Page 130 of The Christmas Invitation
‘But youmustbe having turkey on Christmas Day, surely, if only for your guests?’
‘No, of course we’re not. It’ll be a delicious savoury nut roast instead,’ Clara told him. ‘We usually have mini salmon en croûte parcels for starters, though.’
Piers’ mouth had dropped open, which wasn’t a pretty sight. ‘But … not even a Christmas ham?’
‘At the Farm, we keep two pigs just to dig up the soil where we wish to plant,’ said River gently. ‘They’re better than any Rotovator.’
Piers ignored him and appealed to Sybil, who he seemed to feel was his only ally in the present company.
‘Surely the Westphalian ham you always have at Underhill could be brought over here and—’
‘Not into my house, it can’t,’ said Henry firmly.
‘There is a ham, Piers, but that’s going to keep Mark going over Christmas, while he’s working. But he’ll join us here for Christmas dinner, of course.’ Sybil gave Piers a timid smile. ‘I really don’t mind being vegetarian while I’m staying here, because Den cooks such delicious food!’
Den looked flattered, though we were always praising the wonderful things he produced for us to eat.
‘We do have Christmas pudding and a cake and trifle,’ Tottie said, offering a sop.
‘I needmeat,’ he said. ‘I can’t live on lentils and lettuce leaves.’
‘I expect Flora will cater to your inner carnivore at the guesthouse,’ Lex said. ‘You’ll probably get a full English breakfast.’
Piers grunted. ‘It’s to be hoped so.’ He looked around the table and said, ‘You’ve forgotten the wine.’
‘We don’t really go in for wine with dinner much,’ said Clara. ‘In fact, we’re not great drinkers at all, any of us. Shall I pass you the water jug?’
‘Water?’
You’d think she’d suggested passing him a poisoned chalice.
‘My apple wine is very good, so we could open a bottle of that, if you fancy it?’ offered Tottie as a concession, but Piers just stared at her blankly.
‘Well, please yourself.’ She shrugged.
‘What are we having for our main course tonight, Den?’ asked Henry.
‘Kedgeree, but without any ’addock, though I cooked the rice in fish stock, didn’t I? Lentils, spices, eggs and cream.’
‘Sounds delicious,’ I said, wondering if he would give me the recipe for Oshan. If he replaced the fish stock with vegetable, used vegan cream and omitted the eggs … No, on second thoughts, perhaps not.
‘We’re going Angular Indian tonight,’ said Den. ‘Afters is rice pud with cardy-moms.’
‘Anglo-Indian,’ corrected Clara.
Den seemed to be about to dispute this point, but Piers said, ‘That’s rather a lot of rice and I’m not fond of it, or anything spicy.’
‘Weall love anything spicy,’ said Tottie. ‘Syb does too, don’t you, Syb? We usually have a good hot curry on Boxing Day evening, so it’s just as well you won’t be here for that.’
The kedgeree was golden and delicious, though Piers made a show of picking at a mere spoonful. Afterwards, River carried in the big tureen of rice pudding and Den a pink blancmange rabbit, quivering on its dish.
‘I like rice pudding, but not when it’s got big green seeds in it that taste like perfume,’ said Teddy, as Tottie scooped blancmange into his bowl.
‘I don’t see how you can tell what perfume tastes like, Teddy,’ said Zelda. ‘It’s hardly part of your normal diet.’
‘I know what he means, though,’ said Clara. ‘It does taste odd when you inadvertently bite into a cardamom pod.’
‘I think Sybil’s wearing pod perfume,’ said Teddy, looking fixedly at her.
