‘OK, of course.’ Tamsyn nodded. ‘Well, anyway, in a total non-nice way I was just thinking that perhaps you and the children could come to us on Christmas Day this year, now that I bought furniture for the vicarage, and all the Thornes will be there. My mum is cooking, Alex’s mum is getting in the booze … It will be a house full of noise and fun, the kids will love it, and you won’t have to do anything.’

Sue sniffed. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I think we would like that.’

‘Great, and I have this idea that I wanted to run by you …’

‘If they are anything like your little sister’s ideas on how to mend a broken heart, I can manage without them. Now, we’d better press on. We’ll get them to come to the centre of the room, a quick “What do you want for Christmas?” and a “Ho ho ho” Yes?’

‘Yes,’ Tamsyn said, visibly steeling herself for her vicar’s wife’s duty. ‘Is there any way we can do this with gin?’

‘I repeat, and you a vicar’s wife! What other inappropriate things do you do during the daytime?’

‘Ah well.’ Tamsyn winked. ‘Jed and I are married now, so it’s not inappropriate at all! And—’ she popped a couple of mini bottles of Baileys out of her handbag ‘—a little stiffener in our coffee is practically a requirement for this job, wouldn’t you say? Take the edge off? It’s Christmas after all.’

Sue had to admit that the hair of the dog, which was metaphorical rather than the actual hair of the dog she was always picking off her jacket, would be rather welcome that morning, and it was hard to resist Tamsyn’s smile.

Happiness seemed to spill out of Tamsyn, she radiated with joy. What would it be like to feel that way, that loved, that happy just once? Sue wondered. Perhaps when I do find the right Santa I should sit on his knee and ask him.

5

It turned out that time did not fly when you are listening to men ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ in a Cornish accent, one after the other. Even the ones that genuinely wanted the job, which were few and far between, didn’t have any of the magical qualities that Sue was looking for. None of them came even close to Jago, who had that twinkle in his eye, the snow-white beard and hair, cheeks ruddy from decades at sea, not to mention just the right amount of plumpness around the middle. So far the prospective Santas had one or maybe two of these qualities between them, and most of them seemed a lot like they’d already started on the Christmas sherry.