‘Julia, can I have a word please?’ Gideon suddenly asked.
Surprising all of us, he was up on his feet before she could answer.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘As long as it’s not work-related.’
Wondering what was going on, I raised mine too. ‘What else would it be?’
Gideon struggled to hide his irritation. At who, it was hard to tell. ‘It’s about that report I mentioned,’ he said, his voice strained. ‘While it’s still on my mind.’
Julia rolled her eyes and stepping out into the aisle, gestured for Gideon to lead the way.
Martha and Lexi craned their necks to observe Gideon and Julia, but as my boyfriend and his colleague made sure they were far enough away to prevent any eavesdropping, the two women’s curiosity was disappointed. As their shoulders slumped, Martha and Lexi looked to each other then turned to me, their expressions reloaded with intrigue.
‘Are you okay?’ Alex asked. Leaning my way, he kept his voice low.
With the atmosphere at our table chillier than the winter temperatures, I understood Martha and Lexi’s interest. In their shoes, I’d probably want the lowdown too. Mustering the best smile I could, I nodded at Alex. ‘I’m fine, thank you.’
Gideon and Julia huddled towards each other and whatever their discussion was about I could see it was serious. Although with Gideon’s back to me I could only observe Julia’s contribution. Every now and then she glanced my way and wishing I could lip-read, I frowned at her. She reminded me of Serena. Quick to offer a friendly smile that was anything but.
I looked for clues that might indicate something untoward – a seductive smile here or a suggestive flick of her hair there – but none were forthcoming. Despite still having no idea why Julia was on the train, I told myself I was worrying over nothing and put my unease down to paranoia.
The train had stopped at several stations by the time Gideon and Julia deigned to rejoin us. As well as all things report-related, Gideon had obviously shared with Julia his dislike of Alex. Retaking her seat, her upper lip curled as she looked at him, such was her newfound disdain. Alex chuckled but while he might not have cared, I did. Gideon had no right to bad-mouth anyone like that.
Gideon jerked his head. ‘What’s going on? Why are we slowing down?’ He glanced out of the window. ‘There’s no platform coming up.’
Putting my hand up to the glass, I leaned in and peered out into the darkness. Much like my mood, the snow had got heavier. Squinting into the distance, all I could see were fields upon fields of white. Any other Christmas Eve and it would have delighted me.
The doors to the next carriage opened and the conductor appeared. ‘Nothing to worry about, ladies and gentlemen.’ The train came to an abrupt stop, almost knocking him off his feet. His Santa hat slid to one side, and he grabbed a headrest to steady himself. ‘It’s just a minor delay.’ He tidied himself up. ‘We’ll be on our way again soon.’
While the conductor headed back the way he came, Martha’s face lit up. ‘How exciting. It’s like we’re on the Orient Express.’
Her husband Brian nodded in our direction. ‘As long as there’s no murder,’ he said. The frostiness around our table had obviously crossed the aisle into their territory.
‘What do we do now?’ Lexi asked, a big smile on her face.
‘Wait it out, I suppose,’ Jake replied.
‘We could always eat.’ Lexi rubbed her humongous belly. ‘Me and little bean could do with a snack.’
Julia snorted but as she opened her mouth to say something Alex jumped in before she could speak. ‘When’s the baby due?’ he asked.
‘Not for another four weeks,’ Lexi replied. ‘And counting.’
‘Hence, our Christmas break,’ Jake said. Looking to his wife, he took her hand. ‘Our last hurrah, just the two of us.’ In a moment of sweetness, he appeared to lose himself in her gaze. Snapping himself out of it, he returned his attention to the group. ‘We thought we’d make the most of it.’
Lexi giggled. ‘I wasn’t up for it at first. Then I thought whynotlet someone else do the running around for a change.’
‘Why not, indeed,’ Martha said. ‘You’ll have your hands full soon enough.’
Alex laughed. ‘I can second that if my nieces and nephew are anything to go by.’
‘I third it,’ Brian said. ‘Our grandkids have got energy like you wouldn’t believe.’
Listening to them, I felt an ache in my chest, wishing I could fourth it.
Lexi turned serious. ‘Oh no, our baby won’t be a struggle. This pregnancy has been an absolute dream.’ She nudged her husband. ‘Hasn’t it, Jake?’
Jake’s smile tightened. ‘It sure has.’
