There was much excitement in the big house; preparations were well under way for Christmas. The large Christmas tree that always adorned the entrance hall was now in place. Beautiful ornaments sparkled under the light and it looked ever so elegant and lavish. A few Christmas boxes had already been placed underneath the tree and the children were eagerly awaiting Christmas Day so they could be opened.
This year Jonathon and Sarah Turnball were preparing for a large family gathering with many relatives travelling from all parts of the United Kingdom.
Jonathon’s parents Lady Marie and Lord Charles Turnball were also going to be celebrating their diamond wedding with the family at Chadwick Manor.
Jonathon Turnball had two sisters, Fenella and Grace and a brother Tomas whom he had not seen since the war. His sisters lived not too far away and would all be coming to stay for Christmas with their husbands and young children.
Downstairs, Cook was busy making preparations for dinner for at least twenty guests. The usual turkey, pheasant and wild pig being on the menu, followed by blackberry tarts. Cook had also made an enormous Christmas cake and Jonathon and Sarah’s two young children Penelope and William had been invited downstairs to help decorate the cake. The children were very excited and while Cook was not looking William licked some of the icing off his fingers.
Penelope and William were eight year old twins. They were the light in their parent’s eyes and certainly kept the entire household on their toes with all their high jinks. They were doing well with their school lessons and were bright young children with enquiring minds. Penelope and William loved their Labrador puppy called Flash. They aptly named him that, as he ran everywhere and was constantly getting into trouble for knocking things over. He was still a puppy and the children loved running around the gardens on the estate with him.
Soon Christmas Eve was upon the house. Cars started to arrive with guests; the children were ever so excited they were going to have their cousins Freddy and Wilhelmina to play with. Both were of similar age and the twins had been looking forward to seeing their cousins very much.
All the guests were shown to their rooms, along with the children’s grandparents Lord Charles and Lady Marie. After everyone had settled in, the family went down to a special Christmas Eve dinner. Cook had prepared smoked salmon and trout caught locally followed by a lovely strawberry tart with cream.
The children were given their own table and all four of them eagerly awaited their roast chicken dinner to be served. The boys were very hungry, while the girls sat and giggled somewhat and played with their hair. The head butler Barrington gave Penelope and her cousin a glance which indicated they needed to concentrate on their meal and play later.
After dinner the family retired into the drawing room. The ladies had a small sherry while the men had a port and cigar. Sarah played some old time favourite Christmas hymns, which everyone sang along to. After the carols the children were told to go upstairs and get ready for bed as tomorrow was going to be a big day. Bertha, the children’s nanny, read them all a Christmas story before they all fell asleep.
Downstairs the thoughts of the family turned to Jonathon’s brother Tomas who was presumed killed during the war. No official notification apart from a ‘Missing in Action’ letter was ever received. A toast of remembrance was made in his honour.
Later in the evening discussions turned to the Diamond wedding celebrations. The party was to be held on New Year’s Day and around 100 guests would be coming. Marquees would be erected. There would be music and food and even a little croquet to be played on the lawn.
The ladies were all excited about what they were going to wear. New gowns and hats had been ordered from London.
After a lovely family evening everyone headed to bed. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and a special family day was planned.
***
Christmas morning was chilly, but the sun was peeping out between the clouds. The children woke early, full of excitement. Both Penelope and William jumped out of bed and ran eagerly to their parent’s bedroom. Sarah told her children to hop in her bed as she didn’t want them going downstairs before 8am. Both William and Penelope were far too excited to go back to sleep, so the family lay there singing Christmas carols.
Just before eight the children bounced out of bed and urged their parents to get dressed and go down stairs.
By the time they went down, some of the family had already gathered in the drawing room for coffee. The children were so excited and ran and hugged each other.
After everyone was up the family sat down to a marvellous breakfast made by Cook. Pancakes and bacon with maple syrup were served along with toast and fresh fruit. The children only ate a little as they were too excited.
By eleven o’clock everyone gathered around the Christmas tree and gifts were passed around.
All the children received lovely books from their grandparents, soft toys and puzzles were also the order of the day. Sarah was given pearls by Jonathon, and she in turn gave her husband a new pipe with his favourite tobacco. Everyone was very happy with their gifts. The children had also made cards for their grandparents.
Jonathon and his sisters had decided to give Lord Charles and Lady Marie tickets on a cruise liner to celebrate their Diamond wedding. They would leave after the party on New Year’s Day for Southampton. It was clear to see they had been taken by surprise. This was something the couple had wanted to do for years but with the disappearance of Tomas, life seemed to go on hold somewhat. Both had tears in their eyes as they thanked their family.
Christmas lunch was perfect – the formal dining room was cosy with the roaring fire crackling in the background.
After lunch the sun came out and the twins asked their parents if they could go out and play outside with ‘Flash’ for a bit. Mother agreed so long as they wrapped up warm as there was a definite chill in the air from the snow-capped mountains.
Flash was excited to be able to get outdoors as well and ran off with his tail wagging behind him. The children squealed with excitement as they ran after the dog on the front lawn.
Suddenly Flash got all excited and kept barking at some bushes. The twins ran over to see what all the fuss was about. At first they saw nothing but when Penelope pulled back some bushes that Flash was interested in she saw the figure of a sad and dirty man. At first she was frightened and William urged her to step away. The man was visibly upset and tried to reassure the children he meant no harm.
After a few minutes the man started to cry and told the children he was sorry for giving them a fright. He assured them he was not a beggar or thief and was trying to find his family.
William sat down beside the man and gently asked the name of the family he was looking for. The man spoke softly to William and said he was looking for his parents Lord and Lady Turnball. William put his hand to his mouth in surprise and exclaimed he was a Turnball and this was his parent’s home. William went on to say his father Jonathon lived in the big house on the other side of the rose garden.
The man started to cry some more, then as he wiped away his tears. He said his brother was Jonathon and the house used to be lived in by his parents. He then went on to tell William that he had been away in the war, and he was very ill for a long time after the war ended. Due to his health and memory loss he could not get back home until now, he explained.
William reached out for the man’s hand and said the family had talked always about Uncle Tomas who disappeared after the war. They were lead to believe Tomas had died due to being ‘missing in action.’
Tomas then asked Master William if he could go back to the big house and return with his father.
William agreed and ran back while the other children sat and talked to Tomas. William was so out of breath when he reached the house his father could not make sense of what he was saying. Eventually William persuaded his father he needed to come outside with him. Jonathon was confused and just thought the children only wanted him to play with them.
On arrival at the bushes Jonathon was in total shock at the scene before him. He almost collapsed at the sight of his long lost brother. The men hugged, no words seemed necessary. The children all stood in total bewilderment.
Eventually Jonathon managed to coax Tomas to stand up and the two men walked slowly back to Chadswick Manor.
Jonathon decided to take his brother inside through the back of the house. He got Barrington to draw him a bath and find him some clean clothes. After his bath and shave Jonathon decided to let Tomas have a sleep, and then he would fetch him for Christmas dinner.
That evening the table was set with all the trimmings, with the best dishes on display. Everything looked beautiful.
Jonathon had asked Barrington to set another place at the table next to him. Lady Sarah noticed this as she went into the room and wondered who the extra guest was going to be.
After everyone sat down Jonathon made his entrance into the dining room with his brother Tomas on his arm. Huge gasps came from the mouths of everyone. Lord Robert stood up and Lady Marie burst into tears. This was all a bit too much to take in. Her long lost son had returned, as soon as Lady Marie had gathered her composure she rushed over to her son and hugged him for what seemed like an eternity. Tears of joy flowed.
Jonathon stood up and said he wanted to propose a toast. This had to be the best Christmas ever – the best Christmas gift any family could ever wish for.
The rest of the evening was filled with laughter, conversation and tears.
Now was a time of great happiness for the family. There would be new beginnings and new opportunities for Tomas.
There is nothing stronger than the love of a family and the close bond that ties them all together. As he raised another glass of wine Jonathon gave thanks for the safe return of his brother. Now they could run the estate together. Life was good and this would always be a Christmas to remember.
By Kay Rayner. Read more here.