The Hidden City by Lady MSM

Merry Christmas

Christmas Day, 1935

Connecticut

In the end, it hadn’t been the market crash or the end of Prohibition that had ruined them. Turgon Gates was a practical man, and he’d had more than enough money set aside to keep the network running. No, what had ruined them had been Maeglin. Apparently he’d had some secret deal with the Angband mob, letting them in on the family’s inside information, enough to make them able to do a complete takeover.

It had been six months, and every time Idril closed her eyes she could still see the blood and broken glass, hear the gunshots, see her father on the floor with a bullet wound in his chest. Sometimes she still woke up from horrible dreams of Maeglin holding a gun to her son’s head. But as angry as she’d been with Maeglin, it still hadn’t been easy to see her husband blast a hole in his heart with a shotgun.

As soon as Maeglin had breathed his last, they’d grabbed what money and necessities they could find and fled to the train station. No time to mourn friends and family; the cops would be coming any minute and no one wanted to be mixed up in that. The soonest train was to Connecticut, where Idril had recalled her cousin Gil lived, and the three of them along with Voronwe had wound up on Gil’s doorstep in the peaceful town of Gray Haven in the middle of the night. Gil had been very obliging, and the four of them had been staying with him ever since.

Now it was Christmas morning, and Idril watched fondly as Earendil and little Elwing Bergman opened their presents and squealed with glee. Elwing was an orphan, the ward of Gil’s old friend Cirdan Fellini, and the granddaughter of the famous Luthien duBois and Beren Bergman. Idril remembered reading about them in the papers when she was a girl; headlines screaming things like SOUTHERN BELLE ELOPES WITH BOUNTY HUNTER and GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA DISOWNS DAUGHTER. Luthien duBois had been called the prettiest girl in America back in the Gay Nineties; now this sad little curly-haired girl was all that remained of that illustrious family.

Elwing smiled softly as she opened the present Idril had picked out especially for her—a beautifully bound first edition of Anne of Green Gables. “Oh, Aunt Idril, it’s lovely. Thank you so much.”

“You’ll like that book,” said Earendil brightly. “It’s really a girls’ book but I liked it a lot when Ma read it to me. Wow, a train set! Santa must’ve gotten my letter after all.”

“I sent it to him special delivery,” said Tuor with a grin. “Wasn’t going to take any chances with my boy’s Christmas list.” It was amazing how, after everything, he could still smile so easily. It took real effort on Idril’s part these days.

Gil laughed. “Looks like you’re more responsible than I thought you were, old sport! Say, what time is it? I expect Mrs. O’Riley will have lunch for us now. Put down the presents, kids, and we’ll all go have something to eat, eh?”

Reluctantly the kids put down their toys, and Gil and Cirdan shepherded them out of the room. Idril began to rise, but Tuor put his hand on her arm.

“Hold on a minute. I have a present for you.”

“You got a present for me? But…” With a sudden guilty shock, Idril realized that in the midst of all the sadness and stress and concern over the children, she’d forgotten to get her own husband a Christmas present. “I don’t have anything for you. I forgot. I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry. You’ve been miserable, anyone could see that, and you’ve been stronger than plenty of people would be. That’s why I wanted to get you something.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. Inside was a photograph in a small silver frame—a photograph of her father, happy and smiling, holding a tiny baby Earendil. Idril gasped.

“Where did you…”

“I grabbed it from your dad’s office before we left Chicago. Forgot all about it, but then I found it in my things a few weeks ago. Thought you might want to have it. Oh, God, you’re crying, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s all right,” said Idril with a sniff. “I’m not upset. I’m crying because I’m happy. It’s beautiful.” She wiped her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, darling.”

Tuor smiled, and pulled her into his arms. “I love you. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.”