Page 93 of One More Christmas at the Castle
There were still the strings of fairy lights and tinsel to wind through the branches and my biscuits to loop within reach of people, but not Plum.
Mrs Powys began to flag and retired to her chair, while everyone started to clear up. I gathered the used cups, plates and napkins and took them back to the kitchen, followed by Plum. He’d fallen asleep in front of the fire, but the sound of the tea trolley wheels seemed to wake him like a clarion call. I put a couple of dog biscuits in his bowl, before going back to the Hall to help with the tidying, but when I got there it was mostly done.
Nancy was standing back to admire the tree. ‘It’s perfect, isn’t it, Sabine? I don’t think we could have got another thing on it!’
‘Lovely,’ agreed Mrs Powys, her eyes seemingly transfixed by the dancing fairy lights, ‘and the carols and mulled wine – it was all just as I remembered.’
‘I’m so glad,’ Henry told her warmly. ‘It’s been fun, too!’
‘It’s all starting to look like Christmas now,’ Nancy said.
‘It’ll look even more so when I’ve made the swags andgarlands,’ Henry told her. ‘Mrs Powys and I have decided on quite extravagant and baroque arrangements – lush!’
Sabine smiled indulgently at him, but then, as she cast another look around the room, a frown creased her brow.
‘You know, there’s something missing …’
‘I can’t imagine what,’ said Xan, then grinned. ‘Maybe a bunch of mistletoe or two?’
‘That’s it!’ exclaimed Mrs Powys. ‘It’s the Mistletoe Bough!’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Nancy, puzzled.
‘It was a circular, light wicker framework that hung from the central light fitting – there are small hooks underneath it all the way round. It was like a horizontal wreath, I suppose, threaded through with holly, ivy and other evergreens. And bunches of mistletoe were attached to it, too.’
‘I don’t remember it,’ said Xan.
‘No, I don’t think it was used after Mummy died and the framework may be long gone.’
‘I don’t know … I think I might have seen something like that in the attic,’ Henry told her. ‘But if not, I’m sure I can make one when I do the swags.’
Nancy was now looking anxiously at her friend. ‘Sabine, you’re tired. Come on, let’s go up and have a little rest before dinner, shall we? Lucy should be back soon, too. What a pity she’s missed all the fun!’
‘I expect she’s been having her own kind of fun down in the village,’ Xan said.
He and Henry began to remove more of the empty boxes to the Garden Hall once Mrs Powys and Nancy had gone upstairs, and I tidied up the bits of tinsel and then went to draw the curtains behind the Angel Gabriel – but my hand was arrested by the brightly shining solar stars outside.
As the other two came back for the stepladder and a last box or two, I called them over.
‘Come and look. The solar stars are lit up and with the lights on the tree in here reflected on to the window, it looks as if the two trees are signalling to each other.’
‘Perhaps they are,’ said Xan, coming to stand behind me. ‘I think the one outside is saying, “Where aremygingerbread biscuits?”’
‘They’d go soggy, if you put them out there – or the birds would get them,’ Henry said seriously.
‘He was joking,’ I said patiently. ‘Come on, I’ve got to start prepping dinner and you need to move all those empty cartons that are blocking the Garden Hall, Henry.’
‘I’ll help you; I don’t feel in the mood for any more work before dinner,’ Xan offered. ‘We’d better get on with it, before anyone falls over them.’
But we were too late, for Lucy had elected to put her own car away and come in by the side door, and we found her floundering about among the boxes. She was somewhat impeded by a large armful of holly, insecurely wrapped in newspaper. Just as we got there, a tower of cartons fell on her head.
She staggered, then sat down rather suddenly, flattening a Nativity box.
I was so glad the Holy Family weren’t still in it.
27
The Mistletoe Bough
