Restricted

Chapter 46. Merry

**a/n...double update today! couldn't stay away too long!! Hope you enjoy!**

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Once the sun had fully risen and noise settled in from every direction of the ship, Madeline exhaled a hearty breath as she rose to sit up on her mattress.

The least festive Christmas morning she had ever risen to.

If she were home, by now the presents would have been shredded open, breakfast on the table, and the obligatory photo Ms Whitby would force the trio to take would already be printed from her polaroid and propped up onto the thorny branches of whichever fir they'd chosen that year.

Madeline wouldn't tell either her father or Ms Whitby, but sleeping in this time had truly been wonderful, even if it was usually her that typically woke them first.

The opposite of her bed was empty, the duvet neatly folded over as if no one had slept there at all.

If it weren't for the rustling in her and Jolie's bathroom, Madeline would have thought Adrian to have been long gone.

She wished that was the case.

"You're awake," Adrian said, sticking his head out from the doorway. "Would you mind if I borrowed a touch of this pomade?"

Madeline narrowed her eyes at the container he held out, one of the many magical and expensive hair products Jolie had gifted her.

She forced a smile through gritted teeth.

"Go ahead."

With a nod, Adrian returned in attending to his hair.

Madeline flopped back onto the bed once more. She truthfully didn't like sharing her products, but if it would get him out of her room faster; she didn't mind.

Last night—last night was a disaster, if she were honest.

From then until now, the only thing she didn't regret was replying to Fred's letter in the early hours of the morning.

It was as if sending the letter had eased a weight from her shoulders, even if it had likely been rushed, misspelt, and not proofread a single time. She'd said her peace, and it would be the end of it.

Never again would she worry about—

The door to their suite swung open with a loud thud as it met the wall behind it.

Jolie in her wrinkled pyjama set barrelled inside, her scrunched gaze landing first on Madeline, then to the door of the loo.

Madeline's lips twitched into a small grin.

"Well, good morning," she said as Jolie passed her and continued towards the bathroom.

"What the hell, Carrow? What's the meaning—?"

Within seconds, Jolie was headed for the entrance again, Adrian clutched tightly at the elbow behind her.

Without so much as a word, Jolie flung him out the door and into the corridor, in nothing but his pyjama pants and half tamed hair.

Madeline tried to withhold her snicker as Adrian gaped at her friend, right up until Jolie slammed the door in his face.

"He's half naked out there," she said quietly.

Jolie whipped around on her heel, her gaze frantically searching until spotting his rumpled tee shirt on the floor. She hastily scooped it up and opened the door again, only to hurl it directly into Adrian's face.