Page 34 of The Christmas Invitation
After he made this suggestion I caught Clara’s thoughtful eyes on us and blushed slightly.
Then she transferred her gaze to Sybil and said, ‘I thought you’d found someone who was going to buy Pansy?’
Sybil sighed. ‘I thought so too, and I did tell them I was reducing the price because she was not show standard, but then when they saw her they said she wasn’t at all what they expected and went away again.’
‘I think she’s perfect – so sweet!’ I said, stroking her silky head. She and her mother had been eyeing the food and sighing heavily from time to time, but making no attempt to scrounge. I suspected had Mark not been there, things would have been different.
‘She’s certainly taken to you, Meg,’ Tottie said.
The feeling was definitely mutual, but did I need a little dog to complicate my life?
13
Grinched
Despite all his talk about frugality, Mark was doing full justice to the tea. The large number of sandwiches he ate seemed to have mellowed him a little, for he said fairly indulgently to the dogs, ‘Funny little things!’
Seemingly encouraged by this thawing, Sybil said timidly, ‘I had a letter from Uncle Piers this morning, Mark, saying how much he was looking forward to spending Christmas at Underhill with us again.’
‘Does he know it’s a building site? I mean, he hasn’t been to stay with you since Mark got back, has he?’ Tottie said. Then she explained to me, ‘Piers Marten was a very old friend of Mark’s grandfather and he used to spend a lot of time here.’
‘He and George were as thick as thieves,’ agreed Clara. ‘Andas bad as each other. Luckily there was an extensive cellar at Underhill, so they could concentrate on drinking that dry during his visits.’
Sybil made a small protesting noise, but not with any great conviction.
Mark was looking angry again, which just meant adding another layer to his fall-back expression. ‘Mum, I told you lasttime he suggested visiting that I’d had enough of him freeloading here … unless he has hidden talents in the plumbing, plastering or redecorating line?’
‘He’s the same age as Grandpa would have been – they trained at Sandhurst together – so he’s not really up to that kind of thing, Mark, darling … and there’s some sort of family rift, so he prefers to stay with us for Christmas and New Year.’
‘“Stays” being the operative word, since he lingers on as long as he possibly can,’ said Mark. ‘It’s a habit he’ll have to break, because Underhill isn’t a private house any more, but a business.’
‘But it will still beourfamily home,’ protested Sybil. ‘And as to Piers,’ she added anxiously, ‘couldn’t we—’
‘No,’ he snapped. ‘For a start, I’ll be working right through Christmas, painting and decorating and doing any other jobs I’m capable of, so I’m not hosting any kind of house party.’
‘But surely you’ll have a break over Christmas?’ said Clara.
‘Yes, darling, and you know we always have Clara, Henry, Tottie, Lex and Teddy here for dinner on Christmas Eve,’ said Sybil. ‘And then—’
‘Not this year,’ he broke in. ‘It’s all a big expensive fuss over nothing, so this time there’ll be just the two of us. I’ll take Christmas Day off and we’ll have dinner as usual, and that will be it. I haven’t got time to waste lolling about, overeating and making polite conversation.’
‘You do remind me so much of Teddy’s book about the Grinch who stole Christmas,’ said Clara, and he gave her an impatient look.
‘I shouldn’t worry about Piers, Sybil,’ Clara said. ‘His ex-wife is a friend of a friend, and apparently the children take it in turns to invite Piers for Christmas, because they feel they ought to, family rift or no family rift, so he has got somewhere else to go.’
‘I suppose you’re right – and he did spend Christmas quite comfortably at his club, when Daddy was so ill – but it doesn’t sound at all like our usual Christmas,’ murmured poor Sybil. ‘The opposite of what your grandfather would have wanted. He did enjoy Christmas so much.’
‘Yes, it was about the only thing he and Henry had in common,’ Clara agreed.
‘If Grandfather hadn’t lavished most of his capital on racehorses and high living, I might not be trying to turn Underhill into a business,’ Mark pointed out.
Sybil sighed. ‘I suppose you’re right, darling. But one guest wouldn’t make much difference, surely, so Piers—’
‘No,’ he said intransigently. ‘That’s my final word.’
‘Sybil, why don’t you come and stay with us for Christmas this year?’ Clara suggested. ‘If Mark ate his Christmas dinner with us, too, it would let the Gidneys have the whole day to themselves,anderadicate the need for an expensive turkey and all the trimmings. You can live off the ham while you’re renovating, dear,’ she added to Mark.
‘Oh,couldI?’ said Sybil gratefully. ‘That would be so wonderful, because it’s such a building site upstairs and downstairs the dust has got everywhere, you have no idea.’
