Page 2 of The Perfect Gift

‘Good evening, everyone. This is your train manager, Thomas, speaking. As you’ll have noticed, we have a very busy service so please take the first available seat as the train is almost ready to depart. If you’ve placed smaller items of luggage in the racks near the doors, please move them now and place them in the overhead storage area above your seat to allow customers with larger suitcases to safely store them. We cannot depart while aisles and exit routes are blocked by luggage, so this is in everyone’s best interests. Please also note there will be no trolley service, but food and drink will be available for purchase in the buffet car, which is located in Coach H between first and standard classes. A further announcement will be made once the buffet is open for business. Again, please move small items of luggage into the overhead storage areas. Many thanks.’

A few sheepish-looking passengers got up and returned with overnight bags and small cases. A woman nearby looked to be struggling to lift hers so Ed jumped up. ‘Here, can I do that for you?’

‘Thank you,’ she said, giving him a relieved smile.

‘You really are a gentleman,’ the third of his table occupants said when Ed retook his seat. She had a soft European accent, German perhaps?

Ed grinned and shrugged off the compliment. ‘I’m one of four boys, so our parents were very strict on proper manners to stop us running feral.’

‘Four boys? Phew, that’s at least two too many,’ the woman replied with a laugh.

‘My mum certainly thought so when she got twins third time around.’ Ed knew his mum adored all four of them even if she sometimes despaired at the noise and chaos. And there he was, over-sharing when he’d promised he’d be quiet and leave these nice women in peace. He didn’t mean to do it, but he liked people and it was in his nature to connect with them. To break away from the conversation, he fiddled around with his wallet, taking his time retrieving his ticket. By the time he’d finished, the three women had moved on to talking about their weekend plans, which was fine by him.

The train manager made a final announcement and at last they were under way. As if they’d been waiting for that moment, the three women reached for their bags and began laying out a veritable picnic on the table between them. Ed’s stomach rumbled and he pressed a hand against it and winced in apology. The curly-haired woman next to him nudged a tray of mini sausage rolls towards him. ‘We’ve got plenty.’

‘Oh no, I’m fine. Hopefully the buffet car will open soon.’

‘Thomas, your train manager, here again. Unfortunately, due to a technical problem the buffet will remain closed for the time being. We’re working on the issue and hope to be able to open soon.’

Ed closed his eyes and muttered something filthy under his breath. This journey had been cursed from the start. When he opened them again it was to see all three women smiling sympathetically at him. The one next to him pushed the sausage rolls closer. ‘Maybe one,’ Ed said as he helped himself. ‘But I can’t accept your hospitality without knowing your names at least.’

‘I’m Charlie,’ the curly-haired woman said.

‘I’m Jane.’ Not-Cruella offered him a packet of crisps, which he accepted gratefully.

‘And I’m Anna,’ the third said, holding out a tall, thin drinks can.

Ed took the gin-in-a-tin, almost weeping with gratitude at how cold the can was. ‘Thank you, ladies. You are the highlight of what has been a very long and trying day.’

By the time they were approaching Bath Spa station, the four of them were getting on like a house on fire. Ed had told them all about his sailing adventures and had learned the three women were off to a country estate near Exeter for a long weekend. It was something they tried to do each year as a pre-Christmas treat.

‘If you ever fancy a break by the sea, my brother Liam runs a boutique hotel that overlooks the beach in the village where we live. And Harry’s got a brilliant cookery school just down the road.’ Ed hadn’t actually seen the school, as it had opened over the summer while he’d been away, but he’d seen pictures and read a few of the glowing testimonials Kat, Harry’s girlfriend and business partner, had posted on their website.

‘Who’s Harry?’ Jane asked, offering him a selection of Indian snacks.

‘He’s my less good-looking identical twin,’ Ed replied with a cheeky grin as he snagged a miniature bhaji from the tray. Most people couldn’t tell the difference between them – unless they noticed the scar bisecting Ed’s eyebrow and his limp, of course.

‘Does your family run every business in the village?’ Charlie asked with a smile clearly meant to tease.

‘Not every business. Dad’s the harbour master, Mum runs the chandlery at the harbour⁠—’

‘The what-ery?’ Anna interrupted.

‘They sell boat stuff. Ropes, all the mechanical bits and pieces, waterproof clothing and what-have-you,’ Ed said with a vague wave of his hand. ‘My other brother, Rick, helps out and also runs his own water-sports business. My uncle and cousin run a joinery company. Oh, and there’s Chloe and Anya’s design business. And Issy runs The Cosy Coffee Pot café and she’s engaged to Liam, so that counts.’

‘Only most businesses in the village, then,’ Jane said with a wry smile, and Ed had to laugh in agreement.

The train manager got on the tannoy somewhere between Bath and Bristol to announce the buffet was finally open and Ed immediately got up. ‘Does anyone want anything?’

The three women shook their heads but Ed wasn’t one to return empty-handed after they’d been so generous, so he bought them each a half-bottle of Prosecco, a couple of beers for himself and a variety of snacks and chocolate bars.

By the time they arrived at Exeter St Davids, Ed was having such a good laugh with his new friends he was almost tempted to ask if he could gatecrash their long weekend. He settled instead for helping them lift their cases down onto the platform and promised to follow them back on Instagram once he got his new phone sorted so he could send them links to the hotel and Harry’s cookery school. He returned to the table and eyed the three empty seats. The next three hours of his journey home were going to be a lot more boring than the previous couple had been. He slid into the seat by the window and extended his legs out diagonally under the table with a sigh. His bloody knee was killing him and it felt good to stretch it out for a bit.

Someone joined him at the next station, but they barely glanced up from their phone screen to acknowledge his existence so, as soon as they were settled, Ed closed his eyes and let himself drift in and out of sleep as the countryside slid by behind the blackness of the windows.

2

‘We will shortly be arriving in Port Petroc where this service will terminate. Please ensure you have all of your personal belongings with you before you depart the train. Port Petroc is our final stop.’