Page 80 of The Christmas Invitation
‘I’ve told you the Martlands lived up at Little Mumming, haven’t I?’ Henry said, driving past the turn to the village. ‘They hold a special ceremony on the green on Twelfth Night every year, but they don’t encourage outsiders to go, so I never have. We wouldn’t want to be swamped with outsiders forourSolstice rites, after all.’
‘Fat chance of that, when the weather’s so bad that sometimes even Fred from the pub can’t get over to take part in it, and there’s only a handful of people,’ said Clara.
‘Before the reservoir, anyone in the village capable of climbing the hill went,’ said Henry. ‘There was a torch-lit procession.Someone went up earlier to light the fire and the torches round the stone first, of course.’
‘Nowadays, someone usually pops up on the Underhill quad bike,’ Clara said. ‘And Old Winter goes with them to get in the cave before the rest of us arrive.’
Teddy was worn out with excitement and half asleep in the back next to me, holding his plastic dragon.
We went the long way round to get home, but Lex must have braved the pass, because he’d got there first. I hadn’t realized he was coming back, but had assumed he’d go straight to Terrapotter.
‘Lex has been quick! He was stopping to pick up our holly on the way,’ said Clara, surprised. ‘I hope he didn’t forget.’
But we found him in the hall next to a heap of holly – red with bright berries – and another of tangled ivy, for Tottie had collected some from the Underhill estate with Sybil that morning after their hack.
Den had walked Lass already, so Henry disappeared straight into his study. Clara said she’d delegate putting the greenery up to me, Lex and Tottie.
‘Well, that’s why I came back here, after all,’ Lex said, and went to fetch the stepladder.
Teddy went to watch a DVD in the morning room and I suspected he’d fall asleep to the sound of Disney-style singing.
Using green florist’s wire, Lex twined ivy and holly round the big wooden wheel of a chandelier in the hall, while Tottie and I decorated the mantelpieces and stuck sprigs of greenery all over the place, until the house looked even more festive than before.
Teddy, flushed with sleep, reappeared just as we’d finished and then Den came out of the kitchen with the tea trolley. At the sound of the rattling crockery, or possibly the smell of hot,buttered crumpets, Clara and Henry’s doors opened too, and for a few moments the hall was exactly like one of those wooden weather houses, only with multiple occupants popping out of doors.
Lex said he’d meant to go home way before tea, but he couldn’t resist the crumpets. Afterwards he asked to see Henry’s portrait.
He stood in front of it in total silence for ages, then gave me another of his long, puzzled looks.
‘I’d forgotten how good an artist you were until I saw Clara’s portrait, and this is going to be just as brilliant. You always took your work seriously, even when we were students.’
‘So did you,’ I reminded him. It had been something we’d had in common and we’d often been part of the small band of students who carried on working late until the caretaker threw us out into the night. It had made a bond, that unstoppable creative urge.
I could see he was remembering that and finding it hard to square with the person he’d thought me all these years.
He stared at me, frowning for a few moments, then turned and left without another word.
I felt too tired to settle to anything after that, so I sent Fliss a long email, telling her about the mill, and Lex’s needling me about Mark, and finally what he’d said when he’d seen Henry’s portrait …
It was all a bit tangled, but I sent it anyway.
At dinner, Clara said that while we were festooning the house with greenery, she’d written a little more of her memoirs and the part she’d reached now was causing her to come to a few interesting conclusions. This was mysterious, especially when she added enigmatically that presents came in all shapes andsizes, but were always welcome. I think her mind must have wandered off on to another track.
When Teddy had been put to bed, all his presents were brought down to the drawing room and we had a mad wrapping session, before they were locked away in the large cupboard under the stairs, ready to put around the tree on Christmas Eve.
My hoard of presents was still hidden away in my turret. but I gave Clara the bean-filled little dragon I’d picked up in Preciousss for Teddy’s Christmas stocking, and she said it could guard the gold coins at the bottom of it until Christmas Eve finally arrived.
Clara
Lady Leamington’s plan proved a good one, for though many people commented on how much weight Nessa was gaining, no one seemed to guess the truth.
There seemed no point in telling Nessa that our suspicions were correct and George’s wife, Barbara, was expecting a baby not long after hers would be born.
We had plans for that summer vacation. Henry intended wandering around the remoter parts of Greece, while I had wangled my way on to an archaeological dig in Turkey, after which we’d go travelling together until the start of the Michaelmas term.
By now Nessa was turning quite militantly feminist, which made a pleasant change from her earlier romantic imbecility, and was looking forward to completing her degree in America. But first, Lady Leamington duly whisked her away at the end of term, and in the nick of time. The baby was born very early and by caesarean section soon afterwards.
I visited Nessa in her swish private maternity hospital before I left for Turkey.
