A Proper Family Christmas (28 page)

“But you were going to tell me what happened to Oliver,” she was able to get in at last.

“Oh God, yes! It was so funny.” They exchanged a glance of mischief. “…Poor guy, we shouldn't have done it really.”

“Done what?” She didn't trust their sense of humour. Had they left him up there, tied to a tree or something?

“Well, we were just on our way home, when we met Kath Arncott, out for a walk.”

“Out on the prowl,” corrected William. “That woman doesn't do walks.”

“And she kindly invited us back to her house for a cup of tea.”

“…It wasn't
me
she was inviting back to her lair!”

“Well anyway, old Oliver had once made the mistake of saying that he'd like to see round her cottage, and she was obviously desperate to have him, - in every sense! …So I'm afraid we - er - accepted on his behalf. To coin a phrase, the man may be gone some time! …What do you reckon, Uncle William? I can't see her letting him out again much before Hogmanay!”

“Daniel, you're a very naughty boy,” his grandmother told him. “And you're no better, William. …Poor Oliver! You know how polite he is! Once that vamp gets her claws into him, God knows when he'll ever get away.”

“If at all,” said the unrepentant Daniel. “He might have to settle in and marry her, and have a few more Grimes and Brines!”

Hilary didn't find this nearly as funny as he and William seemed to. She was about to protest, when she realised there was a peculiar noise at the front door. - Not exactly a knock. More like a kick, low down.

“What on earth's that?” Margery heard it at the same time.

Daniel went and opened the door. “Oh, hello, kid! Lock yourself out?”

“I couldn't get in,” said Tobias. “The handle's too high. …I want Mummy now.”

“What
have
you been doing, Tobias?” Hilary asked him, as Margery obligingly hallooed for Lesley. “You're covered in cobwebs!”

“‘Sploring,” said Tobias.

“I thought you were going for a walk with Frances.”

“We went for a walk, and then we ‘splored the ruined house,” he explained.

“Oh good heavens, Tobias, you're filthy!” exclaimed Lesley, hurrying down the stairs. “How on earth did Nanny let you get into that state? …Come on, we'd better run your bath.”

“But where's Frances, then?” said Daniel.

“In the ruined house.” Tobias was being hurried up the stairs.

“What ruined house? …Why didn't she come back with you?”

“She can't. Her leg's stuck in the floor. She said I had to come back on my own.”

“Poor Frances, - I do hope she's not badly hurt,” said Hilary, when Daniel had grabbed his mountain rescue kit and bolted out of the house. They could hear his car speeding off down the drive. “Thank heavens Tobias found his way home!”

The hero of the hour, after a close debrief on the exact location of his ruined house, was now in the bath, no doubt being told how wonderful he was by Lesley. Whatever she said, Hilary found it hard to believe that Frances had irresponsibly led him into danger, - much more likely to have been the other way round.

“She'll want to go straight up to bed, whatever the case,” she went on. “It's a pity she has to share a room.”

“With that ghastly girl,” Margery was blunter, “playing her pop music at all hours, no doubt, just when the child needs to rest! - Well, there are plenty of others, aren't there?”

They found a perfectly good one across the landing, not as palatial as the bedroom Frances currently shared with Shelley, but it was fairly clean, and had a neat single bed which only needed sheets and blankets. Hilary fetched them from the airing cupboard and Margery helped her make it up.

“When I was young, this was all one,” she observed, pointing to the wall of Julia and Tony's room next door. “They put that partition up so Nanny could sleep next to William. - He was a fractious little boy!”

“I bet,” grinned Hilary.

“We all spoiled him dreadfully, of course,” his sister admitted. “That's why he's such a selfish old cuss now. …Still, he was never such a monster as that!” They could hear the familiar wail as Tobias was coaxed from the bath up to bed. “They're going to miss that nanny of theirs if she's laid up for any length of time. - Likeable girl.”

“Yes, isn't she?” said Hilary. “And Daniel definitely thinks so!”

“I could see that!” chuckled Margery. “ - Dashing off to her rescue, like a medieval knight. …Nice to see so much romance in the air!”

“What do you mean?” said Hilary, aware that her mother-in-law was regarding her quizzically across the bed. “…Oh no, not you as well, Margery! - Why does everyone in the house think there's something going on between me and Leo?”

“You and
Leo
? Good God, you've not taken a fancy to that freak of nature, have you?” exclaimed his fond mother, momentarily appalled. “No, you've far too much sense. …And anyway, it isn't Leo that makes your face light up whenever he's around.”

Hilary tried to meet her gaze, and failed.

“I don't know what's holding you back there,” Margery carried on as if she'd spoken. “He's a charming man, - well off, too, for what it's worth, - and you've all kinds of things in common.”

“I - er - don't think Oliver's very interested in women,” she ventured. …If Margery didn't realise how things stood, she hesitated to be the one to tell her.

“Oh, of course he is! He just needs a push, that's all. Men are diffident creatures at heart, always so terrified of rejection. …To be honest, Hilary,” she patted her hand, “we all feel that it's time you stopped mourning poor Ben, and moved on with your life. - And men of Oliver Leafield's calibre don't turn up every day. …It would be an absolute tragedy if he fell into the hands of a harpy like Mrs. Arncott, just for the want of a bit of encouragement!”

“Wake up! …Frances, wake
up
!”

Thank goodness, it had all been a horrible dream. …Ouch! No, it hadn't. Her foot hurt as soon as she tried to move, and she was still sitting on the old wooden floor.

But Daniel had his arms round her, - that must be a dream. He was stroking her hair, holding her against his warm body, close and safe.

“Oh,
Daniel
!” Suddenly the tears came, and she wept as if she would never stop. “I'm sorry,” she gasped at last. “It's just - I thought no one would ever come! I was afraid I'd have to spend all night like this. …I didn't think anybody at Haseley would notice I wasn't there.”

He held her tighter, and said gruffly: “You think
I
wouldn't notice if you weren't there?” His lips felt hot against her icy forehead. “ - God, you're freezing!”

He began to kiss her, moving gently across the rest of her face, finally settling on her mouth. …After a while Frances realised that she could happily spend the night here after all!

For one glorious moment, Scratch found the sitting-room empty. There it all was: discarded wrapping-paper, some exciting looking presents, and that wonderful tree, - unguarded, waiting for him to do what he liked with. It was too much. He didn't know which to go for first in this embarrassment of riches.

That moment of hesitation lost him his chance. Now there were voices behind him, - people coming in with tea. He turned to wash himself instead, - an innocent cat, busying itself with a troublesome tangle in its fur.

“Poor little Frances!” Julia was saying. “I do hope she'll be all right.”

“Yes, dreadful thing to happen, - Christmas Day, too,” agreed Tony, putting the tray he was carrying down on the table.

“And Stephen and Ratso are such callous pigs! - Are you going to have some of this cake, Daddy? They would have happily left her there all night, once they knew Tobias was safe.”

“Just as well Daniel was around,” said Tony, “to appreciate what was going on, and fly to her rescue!”

“Yes, well, one does wonder how necessary that was.” Leo chose the most comfortable chair and dropped into it before anybody else had a chance. “If the situation was really so urgent, it might have been more sensible to call out the emergency services, instead of diving off on his own in that rather hot-headed way.”

“But far less romantic!” argued Julia, taking some cake herself and putting her feet up on the sofa. “It would almost be worth having to sit in a haunted house for a while, to have a handsome hero come rushing to save you like that!”

“Well, I think most of us would consider it a trifle irresponsible,” said Leo, attempting to include William in a ‘we know better' smile. “But then a sense of responsibility has never been Daniel's strongest point.”

“Oh, come on, Leo! He's been wonderful with Hilary since - you know..”

“Yes, but one has to remember that since Ben died,” - Leo was less delicate than Julia, “Hilary has been his only source of financial support. It would have been foolish to - er - bite the hand that fed him.”

“I thought you were saying that Daniel
was
foolish,” William pointed out, after the short silence that greeted this enormity.

Leo beamed at him like a schoolmaster whose pupil has been attending. “Oh, I've nothing to say against his intelligence, - I believe it's quite hard to get into medical school. All I'm suggesting is that Daniel tends to be a little rash and impulsive. I know it's been hard for him, losing his father, with the consequent - er- financial restrictions that has entailed. …On the other hand,” He balanced his cup carefully on the arm of the chair, “one might argue that it's been a blessing in disguise for someone of Daniel's rather unsteady temperament
not
to have a large amount of money at his disposal. When he's much older, perhaps, one would be very glad to see him comfortably off, but at his present stage of maturity, one can only be glad that hasn't happened.”

“You're trying to suggest it's a good thing that Ben died?” Tony stared at him.

“Oh no, of course not! - And even if he hadn't, I don't think that printing business was ever likely to become a gold mine. Ben wasn't particularly good with money either, when it comes down to it. …No, I'm just saying that if Daniel
were
to come into a fortune, theoretically speaking, it wouldn't be in the safest of hands!”

Seeing he had their attention, Leo risked going a little further. “And while nobody appreciates that medical student humour more than I do,” his smile broadened in an attempt to endorse this blatant falsehood, “one can't deny that Daniel's idea of fun verges on the eccentric at times. …Just a tiny bit of unstableness there, perhaps? - Not on our side, obviously! But Hilary's relatives were always rather an unknown quantity, weren't they?”

William, Julia and Tony gaped at him, totally bereft of speech.

Scratch, following the direction of their gaze, beheld the irresistible combination of his favourite, Leo, and the best chair in the room.

“Owch!” Leo leapt up furiously and swore. “That blasted cat nearly had my tea over!” He snatched his cup, and a slice of Christmas cake from the plate. “I think it would be safer to take this next door, if you'll excuse me.”

“Personally,” said William, when Leo had gone off to the study. “I would have said Daniel was one of the
saner
members of this family, - and by far the most trustworthy pair of hands for any fortune.”

“You can't call a doctor out on Christmas Day!”

“…Not for a twisted ankle.”

How sweetly sympathetic the Shirburns were about their traumatised nanny!

“It's not just her ankle,” Hilary tried to keep her voice under control. “ - I don't like the way she's so cold.”

“She'll soon warm up with that hot water bottle,” Lesley indicated the kettle Hilary had put on to boil.

“And a good night's sleep. - Obviously we won't expect her to resume her duties straight away,” said Stephen generously.

“She was half comatose when Daniel found her. - I'm worrying about hypothermia.”

“Oh don't be ridiculous, Hilary! That's what arctic explorers get, isn't it?”

“It was freezing cold in that place, you know. It didn't have proper windows or doors.”

“Well, Tobias was in there too, and he's okay,” Lesley argued.

“Tobias had a nice hot bath when he came in!” …And Tobias's bath had taken all the hot water. Otherwise it would have been the first thing she would have given Frances.

“Oh, don't start all that again!”

No, she was wasting her time. The fact was the Shirburns daren't allow there to be much wrong with Frances, or they might be expected to take some responsibility for her accident.

She filled the hot water bottle and took it back up to Frances's new room. Daniel was still sitting on the bed, trying to get some warmth into her by chafing her hands.

“She still looks awfully pale.”

“I know, and she's half asleep the whole time. I'd be the last person to call some poor sod out if it wasn't necessary…”

Seeing that much concern on the face of her medical son was enough to make up Hilary's mind for her. “I'll phone the doctor.”

CHAPTER 18

Hilary supposed she should have been grateful that Kath was prepared to come in and help get breakfast on Boxing Day morning. Instead she found her cheerful humming and the bright way she said ‘good morning' to everyone who entered the kitchen grating on her nerves. She had been busy with Frances when Oliver had come back last night, so she hadn't found out what had happened at Kath's cottage, but from the way the two of them were joking together, and teasing each other about the cooking, - he was no longer ‘Mr. Leafield', she noticed! - it was clear that they must have got on like a house on fire. Hilary tried to be glad that Oliver had enjoyed himself. Instead, she felt unaccountably jealous.