Page 70 of The Secret Christmas Library
‘GOOD!’ said Esme emphatically. ‘That’s what this place needs. A FUCKING ROCKET. Explode the bloody lot.’
Theo started tucking into the bread and cheese without even taking a plate. Bonnie folded her arms in a way that spoke volumes.
‘Sorry,’ said Jamie. ‘I really am.’
And he looked at her gently in a way that Mirren wished he were using on her.
‘Just . . . keep them out of my kitchen,’ said Bonnie crossly.
‘Oh, Bonnie Bonita, we are so,soooosorry,’ said Theo, prostrating himself, his mouth full. ‘When you are so wonderful . . . you are wonderful, you know. So wonderful.’
‘Yeah, alright,’ said Bonnie.
‘Almost makes me take my focus off my girlfriend,’ said Theo, his eyes sliding all over the place as he awkwardly segued across the room, all of him jerking about clumsily except for his glass of dark brown liquid, which remained miraculously upright.
‘Yourwhat?’ said Esme, suddenly not sounding quite so drunk. But Theo was, to Mirren’s horror, already standing right in front of her.
‘I miss you, my angel,’ he said, half-crooning, to Mirren, blasting some boozy breath on her face. ‘Please come back to me.’
‘Wait – I didn’t realise he was your . . . I thought you said . . . ’
Jamie’s face was suddenly a mixture of upset and confusion, which, if Mirren hadn’t been so utterly horrified, might have answered a few of her questions.
‘No!’ said Mirren.
‘Course you are,’ said Theo. Then, in a mock whisper to Jamie, ‘She LOVES it.’
‘I don’t loveanything!’ said Mirren, desperately. ‘Oh, my God!’
‘Course you do,’ said Theo. ‘You were giving me the come-on LAST NIGHT!’
The room fell silent, as Mirren boiled with fury. It had only beenflirting.And she had had no idea that she would suddenly feel quite differently about her employer; she hadn’t even noticed it creeping up on her. She had thought she would get her own back on Theo and, okay, had been feeling a bit lonely, but . . . well, that was yesterday!
Nobody would give her a chance to explain and she couldn’t anyway without it sounding worse. Jamie was looking genuinely horrified, Theo was wildly swinging around, shouting, ‘Someone put that music on! It’s too quiet in here and I want to dance with my baby!’ and Esme was looking miserable and slightly more sober.
‘Actually,’ said Jamie suddenly, ‘I’m not that fussed about supper. I think I’ll just go to bed.’
‘Me too,’ said Mirren. ‘Theo, you’re a disgrace.’
‘No, no, you stay,’ said Jamie, sounding tired.
‘YEAH, STAY!’ said Theo, grabbing her with one hand and some more bread with the other.
Esme was fumbling with the record player. ‘I’ll dance,’ she announced boldly, and, as if things weren’t already bad enough, as the old music came on – in a ghastly way, the needle speeding up on the record – she started to perform what was clearly supposed to be a very sexy dance, while Theo grabbed one arm, then held on to Mirren with another. The speeded-up waltz sounded gruesome but neither of them seemed to care.
‘Getoffme!’ Mirren said crossly, pushing him away, and running to the door. But Jamie had vanished into the gloom, and the spell was broken.
36
Mirren lay in bed, absolutely freezing, and more than a little hungry. Even though she had stoked up the fire and closed the curtains, it wasn’t enough. The temperature had plunged; she could see her breath in front of her whenever she moved away from the fire.
At first, running upstairs, she’d been hot, cross and bothered, but she’d cooled down rapidly, still horrified by the double whammy of realising she felt something for sad, conflicted, handsome Jamie, and then immediately having those feelings dashed by that absolutedipshitTheo. Theo, who had now managed to make her this upset twice, which meant that the second time was absolutely her fault.
She groaned to herself in hopeless embarrassment. Oh, God. Of course she shouldn’t have flirted with him like that. She’d been trying to imply he was missing something, but it had completely backfired. For the first time, thoughts of the book completely fled from her head, and she lay down, staring at the draped curtains of the dark red bed, utterly frustrated with herself. And freezing. She would need to get out of bed and put some extra clothes on.
Of course doing this made her instantly need a pee, so she zoomed down the corridor as if this was completely normal and she’d always done it. It was too cold to sit on the toilet seat.There was no noise in the passage, but from very far away she could still hear some strains of music. They must still be down there. Mirren smiled ruefully to herself, washing her hands in the freezing water. He’d never change. She hadn’t wanted him; she’d just wanted.. . she had just felt . . .
Well, she could say it, here in this huge rackety empty palace, in the depths of winter. She’d felt so, so lonely.
