Chapter 12

There was a big storm brewing. A depression which hung over the entire north-east of the USA was deepening by the minute, and the sky was iron grey with snow clouds. It was just a week or so until Christmas Day, and it might just might be a white one this year.

Amelia Priestly-Sachs, aged twenty months and a bit, climbed up onto a chair placed in front of the big dining room window, and pressed her nose against the glass. She could see her reflection outlined against the shadows behind it, as well as all the twinkly lights of a huge green Christmas tree in the room at her back. This was her second Christmas, but the first one in which she could really take part and enjoy, and even though she couldn't yet put into many words how she felt, a great sense of excitement, caught from everyone else in the house, filled her pretty head.

"What are you doing, honey?" asked her Momma coming up behind her, and standing very close, with her arms round her waist, to form a frame around her in case she slipped off the velvet covered chair. She could feel the lovely smell of Mommy's perfume, and felt safe inside her embrace.

"Mama," said Amelia. This was a word she always managed. "And Cassie."

"Yes, I'm waiting for them too, darling. Mama's gone to collect Cassie from Math club. But Caroline's here. Do you want to walk upstairs with me and tell her supper's nearly ready? She's been playing her cello for two hours now. It's nearly six o'clock."

Amelia nodded and slipped rather inelegantly off the chair. She put her hand into Miranda's, and pulled her towards the stairs, beginning a rather tricky climb up the long flight to the music practice room. Miranda watched her little fat legs struggle with the climb, and then, impatient as ever, swooped her up in her arms and turned her upside down with a laugh, as she swung her over her shoulder in a fireman's lift and made light work of the double storey ascent.

Amelia shrieked with happiness and the fun of being held upside down. Her Momma always surprised her like that, as well as talking to her like a grown-up. Amelia understood far more than she could articulate, and enjoyed all the things her Momma said to her, regardless of what they were, or whether she had much clue what was being said.

They made it to the top floor in record time, with Miranda using the weight of her toddler as a bit of impromptu fitness training. They then followed the sound of a Bach cello partita down the corridor and together went through the door of the music room.

Caroline stopped in mid phrase and looked up, startled, but not unhappy.

"We thought we'd surprise you, and coax you down for supper, darling. You've been practising hard for more than two hours. I would stop now, and take a rest if I were you."

Caroline put her bow carefully on the ridge of her music stand and laid her cello against the nearby table.

"I know, but with the end of term concert in three days . . ."

"You're note perfect, and your mind and fingers hold everything you need already. Come on my love, and distract your little sister while I finish the prep for supper."

Caroline, slim, intense and growing more beautiful daily, nodded her head, and stood up. She stretched her back muscles and smiled at her mom. The legendary editor looked ridiculously young and relaxed. Chasing around after Amelia had knocked ten years off her in the last twenty months.

"Come to me, Meli," Caroline commanded and held out her arms, and Amelia, still held aloft over Miranda's shoulders, giggled with joy, wriggled and took a flying leap towards Caroline, landing safely in her grasp, although Caroline's knees buckled under the impact.

"Jeese Louise, she's solid, Mom! What is Cara feeding her for lunch these days? Did you carry this weight all the way upstairs?"

"Yes. Amelia was waiting at the window for your sister and Andy, just like a little pup, like Tilly does, when people are out late. We missed you as well and thought we'd come to fetch you. And Andy and Cass still aren't home. I'm concerned about the snow. Hannah, Johnny and Cara all left an hour ago."

Caroline kissed her little sister, adorable in her outfit of corduroy pinafore dress, tights and little roll-neck top. She nuzzled her golden curls while looking across at her mother. "Well, it's great to have you home early as well. Not the way it used to be, when we had to be re-introduced on Sundays."

They walked back down the stairs together, to the kitchen.

Miranda raised an eyebrow, but accepted the half-criticism. Her fourteen-year old twins had put up with so much when they were younger, sometimes hardly seeing her from Monday to Friday, but those days were thankfully long gone.

Miranda reckoned these days she was making a good job of the nonsensical idea of creating a work-life balance, even though it went against her basic nature. Runway was still out there, her sadistic and never sleeping task-mistress, but her family was where her happiness lay. And she was so much better at switching off from worrying about the former, and simply enjoying the latter.

"Put down our child and set the table for me, will you?"

"What are we eating?"

"Cara's speciality meatballs and spaghetti animals. I'm making a quick winter salad to go with it."

"Yum-yum," said Amelia as she was set down on the floor, and they both laughed. Then they heard the door open from the basement staircase leading to their internal garage and the sound of animated conversation coming up through it.

Miranda smiled, as she chopped up some endive and red cabbage. Her family was home, and safely together, even if the snow did start to fall and envelope the city before morning.

Andy came straight through into the kitchen, blowing on her fingers, which looked red with cold.

"The barometer's dropping fast," she said, unwinding her big scarf and taking off her coat. "You can almost smell snow in the air."

Amelia's face was wreathed with smiles, and she ran over to be hugged and kissed by both her Mama and big sister Cassie. She tried to hug them both at once, flinging her arms round their knees. Cassie bent down and tickled her, which always made her scream with excitement.

"Do you think they'll close the schools tomorrow, if there's a heavy fall?" asked Cassie "There was talk of it at Math Club."

"We'll have to wait and see," said Miranda. "But wash up and come to the table. Dinner's ready. Cassie, please don't overexcite your little sister. You'll make her sick. Can you instead help her up into her high chair, and fasten her in?"

Andy went over to the kitchen French doors and pulled the warm drapes together against the black night outside. And as they all sat together round the steamy pot of meatballs and little pasta animals, they watched Amelia trying to wield her spoon with her usual lack of finesse. Andrea and Miranda exchanged a simple look which spoke volumes. They had each other's day to share and unpack, and a heap of decisions which needed to be made, but for now their focus was on their three children, and them alone. The family animals, Tilly the dog, and Pumpkin the large orange ca,t were both snoozing in front of the electric range.

Amelia picked up one of the spaghetti animals, a cat, observed it solemnly and then sucked it into her mouth.

"Bye-bye Pumps," she announced, as clear as a bell, and appeared very puzzled when everyone else round the table fell about laughing.

Four hours later, when the house was hushed and dark, and the snow was indeed tumbling down outside, from a black sky in great balls of cotton-wool, Miranda and Andy were in their bedroom, preparing for bed. Miranda was sitting at her dressing table, doing what she had done every night for nearly forty years, removing every trace of make-up and brushing the hair lacquer out of her silver hair.

Andy had taken a quick shower and was already in a cosy pair of velour pajamas.

"Mellie is saying more words every day," she said, "And she pretends to read the story books when we have our bedtime story. Do you think she'll be as bright as the twins?"

"She might certainly be as wicked," snorted Miranda. "I caught her trying to climb the Christmas tree this evening. It's a dangerous age. We'll have to watch her all the time, and do you realise she has learned to get out of her cot. I had to return her twice last night."

"You're wonderful with her. And you can second guess her more than I can."

"I've been there before, don't forget. Trying to stop the twins from killing themselves was good training."

Then Miranda changed the subject.

"Andrea, my love. Let's talk about the holidays. Geoff and Cindy will collect the twins from December 26th and keep them right through to January 2nd. It's their year. I wondered, how would you like us to take Amelia and go somewhere warm together for a winter break over New Year? I was wondering if we could find a flight down to St Thomas or the Caymans, for maybe five days. What do you think? You've been looking too thin and peaky recently, and she could do with a dose of Vitamin D."

Andy came behind her and leaned over her shoulder to look critically at her face in the dressing-table mirror.

"'Peaky? That's a good old British expression. Yeah, I don't look wonderful, but it's mainly writer's winter pallor. I've been turning up the pace on my word-count recently, that's all as I've only a few more chapters to go. But I think a break will do us all good and it's a wonderful idea. If I can extract you from Runway for all that time, your health will benefit as well, and I would love to see Amelia did her darling little toes in the waters of the Caribbean."

"Good. I'll get the assistants to book the trip tomorrow."

"Maybe we should have booked earlier. It will be very expensive."

"Now stop that! Time with you and Mellie on a beach will be priceless."

Andy was amused to hear Miranda slip into Amelia's nickname, despite all her objections to everyone else calling her that/

"The twins will be madly jealous, you realise?"

"Oh, they have more than enough jaunts with their father. This will just be for you, me and Amelia."

"Well, thank you. It's a lovely idea. Now, come to bed, darling. Even if she sleeps through the night, we only have so many hours before our little princess will be crawling into bed with us, and I feel very selfish tonight. I need your undivided attention."

Andrea pushed aside the edge of Miranda's nightgown from the nape of her neck and dropped a kiss just below her hairline. She felt her lover's whole body shiver in response, and so emboldened, pulled her upright to stand in front of her.

Then she very cheekily put her hands between Miranda's legs and tugged her backwards so she could feel every inch of her body shape against her. Miranda gave a little groan and acquiesced. Her head fell back against Andrea's shoulder, and she allowed Andrea's wicked hands to pull up her night gown and caress her naked breasts, and her slim belly below,

"Lovers first, and parents second," whispered Andrea, walking her over to their enormous bed. And Miranda's little moan confirmed to her that, however much they adored their children, that was how it would be between them, always.

"Merry Christmas Miranda," whispered Andrea much later, as they lay together in a tangle of limbs, letting their heartbeats settle. Miranda moved slightly under the weight of her young and so demanding wife, and all she could think to say, as her eyelids closed for the last time that evening, was, "and a Happy New Year, Andrea. Goodnight, darling."

And the snow tumbled down, silencing even the great city of New York.

The End.