Page 23 of One More Christmas at the Castle
‘As long as no one saw,’ I said. ‘Xan didn’t, because he’d immediately recognized you and was trying to remember where from. And Mrs Powys was standing by the window, so she couldn’t see my face until I turned to speak to her. And thenshelooked at me really strangely,’ I added thoughtfully. ‘But I think it was just the usual surprise, really. We never seem to be quite what new clients are expecting.’
‘We’re wandering from the point, Dido,’ Henry said firmly. ‘I want to know why you looked at poor Xan like that. I know he’s totally gorgeous, but it certainly wasn’t a total love-at-first-sight thing. Come clean and tell all to Uncle Henry. You’ll feelsomuch better for it.’
He was probably right, so I capitulated. ‘OK then. I havemet him before, but it was years ago and I’ve changed so much since then that he didn’t seem to recognize me, thank God!’
‘No, he certainly didn’t seem to know you at all, did he? Though I wouldn’t have thought you were that forgettable.’
‘It was when I was sixteen – and he’d probablywantto forget me. It was that last summer holiday I spent with Charlotte’s family. Xan was a friend of her older brother, Gerry, and staying there for the first two weeks of the holiday, before they both flew out to stay with Xan’s parents in Greece.’
I paused, as a wave of shame swept over me, then continued: ‘At sixteen, I was a scrawny, horse-mad teenager with a ponytail and a brace. I wasn’t even all that tall, because I was a late developer and had a growth spurt during the following year.’
After that, I’dreallyfelt I didn’t fit in anywhere. The height, the bright golden hair, the straight Greek nose – they all made me stick out like a sore thumb. And like in that scene inAlice in Wonderland, I’d suddenly been too big for Granny’s old, low-beamed cottage.
‘I expect you were still cute, though,’ Henry said kindly.
‘I’ve never been cute and I certainly don’t think Xan thought so at the time! He seemed so grown up, though he was only a couple of years older than me and Charlotte.’
‘I think I vaguely remember Gerry from school, but he and Xan were not only older than me, they were in the geeky set whereas I was sporty. In fact, I only really remember Xan because he was so good-looking and he walked off with all the history and literary prizes.’
‘Well, you can imagine what happened when Charlotte and I set eyes on him. One look and we were straight into a major crush. We spent the next fortnight following him around and making a total nuisance of ourselves – especially me.’
‘We all go through embarrassing phases, and since youweresomuch younger he probably thought of you as children and hardly noticed. A couple of years makes a big difference at that age.’
‘I made such a nuisance of myself, he could hardly have helped noticing,’ I said gloomily. ‘He and Gerry were more interested in hanging out with a couple of the local girls their own age. Xan seemed very smitten with one of them …’
Sophie, she’d been called, and at the time she’d struck me as very sophisticated, with her perfect make-up, fashionable clothes and sleek, dark hair.
‘I was horribly jealous of her,’ I admitted. ‘I think it made me even worse. My behaviour was toe-curlingly embarrassing, in retrospect. Xan and Gerry avoided us as much as possible and I expect they were glad when it was time to fly out to Greece.’
They’d had to change their tickets and fly out a day early, because Xan’s grandmother had been taken ill.
‘You know, I don’t suppose you were half as silly as you think you were,’ Henry said comfortingly. ‘I don’t expect he’s given you another thought. I think you’re safe.’
‘I expect you’re right,’ I said. ‘My unusual name might have given the game away, but luckily Charlie’s always called me Di, so her family did the same.’
I began to feel more relaxed about the situation – in fact, I hadn’t realized quite how wound up about it I’d been until now – but it was so long ago, what did any of it matter now?
‘Xan isn’t to know that you went into your chrysalis as a scraggy, uncouth teenager and came out as a more-than-life-size Pallas Athene,’ Henry said. ‘You should be safe – unless you fall for him all over again, of course.’
‘That’snotgoing to happen,’ I told him firmly. ‘Even my crush wore off practically the minute he and Gerry left, and after that, Charlotte and I were back to the ponies, the pool and the tennis court.’
‘And, presumably, back to faithful childhood sweetheart Liam in Great Mumming?’
‘Yes, but he didn’t know anything about it, of course.
‘I’ll just have to be careful not to say anything that might remind him he’s met me in the past. I don’t expect I’ll have much to do with him anyway –you’rethe front-of-house man until we get busier, and also the old school chum.’
‘I hope we get a chance to have a catch-up at some point,’ he said, ‘though Mrs Powys was clearly putting us in our place as the help, wasn’t she? Not that we need it – we never encroach because we’re here to work and are paid a fortune for it.’
‘And we like being busy and making everyone comfortable and happy,’ I said. ‘It’s why we’re such a success!’
‘Mrs Powys is very impressive, isn’t she?’ Henry said.
‘Yes, she has presence and she’s nearly as tall as me. She doesn’t look ill, does she?’
‘I don’t know. She’s thin to the point of being gaunt,’ he said. ‘And since she told me when we were arranging the booking that her health was deteriorating and she wanted to hold one last Christmas party, like they had in the old days, she must be.’
‘Then if that’s what she wants, that’s what she’ll have,’ I said. ‘Come on, I’ll help you make your bed and then we can unpack, and meet back downstairs in half an hour.’
