Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 89

Christmas was as pleasant as it could be. 

"I have a special present for you," Catherine said brightly. She wasn't staying for long, she was needed at the hospital, so she was just popping in, dropping the presents then running off.

"So do I," Isabella said as she pushed a couple of sugar quills, that was neatly wrapped in plastic towards the older woman.

"Quills?" Catherine said. "Well, I use a pen to write,"

"It's not for writing," Isabella said. "It is a sweet. Shaped like a quill. Of course, you can use it to write, and eat it at the same time,"

"I've never seen anything like this," Catherine chuckled.

Isabella grinned. "There is a village, near my school. We are allowed to visit during a few weekends. There's a special little shop that sells wonderful sweets,"

"Where is your school again?" Catherine asked. "I've forgotten the name too,"

"Well, it's somewhere in Scotland," Isabella said offhandedly. "When do you have to leave?"

Catherine glanced at her watch and jumped to her feet, horrified.

"Oh, no!" she cried. "I'll see you later,"

And then she rushed off, out the living room, and downstairs. They could hear the shop's backdoor fly shut as she ran out.

"Good save," her father said from the sofa with a smirk.

Isabella giggled lightly. Catherine had left the sugar quills. She'll have to save it for her then.

Isabella had made a plan to stay in and do nothing for a week or two, and then she could try to do some extra reading for school, so that she wouldn't have to stress as much. 

But she was dragged out of bed on a snowy Friday. 

"Somewhere?" Isabella said, slightly annoyed. She was pulled out of her nice, warm bed to go 'somewhere'?

"Well, it is a surprise," Catherine said. "Of sorts. Your father isn't a big fan of the idea, so he isn't coming,"

"But where are we going?" Isabella said again. 

"Don't forget your coat," her father grumbled from the dining table, sitting with his cup of tea. He looked rather displeased with Catherine's idea, but she wasn't going to listen to him.

"And take your scarf," he said. "Bundle yourself up nicely. It will be very chilly, where you're going,"

"Sam, really?" Catherine said exasperatedly.

"Izzy, do you want to go?" her father said suddenly.

"I have no clue where I am supposed to be going, so I don't know," Isabella shrugged.

"Sam, you are the only family Bella knows," Catherine snapped. "And that won't do. You pretend that they don't exist, but they live just an hour away. It is for her own good,"

Isabella looked out the window. It didn't seem like she would be asked for an opinion on 'her own good' so she might as well enjoy the scenery. 

The snow had been piled up down on the street, and she knew it was going to be a tough job for her unfit self to wade her way through the thick sheet of snow.

It took five more minutes of Mr Jefferson's dark mutterings before Catherine pulled Isabella outside and they set off to get the bus to. . .somewhere Isabella didn't know.