December 24, 1926
The church was full, just as it always was on Christmas Eve, and Rosalind Foyle smiled as she glanced quickly around seeing faces that she saw every Sunday mingled with those of people she had not seen in church since Easter. To be fair most people in Hastings were fairly committed churchgoers but there were some who were only to be seen on High Holy Days.
She smiled at them all but couldn't help the pang in her heart for the one face she didn't see. Her brother Charles, who had joined them in Hastings for Christmas every year that he wasn't deployed since Andrew was born, was currently deployed somewhere in the North Sea.
Rosalind had always been proud of her brother, proud of his service to their country and she knew that he had loved the navy since he was a little boy. But knowing all of these things didn't make her worry any less about his safety or make it any easier when the holidays came and he was at sea.
At least Alice had come down to join them. Rosalind always worried about Alice while Charles was deployed, especially as she had no other family nearby. Her sister had recently moved to Canada with her husband and their children and both of her parents had passed away now, her mother just this past March. She knew Charles worried about Alice too and he had confided in more than a few letters that he always felt better when he heard that Alice had spent a few days with her and Christopher.
'Speaking of Christopher…' He had walked Andrew to church early, the choir master always wanted the boys there in time for a last minute rehearsal, and then come back to escort her and Alice just as they had discussed. When the reached the steps of St. Clements though a young constable had approached and very apologetically informed Christopher that he was requested at the station if at all possible.
Rosalind had wanted to protest but Christopher had just sighed and kissed her cheek murmuring, "Promise I'll be back in time to hear Andrew" before striding away with the constable.
That had been over a quarter of an hour ago now and the service would start soon. She turned to look at the door again. Getting called out at any time was one of the hazards of Christopher's profession and she was just as proud of him as she was of Charles but she couldn't help wishing that someone else could have dealt with whatever it was.
Before she could fret further about the matter Alice asked her if Andrew had any solos and by the time their conversation had ended the service was about to begin although there was still no sign of Christopher. 'Hopefully he'll be here soon, he does know what time they were supposed to start.'
Although she checked several times Christopher did not appear and Rosalind finally resigned herself to the fact that whatever had come up at the station must be serious. Silently sending up a prayer for Christopher's safety she turned her full attention back to the service, determined to remember every detail so as to be able to relate them to Christopher when he asked later.
The choir started with "Hark! The Harold Angels Sing" followed immediately by "Joy to the World" and "God rest ye Merry Gentlemen" before giving way to Reverend Matthews. The customary passages of Luke were read and Rosalind couldn't help marveling as she always did at the timelessness of the Christmas Eve service.
It didn't matter that they were at a different church in a different town than she had grown up in, she might as well have been seven, for so much of the service was just as she remembered.
Reverend Matthews' homily was relatively short and quite good-humored as his usually were and the choir soon rose again to sing the last songs of the evening. The boys' well-trained voice filled the church beautifully and Rosalind could hardly believe that these were the same muddy little boys who so often trooped into her house for tea.
Andrew stepped forward with two other boys who had solos in the next song and Rosalind couldn't help the nervous feeling in her gut, wishing for Christopher's reassuring grip on her hand. Andrew had a lovely voice and the choirmaster had great hopes of turning him into the choir's main boy soprano before his voice broke, something that Andrew seemed willing to go along with.
They sang "Oh Holy Night" so beautifully that both Rosalind and Alice had tears in their eyes and then launched into "Angels from the Realms of Glory." Rosalind closed her eyes as the music swelled, smiling softly as Andrew's voice sang the opening verse alone.
"Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth."
The choir joined him on the chorus filling the church with heavenly music:
"Come and worship, come and worship
Worship Christ, the newborn King."
"Shepherds, in the fields abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,"
Andrew began and then his voice faltered and Rosalind's eyes flew open just in time to see her son give a shout of glee and race towards the back of the church.
She turned with the rest of the congregation and watched as he threw himself into the arms of a tall naval officer. Rosalind stared unable to believe her eyes as she watched her brother hold her son close, noticing belatedly that Christopher was standing to Charles' left, a soft smile on his face.
"Oh Uncle Charles, you're home!" Andrew's words seemed to jolt her back to life and with Alice she rose from the pew and made her way to where Charles and Christopher were standing, Andrew still clinging tightly to Charles' neck.
They all looked up as Rosalind and Alice approached and Charles' face broke into an even wider smile as he handed Andrew to Christopher and opened his arms to his wife. Alice flew to him and for a long while they simply held each other and then Charles kissed her cheek and released her so he could give Rosalind a hug.
"Happy Christmas Rosy" he murmured into her hair and Rosalind couldn't help the tears that dampened his already damp shoulder. No one but Charles called her Rosy, not even Christopher, and it was then that she truly accepted that this wasn't a dream but that her brother was actually home, miraculously home for Christmas.
The organ began the opening bars of "Away in A Manger" and they all suddenly remembered that they were not only in church, but also in full view of the congregation. Alice and Rosalind blushed while Andrew squirmed in his father's arms, "I need to go sing Daddy!" Christopher chuckled and set him down.
Soft laughter filled the church as Andrew hurried back down the aisle to retake his place, saying sincerely and audibly to the choirmaster, "Sorry Mr. Morris but that's my Uncle Charles and he's been away for a longtime on his battleship." Mr. Morris nodded understandingly and as the Foyles' and Howards' returned to their seats strains of "Away in a Manger" filled the church.
Hours later, after they had made it home from the service and after an overexcited Andrew had finally been put to bed and the presents were placed under the tree and the stockings filled Christopher and Charles explained everything.
Charles had found out two weeks earlier that there was a chance they would be back in port early and had promptly telegrammed Christopher, not wanting to tell anyone else in case it hadn't come off. They had been lucky enough to make very good time and had made port by the 23rd.
He had telephoned Christopher as soon as possible and then set about trying to get down to Hastings, something easier said then done with the holiday rush. Given that they didn't know when he would get it they had agreed that he would ring the station when he reached Hastings. Christopher then took up the story explaining that he had brought both Hugh Reid and John Rivers on board with the plan incase he was out when Charles called.
Reid had been working the desk that evening and had dispatched a constable to find Foyle while he himself drove one of the station cars to the train station to pick up Charles.
"So that's why you didn't complain about that constable coming to fetch you!" Rosalind exclaimed when this part of the story was explained.
Christopher laughed, "Yes, I thought Thompson sold it quite well. Anyway we had meant to be make it back to the church much sooner but then something really did come up at the station which Hugh needed a hand with…nothing serious" he added quickly at Rosalind's worried look.
"Timing seemed to work out fairly well anyway" Charles mused as he took a sip of tea, completely failing to hide the smile on his face.
They all laughed and then Rosalind got to her feet, "Well Andrew is bound to be up early tomorrow so I suggest we all get some rest." She crossed to her brother and kissed his cheek, "Happy Christmas Charles, your being here is the best gift I could have ever asked for."
Charles smiled his eyes very soft, as he murmured, "No where else I'd rather be Rosy."
So it was that the Foyle household was filled with unexpected joy and the warmth of family on one unforgettable Christmas.