�Josie! You shouldn�t be up there in your condition.�
�Hang on.�
�No. Down.�
�Catch!� She dropped a tin and Jonathan narrowly caught it, he looked at it, it was a container of flour.
�What are you doing, love.�
Josie still had her head in the cupboard, she was searching for something, �Baking,� she muttered, �Here,� she dropped another tin down to Jonathan. It was the sugar.
�It�s Christmas Day. Why are you baking?� he asked
�I want to have something to take to Evy when we have dinner later. I don�t want to turn up with nothing.�
�Evy won�t mind. Now will you please come down. The doctor said you should rest.� He held his arms out to her and she fell into them.
�Josie! Carefully.� He held facing him with his arms around her lower back. She grinned at him.
�Sorry. Anyway I�m having a baby, not ill. Stop worrying.�
�You could fall. Promise me you won�t go up there again.�
�OK, promise. You can go up instead. I need the cherries, the -�
�No, no, no, no baking. Not today. Now present time.�
Josie smiled even wider and pulled Jonathan into the sitting room. He laughed at his wife�s enthusiasm. She sat in front of the fire and Jonathan went to get the presents from under the tree. He carried them to Josie.
�We�ve got the presents from Evy and Rick here, rather than them giving them to us later. They want us to open them now.�
�OK.� Josie started sorting the presents out. �Charlie�s given us one each and a joint one; we�ve a joint one from my parents, a joint one from Liz and Harry, one each from Henry and Connie, although I told them to get a joint one. Harriet and Robert have given us a joint one, as have Madeleine and Theo, Kenny and Marianna and Roni and Julian.� She passed each present to Jon as she went through them. �What about Evy and Rick?� she asked.
�A joint one from the two of them, one each from Evy and also a joint one from Alex,� he said.
They dealt the joint ones out between the two of them and started to unwrap them.
�Why do so many people give things for the house? Surely we got most of this stuff for wedding presents?� Jonathan said looking at the dome shaped thing Josie was unwrapping, �Is that another mixing bowl?�
�Yes. From Connie. I think it�s our fifth since getting married. She has an obsession with baking. Which is strange considering she has a cook, she never actually does any. She gave Charlie one after we got married as he would no longer be living with me. Odd thing to give Charlie, he can�t even boil an egg. Bit like you really.� She grinned at Jon.
�Oh yes? I�ll have you know I managed perfectly before I married you.�
�Yes. Evy did it for you. Or you ate out. Evy�s told me all about it.�
�Ah well, I�ve got a wife to do that now.�
�Oooo!� She whacked him which turning into a play fight and ended with Jon kissing her.
�No, no, no,� she pulled away, �presents first. What have you got from Charlie?�
He finished unwrapping it;
�A book by the looks of it.� He looked at the spine to see what it was. �Oh!�
�What is it?�
�It�s the book on the Hittites I was looking for. It�s rather rare and out of print. I wonder how he managed to find it.�
�He�s very good at doing that. When it comes to books he can get hold of anything.�
�Right,� he looked at the presents surrounding his wife, �Josie, where did the teddy bear come from?�
�Charlie. It�s for the baby.�
�Right.� Jon looked slightly confused, �I know your brother is a very clever chap but he does realise that the baby won�t be born for quite a few months.�
�Yes I think so. He�s just being Charlie. Now that is strange.� Josie looked in puzzlement at the box she had just unwrapped, it had been opened, it was filled with tissue paper.
�What�s strange?�
�My parents have given us a big box of paper. There doesn�t look to be anything in it, just tissue paper.�
�Give it here.� Josie passed the box to Jon and he started to search in it. �Aha!� He pulled out a much smaller box and gave it to Josie. She opened it and took out a set of keys and a piece of card. She read the card.
�Oh! They�ve given us the cottage in the Dales! Oh Jon!�
�They�ve given us a cottage?� Jon looked astonished.
�Yes! It�s the most beautiful place. It will only be for a holiday home. There isn�t any electricity and it only got running water five years ago. And the toilets in the garden. But it�s very lovely and just right for the two of us. Oh,� she patted her stomach, �and the children.�
Jon still looked very stunned. He smiled and then laughed. �Our own little retreat. Just us as a family.� Josie nodded.
�I can�t believe it. It�s wonderful.�
�Yep. Come on, let�s get something to eat. I�m hungry.
They went into the kitchen and Josie got some sandwiches from the sideboard. They sat down at the table.
�We�d better not have much to eat; Evy always puts on a big spread at Christmas,� Jonathan said.
�I love Christmas!� Jon laughed at his wife�s joy.
They sat eating their sandwiches. Jonathan picked up a piece of paper from the table.
�What�s this?� he read what was on the paper, �Names?�
�Yes. The baby�s going to need a name. I was just jotting down some ideas. I want either Charles or Charlotte in there somewhere. After Charlie and it�s one of your middle names.�
�And it was my father�s name as well.�
�That�s another reason why I want it. Also Jonathan somewhere for a boy.�
�No, I�m not too keen on naming after me.�
�What about John then.�
�That�s better. I like John.� He glanced down Josie�s list. �Adelina�s pretty. So is Juliet. Not too sure about Isolde though.�
�That�s still a maybe. What do you like for girls then?�
�Rather more traditional than yours � Elizabeth, Catherine and Margaret. I wouldn�t mind using Beatrice after Aunt Beatrice, but only as a middle name.�
�Yes. We could have Beatrice Charlotte as middle names. What do you like out of that list?�
�I like Adelina, Juliet, Virginia, Arabella. I don�t like Elodia or Martha though. Floriana nice but rather frilly, need to be simpler.
�What about Floria or Flora.�
�I like them. What have you got for boys then?� He looked at the boys names on her list. �Arthur is nice, so are Frederick and Angus. No to Bertram, I went to school with a Bertram, he was a nasty little blighter.� He looked farther down her list, �Montgomery! I�m not naming my son Montgomery!�
�It�s distinguished.�
�It sounds pompous. I don�t like it. Plus he�ll end up as Monty.�
�OK then. We�ll not bother with Montgomery.�
He finished looking at her list and put the piece of paper down.
�It makes it more real, taking about names. I�m going to be a Daddy. I can�t wait.�
�I know. A little baby. Our baby.�
Jonathan took Josie�s hand in his and squeezed it. He smiled at her and she smiled back.
�Do you think we ought to get ready if we are going to Evy and Rick�s?� she asked.
�Yes. Especially as you take ages to get ready.�
�I do not!�
�You do!�
�Don�t.�
�Do.�
�Go on then. I bet I�ll get ready before you.�
They went upstairs to get ready for Christmas dinner.