Page 121 of The Christmas Invitation
‘I simply had to get out for some fresh air, because I’ve been cooped up all day looking after poor Rollo, who has areallybad chill. I thought Meg might like an update on how herboyfriendwas.’
This with a sharp sideways glance at me, but if her innuendo was meant for Mark’s benefit, then it had missed its target, because he hadn’t been listening to a word she said.
‘I think we’ve established that Rollo’s not Meg’s boyfriend, or partner, or whatever they call them these days, Flora,’ said Clara. ‘So if he told you he was, then he’s trying to take you in.’
‘Oh, sorry! I should have saidformerboyfriend,’ she amended hastily. ‘And there seems to have been a little misunderstanding, because he only wanted to pop in and see Meg while he was in the area, though of course, being a poet, he’d love to pay his homage to Henry, too.’
‘Let him pay it by email, then,’ said Henry.
‘Yes, we certainly don’t want his cold germs invading the Red House,’ agreed Clara.
‘Like Typhoid Mary,’ suggested Tottie and, seeing Flora’s blank expression, elaborated: ‘She was a typhoid carrier, infected dozens!’
‘Rollo hasn’t got typhoid!’ exclaimed Flora. ‘It’s just a chill, nothing infectious, though I was afraid it might turn into pneumonia. However, he’s started to take a turn for the better.’
‘I’ve just got over pneumonia. It’s a viral thing,’ I said. ‘I’m glad he’s feeling better, though, and I hope his mother isn’t ringing you twenty times an hour.’
‘She’s naturally very worried about him, poor woman,’ Flora said.
‘Well, Flora, whatever your reason for coming, your arrival is very opportune,’ Clara told her.
‘In fact, we were just talking about you,’ put in Tottie.
‘In a good way, I hope?’ Flora said, though as if there couldn’t possibly be any other.
‘I hope it will be good for all of us,’ said Clara. ‘We have a proposition to put to you. But do come and sit here, near the fire, between me and Sybil and get warm. You met River and Meg at the Gathering, didn’t you? And here’s Piers Marten, whom you’ve certainly met before.’
I don’t think Flora had taken in his presence till this point because he was somewhat obscured by Tottie until she sat back.
‘Of course, though not for some years,’ Flora said, shaking hands. ‘How are you?’
‘Exhausted and, it appears, unwelcome,’ he murmured with patently false pathos, before adding bravely, ‘but I’m an old soldier, you know: I’ll carry on.’
‘But you won’t be able to carry on back to Thorstane till the road thaws enough, which is the root of the problem,’ Tottie said, and Flora looked puzzled.
Henry explained. ‘Sybil put Piers off coming for Christmas this year because of Mark’s renovations, which is also why she’s spending it with us. But he ignored her letter and turned up this afternoon with Zelda.’
‘It was all just a misunderstanding,’ said Piers. ‘But I’m here now and—’
Clara ignored him and carried on in her best human bulldozer manner: ‘The thing is, Flora, we have a full house and Mark can’t have Piers. He’s told the Gidneys to take a few days off over Christmas, since he can look after himself while he’s working on the house, and they’re looking forward to it.’
‘And Piers’d probably freeze, because I’m not turning the heating up till Mum’s back,’ said Mark, joining in the discussion. From where I was sitting, I could see he and Zelda were holding hands, which was pretty quick work.
‘Really, Mark, you’ve turned very hard!’ said Piers sadly. ‘When you were a little boy, wasn’t I like an uncle to you?’
‘No,’ said Mark. ‘I used to dread it if you were staying at Underhill when we were. You made fun of me because I hated hunting and killing things. Then later you told Grandfather I’d had to take my degree in hospitality management because I hadn’t got the brains for anything else!’
Piers looked taken aback, but before he could speak, Sybil’s maternal instincts made her say, ‘That’s quite true, Piers! I heard you say so myself, on several occasions.’
‘Sybil, you can’t possibly believe that I’m not fond of the boy. I was merely joking,’ he said. ‘You know I’d do anything in my power to protect his interests.’
She met his eyes briefly, paled and looked away uneasily. ‘Of course … I mean, it’s only that you weren’t very kind to him and …’
‘Never mind the past,’ Clara cut in. ‘Let’s get back to the problem in hand: the road is blocked and may stay that way for at least a couple of days. You already have one stranded visitor, Flora, so we wondered if you could also take Piers?’
‘But the guesthouse isn’t open,’ she said, taken by surprise by this suggestion. ‘I mean, I contacted Auntie and told her I was home and had a friend staying with me, of course – and Rollo and I have becomesuchgood friends already,’ she added, with another pointed glance in my direction to gauge how I felt aboutthat.
‘How nice,’ I said pleasantly. ‘He can be very good company, when he wants to be.’
