Page 23 of Christmas off Script
There was a crackle of static and a voice came through a radio on the table next to Arthur’s plate. ‘Red Leader to the dining room. You ready for launch? Over.’
Arthur pressed the call button. ‘Foxbrooke One here. Ready for launch? No, we’re ready for dinner! Ha ha ha! Over!’
‘Incoming! Over.’
Arthur dropped the walkie-talkie to the tablecloth and swigged a mouthful of wine from a cut-crystal goblet. ‘Isn’t technology marvellous!’ He then stood and went to the door, opening it to let a woman through who was pushing a trolley laden with food. Arthur helped her place the dishes on the table.
‘Evening everyone,’ she said, then inclined her head at Gram-Gram. ‘Your Grace. We’ve got roast lamb and gravy, potatoes roasted in goose fat and rosemary, steamed cavalo nero and peas with garlic butter, and roasted carrots with redcurrant jelly, balsamic vinegar and smoked paprika.’
‘Sounds scrumptious, Perry.’ Arthur rubbed his hands together. ‘Steve still on for the panto read-through tomorrow?’
‘Yep. He can’t wait to be the ugliest sister there ever was,’ she replied with a grin, then addressed the others around the table. ‘You’ve got raspberry pavlova with the last of the raspberries from the garden for dessert, along with honey and toasted nut ice cream, and a flourless chocolate torte with a healthy splash of rum and whipped cream.’
Leo made a sound of delight, and Ella’s tummy rumbled. The food at the manor was heavenly, and a thousand steps up from the cheap meals she’d been eating in an attempt to save money.
‘I’ll be off now,’ Perry said. ‘Coffee machine’s on the side and I’ve replenished the chocolates. Anything else, you know where it is. Enjoy your meal, everyone!’
There was a chorus of enthusiastic thanks from around the table as she departed. Then Leo reached for the dishes to serve Gram-Gram first, before passing them to Ella.
‘Thank you,’ she said, knowing he wouldn’t eat until her plate was full.
Everyone settled into a happy silence as they tucked in, Ella suppressing a moan of pleasure at how delicious the food was. Mouthful by mouthful, her stomach unknotted and her nervous system unwound. No matter what was going on outside the manor, here, with Leo and his family, she was safe.
‘I’ve been thinking about a new dish for Christmas Eve this year,’ Arthur said to no-one in particular.
Leo’s cutlery paused halfway to his mouth. ‘Are we going to like it?’
‘Of course! Takes about a week to prepare, though.’
Ella ran her mind over all the dishes she’d learned about when studying for the Christmas quiz and came up short.
‘Where’s this idea from?’ Leo asked, clearly following her thought process.
‘Eastern Europe. Been meaning to do it for a few years now, but never got around to it.’
Ella’s gaze darted to Leo, seeing her amused horror reflected back as the penny dropped.
Leo eyeballed his father. ‘No, Dad,’ he said firmly.
‘But you don’t know what I want to do!’
‘Does it involve a bath?’
‘A bath?’ Gram-Gram asked, clearly trusting Leo’s ability to predict his father’s behaviour.
There was a naughty twinkle in Arthur’s eye. ‘Maybe…’
‘What is it?’ Willow asked her brother.
‘Christmas carp.’
‘Carp?’ Gram-Gram enunciated. ‘Dreadful eating. You might as well eat mud.’
‘But that’s what the bath’s for!’ Arthur said excitedly. ‘A week in clean water and the taste is completely different! Found out all about it after we caught those chappies pilfering the ones in the lake a few years ago.’
‘Dad!’ Willow exclaimed. ‘You can’t keep a fish in a bathtub!’
‘Why not? It’s just like a tank, just bigger. And if you won’t let me have any more pets, then this will have to do. I’m going to call him Clarence!’
