A Different Sort of Holiday
Jean came home from the shops one day in December surprised to see Doctor Blake's old Holden in the drive. She knew Lucien had an autopsy, and usually he liked to go investigating after it was finished and she wouldn't see him all day.
She opened the door, curious as to what she'd find, when she was greeted by a cry of frustration coming from his study. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed.
Quick as she could, Jean put the parcels of food down on the kitchen table and hurried into the study. "Lucien, what on earth are you doing?" she asked. She expected to find him doing some sort of experiment. Instead, he seemed fiddling with some sort of contraption with a match that seemed to keep burning his fingers.
Lucien looked up, hissing as the match burned him yet again. "Ah, Jean. Hello."
"What's going on? What have you got there?" she asked once more.
"I'm trying to figure out how this bloody thing works," he explained.
"Yes, but what is it?" she asked more insistently.
"It's called a menorah."
"Alright. What does it do and why do you have it?"
Lucien sighed in resignation of his failed task. He put the menorah down on his desk and leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his face.
As Jean waited for him to answer, she noted that the menorah looked something like a brass candelabra. It had a number of prongs, four on either side and the center one raised above the others. There were little glass cups on the smaller prongs and a thinner opening on the center one. Looking at the thing answered none of the questions she'd posed to Lucien.
"I was talking to Doctor Harvey during the autopsy this morning," he finally said.
"I see," Jean answered. She didn't see, but she hoped it would prompt him to say more.
"And I mentioned to her that I was looking forward to Christmas this year. It's nearly time for us to put the tree up and get out my mother's old ornaments."
Jean smiled at that. Their first year together, she'd taken the box down ornaments she'd always decorated with when the elder Doctor Blake was alive, and Lucien had been grumpy about it at first—which had been no surprise because he'd been apt to be grumpy about everything at that time—but eventually came to join her and told stories of his childhood about each and every ornament as he helped her put them on the tree. And then when Christmas came, Jean made a roast lamb, since it was Lucien's favorite, and she and Lucien and Mattie and Danny had all had drinks together in the parlor, gazing at the tree while Christmas music played on the wireless. This year would hopefully be similar, though Danny was in Melbourne and they had Charlie boarding with them now. Hopefully Matthew Lawson would accept the invitation to join them; he'd been with his sister in Melbourne the year before.
Lucien continued on, taking Jean away from her thoughts. "I asked Alice if she had any Christmas traditions she liked, and do you know what she said?"
Having only met Doctor Alice Harvey twice before and finding her to be a rather odd woman, Jean had no idea what she would say. Jean just shook her head.
"She told me that she didn't celebrate Christmas. And when I asked her why, I thought she'd tell me something about how she'd grown up in an unhappy family, perhaps, where Christmas had been difficult, but instead she just shrugged and told me that she was Jewish."
Jean's brow flew up her forehead in surprise before she could school her reaction. "I had no idea," she said.
"Nor did I. I knew one Jewish lad when I was in medical school, but he kept to himself. I suppose they do, particularly in places like here where there isn't really a community."
"Is there a Jewish community here? Did Doctor Harvey say?" Jean asked curiously.
"She just moved here a few months ago," Lucien reminded her. "But she did tell me that she's not had anyone to celebrate the Jewish holidays with in a very long time. And apparently the first night of Hanukah is tomorrow."
Such phrasing confused Jean. "First night?"
Lucien chuckled. "I had the same reaction. Alice explained that the Hebrew calendar is lunar based, so the days begin at sundown.
"How interesting," Jean remarked, never having heard of such a thing before. "So I take it a menorah has something to do with Hanukah?"
"Ah, yes." He picked up the strange thing, looking it over. "After Alice told me she doesn't have anyone to celebrate with, I thought I'd see if we might be able to find a way to help her mark the holiday."
"We?" Jean gave him a look that said her unspoken words. What have you assumed I would do now, you silly man?
"I was getting to that. You see, I know what it's like to be alone on important occasions. I spent more than one Christmas and Easter drinking alone in a pub or else buying a bottle and taking it to whatever room I was staying in. I don't know anything about Hanukah or the Jewish traditions, but Alice is new here, and I enjoy working with her and…well, I just thought that it was a shame for her to spend a holiday alone. I'd quite like to be a friend to her, if I can. The first thing I did was go to Sacred Heart and talk to Father Emery and ask him where there might be a Jewish community, since the clergy tend to know the other people of faith."
"And did he?"
"He did, as a matter of fact. There is a synagogue in Bendigo, so I drove out there and explained Alice's situation and asked if a Jewish family there might be willing to invite her to their celebration. The rabbi told me that it might be more meaningful to Alice if I host a meal in my home and welcome her and include some of the Jewish traditions."
"But Lucien, you just said you don't know any Jewish traditions," Jean pointed out. "And I certainly don't."
Lucien grinned proudly, holding up the large book sitting beside the menorah on his desk. "The rabbi gave me this book and this menorah to get us started. I drove back home and started reading. It's quite interesting. And so I was hoping that we might host Alice for dinner tomorrow night to celebrate Hanukah."
"So that's where I come in, is it? You want me to cook a Hanukah dinner?"
Lucien suddenly realized that he'd been presumptuous again, and his face fell in concern. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Does that book say what I'm supposed to cook for a Hanukah dinner?"
"There's something called latkes that are traditional."
Lucien might as well have told her to roast a moon rock for all the good the word 'latkes' did her. "Is there a recipe?" she asked coolly.
"There is. It's potatoes and onions and flour and eggs all fried together, it looks like."
Jean sighed. The man had no idea what he was saying. "Give me the book. Invite Alice for dinner, and I'll see what I can do."
He brightened considerably. "Oh Jean, thank you. I have no doubt you'll come up with something marvelous."
She shook her head with a smile, indulging his compliment.
Jean found the recipe for latkes straight away. And actually, Lucien had been surprisingly accurate in what he'd said about them. It wasn't really too difficult. Grating potatoes and onions together in a bowl, mixing in flour and egg to bind it together, seasoning a bit, and frying in oil to make pancakes about four inches in diameter. Certainly different than anything Jean had ever done before, but she had cooked far more complicated things than that. She'd manage just fine. Of course, she'd have to go back to the shops in the morning to get potatoes and onions, as she'd not gotten those items when she'd gone out today. Ah well. Leave it to Lucien to create more work in the most endearing way.
She paused, silently scolding herself. She shouldn't be thinking such things. Not about her employer. He was a kind man, a brilliant man, an impossible man. Yes, focus on that. He was absolutely impossible.
So impossible, in fact, that he had found that a new colleague was Jewish and took it upon himself to consult a rabbi about Hanukah all the way in Bendigo so that he would be able to help Doctor Harvey celebrate the holiday. But Jean could hardly fault him for that. It was a gesture from an impossible man with a very good heart.
And so that night, Lucien announced to everyone at dinner—both Mattie and Charlie were home that evening for a change—that they would be celebrating Hanukah with Doctor Harvey the following evening. Everyone was intrigued by the idea and supportive of Lucien's strange whims. Charlie offered to help Jean cook while Mattie decided to see about doing some decorations.
Later that evening, after all the dishes were done, Mattie went to do some studying for her Melbourne courses and Charlie went up to his room. Lucien was in his study, and Jean was left alone in the kitchen. She didn't mind. It was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet in the evening. And so she sat down at the table and decided to read.
She didn't know how much time had gone by, so engrossed in the book as she was, when Lucien came in.
"Ah, there you are. I thought you'd gone up to bed," he said.
Jean looked over at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see how late it was. "Oh dear, perhaps I should. I got lost reading."
"Is that the book I got from the rabbi?" he asked.
"It is. It's really very interesting."
"I'm sure it is. I didn't expect you to be interested in things like that though."
Jean bristled at that. "Just because I go to church every Sunday does not mean I lack curiosity about other people's beliefs. And besides, from what this book says, Judaism is a religion, obviously, but it's an entire culture. There's history and traditions that are hardly religious in nature, yet they're the basis for most of these holidays."
Lucien's eyes sparkled. "How so?" he asked.
"Did you know that Hanukah represents the miracle of the eternal flame in the ancient temple lasting for eight days when there was only enough oil left to last for one? It happened during a war when the Jewish warriors called Maccabees were fighting to capture and rededicate the temple that had been taken and outlawed by the rulers of the Holy Land at the time."
"I had read a bit of that earlier," he said, smiling.
"Did you know any of that before you'd read it?"
"Not at all."
"I had no idea. And this was all more than a hundred years after the death of Christ. I always thought that Judaism was the ancient religion of the Old Testament, something that was a remnant of the days before Christ but…well, clearly it isn't."
"The world is far more vast and complex than any of us ever really know."
Jean hummed in agreement. She knew that there was a lot of the world she didn't know about. It wasn't usually presented to her so obviously. But Lucien was quite well-traveled and had seen and done things Jean had never even fathomed. It was hard to believe, sometimes, that there was anything he did not know.
"It is getting late. Perhaps it's bedtime," Lucien suggested quietly.
"You're right," Jean agreed. She closed the book and left it on the kitchen table. "I imagine you'll want to read this a bit more tomorrow before Alice comes for supper?"
"I would, yes."
She nodded and stood from the table. "Goodnight, Lucien," she said.
"Goodnight, Jean."
Jean answered the door, trying not to feel nervous. "Hello, Doctor Harvey," she greeted. "Please come in. We're all looking forward to celebrating with you."
Doctor Harvey looked at her curiously. "Celebrating what?"
"Hello, Alice!" Lucien welcomed, coming into the entryway from the parlor.
Jean turned to him and frowned. "Lucien, did you not tell Doctor Harvey why you invited her for dinner?"
Lucien gave a sheepish sort of look that made it clear that no, he had not in fact told Alice why he had invited her for dinner. "Ah. Well, you mentioned yesterday that you're Jewish and tonight is the first night of Hanukah, and since you are new in town, I thought you might not have anyone to celebrate with so…"
"You've invited me for Hanukah?" Alice asked in surprise.
"We have," Jean said. "And we're quite looking forward to it. Lucien consulted a rabbi and we've been reading about the holiday, and Charlie's helping me make latkes."
"And we've got a menorah to light at sundown," Lucien added.
Alice stared at them both in slight shock. "I…thank you," she stammered.
Lucien took Alice into the parlor and poured the wine. Mattie had decorated everything with blue and white and silver decorations, most of which she had made herself using what little craft skills she had, cutting out six-pointed stars and putting them up around the room. Jean and Charlie went back to their cooking. The latkes were coming out quite nicely, though Jean had nothing to compare them to. They smelled wonderful, though. And they'd go well with the roast chicken in the oven and the veg steaming on the stove next to where she was frying up the latkes.
They were interrupted when Mattie came to collect them, saying it was sundown and time to light the menorah. Jean moved the oil off the burner for the time being and took off her apron so they could welcome in the holiday with Alice.
"Now I was having a bit of trouble figuring this out on my own, so I hope you can show us how it's done," Lucien said to Alice.
"It's been a long time since I've lit a menorah, actually. I don't usually observe the holidays anymore," she said. "But I remember doing it for all eight nights with my grandmother when I was a little girl."
She struck a match and lit the candle in the center. From there, she lit the small cup of oil on the far right using the lit candle and then placing it back in its holder in the center. She then gestured in front of her face with her hands three times, as though wafting the flames toward her. And then she recited, "Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu, melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner Hanukah." She put her hands down and turned to the small crowd of people who had been watching her. "And that's about it. Happy Hanukah."
Lucien grinned. "That was lovely, Alice, thank you. A very happy Hanukah to you."
"That was a beautiful prayer. Was that Hebrew?" Jean asked curiously.
Alice nodded. "That's the blessing over the Hanukah light. I learned it as a child. I don't really know the translation, I'm afraid."
"Perhaps it's in your book, Lucien," Mattie suggested.
"Yes, I'd like to see that book," Alice added.
"Let's take a look, shall we?" Lucien suggested.
"Dinner's almost ready," Jean warned.
They all went their separate ways, Charlie and Jean back to the kitchen and Lucien, Mattie, and Alice into the study.
As they went back to their preparations, Charlie asked, "Does the Doc do things like this a lot?"
"Jewish holidays? No. But making strange but kind gestures to people? Yes, all the time," Jean said with a little smirk. "Charlie, could you finish the place settings in the dining room, please? I'm going to get the chicken out now."
Everyone sat down to the meal and had a marvelous time. Alice seemed to come alive, telling stories of Jewish traditions and answering everyone's questions. The food turned out wonderfully. Alice told Jean that the latkes were just as she remembered her grandmother making. There was talk and laughter and eating, and the whole evening was quite celebratory.
After dinner, as they lingered to finish their wine, Alice thanked them for marking the occasion with her. "I haven't had a homecooked meal for Hanukah in a very long time," she said. "It was quite a surprise."
"It wasn't intended to be," Jean told her. "Lucien should have told you!"
"I forgot, and I do apologize," Lucien interjected.
"Surprise or not, it was very nice. Thank you all," Alice said.
Jean smiled. "It was our pleasure. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us. And we would love to have you come for Christmas, if you'd like."
"I've never actually celebrated Christmas before," Alice admitted.
"Then you must come," Lucien insisted.
A strange expression passed over Alice's face. As though such an invitation was both unexpected and unfamiliar to her. But she smiled. "Alright," she agreed.
Later, Charlie drove Alice home, and Mattie started taking down the decorations in the parlor. Lucien helped Jean with the dishes in the kitchen.
"I thought that all went rather well," he said.
"I agree. I think Alice had a nice time," Jean answered.
"I think so, too. And it'll be nice to have her come by for Christmas. Are you going to do that lamb again?"
She chuckled lightly. He was terribly predictable sometimes. "Yes, I think so. It's your favorite and it's festive."
"You spoil me," he teased.
"I don't think I do, but when it comes to Christmas, we all could use a few of our favorite things," she said.
"Regardless, you do such a wonderful job of making the holidays special, Jean," he said. He put down the towel he was using to dry the dishes and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I can't tell you what it means to me, all the effort you put into making this house such a special, beautiful, happy home."
Jean felt a lump form in her throat, and she didn't know what to say. Part of her wanted to be flippant and just remind him that she was his housekeeper and it was her job. But that wasn't the truth. The truth was, this house was her home. And its inhabitants were a family to her. And helping to make things special for all of them wasn't just her job. It was her joy, too. She wanted to decorate the tree. She wanted to bake Christmas cookies and decorate them with Mattie. She wanted to make Lucien's favorite meal. And more than anything, she very much wanted to sit in the parlor with these people she loved so dearly and feel grateful that she got to spend the holiday season with them.
Christmas came before they knew it. Charlie ended up going home to Melbourne to spend the holiday with her mother, but Alice and Matthew were both expected to come celebrate with Jean and Lucien and Mattie.
Jean spent practically all day in the kitchen preparing all the delicious things they'd enjoy for the holiday. The guests were due to arrive at around four in the afternoon and there was a lot to do before then. Mattie tried to help, but unlike Charlie, she didn't have much experience cooking and Jean ended up having to do extra work to clean up after Mattie's messes. She didn't mind; that was how Jean had learned to cook as a young girl assisting her mother, and it was Christmas and getting to spend time with Mattie was lovely no matter what. But what that meant was that Jean was running behind when the doorbell rang at exactly four.
"I'll get it!" Lucien announced.
"Thank heaven for that," Jean muttered to herself. Mattie overheard and giggled.
From where they were at the stove, Jean could overhear Lucien thank Alice for something she'd brought over. That certainly piqued her curiosity.
"Here, Mattie, stir this for a minute. I'm going to say hello to Alice."
Jean wiped her hands and left the kitchen, assuming Lucien and Alice were in the parlor. To her surprise, Lucien was standing on a chair in the doorway, reaching up to the ceiling for something.
"Lucien, what on earth are you doing?"
The chair wobbled and slipped out beneath him, causing Lucien to tumble to the ground. He let out a surprised yell and then a groan of pain.
"Lucien!" Jean shrieked, flying to his side.
"No, Jean, don't! I—"
"Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling down to tend to him.
He sighed. "I'm fine. You shouldn't have—"
"Now you've got to kiss him," came Alice's addition. Jean hadn't noticed her standing there.
"What!?" Jean exclaimed.
Lucien pointed up. "Alice brought mistletoe. I was just hanging it up."
"And you're both under the mistletoe, so you're supposed to kiss. Isn't that what you people do?" Alice asked pointedly.
Jean sighed in resignation and leaned in to press her lips to Lucien's cheek, just above the line of his beard. "There. Now, are you sure you aren't hurt?"
"Just a bit of bruising where I landed. On my body and on my pride."
She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "Yes, you're fine. Up you get."
The doorbell rang.
"Oh, Alice, could you get that, please?" Jean asked. "It's probably Matthew."
Alice left the room to answer the door. Jean went back to helping Lucien stand up.
"You know," he said as they both managed to get upright again, "that wasn't exactly the sort of kiss that mistletoe calls for."
"I suppose it wasn't," she conceded, feeling her cheeks grow a bit warm at his insinuation. Jean looked purposefully away from Lucien's face.
"Jean," he said softly.
She looked up at the sound of his voice in that tone that made her heart skip a beat. And before she knew it, he was leaning closer to her. Before her eyes fluttered closed on their own accord, Jean managed to get up on her tiptoes and tilt her face up toward him. Their lips met and Jean felt lightning spark through her whole body.
And then it was over. He pulled back, and she blinked her eyes open. He was smiling. They both were.
"Merry Christmas, Jean," he whispered.
Her smile grew. "Merry Christmas, Lucien."
THE END
