Page 44 of One More Christmas at the Castle
‘Really? I’ve simply continued putting in an order from habit.’
‘I don’t know if you usually order your ham from them, or perhaps Harrods, or would like me to source one?’
‘It is already on order. When all the guests are here, I’d like sliced ham on the breakfast table, as well as a full cooked breakfast.’
‘Of course, I’ll see that there is.’
‘Asa always liked a good slice or two of ham with his eggs in the morning …’ she murmured. Then, after a moment, her eyes sharpened again and she said, ‘I’ll probably come down to breakfast once Nancy has arrived. It was having Lucy incessantly twittering at me that made me stop in the first place.’
Mrs Powys had poured her coffee and picked up the butter knife.
‘Anything further?’ she enquired coldly.
‘Can I order a turkey, or do you usually source it somewhere in particular?’
‘You can order it,’ she said.
‘If you’ve no objection I’ll get a very large one, so I can freeze leftovers for future meals and make a lot of good stock for the freezer, too.’
‘As you wish. What are we having for dinner tonight?’
I wasn’t expecting that, and looked up from stuffing my notebook back in my tunic pocket.
‘You mentioned steak and chips, and I found some very nice steaks in the freezer yesterday, while I was stocktaking. And I thought a chocolate mousse to follow?’
‘I’m sure Xan will enjoy a good steak. I don’t think he remembers to eat properly when he’s at home,’ she said.
‘He can make up for that while he’s here, Mrs Powys,’ I said, preparing to leave. ‘Henry would like a word with you about getting in the wines and spirits. He’s been checking the supplies too and made his own list of what he thinks we’ll need.’
‘I can spare him a few minutes in the library before I go out. I’ll ring when I’m ready,’ she said, which sounded like we were back to Cluedo: Mrs Powys, in the library, with a double-headed Minoan axe.
‘I’ll tell him,’ I said, and left her to her boiled egg.
Back in the kitchen, Plum was wolfing down food as if he’d been starved for a month, and Xan and Henry were tucking into eggs and bacon. They smelled delicious, but when Henry offered to share his, I refused.
‘If I eat that kind of thing every day, I can feel my arteries starting to fur up.’
Xan grinned and Plum, who had polished his bowl with such keenness that it had skidded right across the floor, cameto say hello to me, before seating himself hopefully next to his master.
‘Is Lucy down?’ I asked.
‘In the morning room. I made her a pot of tea and took it through. Luckily, she came down while Xan was out with Plum,’ Henry replied. ‘But she’s bound to catch him eating his breakfast in here one of these mornings.’
‘Not if I can help it,’ Xan said. ‘She told me yesterday that I looked just like the heroes in her favourite novels. I said I wasn’t hero material, just a sheep in wolf’s clothing.’
That surprised a laugh out of me. ‘A geek in wolf’s clothing,’ I amended, and he grinned.
I suddenly had the uncomfortable thought that when I was sixteen, I’d been just as silly as Lucy over him, without really knowing what he was like at all, though I suppose at that age I had more excuse.
I looked up and caught Xan’s eye and he said, ‘Sabine told her not to be silly last night, when she was trying to flirt with me like a Victorian debutante. She did everything except rap my knuckles with a fan and say she knew I was very wicked.’
‘How embarrassing!’ I said.
‘It did dampen her down a bit, though when Sabine got up to go to bed just before ten, Lucy offered to stay and keep me company. Sabine told her to leave me in peace, though, and Lucy looked mortified.’
‘Poor thing! But perhaps she’ll come to her senses now,’ I suggested.
‘I’m not sure she has any sense to come to,’ Henry said. ‘But she seems entirely harmless and means well.’
