Page 37 of All We Want for Christmas
‘Wow, these must have so much history. I’d love to look through them.’
‘I thought you might, and what’s more, I have an ulterior motive for showing you. Have a flick through both and then I’ll share my plan with you.’
Twenty minutes later, Lara had browsed through scores of black-and-white photographs of guests, all protected by leaves of embossed tissue paper. There were groups and individuals in a huge variety of costumes, from Roman emperors to pharaohs, alongside fictional heroes such as Robin Hood and King Arthur.
‘The family always employed a professional photographer, right from the 1920s,’ Fiona said, turning the pages and smiling. ‘Family and guests could pose in the hall by the tree when they arrived. It was a novelty to have a photograph then.’
‘What a brilliant memento of the ball,’ Lara said. ‘And of your family.’
‘I’m ashamed to say that some of the outfits would now be considered, quite rightly, entirely inappropriate,’ Fionasaid, grimacing at one of the photos of a group of men in First Nations dress.
Lara winced. ‘Hmm. You could look on it as a historical record of the changing times,’ Lara said, and turned the page to a group dressed as Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and Nana the dog. ‘Some seem to have interpreted historical figures very loosely.’
‘We’re pretty relaxed on the theme now, and no one who works here would ever wish to cause offence. The thing is, Henry and I – well, me, really – have decided to take inspiration from these albums and choose a costume referencing something one of our ancestors wore. One of the acceptable ones,’ she added hastily.
‘Oh? That sounds interesting.’
‘Hopefully. I also thought that, as you haven’t decided what to wear yet, you might like to choose something too.’
‘Oh. I—’ Lara had to think before replying. ‘That’s incredibly generous of you, but won’t it be a lot of trouble? And take a lot of time?’
‘We’ve already chosen our outfits and Tessa has measured us. It’s really cheered Henry up.’
‘If you’ve already given Tessa the measurements, will she have time to fit me in?’ Lara asked, thinking of the very clever seamstress who lived locally and was an expert in historical costumes.
‘Of course. She won’t mind. She’s a treasure.’
With only four weeks to the ball, Lara was afraid that Tessa would mind quite a bit. ‘It’s very kind of you, but I really don’t want to put anyone to that much trouble.’
‘Nonsense. You’ve worked so hard and the ball is designed specially to thank the staff, so it’s the least we can do. Please do take the albums and have a look overnight. Why don’t you decide if there’s something you like in there, unless you have any other ideas. We only used the albums for inspiration. Then let me know what you fancy and Tessa can measure you up.’
‘I – well, that’s very kind of you. I’ll enjoy looking at these,’ Lara said, realising that refusal might cause offence. Besides, she really did need a costume and a made-to-measure outfit would solve all her problems. Her mind was already buzzing with medieval princesses and Regency ladies. Then again, Flynn was definitely no Mr Darcy. A pang of guilt struck her: she’d be forcing him to wear a tatty second-hand affair while she’d be making an entrance in a made-to-measure costume.
Setting the albums and her fantasies aside, she refocused on the organisation of the ball, discussing the latest responses from the guest list and the period musicians and entertainers she’d booked. This included a troupe of jesters, fire eaters, a Regency quartet, and a swing band for later to get the real party going.
Lara had already shown Fiona a YouTube video of the fire eaters.
‘Good grief,’ Fiona said in awe. ‘That’s pretty impressive, but I hope the whole place doesn’t go up in smoke on my watch.’
For a moment, Lara thought Fiona was going to mention the Lucky Chalice and its curse, but instead she asked if there were enough car-park stewards.
‘Plenty. The same company who are marshalling the illuminations are sending a smaller crew for the ball. They’ve coped with thousands of visitors, so they can handle a few hundred. And there’s enough room in the staff and disabled parking area without using the grassed areas.’
‘Good. We can’t have anyone tramping through the mud in their finery.’ Fiona applauded Lara. ‘Looks like you have everything in hand. I hope you can fully relax on the night. That’s the general idea – that all the staff can let their hair down after a hectic season.’
‘I’m sure they will,’ Lara said, although she knew she wouldn’t be able to fully relax when she’d been in charge of the organisation. At least Jazz had finalised the menu and was overseeing the caterers, so she didn’t have to worry about that.
Once again, Fiona had been so kind to her and yet Lara was keeping the secret of the chalice. She almost confessed there and then, but realised it would be terrible timing when Fiona was so happy and Henry was recovering. It might even set him back.
‘What have you decided on for your costumes?’ she asked, sounding even to herself like she was strangled with guilt. ‘You haven’t said yet.’
Fiona tapped the side of her nose and said mysteriously, ‘Oh, we’re keeping ours a surprise until the big night. But let’s say it will be linked to a key moment in Ravendale’s history.’
‘Oh? That sounds intriguing,’ Lara said.
‘Yes, but I’ve hinted too much already. Our lips aresealed. Please don’t even breathe word of our conversation to anyone. Henry and I want to make a real entrance at the ball. I think it will be great fun for everyone.’
‘I’m sure it’s going to be amazing,’ Lara said, picking up the albums. They weighed a ton, rather like her conscience. ‘I promise I’ll make a decision tonight and bring these back tomorrow.’
