Taken from A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, this is the perfect short tale for the festive season.

When the Emery family first moved into the village of Fairacre, the locals were not entirely sure what to make of them. With three children, and another on the way, Mrs Emery didn''t exactly fit the villagers'' idea of a perfect mother.

On Christmas morning, with the sunshine catching the frost on the thatched roofs, there is an unexpected knock at the door of the cottage where Miss Margaret Waters and her sister Mary live. And the events which unfold that day ensure a very different Christmas to any either have seen in all their lives...