Téa trudged along Regent Street, ignoring the hurried shoppers as she leisurely stared into each brightly lit store window as she passed by. It was the height of the holiday season, and each shop seemed to outdo its neighbors with enticing displays of animated figures and glittering merchandise. But the festive scene did nothing to dispel the gloom in her heart. Hunching deeply into her warm winter coat, she shifted her shopping bags for a more comfortable grip and moved on to the next store, suppressing a sigh.

Regent Street was considered the hub of the London shopping district and it didn’t disappoint. There were stores selling the best Britain had to offer—bone china, fine linens, woolen goods. Téa had managed to purchase gifts for the few people on her shopping list in under an hour. Abuelita would be thrilled with the delicate Wedgwood tea set, and she supposed Del would like the heather brown cashmere sweater she had found at Dunhill’s. She didn’t even know where her brothers Enrique or Jose were at this point, or she would have bought something for them, if only to distract herself with the task of choosing a gift. She had purchased an exquisite Royal Doulton figurine for Carlotta, although she knew her one-time surrogate mother would appreciate a phone call much more than an expensive gift. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it, though. Too many questions she didn’t feel like answering.

It was bitterly cold with a light snow falling as she stepped into an alcove to catch her breath. Since she was finished with her shopping, she considered hailing a cab and returning to her room at the Savoy. The concierge would be more than happy to take care of posting her packages to the States. Téa allowed herself a smile, amused that in England one went to the Mail Office to post a letter, while in the US a person went to the Post Office to mail one. As she was organizing her heavy purchases, she looked up and noticed something in a shop window. The shop dealt in exclusive bits of memorabilia. Prominently displayed on an easel was a richly framed edition of the London Times announcing the Titanic iceberg disaster almost a century ago. “Todd would love it,” she found herself musing before she could stop herself. He was always interested in newspapers, and this had gruesome death, mayhem, destruction and misery thrown in for free. Suddenly, the old newsprint blurred before her eyes. She put her head down and blinked rapidly to clear the tears.

The last thing Todd would want this Christmas was any reminder of her, she thought sadly. Any contact at all would bring up their painful past. In his eyes, she had abandoned him, and there would be no way he could ever forgive that. Not that she cared. She straightened her back and sniffed deeply, gaining control. Why was she thinking of Todd now? She was in the middle of a dream trip around the world to see and experience all the places she had always wanted to visit. She stayed at the best hotels, dined in the finest restaurants, shopped in the most exclusive stores. She didn’t need Todd Manning in her life anymore. They were no good together. Setting her jaw, she pushed her way into the throng of shoppers again.

A few doors down, she found herself in front of Hamley’s toy store. Téa knew that it was a London icon dealing in high-end collectible toys, as well as the usual array of robotic dogs and Barbies that seemed to be in any toy store in the world these days. The shop was jam-packed and she was done with her shopping, but Téa couldn’t stop herself from going in just to take a look around. Maybe watching dozens of wide-eyed children drooling over the Christmas offerings would improve her mood, she thought. She spent a lot of time in the doll department admiring the gorgeous collector’s edition dolls in their display cases. These were the impossibly high-priced, beautifully detailed dolls that she had always coveted during her annual Christmas trips to FAO Swartz in New York as a child. Every year her family made the trek to the famous store to enjoy the seasonal displays. But it had always torn her heart out to see the beautiful dolls and know that there was no way Santa would ever bring Téa Delgado one of those. No, her Santa always brought one of the cheap plastic ones that coincidentally happened to be on sale at the corner drugstore near her grandmother’s home.

As Téa tried to tamp down the painful memories of Christmases past, her eye caught an exquisite doll high on one of the shelves. It had lovely blue glass eyes and long, silky blonde hair. But it was the dress that was really an eye-popper. It seemed to be made of yards and yards of silver tulle appliquéd with tiny glittering stars. The doll wore a tiara of rhinestone stars and brandished a wand tipped with another. “Oh!” Téa exclaimed aloud in pleasure.

“Can I help you madam?” inquired a middle-aged salesman dressed in a suit and tie.

Téa looked surprised. “Oh…uh….no, I don’t think so,” she said guiltily. “I was just admiring….my, that’s a beautiful doll!” She pointed at the top shelf.

The salesman smiled knowingly, quickly checking out Téa’s expensive coat, scarf and handbag. “Yes, isn’t it?” he agreed in a hearty tone. “That’s our exclusive Morganna Millennium edition. A doll collector’s dream, wouldn’t you say?”

Téa looked crestfallen. “It’s…it’s just for collectors? You mean it isn’t to play with?” The salesman didn’t miss a beat.

“I’m sure there isn’t a girl in the world who could resist playing with Morganna, madam. Let me get her down for you.” Téa opened her mouth to protest, but the salesman was already rolling a ladder into position. She didn’t want to be rude, so she waited as he retrieved the doll, setting her carefully on the counter. Up close, the doll was just about irresistible.

Téa fingered the shimmering fabric of the doll’s dress. She looked up at the salesman through her long eyelashes. “I know a little girl who would just love this,” she said wistfully, “but, but…” The salesman waited patiently. “Well, her dad and I aren’t together anymore.” She bit her lip, releasing the doll and stepping back.

“Surely an unfortunate split shouldn’t affect your relationship with the child,” said the salesman smoothly, unwilling to give up on such a lucrative sale so easily. “It is Christmas after all.” He was really starting to irritate Téa, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the doll. Todd wouldn’t even let Starr open any gift from her, she thought. And if Blair ever found out… An evil grin lit up her features when she thought about putting one over on her past rival. Well, that could be a bonus. And the guy had a point…why should she give up on her stepdaughter just because it hadn’t worked out for her and Todd?

“I’ll take it,” she said decisively, missing the salesman’s mercenary glint. “I’ll send it anonymously,” she mused. “From Santa.” She handed over her credit card and watched as the doll was carefully packed for over-seas shipping.

Back on the street with her heavy packages, Téa noted that it was colder and almost dark, even though it was still afternoon. She found herself craving something hot and reviving, so like many of the natives, she slipped into a crowded tearoom for a little pick-me-up. The place was packed, but she managed to grab a tiny table in the corner just as the previous diners vacated it. She waited patiently for the table to be cleaned, then placed an order for tea and scones.

What had possessed her to buy a present for Starr, she wondered as she waited for her order. For the last several months, she had done her utmost to keep her past life in Llanview far from her conscious thoughts. All that was over and done with. Her trip around the world was to help her forget her past and to try and figure out what to do with the rest of her life. Maybe it was just that Christmas time made her maudlin. Somehow thoughts of Todd and his daughter were hard to get rid of lately.

The tea was taking a long time. Téa reached in her purse to search for a mirror to check her appearance. Putting the item back, she hesitated for a long moment, then fumbled around in a side pocket and drew out a dog-eared photograph. She hadn’t let herself look at it for months, but somehow she just couldn’t resist today. Her lips trembled as she feasted her eyes on a three-year-old picture of Todd holding Starr on his hip. She was staring so intently, she didn’t even notice when the waitress brought her tea and scones to the table.

“Well, isn’t that adorable,” the middle-aged lady exclaimed in a Cockney accent. “Your family, dearie?” She set out the teapot and serving tray with practiced efficiency. Téa stared at her stupidly for a moment.

“Uh, no,” she said sadly. “We…we aren’t together anymore.” She made no move to put the picture away.

“Well, isn’t that a shame now,” said the waitress. “And him so good-looking, too.” She set the check on the table and turned away. She looked back at Téa staring intently at the picture. Hesitating a moment, the formidable lady retraced her steps.

“Look, dearie, it’s none of my business, I know. But it seems to me that it being Christmas and all…maybe it isn’t too late. Twenty years ago, me and the mister was split. He came by on Christmas Eve to give the kiddies their presents. We got to talking and one thing led to another and here we are still at it. Something about the holiday, you know?” Téa smiled up at her sadly and put the photograph away in her purse.

“That’s great,” she said graciously to the woman. “But even the holidays can’t fix what’s wrong in this case. Thanks, though.” She reached out and poured herself a cup of tea.

“I thought the same thing, and the old man and I are still at it. Well, Merry Christmas to ye,” said the woman cheerily, heading off to handle her next order. Téa watched her thoughtfully as she went about her work.

Had she told the waitress the truth, she wondered as she nibbled at a warm scone slathered with clotted cream and strawberry jam. If it was over between her and Todd, why couldn’t she get him out of her mind? Was she just kidding herself? She thought back on the day’s events as she looked around at the exhausted shoppers surrounding her at the other tables. There were groups of old ladies in silly-looking hats, young couples holding hands, pierced and tattooed teenagers with spiky hair of different colors. But she was the only one in the whole tearoom sitting alone. Suddenly the prospect of spending Christmas eating room service in a foreign hotel room didn’t seem so appealing.

Maybe it was time to go home. Abuelita would welcome her, and maybe a trip to Llanview wasn’t out of the question. She did have friends and family there, after all. And why shouldn’t she have the pleasure of seeing Starr open her gift? And would she ever know if it was really over with Todd if she didn’t go back and explain why she had chosen the path she did?

Téa thoughtfully bundled up for the outdoors again and gathered her packages. She paid the bill, leaving a large tip for the waitress. Outside on the street, she started to raise her hand to hail one of the large, bug-like black London cabs. But as one hove into view as it rounded the corner, she suddenly dropped her arm and started briskly walking back the way of her earlier route. She had one more purchase to make.

THE END