Page 82 of The Christmas Retreat
‘If he rings again, do you want me to tell him you aren’t here?’ asked Nerys.
I thought about it and then said, ‘No. I think if he does, then perhaps I’d better tell him myself to get lost and stop stalking me.’
‘Oh dear, it’s all very sad.’ Verity sighed.
‘It’s not sad at all,’ Evie told her crisply. ‘I hope you didn’t encourage him!’
‘I’m sorry if I did wrong, but I did think, from what Ginny’d said, that she might still have a soft spot for him.’
‘I can’t imagine what I said to give you that impression!’ I told her, exasperated, and then, finally, the subject was allowed to drop.
*
When the rest of us went to bed, Kate and Evie were still engaged in a ferocious game of Scrabble, but if they came to blows, the sound didn’t penetrate to my room. Not even the barking of Opal disturbed my dreams that night … and nor did any thought of Will.
*
I woke next morning to a winter wonderland but wasn’t tempted to go out into the crisp, white world because my new Mrs Snowboots book was calling me. As soon as I’d had a cup of coffee, I became lost in my work … until the call of breakfast lured me downstairs with the others.
We were all rather preoccupied, except Cariad, who wanted her father and me to go out into the snow with her.
‘The snow never lasts long here,’ Nerys said. ‘And there isn’t any in St Melangell. Mel’s mother rang just now and one of Mel’s sisters is walking her over here after breakfast by the cliff path, so you’ll have someone to play with, Cariad.’
‘Oh, good. But it would still be nice if you and Ginny came out too, Daddy.’
‘I will after lunch,’ he promised. ‘It’s so cold, the snow isn’t going to thaw today.’
‘And I will too,’ I told her.
Opal was still upstairs, barking and sniffling, but the district nurse had promised to pop in and take a look at her later, Nerys said.
‘Although I’m sure she’ll soon be on the mend.’
Then she looked at Verity, who was still hardly eating anything and who had also now developed an annoying sniff. There was the faint flush on her normally pale face I’d noticed yesterday, too …
‘You look as if you might be going down with something, too, Verity,’ Nerys said.
‘A little cold, perhaps, nothing to worry about,’ said Verity bravely. ‘I’ll just work through it.’
After breakfast, Noel went home, Timon and Pearl set off for the pottery, and the rest of us all vanished back into our creative burrows.
Mrs Snowboots Ahoy!was calling to me, and if the mounds of unsorted material for the Wisteria Cottage books laid out on the trestle table made me feel a little guilty, I could always work on those later in the day. However, mornings were my most creative time and ideas were tumbling out of my imagination.
*
Caraid’s friend Mel was at lunch, a sturdy fair child who looked very much like her brother, Max.
Rhys and I went out with them afterwards to make a whole family of snow people, including a snow dog and cat, and Toby and Pearl, who returned from the pottery before tea, joined us later as well.
When we went back into the house, we were all rosy and glowing, and a bit damp, because we’d ended up with a snowball fight. We were ready for hot drinks and Bronwen’s fat, sugar-topped and currant-stuffed Chelsea buns.
I gravitated into the kitchen later to talk to her and she promised to teach me how to make them.
*
Rhys had taken Mel and Cariad over to the castle after tea, where Cariad was to stay the night, as she often did, under the eye of the Prynnes’ nanny, so she wasn’t at dinner.
It was obvious to the rest of us, however, that Verity wasn’t well, and in the end even she had to admit to feeling ill and went to bed immediately afterwards.
