The Perfect Retreat

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE




Kitty and Merritt were walking off their Christmas lunch through the streets of London.

‘My trousers are too tight,’ complained Kitty. They had left Harold asleep on the sofa, propped up on cushions with a silk quilt over his knees. He had spent the entire Christmas lunch in angel wings, much to Merritt’s amusement. Kitty was used to his eccentric costumes. Sometimes he was a gladiator, other times Napoleon Bonaparte. ‘Christmas is about angels,’ said Harold after he’d answered the door and Merritt had looked questioningly at the white-feathered wings with gold tips.

‘You can undo them,’ said Merritt.

‘I can’t! I’m in the street,’ said Kitty, horrified. ‘I ate too much pudding.’

‘Me too,’ said Merritt, burping just a little.

They turned the corner and were walking towards the house when Kitty stopped.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Merritt, and then he looked and saw Ivo in the distance standing outside Harold’s house. Merritt looked at Kitty, then waved at his friend. They walked closer and Ivo met them halfway. ‘Hello mate,’ said Merritt and shook his hand. ‘Merry Christmas.’

Ivo shook Merritt’s hand warmly. ‘Merry Christmas to you, my friend.’

Kitty stood looking at the ground.

‘I might take a bit more of a walk, try and get rid of the third helping of pudding,’ Merritt said, and he walked away, hunched over in his large coat.

Kitty stood in front of Ivo. ‘Hello,’ she said shyly.

‘Hello. I got your letter.’ Ivo’s eyes searched her face, hoping for something more than just small talk.

‘Oh,’ said Kitty, looking down at her feet.

‘I loved it.’ Ivo leaned down so his eyes met hers.

‘Oh.’ Kitty felt a blush travelling up her neck to her cheeks.

‘I forgive you if you forgive me?’ he said, looking at her delicate face which he loved so much.

‘I forgive you.’

‘I love you, Katinka Iris Clementina Ceres Middlemist.’

‘I love you too, Ivo …’ She paused.

‘Peregrine James Casselton.’

‘I love you, Ivo Peregrine James Casselton. Just don’t ask me to spell it,’ she laughed. Ivo pulled her to him and kissed her in the cold air and she felt herself melting into his arms.

‘Come in and see Harold,’ she said, and she held his cold hand in her gloved one as they walked up the front steps. She fished the key out of her pocket and they kissed on the doorstep.

‘Harold?’ asked Ivo. He had read the address on the letter, but there was no name on the stationery.

‘Yes, I’m Harold’s protégée, houseguest and assistant,’ said Kitty proudly to a surprised Ivo.

‘Harold, Harold! Look at my Christmas present!’ she yelled, even though he abhorred yelling. There was no sound.

‘He was asleep when we left,’ she said, and she rushed into the sitting room with Ivo following, laughing at her elation. She stopped as she entered the room and looked at Harold, peaceful on the sofa, his wings still on and spread out behind him like an ethereal cloak.

‘Harold?’ she said, and then she moved closer. ‘Harold,’ she said again. Her voice rose.

Ivo stepped forward.

‘Harold?’ He asked for the man’s attention and then held his hand.

‘Call an ambulance,’ he said quickly. He took the cushions away from behind Harold, laid him back and started chest compressions.

‘Ambulance! Now!’ he yelled at Kitty, who ran crying to the phone. Ivo could hear her stuttering hysterically as he concentrated on his task. Once she’d finished she called Merritt on his mobile phone to tell him to come back to the house.

‘Come on,’ he said between breaths, but Harold’s body was lifeless. Merritt came running back and took over from Ivo, who was exhausted, and then the paramedics came inside and did their job.

Kitty was inconsolable. ‘Harry, Harry!’ she cried into Ivo and Merritt’s arms as Harold’s chest was punched and shocked by machines.

Although it felt like minutes, it was almost an hour before the men stopped. ‘He’s gone,’ said one of them kindly.

‘No!’ cried Kitty, and she rushed to his side. ‘Harold! Harry, come back! I’m no good without you.’

Ivo watched helplessly. Kitty lay across Harold’s body and wept painfully, and Merritt felt his own tears on his cheeks. Harold’s kindness to Kitty and him was beyond anything he had ever experienced. He knew the world had just lost a great man.

Ivo helped Kitty away from the sitting room while they waited for Harold’s body to be collected. He led her into the kitchen and sat her down while he made tea.

‘They think it was a heart attack,’ said Merritt, coming into the kitchen.

Kitty said nothing. She was in shock. Merritt sat next to her and held her hand. ‘He didn’t feel anything Kits; he was exactly as we left him.’

She nodded. ‘I know. It’s just that I love him,’ she cried.

‘I know,’ said Merritt.

‘And I feel terrible,’ she said.

‘I know,’ said Merritt. ‘It’s an enormous loss.’

‘I feel terrible because I’m sadder than when our own dad died.’ She wept and Merritt held her in his arms.

‘Oh darling Kits. Just because he wasn’t your actual father doesn’t mean he wasn’t one to you. He was. He was more of a father to you than Dad ever was. Just because you’re not blood doesn’t mean you’re not family,’ he said softly.

Kitty nodded into his chest and her breathing slowed down. ‘I will miss him so much,’ she said.

‘We all will,’ said Merritt. Ivo was sitting on her other side.

‘Kitty? Lovely Katinka. I will look after you.’ Ivo held her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. Kitty looked at him with wide eyes.

‘What?’ asked Ivo.

‘You called me Katinka,’ she said.

‘Yes, sorry about that,’ said Ivo, blushing. ‘It just popped into my head. I don’t know why.’

Kitty smiled. ‘It’s OK, I like it. Harry used to call me that,’ she said, and she kissed his face all over. ‘He would be so happy we’re together.’

And above all the chaos, Harold looked down on them and was happy. He had known it was coming; he had felt it for a while. He straightened his wings and greeted his old pals. ‘Wait a minute,’ he said as they started to walk away, and he watched Kitty and Ivo hold each other as his body was carried out of the house.

‘Fin.’

He was the last of the romantics, he thought, and he turned and walked towards his destiny.