Page 72 of The Christmas Invitation
I was just staring at him in astonishment, wondering if he was being sarcastic, when Tottie rejoined us, brushing earth from her hands.
‘Looks good, doesn’t it?’ she asked, gazing critically down at the knot garden.
‘Lovely,’ I said. The intricacy of the twin knot gardens placed on either side of the long gravelled path did indeed look picture-book pretty.
‘Al seemed a bit tight-lipped today, and he refused to stay for tea,’ Clara said when we went in. ‘You haven’t fallen out, have you, Lex?’
‘A slight difference of opinion, but he’ll get over it,’ he said shortly.
‘Henry should be back with Teddy any minute.’
‘Is it that late?’ I exclaimed. We must have been out in the garden for ages. No wonder I felt frozen!
Teddy was excited to see Lex there again – but then, with every day that brought us closer to Christmas, he was excited, full stop.
‘It’s the last day of the school term tomorrow,’ he told me. ‘Father Christmas is coming and then we’re having the school play. You’re coming to that, Uncle Lex, aren’t you? Meg is, and everyone else.’
It was the first I’d heard of my being expected to go, though of course, I knew all about the Nativity play, which Miss Aurora had apparently rewritten in more feminist terms.
‘I’m sure they must limit the audience numbers,’ I said quickly.
‘Actually, there’s lots of space, because the assembly room was originally the old ballroom at the side of the house. It has a wonderful parquet floor,’ Henry said, as if that might be a major incentive.
‘The chairs are the hideously uncomfortable plastic stacking kind, but the plays are always short, and then the refreshments are good. But don’t let Teddy pester you into going if you don’t want to, either of you,’ said Clara.
‘Of course Meg and Uncle Lex want to come!’ Teddy said, looking deeply hurt, so we immediately had to assure him we did.
‘We’re taking Meg to the Pike with Two Heads for lunch tomorrow, Lex,’ Henry informed him, which wasalsonews to me, though I remembered that they’d said it would be nice to do that one Friday. ‘Why don’t you come, if you don’t have too much to wrap up before the Solstice?’
‘I think you’re mean, going when I’m at school,’ Teddy protested.
‘But you’ll be seeing Santa instead, and we can all go again another time,’ said Clara.
Lex said hewouldjoin us at the pub. ‘I have to eat, after all, and if I’m going to the Nativity play, there won’t be time to do any work that afternoon, will there?’
Lass’s nose was slowly inching towards the plate of Gentleman’s Relish sandwiches and I pushed it further away. She gave me a look of deep reproach.
‘It’s nearly your dinnertime,’ I told her.
‘What’s Den doing?’ Henry asked.
‘Making more mince pies, as if the freezer wasn’t already crammed with them,’ replied Clara, ‘but he’s made Eccles cakes, too.’
‘Yum,’ said Henry. ‘You can’t have too many mince pies.’
When we came in, Tottie had vanished to scrub the earth off her hands, but now she reappeared, though still attired in slightly grimy corduroy trousers and grey ribbed socks.
‘I’m starving,’ she said, loading a plate with sandwiches.
Clara poured her tea. ‘We’re all going to the pub for lunch tomorrow, Tottie.’
‘Super!’ she said, and I could see the young raw-boned and jolly version of her, who must have played tennis at Underhill and probably hockey at school, and now her enthusiasms had turned to horses, bees and gardening.
Den drove Lex home later, and Teddy and Henry went off into his study to unpack a box of baubles. The mixed auction lot of Christmas decorations had finally arrived.
Clara had retired to her own room to work, but Tottie remained sitting by the fire, reading a gardening magazine, and I curled up in a comfortable armchair with Clara’s second novel. But by the time Teddy had run in half a dozen times to exhibit some fresh treasure from the box, we both gave up and went and watched the fun too.
Next morning, I painted Henry’s long-fingered, sensitive hands and began on Lass, who always lay unbidden across his feet on the dais, in just the right pose.
