Page 90 of The Christmas Invitation
‘Here’s River now. He’s early!’ I exclaimed.
‘Oh, good,’ said Clara, who was slapping bits of jigsaw into place twice as fast as Teddy. I suppose it wasfinding all those joins in inscribed pottery and stone fragments.
A small figure, wrapped in a dark woollen cloak and wearing baggy black boots and a rainbow-striped knitted hat with a long point that ended in a tassel over one shoulder, climbed out.
I headed for the porch to find my wellies, but Den, with his sixth sense for visitors, got to the door first.
‘You Meg’s granddad?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I’m River.’ He gave Den one of his singularly sweet smiles.
‘Then go on in and I’ll bring yer stuff, won’t I?’
‘How very kind of you, and Iama little chilled. Everything on the back seat is to come in,’ he added, then caught sight of me.
‘Meg, my dear!’ He came up the steps and embraced me warmly and I hugged him back, realizing how pleased I was to have his familiar, reassuring presence there.
‘How much better you look now! The air of the Lancashire moors must suit you.Andthe rose-pink hair, too – a bright andhopefulcolour.’
Well, hopeissupposed to spring eternal, and until the pneumonia wore me down, I’d always been more of a glass-half-full person.
‘Oh, it’s good to see you!’ I said. ‘But come into the drawing room and meet everyone.’
Alerted by the noise of arrival, Henry had come out of his study. Lass pattered past him into the hall to inspect River’s legs while he removed his cloak and hat.
Without them, he was revealed to the assembled family in all his glory: a padded tabard of some greenish brocade, worn over a long black tunic. His white hair was loose down hisback, but his beard neatly plaited. In one ear lobe shone a small silver star.
Teddy regarded him with awe.
‘Are you an elf?’ he asked, after a moment. ‘Or maybe … a wizard?’
‘Neither,’ River said. ‘Though it’s an easy mistake to make. I’m Meg’s grandfather-in-spirit.’
That made him sound as if I’d bottled him in vodka.
‘I was worried the road over the moors would be too bad for you to get through,’ I told him.
‘I set out early and I had the snow chains, though I didn’t need them. My friend in Sticklepond advised me to take the road from Thorstane, rather than use the pass and it was only tricky at the highest point.’
I remembered my manners and introduced him to everyone and he shook hands, just like an ordinary person, which he certainly isn’t, but then, you could say that about any of the inhabitants of the Red House, too.
‘I suppose you’re quite used to bad driving conditions, living up in the Black Mountains,’ said Henry.
‘It can be alittleextreme in winter,’ agreed River, ‘though the Farm itself is not quite as high above sea level as you are.’
Clara insisted he take the chair nearest the fire, though the room was so warm anyway that he’d probably thawed out instantly.
Den bore a succession of items from the Land Rover past the open doorway. It was like an economy version of one of those game shows, where things pass you on a conveyer belt and you get to keep everything you can remember afterwards.
A battered suitcase, tied with string, was followed by a large holdall covered in Air India stickers and several odd-shapedparcels, some of which River retrieved and pressed randomly on Clara and Henry.
‘A little something from the Farm,’ he said.
They contained the cake, goat’s milk cheeses and various other edible goodies that Maj had packed up for him to bring. The Cellophane bag of crisp gingerbread stars were already pierced and threaded with thin ribbon loops and were a big hit with Teddy, who wanted to hang them on the tree in the hall right then and there.
‘After lunch,’ said Clara. ‘The hall is full of luggage right now.’
We heard the inner door to the porch close and Den appeared with a small, brown painted tin trunk.
