She usually didn't have this much trouble concentrating during Lauds. She'd always found peace in the voices of her Sisters joined in harmony, as well as the silence and the meditation. In prayer, her mercurial mind cleared, her path seemed straight and nothing could tempt her away from her devotion to Him.
But tonight, her mind was too full and instead of God, she could only think about the world beyond, and of the man that waited. She sighed, and fought the urge to glance back at the closed chapel doors.
He'd come yesterday, along with a grateful patient, but she'd been at Compline then and unable to enjoy –
Oh, she shouldn't be thinking like this! She closed her eyes and focused on the clear chant of her Sisters' voices. She always had such trouble concentrating during Christmas. Her mind would wander, and she'd think of home and her mother, both long gone now. Much of her childhood hadn't been happy, but Christmas had always been joyful. She closed her eyes, remembering the smell of the trees covered in snow, the choir in church, the celebrations and the sweets afterwards. Her life was so different now, but the joy she felt every Christmas was the same. Even he reminded her of that.
Morning prayers ended and the Sisters rose one by one, their starched habits rustling as they exited the chapel. The others left to attend to their daily duties, but she had no purpose, so she was free to roam. She went straight to the kitchen, where she knew she would find him.
She opened the cupboard, looked in the tin and there was her gingerbread man, smiling at her with a sweet icing grin.
Sister Monica Joan smiled back, and bit his head off. Yes, Christmas was a time of joy.