Page 82 of All We Want for Christmas
‘They were stunned. Shocked. Mum cried and Dad kept saying “bloody hell”.’ They both think they’re far too young to be great-grandparents and are desperate to know more and meet Molly and Esme.’ He blew out a breath. ‘I was on the phone for an hour, trying to tell them that Imogen didn’teven know yet, so they’d have to keep everything to themselves for now.’
‘I bet. But Molly will tell Imogen when she comes home after Christmas?’
‘Yes, she’s promised she will. Now I need to try and unwind for a few hours. Have you got anything remotely festive with no booze in it so I can pretend I’m getting pissed when I’m not?’
Lara laughed. ‘I think we have some zero beer and gallons of elderflower fizz. The bar’s over here.’
Flynn found a beer and Lara decided that, at half-past eleven on Christmas morning, it was allowable to have a small glass of Prosecco, though she intended to pace herself. She’d learned from bitter experience that, with free booze on tap and a long day ahead without family looking over their shoulders, some of her work colleagues did have a tendency to get plastered.
Though itwastempting to drink the free bar dry, Lara knew there was always the possibility she might have to turn peacemaker or help someone back to their accommodation – not to mention that last year one of the gardening team had set fire to the kitchen bin. They’d narrowly avoided a call-out from the fire service.
Most of all, she wanted to be in full control of anything she might say to Flynn. He must be in turmoil after breaking the news to his parents, and even Lara had found her video call with her own family to be way more emotional than she’d expected.
For now, she threw herself into the celebrations and one glass of fizz led to several others. After everyone had mucked in with preparing and serving lunch, Flynn proved a dab hand at carving and they ate enough to be fit to burst. Once she’d got over the oddity of sharing Christmas dinner with people she worked with every day, Lara found herself relaxing. She had to hand it to Flynn – he was clearly keen to join in.
People were talking about missing family and Rebecca piped up from the head of the table.
‘I always volunteer to work over Christmas,’ she stated. ‘I can’t stand the forced jollity and my mum insists on having my aunt and cousins round. They’re total snobs and the kids are feral.’ She grinned. ‘Can someone pass the roast potatoes? And I wouldn’t mind some extra gravy.’
They’d just finished forcing pudding down themselves when someone suggested playing games.
Lara, two of the gardeners, the deputy housekeeper, and a finance officer called Troy, who she’d only ever spoken to once, actually had a lot of fun. They had a ‘reveal one silly fact’ about yourself, which had resulted in Troy revealing he used to work in a circus. He then fetched a unicycle from his cottage and rode it round the courtyard to prove it. Rebecca had had a go and fallen off, but fortunately it was into a hay bale.
One of the apprentices revealed he’d once played for the Man United youth team, and the deputy head gardener, a burly guy with a shaven head and bushy beard, confessedthat he’d once reached the final stage auditions ofBritain’s Got Talent. He was then persuaded to sing ‘Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas’.
People’s eyes were still suspiciously moist after his performance when Mrs Danvers was thrust into the spotlight.
She leaned back in her chair. ‘Well, when I was working at a – let’s say a very famous and historic palace in the south-east – I once caught a cabinet minister doing something very naughty with his permanent private secretary in the linen storeroom.’
‘Oh!’
‘What?’
‘Who?’
The others bombarded her with questions.
‘I can’t possibly say, but it involved, according to what I overheard through the door, hiding the – hic – sausage.’
Laughter erupted and Flynn joined in.
‘What about you, Flynn? What’s the thing we don’t know about you?’
‘Could be anything!’ Mrs D declared. ‘He’s only been here two months.’
‘OK. OK. I once did something really stupid. I had to be rescued by the RNLI after I jumped into the sea off a cliff for a dare. I hit the water at a funny angle, except it wasn’t funny. It was like hitting concrete and I passed out.’
Lara stared at him in horror.
‘Silly boy,’ Rebecca muttered. ‘Hic.’
‘Yeah, it was stupid. Lucky for me, some guy in a kayak got to me and the RNLI fished me out. I was OK after a nightin hospital, but Mum and Dad went mad and grounded me for the rest of the school holidays. I learned my lesson.’
‘So you went out and got a motorbike instead?’ Lara commented.
‘I was eighteen by then. They couldn’t stop me.’ He grinned. ‘I was a bit of a rebel but I’m very sensible now.’
‘Of course,’ Lara said. ‘You’d never do anything risky now.’
