Page 68 of The Christmas Invitation
Sybil gave him a nervous and placatory smile and said, ‘Perhaps my letter went astray. I’d better ring him to make sure he got it.’
‘You do that,’ agreed Mark. ‘We don’t want him turning up like a bad penny.’
I wondered just how bad this Piers Marten was. Mark certainly seemed to dislike him very much, though I think Sybil must have had a soft spot for him, to be so sad about putting him off.
We set off back to the Red House for tea and the dogs kept me warm in the back of the car by lying in a heap on my knees.
‘Pansy’s taken such a shine to you,’ said Sybil, turning round to look at them. Her voice held a hint of speculation and if I hadn’t known how much she’d intended charging the people who had backed out of buying Pansy, I’d have been sorely tempted myself, even if it would have made my life difficult when I had to travel about so much for work.
We arrived at the Red House just as Lex and Teddy had got out of the pick-up, so it was likedéjà vu, but with an audience. At least Lex didn’t look shocked this time when he saw me, just sombre, serious and slightly tight-lipped.
Perhaps it had been my parting shot – ‘Get potted’ – last time I saw him? It was possibly not my finest moment.
Clearly, though, it hadn’t put him off staying for tea, because he followed us into the house. He’d greeted Mark in a friendlyenough way too. I supposed they were relations, if only by marriage, and had seen quite a bit of each other over the years.
Teddy ran straight off upstairs to change out of his school uniform, while we found Henry, Clara and Tottie in the drawing room, cosily ensconced on the sofas in front of the fire.
Mark sat down next to me on one of the sofas and laid an arm across the back of it behind my head, in what struck me as a slightly proprietorial way … and now he was telling me again, in a low voice, how I’dlovethe warmth of an Italian winter.
‘I expect I would, but I’ve no intention of going there any time soon,’ I said firmly. Then I caught Lex, sitting in an oversized tub chair nearby, his long legs stretched out, looking so sardonically at me that I felt myself blushing … and even more hotly when I noticed that all conversation in the room had come to a halt andeveryeye was turned on us.
The blush was turning fiery when Pansy came to my rescue. She’d climbed on to my lap when I sat down and now jealously inserted herself in the small space between me and Mark and tried to rabbit-kick him away.
‘Naughty Pansy,’ I said, not meaning it in the least, and then Den provided another distraction by bringing tea in and decanting cups, saucers, teapot, a covered dish and a cake on to the coffee table.
Teddy followed him in carrying a small stack of tea plates and paper napkins. ‘There are buttered potato cakes in the dish,’ he told us. ‘I like those, but they drip a lot.’
‘An’ this ’ere’s a carrot cake, seeing Tottie grows enough bleedin’ carrots to feed a stableful of ’orses,’ said Den. ‘I’m orf now to the flat fer a bit; leave the ’appy family to it.’
This seemed to have been said with no sarcastic intent and he went off, whistling ‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ between his teeth.
‘He’s such a character,’ Sybil commented.
Her eyes wandered back in my direction again and I hoped she – and everyone else – hadn’t got the wrong idea about me and Mark.
Henry asked me what I thought of Underhill and Mark’s plans, and I told him I was impressed by how much he’d actually done already.
‘It’ll certainly be ready for the spring opening,’ Mark said. ‘But I’ll need it all looking good before that, for the brochure and website … so I could do with a little help, especially with decorating.’
He’d already hinted as much to me, so I thought that one might have been directed at Lex, thoughhedidn’t take him up on it either.
‘Meg thinks a teeny tiny still life of flowers and fruit, which I’d never really taken much notice of, might be worth more than most of the other pictures put together – isn’t she clever?’ Sybil announced.
‘I’m not an expert,’ I said hastily. ‘I just think it might well be extremely valuable, so you won’t have to sacrifice any of the family portraits.’
‘I expect you’re right and I don’t think we’ll really miss it at all,’ she said. ‘I can see we have to sell something, what with death duties and the renovations and—’
‘Grandfather having tied up what was left of the money,’ Mark finished, though since I’d found the still life, this didn’t sound quite as barbed as before.
‘We’re so looking forward to having you here over Christmas, Sybil,’ said Clara.
‘And Mark for dinner on Christmas Day, though of course you’re welcome to come over any time you like, dear boy,’ invited Henry.
‘That depends,’ Mark said, looking at me with a meaningful smile. ‘You said you weren’t sure if you’d be leaving before Christmas or not, Meg.’
‘Oh, I’m definitely staying now, if Clara and Henry will still have me,’ I said breezily, with a look that cast the gauntlet at Lex’s feet.
‘Hurray!’ cried Teddy. ‘Meg’s a favourite people.’
