LONDON CALLING

"Might I join you at tai chi sometime?" Zoe asked. "I've made it to level 4, but I honestly haven't had time to test for my level 5 rank yet. I started taking tai chi some years ago after ending up having an emergency muggle surgery after a skiing accident. Took me awhile to recover, and they recommended tai chi because it was non-invasive. And I'll jog with anyone who wants to go with me. I did run in the Boston Marathon this past year."

"I've heard something about that. is it a long course or something?" Kate asked.

"It's over 26 miles," Zoe said. "This year was the first year I qualified. I didn't run it to try to win. I only wanted to try to run the distance. Most people that run it just want to challenge themselves to finish it. And I did. I was nowhere near the front of the pack but I wasn't last either, so I felt rather proud of myself." She listened to Ruby talk about knitting and reading.

"I always have a book nearby," she said. "I love to read. I used to do a great deal of knitting. I might have to buy a new pair of knitting needles and some yarn," she said. "My grandmother taught me. She liked knitting and crocheting and tatting."

"Tatting? Now that's something I haven't heard in a long time," Simone said

"What's tatting?" Angus asked.

"It's a means of making very delicate lace, similar to crocheting," Simeone said. "My mother used to do tatting."

"I know how to do it but I haven't done it in ages," Kate said. "Come on. I'll show you around, Zoe." Kate took Zoe and too her to show her around the house.

"I think she's going to be just fine," Simone said. "Salad and breadsticks done. Hope you don't mind, but I made whole wheat ones with some fresh herbs, and garlic, of course, and a twist. Anything else?"

"Not now, thanks, but I think we need to put the ploughman's away. I think everyone's eaten," Angus said.

"I'll get straight on that," she said.

"And I'll give you a hand," Andrew said.

"I can help!" Abbey said.

"You certainly can," Simone said. She gave her a plastic container. "Can you gather up all the dirty silverware and bring it to the sink, please?"

"Ok," Abbey said.

Zoe agreed with Ruby. She had heard about women who, when they got pregnant, had some scattered thoughts and what thoughts they did have could seem to be entirely about the baby and nothing else. She was going to have people to cook for that didn't appear to be that difficult to please, people to craft with, and people to exercise with. And, if the bowtruckle was any sign of things to come, she was going to be exposed to all sorts of magical things that she had read about but not experienced herself.

She fell in love with the log mansion and the southwest decor straight from the start. It was the sort of place that she had seen in magazines but had never seen in person. This family had money, and lots of it. Still, they seemed down to earth and seemed like very likeable folks.

Simone took the Victoria sponge out of the oven and set it to cool. She made an apricot filling for it and dusted the top with sugar. Abbey and Andrew finished clearing the dining room and then set it up for supper so that all those tasks were done.

Then Andrew took some time with Abbey and played one of Abbey's board games with her. it was a matching game and it depended on the players remembering where things were. Andrew figured it would be easy, but he soon found out that Abbey was a little better at it than he was. It made her laugh.

Andrew took Zoe's suitcases up to her room for her, and when Zoe unpacked, Abbey stayed with Zoe, and Zoe found out that Abbey took directions amazingly well and she could be more helpful than most three year olds. Abbey showed her wither the pantry, the fridge and the freezer were, and Zoe got a good look at the supplies. Then Angus showed her the past menus of what the family had eaten and, generally, when they did eat. Zoe was excited about getting to take control of such a well equipped kitchen for breakfast and lunch. And she was a bit surprised to have Angus tell her that she did not have to wear chef whites to work. She could wear what she liked. She had never had a job that was that casual before, but she did rather like being treated so well right from the start.

Near five, Edward came over and found Angus in his office.

"What have you ordered now, Lad?" Edward asked.

"What?" Angus asked.

"There are several large crates that appeared in front of the house. What have you ordered?"

"Oh. Those. Christmas decorations. Some for inside, some for outside, and Simone told me what she wanted so yours are in there too."

"Lad, if that's just Christmas decorations, we've got enough to decorate the whole bloody palace. Did you overdo it?"

"No. I did not," Angus said. "It's all very well thought out and I asked them to pack things well so that the glass did not break in the apparating. You'll see."

"I'd better go find Ruby and we'd better get on opening boxes, then."

"Oh, and I bought some artificial trees this year so we could put them up sooner and leave them up longer than a real tree," Angus said. Edward shook his head and headed back to the duplex to find Ruby.

"Your boyfriend has gone over the top with Christmas, I think," Edward replied. "He said he bought artificial trees for your place and mine so we could have them up as long as we want. And he bought decorations and lights for inside and out. There's enough here to decorate the entire Ministry, I think. Too bad the boys aren't here. We could turn them loose on it and let them just go entirely bananas with it all. I guess the first order of business is a crowbar to pry open all these wood crates. I'm sure I have one in my tools in the cellar. Accio, crowbar."

When the crowbar arrived, he pried open the crates one by one. Some had beautiful glass ornaments. some had lights, some had garland. There were all sorts of decorations. Angels and nutcrackers and stars and wreaths. There were two sets of Christmas dinnerware, Christmas silverware, Christmas drinking glasses, and more. Christmas dishtowels and bedsheets and bathtowels. No room in the duplex would be untouched, clearly. There were small tabletop trees for the bedrooms and the bathrooms. Even a Christmas sweater and Christmas biscuits for Finn.

"This is going to be a job, I think," Edward said. "He's always liked Christmas, but this is a bit excessive even for him. I think he's lost his mind."

"We would take any and all the help we can get," Edward said. "I've got some Christmas spice tea that Simone and I bought a couple days ago. I'll go put the kettle on, and we can all at least have a mug of tea while we work." He was going to head into the kitchen when he saw some red velvet peeking out from under a box of ornaments. He gently shuffled the ornaments away, and he found beautiful red velvet stockings, trimmed in faux fur. And they were embroidered. Simone, Edward, Victor, Sam, Ruby, Angus, and even a bone shaped red velvet stocking for Finn. And then he found one more. A very small stocking that was embroidered with a strange name--Ralph.

"Who is Ralph?" Edward asked, handing the stocking to Ruby.

"I hope he doesn't really plan on naming her that," Edward laughed. "If he is, I'll have to have a heart to heart with him Fortunately, we have time to talk him out of naming your niece Ralph. Thanks for the help with the trees. You know, we could set spells in place to decorate them, but it does sort of lose something when the spell just puts them on the tree rather randomly. I believe Simone would have more than a little to say if we did it that way. She would make me take every ornament off and put them in the right places. She has already let me know certain things need to be done right or not at all."

Edward went in and put the kettle on and got out four mugs and the Christmas tea and made everyone a mug of the new tea. He gave everyone a mug of tea.

"Try that and tell me what you think," he told them.

It wasn't long before a family arrived. It was a light skinned black man, a caucasian woman with flaming red hair, a little red headed girl about Abbey's age, and, in the woman's arms, was a biracial baby. There were two large suitcases and a cat carrier with them. They also had a letter from Angus, saying they were new staff.

The crew member came inside with the letter.

"There's a couple outside, with two little kids and a cat, and saying they're new staff people," the man said. Kate took the letter and read it.

"Yes, indeed. They belong here. Take them to the vacant cabin, and we'll be there in a moment to welcome them," Kate said. "They're a little early, but that's just fine. They can join us at supper tonight."

"if you say so, Ma'am," the man said. Kate went to find Angus in his office.

"Nicky and Shannon are here," Kate said.

"They're several hours early," Angus said.

"That's fine. That gives them more time to get to know everyone. I told the crew to take them to their cabin. I'll go over and welcome them."

"I'll go with you. Andrew can take me." He looked at Abbey. "You want to go too? They have a girl just about your age. You might finally have a playmate." Abbey nodded. She climbed up on his lap, as Angus called for Andrew. "The other new chef and the new housekeeper are here," Angus told Andrew. "Can you take me so I can say hello?"

"Certainly," Andrew said.