Page 124 of One More Christmas at the Castle
‘I’m here,’ Dom said, looking round Xan. ‘We just didn’t want to disturb you both in your off-duty time.’
‘You’re not disturbing us, we’re glad to see you,’ Henry said, and he and Dom exchanged smiles.
‘I thought you might have already gone to bed, Dido,’ Xan said to me.
‘No, but I will as soon as the film’s finished. It’s onlyElfagain, because I was too tired to concentrate on anything else.’
‘My most favourite film ever!’ Dom declared.
‘Then why don’t you both join us?’ suggested Henry. ‘Here, you have my chair, Dom, and I’ll pull up a pouffe.’
‘Choose your words!’ Dom said with a grin.
Plum had decided to curl up on my lap and Xan settled down in the vacated space and brazenly put his arm around me.
I gave him a look and he said, innocently, ‘Just being friendly.’
‘Can we go back to the revolving door bit? That’s my favourite,’ Dom asked.
‘Mine too,’ Henry agreed. ‘Two minds with but a single thought!’
35
Forgotten
That night I gave up and went to bed as soon as the film finished, because I knew I’d be fit for nothing in the morning if I didn’t.
Xan said he’d take Plum out and then go up then, too, but Dom seemed just as much of a night owl as Henry, so we left them deciding which of Henry’s horror collection they’d watch.
It still took me a couple of strong coffees next morning, before I was ready to tackle the preparation of breakfast for eight, assisted by Henry when he got back with the papers.
He was annoyingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, despite so little sleep.
Xan came in to give Plum his breakfast, and stayed to turn the sausages over, before taking the first pot of coffee into the morning room. Plum remained, though, looking hopeful as he watched the bacon and sausages being transferred to the lidded dishes.
I helped Henry take them through, along with the teapot. By then, everyone was down, so I suspected Mrs Powys had already informed them that breakfast would be cleared away at nine, whether they’d arrived in time for it, or not.
This suited us, though, because it’s very tiresome when the members of a house party keep trickling down till late morning, when you need to be thinking about cooking lunch.
Mrs Powys was dealing briskly with Frank Melling, who had declared he had no interest in Christmas fairs, and would prefer to stay at the Castle.
‘Nonsense!’ she snapped. ‘If you don’t want to go to the fair, then I suggest you look around the old church and visit the folk museum.’
‘Oh, yes, do,’ urged Lucy. ‘It will be open, except for the library, and it’s so interesting! I’d offer to show you round, but of course Nigel and I will be going down to the village hall right after breakfast, then be busy at the fair.’
‘I’ll change into my outfit here, before we go,’ Nigel said jovially. ‘Must get in character!’
I felt we should be grateful he hadn’t appeared at breakfast in it, though it would have been hard to wolf down the bacon and eggs while wearing a cotton-wool beard.
‘I’m sure the rest of you will fit into two cars,’ Mrs Powys said, and Xan and Dom volunteered to drive.
I went back to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee at this point, but Henry told me that Xan had said he would bring me back early.
‘Then you could make a start on lunch. The rest of us could squeeze into Dom’s car. But I’ll lay the table for lunch as soon as I’ve whipped round the bedrooms.’
‘We could do that quickly now together, while they’ve got their feet in the trough,’ I suggested. ‘A lick and a promise!’
I didn’t see Santa’s departure, but Henry went off in Dom’s car a little later, along with a huffy Frank Melling.
