grate and Ruby and Felicity sat, legs outstretched
on the hearthrug, poking marshmallows onto long toasting forks. Their boots were
kicked to the corners and their wriggling toes defrosted in the glow of the flames.
Outside, the wind howled like a lovesick wolf.
‘I wouldn’t fancy camping in a tent on a night like this,’ Sam said from a plush
armchair. His face was suffused with utter contentment. ‘Lucky I found this place,
isn’t it?’ He paused for a moment as the girls turned the marshmallows on their forks.
‘Imagine all those sorry sods between here and the checkpoint, freezing in their
tents. Who’d want to be in a tent tonight, eh?’
There was a long silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire.
‘Tents—’ Sam continued.
‘All right!’ Ruby said. ‘You’ve made your point. Well done. Congratulations. Leaving
that tent behind was an act of genius. What do you want? A medal?’
Sam leaned back in his chair, his hands clamped around the back of his head, exuding
smugness.
Felicity popped a toasted marshmallow into her mouth. ‘This is so good,’ she said.
‘Do you want one, Gerald?’
Gerald knelt at a coffee table where he had set up their camp stove. A pot of baked
beans was just beginning to bubble. ‘Yes please,’ he said, stirring the brownish
goop with a wooden spoon. ‘There might be no electricity but we’ve got candles and
beans. What more could you want?’
Ruby tossed a toasted marshmallow to Sam and prodded another onto her fork. ‘Do you
know what this reminds me of?’ she said. ‘That night in the caretaker’s cottage at
Mt Archer in California. All of us bunking down in front of a fire while a blizzard
raged outside.’
Gerald scooped a spoonful of beans onto a plate. ‘At least
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