Page 130 of One More Christmas at the Castle
Perhaps the delicious aroma had permeated the house, for everyone was already seated at the table.
Sophie was admiring Mrs Powys’s necklace of huge, matched South Sea pearls.
‘They’re a family heirloom – and pearls need to be worn, to keep their lustre,’ she told her.
‘They’re so beautiful!’ Sophie enthused, and I caught a very strange expression cross Mr Makepeace’s face as he looked across at his granddaughter: ‘anxious’ would be the only way to describe it.
Curious …
I put the jug of gravy down next to the pie, which Henry, at Mrs Powys’s direction, began to slice and serve.
‘That does looks delicious, Dido,’ she said graciously. Thenshe looked around the table with that curiously puckish three-cornered smile of hers and said, ‘Well, now we’re all gathered together, friends and family, for what I hope will be a memorable Christmas – and I’m sure that spending this precious time with you will also help me make my mind up about the future of Mitras Castle.’
There was a small silence. Nigel looked as if he’d like to point out again that he and Lucy were the onlyrealrelatives she had, and Olive Melling exchanged a quick look with her husband, eyebrows raised.
‘Lucy and Nigel represent my father’s side, the Mordues, of course, and dear Xan the Archbolds.’
‘Very, very remotely,’ Nigel couldn’t resist putting in.
I’d just brought over one of the dishes of vegetables from the hotplate when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sophie – who was wearing the kind of plunge-fronted dress that makes you question whether Newton got it right about gravity – look sharply from Mrs Powys to Xan.
‘I hadn’t realized you and Sabine were related, Xan,’ she said.
‘You can hardly call itrelated. My grandmother was distantly descended from a branch of the family who emigrated to America. Sabine’s just winding you up, Nigel.’
‘Am I?’ she said, but smiled at him.
‘You’ve always had a wicked sense of humour,’ Nancy observed, holding out her plate for pie. ‘But I know you’ll do exactly what is right, in the end.’
Frank Melling seemed to suddenly realize that Henry and I were not actually part of the furniture.
‘Really, you know, this is all quite private.Pas devant les domestiques,’ he said.
‘Oh, don’t mind us,’ said Henry, in perfect French. ‘We’re mum as oysters where our clients’ confidentiality is concerned.’
‘Yes, Frank, and actually, Henry and I have found our families are connected by marriage, too, though back in the eighteenth century,’ Mrs Powys said, giving the pot an extra stir.
For a moment, I thought Nigel might be about to have a seizure because his face turned such a dark red, but Mr Makepeace lived up to his name, saying quickly, ‘These distant connections link most of the old families, but of course, as far as inheritance goes, Nigel, you and Lucy are Sabine’s closest relatives.’
Then he added, as if half to himself, ‘Of course, if your half-sister had had issue, the situation would be entirely different.’
I saw Mrs Powys’s eyes glance towards me as she said, ‘Therewereno legitimate children, or I’d have long since made a will cutting them out.’
‘As far as the legitimacy or otherwise of any issue is concerned, the law has changed and illegitimate children are not now debarred from inheriting,’ said Mr Makepeace in his dry-as-dust voice.
‘You know, I thought there’d been some change in the law like that,’ Nancy said brightly. ‘So much fairer, I think.’
For a moment, I saw that Mrs Powys looked quite as stunned as I felt, before she recovered her composure.
I quickly slipped from the room, but not before I heard her say sharply, ‘Indeed? Well, luckily the point has never arisen, and in any case, I mean to sign a will right after Christmas. Timothy has drawn up two, according to my instruction, and when I’ve made my final decision, I’ll sign one and burn the other.’
As I hurried off down the passage, it occurred to me that if Mrs Powys had died without making a will, Dad might have inherited everything! He’d have been totally nonplussed and, I expect, have unburdened himself of the Castle at the firstopportunity. I’d take a bet on one of those two wills leaving it all to them. Perhaps the other was in Nigel’s favour and she might still sign that one, once she’d had her fun teasing him?
I got the feeling she was deriving quite a bit of enjoyment from the situation – and Henry, coming back to crisp up the tops of the crème brûlée, agreed with me.
After that, I stayed out of the dining room until the bell rang to say the party were moving to the sitting room, and then I took a large tray and went to help Henry clear the table before I made the coffee.
I didn’t quite get there, though, for as I passed the door to the study, it swung open and a long arm shot out and dragged me into the room. The door clicked shut behind me and I heard the key turn in the lock.
