A Princess for Christmas Page #2

... in the Empire style in 1852.

We're not in Buffalo anymore.

The servants will show you to your quarters.

I shall go inform His Grace that you've arrived.

This way, please!

- Oh, that's slick.

- Yes, we keep it waxed.

It's a princess bed!

Cool!

Where's the TV?

It's beautiful!

- Welcome back to Castlebury Hall, sir!

- Paisley, excellent to see you again!

- Hope you had a pleasant journey, sir?

- Lovely, thank you.

Mrs Birch has laid

a fire in your room.

Thanks, Gibson!

Oh dear! We'll have to fix that straitaway.

Yo, dude! Hands off my hockey jersey!

It's a special personaly autographed

anniversary edition.

My bad!

We do have a fully stocked

library in the east wing.

I really do like to unpack myself,

if you don't mind.

- It's my job, miss!

- I won't tell.

If you insist. The dinner will be served

at half past eight,

and please, be prompt.

His Grace does not abide tardiness.

Mrs. Birch!

She's a quick one!

- Hi.

- Hello.

Sorry.

- You're Ashton.

- Yes.

I've seen you in pictures.

My sister was married to your...

To my... brother. Charles.

Sorry about your sconce.

It's old, isn't it? Probably pretty expensive.

You know, it looks like a Louis Philippe...

Yeah, it is.

I can probably just fix this

with nail glue, or a little...

Just leave it.

Can you tell me the way

to the dining room?

Down the stairs, left to the corridor,

second door on your right.

- Thanks.

- Excuse me.

Nice to meet you too.

Your fizzy water, sir!

Thank you.

Milo, we're late!

Coming. I wonder

what's in here?

It's locked, which means,

you know, do not enter. Come on.

Is it right or left to the corridor?

Your Grace, may I present Master Milo,

Miss Maddie and their aunt, Miss Jules Daly?

You sure you brought

the right family?

Does he look like he's about

to kick the bucket to you?

Not even remotely,

but I sure liked to keep Paisley.

- Children look just like Charles.

- Yes, Your Grace, I thought so as well.

Don't just stand there. Come in, come and sit down.

We don't want to starve to death, do we?

My grandpa!

- Wow, it's an Empire chair.

- Yes, it is.

- Allow me, sir.

- The dental gives it away.

Edward seems to have made

a miraculous recovery?

Yes, I'm been meaning to

talk to you about that.

I might have been a tad

economical with the truth,

but he has been under

the weather recently.

- Kids, this is your Uncle Ashton.

- Hello there!

- Is he your uncle too?

- No, sweetie, I'm not related to them.

- Castlebury sure seems beautiful.

- Nonsense. It's a cold, clammy, miserable place.

- Milo, what is that you're wearing?

- It's a Swashbucklers jersey.

You're a swordsman?

- No, silly.

- It's a hockey team.

I detest hockey. Bunch of thugs

skating around with missing teeth.

Now cricket. That is a man's game,

that is a sport!

- What a weirdo!

- He's not a weirdo, he's just old.

- How long will you be staying?

- Why? You want to get rid of us already?

- I was joking.

- I know.

Children, is there anything

you would like to ask your grandfather?

Yeah! How come you gave us

the shaft all these years?

- Milo!

- That's all right.

Truth is, your mother

had no title,

which made her unsuitable

for my son, your father.

- But I realized I was being...

- Complete dingle-dork?

- That's not quite the word I had in mind.

- You've had a change of heart.

Yes, during my recent with flu.

- When you were close to death.

- It was touch and go there for a minute.

Well, here I am, and so are you.

We're all here together.

After all, we're all a family.

How do you feel about that?

That depends on how you plan

on making it up to us, gramps.

- What's going on here?

- Just hooking up the telly for master Milo.

Milo, can I speak

to you for a second?

- Your punishment was no TV.

- Yeah, but that was before you dragged me

all the way to Castlevania to spend

Christmas with grandpa Wingnut.

- I've done it! It works!

- Thank you, Floyd.

- You can unhook it now.

- Very well, then.

What?

You're not missing much.

We don't even have HBO.

I'm sick of you telling me what to do.

You're not my mother. Not even close.

You're right. I'm not.

But I'm trying to do the best I can.

I miss her too, you know.

Both of them.

- It's gonna get better, Milo. I promise.

- I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed.

Sure. Get some rest.

I'll see you in the morning.

You're all ready for bed, sweetheart?

- Have you said your prayers yet? prayed?

Not yet.

God bless mommy and daddy

in Heaven. Aunt Jules and Milo too.

And if it's not too much to ask,

could you please help grandpa

not to be so grumpy? So we can

all have a merry Christmas. Amen.

Honey, I know he's not the warm

fuzzy grandpa you wished for

but it's important not

to give up on people.

- He wasn't nice to mommy and daddy, was he?

- No, he wasn't.

But you know, they

loved him anyway.

Maybe it's time for us to open up

our hearts and forgive him too.

So you don't think they'd be

mad we're here?

No, they'd be glad.

It's a big step for your grandpa

to invite you and Milo to Castlebury.

- Okay.

- That's my girl.

Aunt Jules, do you think Santa

will be able to find us,

even if there is no Christmas

tree or twinkle lights?

Don't you worry, Santa knows who

all the good little boys and girls are.

Sweet dreams.

- You scheduled a hunt?

- It's our tradition, remember?

- I thought it would please you.

- Well, it doesn't.

I don't want a bunch of rowdy

hunters tramping through the castle.

Father, they are friends.

Besides, it's too late to cancel now.

What's the matter with you? I thought

you wanted a happy family Christmas.

I changed my mind.

Christmas makes me

think of Charles.

- And so do these children.

- Of course they do! And what were you expecting?

I don't know. To feel better.

So your new plan is to make

everyone miserable?

I don't have a plan!

- Yes?

- Sorry to interrupt...

I was looking around the castle

and I couldn't find your Christmas tree.

Because there isn't one.

- Why not?

- I don't like them.

They're messy dirty things that drip

sticky sap all over the mahogany.

- Father.

- But they make children happy!

- I don't want one!

- Then could you please tell me what you do want?

- I don't think he knows.

- Oh yes I do.

I want to know why I brought

these the kids here

if it wasn't to give

them a merry Christmas.

And I'm not talking about some

creepy wannabee holiday

in a clammy castle where everybody's walking

around like Dawn of the living dead!

I'm talking about a holy,

jolly Christmas with

bells and boughs and a big

fat, messy, sappy Christmas tree,

with twinkling lights so Santa

knows where the heck we are.

- The kids have had a really tough year.

- So have we!

Then we all deserve a merry

Christmas, don't you think?

- You might reconsider the tree situation.

- I will not.

And if you don't like it here,

you can go back to Geneva.

I don't even know why you bothered

coming home in the first place.

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