Charis (22 page)

After dinner they all went down to their little village church for
an evening carol service and sang all the wonderful traditional Christmas
carols and listened to the Christmas story read from the King James Bible, then
returned home to have warm mince pies and listen to their favourite Christmas
CDs.

Breakfast on Christmas Day was at nine. The family sat around the
big kitchen table and had ham and cheese omelettes with toast and juice. Just
after ten o’clock the rest of the family joined them; Elizabeth and Hugh
arriving first with their three boys, closely followed by Adrian and Felicity
and their little girls. And at eleven o'clock they gathered in the living room
by the Christmas tree in the big bay window and Emily handed out all the gifts.
Soon the children were running around playing, making a noise and getting into
all sorts of mischief, so Giles suggested that some of them might like to go
outside for a short walk before dinner. It was cold but the sun was shining, so
they bundled up the children in their warm winter clothes and Jennifer, Adrian,
Simon, Charles, Giles and Ben got ready to go with them when Ben noticed that
Lorraine wasn't with them.

“Where's Lorraine?” he asked Simon quietly.

“She's gone to lie down,” Simon answered. “She's not feeling too
chipper today.”

“When is she due?”

“About six weeks.”

“So she's at 34 weeks.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Simon nodded.

“Would you like me to take a look at her?” Ben asked.

“I think she's just tired, but it would relieve my mind, if you
don’t mind.”

Simon and Ben decided not to join the group going for a walk but
went up to see Lorraine instead. Emily, Elizabeth, Felicity, Amelia and Charis
made their way to the kitchen to help finish preparing dinner and setting the
dining room table.

Everyone was hungry by the time dinner was served. The table was decorated
with miniature Christmas trees and candles and there was so much food Charis
thought it would take the entire week to eat it all. The children were calmer
since their stint in the fresh air and sat eating quietly. Lorraine had joined
them, feeling a little better after her rest. Ben had given her a simple
examination and talked to her, and was able to reassure Simon that everything
seemed to be fine but if he was still worried after Christmas, she should most
definitely check with her midwife or obstetrician.

Once everyone had eaten their fill of turkey, roast pork, bread
sauce, stuffing and a large assortment of vegetables, Emily and Elizabeth
carried in the Christmas pudding, brandy poured over the top, lit and burning
brightly. The children sat in awe as they watched the flames. Jugs of custard
and cream were placed on the table to accompany it, or for those who felt too
full to eat the pudding, a trifle instead.

It was the custom in the Covington household that since the women
did all the preparation and the cooking, the men cleared away and washed the
dishes, or at least got them ready for the dishwasher. Once Giles thought
they'd sat around the table long enough, he shooed the women and children out
and organised the clean up among the menfolk. By three o'clock it was all
finished and everyone was sitting in front of the television to watch the
Queen's Christmas message.

It was late afternoon before Elizabeth and Hugh left. They had the
furthest to travel and their boys were getting tired and quarrelsome. Hugh was
a dentist and had a practice in Bournemouth but they lived near Lyndhurst in
the New Forest, so as soon as everyone had their fill of sandwiches and
Christmas cake they decided it was time to get their cranky children home and to
bed. Adrian and Felicity left soon afterwards, Lucy having already fallen
asleep. It had been a long but happy day for the little ones.

The family party now well depleted, the remaining family sat around
the big log fire in the living room and watched a favourite DVD - A Christmas
Carol. By the time the film had finished Simon said he was taking his wife up
to bed, as she was tired. Ben thought she was looking strained so he told Simon
that he'd like to come and take a proper look at her as soon as she was in bed.

“I don't think you need to be worried,” he told Simon. “But it’s best
to make sure.” He went up to his own room to collect his medical bag, which he
always had with him. He re-appeared half an hour later and told them all that
the baby seemed fine but Lorraine was extremely tired. He thought a good
night's sleep was all she needed.

*****

Boxing Day arrived and Jennifer was glued to the window…waiting…watching
for David to pull up. It was nearly eleven before his car appeared in the
driveway and by then she had driven them all mad with her constant comments, “I
wish he was here,” “I hope he's not been in an accident,” and “He should be
here by now,” or “I wish he'd hurry up and get here,” “I hope he hasn't changed
his mind about coming,” and on and on until Giles said, “Jennifer! Calm down or
go to your room or for a walk or
something
. You're giving us all a
headache.” Naturally, everyone was highly relieved when they heard the sound of
a car arriving and Jennifer ran out to meet David.

Ben put his arm around Charis and whispered to her, “I think we were
really lucky that our courtship, if you can call it that, was so short and
sweet. We didn't have time for all this messing around.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Yes,” she said. “It was just
perfect for us – I wouldn't have had it any other way. Well, after the first
few hours anyway. I was so…so very afraid before you came.”

He held her close and kissed her. “But I came and I will never let
you be afraid again.”

Should I tell him? Is there anything that he could do?
she thought.
There haven’t been any messages lately…and I
haven’t seen him since…maybe it's stopped. Maybe? Please, God, please let it be
stopped.
But she never said anything out loud.

Jennifer and David came in together, Jennifer beaming. “Everybody,” she
said. “We have an announcement to make. David and I are going to get married.”

David quickly added, looking at Giles, “I'm sorry, sir. She kind of
jumped the gun. I told her I needed to ask your permission but she wouldn't
have it.”

Giles smiled and said, “You have my permission young man,
and
my blessing. Her mother and I have seen this coming and we heartily approve.
Congratulations, both of you.”

There were smiles and hugs and kisses all around until Emily asked, “Do
you have any wedding plans yet?”

“Not really,” said Jennifer. “But we're thinking Easter.”

Emily and Giles looked at each other. “When is Easter this year?”
asked Emily.

No one seemed too sure until David said, “I think it’s early April.”

“Well, that's a relief,” said Emily.

“Why?” Jennifer wanted to know.

“Well, your father and I are going away,” and she glanced at Ben who
shook his head, so she changed what she had been going to say and said instead,
“We have this opportunity to go on a cruise in March…we have the tickets
already. It'll be the first holiday we've ever had…just the two of us.”

“Oh, how wonderful for you! I'm so pleased,” exclaimed Jennifer. “And
we can decide on the exact date later. We can have all the arrangements made
before you go. We don't want a big fancy wedding anyway. Not like Elizabeth or
Amelia.”

Lunch turned into a celebration and then Jennifer had to phone her
sisters to tell them her news, as Amelia and Charles had left earlier in the
day to spend some time with his parents in Winchester.

*****

Christmas was over and everyone returned home. Life quickly returned
to normal for Charis and Ben. He had to work over the New Year holiday and the
weekend either side, although he was only on call then, but several times an
emergency came up and subsequently, Charis didn't see as much of him as she
would like. As the Music Academy's new term had not yet started, she had time
on her hands, so she was glad when Jennifer came up to London to spend some
time with David and stayed with Charis and Ben as usual. It gave the two girls
time together.

It had been a long time since they'd had any ‘girlie’ chats and now
that Jennifer and David were getting married there was much to discuss. They
laughed and planned and talked until finally Jennifer asked about Cairo. Charis
had been hoping that the subject wouldn't come up because she didn't know what
to tell her. Jennifer had been her best friend for years and her only
confidant. Charis wouldn't be able to lie to her, or even tell half-truths as
Ben had managed to do when he explained away their quick courtship and
marriage.

So, reluctantly at first, she told Jennifer about Henry's e-mail and
the plane ticket and how she'd arrived in Cairo and was taken to Ravi's house.

“And that's where I met Ben again,” she said. “He was visiting his
cousin and I was waiting for Henry,” hoping that would be the end of it.

But then Jennifer asked, “And you met up again and decided to get married
just like that?”

“Well no, not exactly,” Charis admitted, her hands fidgeting in her
lap.

“What then?”

“Oh, Jen! It was so complicated. It would take far too long to go
into all the ramifications.”

“We've got all afternoon,” Jennifer replied with a smile. “The men
are both working and won't be back for ages yet. And besides, you've got me
really curious now.”

There was a long pause while Charis tried to gather her thoughts and
decide what to say. It seemed to her the truth was best course…the
whole
truth.

“Well, it was actually all very sordid. I shouldn't have trusted
Henry. I knew I shouldn't but I went anyway and it was horrible.” The memories
were still so fresh. All the feelings and emotions came flooding back…like a
dam had broken. “When I got to Ravi's house I found out that Henry had sold
me.
Sold
me! Ravi had purchased me for his friends to use for sex. So I decided
to kill myself and then Ben was there and he...” She felt the tears…she was
beginning to cry, so she had to stop talking for a minute, bite her lip and get
control of herself again.

Jennifer's eyes were wide with a mixture of horror and disbelief. “You're
making this up!” she exclaimed.

Charis wiped her eyes. “I wish I was,” she whispered. “I was so
lucky that Ben was supposed to be the first to have me. He was so kind and
promised to bring me home no matter what Ravi said or did. I always did love
him, you know. He wanted to leave and get another room, but I begged him to
stay. I was so terrified about what would happen to me. So he stayed and he was
wonderful.”

“Charis, I don't know what to say. No wonder you don't talk about
it.”

“No, you're the only one I've told. I think Ben told some of this to
your mother, but no one else knows, so please don't repeat it to anyone.”

“Of course not,” she promised. “But Charis, you were always so
afraid of sex. And you slept with Ben anyway?”

Charis nodded. “Yes, and he was like the handsome Prince Charming in
all the fairy tales. He was so kind and thoughtful. I knew I was safe with him
and he made me feel very special…like I was someone very precious,” she managed
a smile. “We spent the most wonderful two days together and we fell completely
in love with each other. And when I found out who he really was, I couldn't
believe how lucky I was.”

“You didn't know it was Ben?”

“No, how could I? I didn't know your brother was only a half-brother
and the other half was an Arab prince, did I? He spoke Arabic to me and
introduced himself as Prince Ali Ben Yousef el Hussein. I knew he
looked
just like your brother, my Ben, but I thought that was a coincidence.  And he
didn't know me. He hadn’t known me as Charis and I'd changed quite a lot over
the past few years. After all, I was only sixteen the last time he saw me.”

“So when did you find out who he was?”

“When he asked me to marry him. I turned him down because I said I
couldn't marry a prince and live in the Middle East. That's when I found out he
was Dr. Ben Sinclair, which still didn't help much because I'd always thought
of him as Ben Covington!”

Jennifer was quiet for a few minutes, trying to digest everything
that she’d just heard. Then she asked, “When did he know who you were?”

“On the very first day! I told him some things about me and
mentioned my friend from school, you, so he knew then, but he didn't tell me.”

“Well, that wasn't very fair of him!”

“That's what I thought,” Charis smiled at the memory. “But when I
asked him why he said it was because he was already in love with me by then and
he wanted me to love him for who he was now, not for my memories of him.”

“It really is a very romantic story,” sighed Jennifer. “Started off
horrible and ended up 'happily ever after'.”

“I like to think so.”

“What a bastard Henry was. I bet you're glad he's out of your life
now.”

“Umm, yes,” Charis all but stuttered. Only the day before had
another note been pushed through the door. This one had really upset her. No,
not upset her. It had terrified her.
I will get you again. I will have you,
it said. She was almost hysterical for some time before reason took over and
she was able to get herself back to almost normal again. Now she looked at
Jennifer and said, “I really hope he is, out of my life for good, that is.”