Another knock at the door. This time Josh opened it to let in Rob.

“Hey,” Rob said. “Any chance of a bite of turkey? I brought a contribution.”

He held up a container of ice cream in one hand, and in the other another large bag from the Caerphilly Bakery. From the odor of fresh-baked chocolate that had followed him into the room I suspected the parcel contained either brownies or chocolate chip cookies.

“How did you find us?” I asked. “Not that you’re not welcome.”

“I knew from the way Dad was acting that he was up to something,” Rob said. “So I followed him to the bakery. And then when he left, I went in and Margie told me all about it.”

“Oh, dear,” Dad said. “It never occurred to me that Margie would spill the beans.”

Rob shrugged.

“I’ll take those.” I relieved him of his parcels. Yes, I was right—brownies and chocolate chip cookies. Rob made a beeline for the fire.

“Before you get too comfortable, go upstairs and get a couple more chairs,” Michael said, handing Rob a key ring.

“Can do.” He bounded out, forgetting to close the door behind him.

“‘Twas the night before Christmas,’” Dad began. “‘When all through the house.’”

“I’m not sure I can fit the ice cream in the freezer,” I said.

“Stick it outside the door,” Michael said. “It won’t melt out there. And while you’re at it, shut the door, will you?”

“‘Not a creature was stirring—’”

I stashed the ice cream outside and was turning to come back in when—

“Hello?”

I looked up to see Rose Noire carefully coming down the narrow stairway with a huge covered bowl in her hands.

“Now I know you didn’t come for the turkey,” I said. Roast turkey was only one of many reasons I couldn’t imagine becoming a vegetarian, but Rose Noire never even seemed tempted.

“Heavens, no!” Rose Noire shuddered slightly. “But I am fond of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. I brought a big salad.”

“How in the world did you find us?” I asked.

“That nice Mr. Gardner who lives upstairs bought half a dozen special gift baskets to take to his mother and aunt and sisters,” she said. “And when I delivered them yesterday morning, he was down here tidying up a bit, and he told me how sweet it was that his friend was borrowing his old bachelor apartment to have a quiet little Christmas dinner with his wife and twin sons. I knew it had to be you. He probably didn’t know we were related. And I wasn’t going to barge in until I realized from the hints he was dropping that your father knew and was planning to come.”

“He was dropping hints?” I winced. “We’ll have the whole family here before long.”

“I doubt if any of the others know about Mr. Gardner,” she said.