Page 74 of The Christmas Retreat
‘I saw it and it just looked as though it should belong to you,’ Rhys said. ‘Mistletoe seems to be the symbol of our renewed friendship, doesn’t it? But perhaps we’d better not ask Noel to remind us of its traditional meaning!’ He gave his quirky grin.
I was pretty sure it was all about ensuring fertility and that kind of thing, and I felt myself blushing.
‘You really shouldn’t have. But it is lovely,’ I said, already pinning it to my tunic.
‘Daddy, look what Ginny’s given me!’ exclaimed Cariad, shoving the unwrapped toolbox between us. ‘It’s a complete archaeologist’s kit, with two different-sized trowels – the pointed kind that builders use, and one small one like a gardening trowel – and then brushes and a special notebook for recording finds.’
She exhibited her treasures and Nerys said, ‘What a great idea! That will be so useful for your dig up at the castle, when the ground thaws out enough, darling.’
‘It might be my favourite present, although it’s hard to choose. I like yours, and Uncle Timon’s too … and Daddy’s and Uncle Noel’s … and Bronwen and Tudor’s.’
‘Well, luckily you don’t have to choose,’ said Nerys, laughing.
‘Nanny Jones knitted me another jumper, but this one is in rainbow stripes and has a zip front and a hood with a tassel and I like it. I’d grown out of the usual ones with teddy bears and baby stuff on the front,’ Cariad said. ‘All my presents seem extra special this year.’
‘I hope you count mine among them, too, darling,’ said Verity.
‘The manicure set,’ prompted Nerys, who seemed to have been listing the presents and their givers from her seat on the pouffe.
‘Oh, yes. Thank you very much,’ said Cariad dutifully.
‘If you’ve finished unwrapping, then perhaps you can help me put all the paper in a bag,’ Rhys suggested, and Toby and I got up too and helped stuff everything that would recycle into one bag, and the rest into another, smaller one. The room looked a lot better after that.
‘There you are, help yourselves,’ said Nerys, putting down a huge open tin of chocolates on the coffee table. ‘I’ll just go and make us some coffee, then there’s just time to watchElf, for those who’d like to, before dinner.’
‘I want to show Ginny all my presents,’ objected Cariad.
‘You can do that after dinner,’ said Noel. ‘And you can safely leave your family of dragons to guard your hoard while you go into the TV room.’
‘Good idea!’ she said. ‘I’ll just take a couple of my favourite things in with me …’
‘I’mgoing into the library for some peace – I need to thinkabout my new book,’ announced Kate, heaving herself up and heading off, scooping up a great handful of the chocolates from the tin as she went.
‘That woman is diabetes waiting to happen,’ said Evie dispassionately. ‘Come on, Noel, let’s go up to my room and I’ll show you the material I’ve got so far about Arwen and how it fits in with what I’ve found out about her time here.’
‘I think I’ll go upstairs too, and rest a little,’ said Verity. She didn’t say from what, and I hadn’t noticed her do anything more strenuous than unwrap her gifts.
‘I’ll go up as well,’ Opal said and then, reluctantly admitting to what we could all see for ourselves, added that she had a slight headache and needed to lie down for a little while.
Pearl went up with her but soon came down again, saying Opal had taken some paracetamol and was lying down, and then she and Toby retired to the window with the Scrabble while Cariad insisted Rhys and I go into the other room to watch the film – and it doesn’t matter how often I’ve seen it, I still become hysterical when Elf goes round and round in the revolving glass door.
Arwen
Letter from Arwen Madoc to Milly Vane, Monday 7 July 1919
My dearest Milly,
I was so cheered by having a letter from you so soon – and from Lamorna, too! It does sound like chaos at the moment but I’m sure you will soon settle in. I’m sorry the girl you have found to help in the house is not a better cook, but if we can only think of a good scheme to release me from my present situation, I will be able to take over all that side of things, for you know I love to cook and bake. It is not a chore to me, but fun!
I am glad to hear that almost the first thing you did on your arrival was set up your studio so that you can resume your woodcuts. It may be an art that has fallen out of fashion, but you have brought a bold, modern aspect to it that is quite arresting in style.
I was very interested in what you told me about Edwin going out to sketch on the cliffs the second day you were there – typical that he should abandon you among the boxes and take himself off! – andthere met Laura Knight on the same mission. I do love her paintings, and when we met her last year, she was so very pleasant and friendly. I too want to start painting directly in oils in the open air. Of course, bringing back home a wet oil painting without getting covered in paint is always the difficulty. However, my oil studies of sea and sky and ancient places are all very small canvases so I will contrive something.
I love your indignation that Cosmo should expect me to become his mere assistant and be happy to do so! I am very sure Mr Jones knows all about Cosmo’s declining vision, for he has more than once said something to me about the way great artists of the past had assistants in their studios to attend to backgrounds and other details, while the artist himself concentrated on the important part … and he has seen me adding detail to Cosmo’s work, for he is often in and out of the studio. I do have time to paint my own works too. Not so much earlier in the week, however, because I was sitting for Mr Jones so he could make the Guinevere model – he says he will have to imagine that my hair is long and in a braid over one shoulder – and Cosmo decided to do a canvas of me too. I found sitting profoundly boring.
You must have been quite right when you said that you thought that those remarks of Cosmo’s at dinner that made me so uneasy were only intended to tease Bea, because he has not since shown any sign that he regards me in any light other than that of ward and pupil, thank goodness.
Unfortunately, Bea’s suspicions about his intentions towards me, once roused, are not so easily banished and I often find her and Maudie gazing at me in a very calculating way, as if they think I must have designs on Cosmo!
