Chapter 20

Angela had gone on Monday, and Victor’s friends left on Tuesday. Victor sat alone in his large house and realised Christmas was less than two weeks away. He did not look forward to it with any confidence. Every year previously, both when he was on leave from the army, and after he left, he spent the time with his sister, but this year he would be alone.

He idly wondered why this was a rather daunting prospect. After all the twenty fifth of December was a date like any other, and a good number of the world’s population did not celebrate it at all. He came to a theory that it was because most people got together with family or friends, and as a result those without family could feel as if they were outcasts from society on that day.

He sighed and decided to find a restaurant or a hotel and stay there over the festive period. At least he would be among other folk. He had hardly made up his mind to do that, when his phone rang.

It was Bridget McLeod.

“Victor,” she sang in her Scottish lilt, “James and I were talking about your visit, and your news about your sister. Would you consider coming to us for Christmas and Hogmanay? There are going to be a few guests who come every year. Better than being on your own, and you’ve been through a wee bit of trouble from what we’ve read in the papers.”

Victor was delighted. “Thank you Bridget,” he smiled, “I was just wondering what to do about Christmas, and I had decided to try to find a hotel. But you’re closed over Christmas normally aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are in fact closed,” she rejoined, “but these are our Christmas and New Year regulars. Anyway you know we keep an open door for our friends – like yourself.”

He remembered times he had been up there in Winter, when it was just him and his hosts. So that was agreed. He asked to arrive a week before Christmas to unwind, and immediately decided to leave the next day, spend a few days in Edinburgh and then cross to the hotel. He wanted to get away from the area where he was; there was nothing now to keep him.

He packed two large cases, his walking boots and skis, phoned George as he usually did, and the next day left for Edinburgh.

If he had expected a white Christmas he would have been disappointed. While it was frosty morning and evening, the weather was generally dry. When it was wet the precipitation fell as rain; it was an unusually warm December for Scotland.

The result was that he got a good deal of walking in before the other guests arrived, and had some time with James and Bridget, eating with them and helping them with the kitchen chores. He also had time to read.

The regular visitors were an agreeable lot. Mainly his age and older, and with one exception married or cohabiting couples. Each evening there was interesting conversation as they swapped life-stories, and discussed the issues of the day.

The exception was a single woman of Victor’s age. Victor wondered why there was always a single woman when he visited the McLeods? However, this one was markedly different from Angela. She was shy and a little mousy, but Victor turned on the charm and soon she was telling him her life-story, though she had said nothing to the group.