A Proper Family Christmas (34 page)

“Yes,
- Frances
.” Stephen had obviously been practising. “I suppose we mustn't think of you as ‘nanny' now, must we? …Poor Tobias will find it very confusing at first.”

“I
was
wondering whether you might help us with his packing,” Lesley went on, her voice preparing to rise in grievance. “But I dare say you'll be otherwise occupied this morning, - saying goodbye to your sweetheart.”

“And perhaps, in view of your - er - change in circumstances, we can't expect you to care for Tobias any longer?” suggested Stephen uncomfortably.

“Oh yes, - of course Frances may consider the role beneath her now!” Lesley tried to smile at what was barely a joke.

It was time to put them out of their misery.

“I've decided not to carry on seeing Daniel. We - er - turn out not to be suited after all.”

“Oh! - What a shame.” Lesley failed to turn her gasp of delight into a convincing expression of dismay.

“Yes, indeed.” Stephen made an even worse job of hiding his relief. - A kinder person would have taken pleasure in making two people so happy.

“…But I do think you're very wise,” Lesley positively beamed at her. “These things are never a great success, are they, when the couple are of such
very
different backgrounds? I know you wouldn't have wanted to distance Daniel from his family in any way, and I'm sure you'll find a more suitable young man quite soon, if you start mixing with your own type more.”

“We might even be prepared to relax some of our rules about male company, when we get back home,” Stephen conceded generously.

“Well then, Nanny, it really would be appreciated if you could help Tobias get ready. Our plan is to be off before lunch-time if possible.”

Lesley bustled off, pushing Stephen in front of her. All was now right with their world!

* * *

“Oh, is everyone else up already? I thought I'd be the first.” Leo looked most disappointed when he came into the kitchen.

“What's the problem?” Daniel asked him. “We weren't giving out prizes, mate!”

“No, well, I just thought I might get a head start on breakfast for once,” Leo admitted sheepishly. “I suppose everyone's eaten all the mushrooms again…”

“Oh Leo,
darling
!” laughed Julia. “Sit down and we'll cook some, specially for you.” She pushed him into a chair and spread a table-napkin in front of him with a flourish. “What would Christmas at Haseley have been without Cousin Leo!” she went on. “ - Don't you think so Hilary? …No, it's okay, darling!” She chuckled at what she saw in Hilary's face. “That was all a bit of a horrid tease. We know you didn't invite him, - in fact, I'm afraid we might have let it slip out ourselves,” she admitted, grinning at Tony.

“You rang me up, and told me everyone was coming down here for Christmas,” Leo reminded her.

“So I did, - but I'm sure I never suggested you should come too.”

“No, you knew he'd invite himself!” said Daniel. “You probably realised he'd inflict himself on Mum as well.”

“No, that was just - unfortunate.”

“I don't know what you're all talking about!” said Leo peevishly. “I offered Hilary a lift out of the kindness of my heart.”

Lesley and Stephen came in then, looking a little smug, it seemed to Hilary.

“Well, we've just been in to see Nanny, and she appears to be on the mend.” - Somehow she doubted that this accounted for Stephen's looking so pleased.

“Where is she? Is she coming down for some breakfast?” Daniel half rose in his chair.

“She's helping Tobias get dressed and do his packing,” Lesley repressed him.

“That's very kind of her,” said Daniel pointedly. It did seem incredible that the Shirburns could still only see Frances as ‘nanny', after what she'd done for the family last night.

“She thinks she'll be well enough to travel, so we'll try and get off this morning.”

“What, - you're leaving? But… Oh, I must go up and see her!”

“She's busy now, Daniel. She'll be down in a minute.” Lesley looked faintly surprised. Hadn't she expected them to want to bid each other a fond farewell?

“We'd better tell Mrs. Arncott we're going,” said Stephen. “She'll want to clean out the rooms.”

“Of course she will!” said Daniel raising a sarcastic eyebrow. “ - Each to their role in life. …On the other hand, Kath's might just be about to change.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, - hadn't you heard?” He couldn't resist the opportunity. “She and William are becoming
very
close. …I think a wedding might just be on the cards!”

After his interview with Margery, and another with Oliver, William felt that he deserved his breakfast. - Though in fact Oliver had taken the misunderstanding in very good part. He'd waved away what from William passed for an apology, and said that he was merely relieved to have an explanation for people's behaviour, and to find it wasn't because of some terrible
faux pas
he'd unwittingly made.

But William knew that his misinformation had done more damage than that.

“Would you like me to have a word with Hilary?”

Oliver looked at him closely. “No,” he didn't bother dissembling, “I'll sort things out with Hilary. …And better sooner than later.”

Which was why, when Hilary passed him on her way out of the kitchen, he murmured: “Don't let that man down.”

Beyond the door was a hubbub of voices, - which stopped as soon as he came in. William pretended not to notice, or to have seen the anxiety with which they all regarded him, - except for Daniel, whose eyes were brewing mischief.

“Well, Daddy, you'll be relieved to hear you're getting rid of us all today!” said Julia, a little too brightly, after a second too long.

“…Yes,” said Lesley, as if she too had tried and failed to find a way of broaching a different subject, “everyone seems to be going home now.”

William pulled out his secret store of bacon and began to fry himself some, in a proper amount of fat. None of them commented. - Things must be bad! Behind him, he heard Stephen clear his throat, but not come out with whatever it was he'd been going to say.

“Bet Kath Arncott's a good cook, isn't she Uncle William?” - Daniel, helping them out.

“Atrocious! Those children of hers live on beefburgers.”

“Oh! Then why would you want to…?” - This from Leo. Want to what?

“Well, it's certainly not for her cleaning skills!” exclaimed Lesley. “Those rooms upstairs are disgusting.”

“A woman can have more talents than housekeeping,” Tony reminded her.

“Oh darling, - not Kath!”

“…Well, she's not unattractive, in a blowsy sort of way.”

It was almost as if they thought… Good grief!

William decided it was time he contributed to the conversation. “A very fine woman, Kath Arncott,” he said, carrying his plate across to the table. “Warm, friendly soul, always ready for a chat. - Delightful children.” …Had he gone too far?

Apparently not. “
Delightful
? Those terrible little boys? …And to think of them running about at Haseley, cutting down all the hedges and driving their motorbikes round the garden…”

William glanced at Daniel. Was this a product of his imaginative invention, or some nightmare Lesley had created for herself?

“I really think it would be a
very
unwise move,” declared Stephen, as if William was now supposed to know what move this was.

“Marrying Kath Arncott? - Very unwise indeed.” Leo dispelled any doubts.

“Do you really think so?” said William, frowning thoughtfully as he popped some bacon into his mouth.

“…Unless you made quite sure she didn't end up with your money!” said the unsubtle Leo.

“My money? …Yes, that would be a consideration, wouldn't it?”

Daniel's mouth twisted, as he tried not to grin.

“Yes, well,” said Lesley, perhaps a little suspicious, “ - at least one member of the family won't be making that kind of mistake now.”

“What do you mean?” Daniel realised she was looking at him.

“I gather that Frances has decided to do the sensible thing concerning your relationship. …Oh, didn't you know? She told me and Stephen that she didn't think you'd suit her after all!”

CHAPTER 21

Hilary had gone back to her room, puzzling over what William's words. Who was he asking her not to let down? Someone he'd just been talking to, and, since everyone else was downstairs having breakfast, that could only mean Oliver. He must have been talking to Oliver - about her. What had been said? William, as ever cryptic, hadn't looked disapproving, - one might say he'd been encouraging. Was she reading too much into those few words? But Hilary's spirits, contrary to their cautious, despondent nature, were lifting despite herself. Oliver wasn't gay. He wasn't interested in Kath. In fact there was no longer any reason to think that he hadn't meant every bit of that kiss!

She jumped to hear a knock at the door, - but only because she knew who it was.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

And suddenly there was no need to say more. They were in each other's arms again. And no, she hadn't imagined that kiss! But this time, she didn't have to make any pretence of not wanting to return it.

When they'd finished kissing, he continued to hold her tightly. “Thank God!” he whispered.

After that there was some explaining to do. Even though Daniel and William had paved the way, Hilary needed to make clear on her own account why she had suddenly appeared to take against him, that day in Cirencester.

“You mean, you wouldn't still have loved me if you'd thought I was gay?” he teased her.

“I
would
- did! That was the problem…”

“Bloody Nigel Rofford! I can see I'm going to have to drop the guy. - Pity, though. He's good fun.”

“Don't you dare! If he hadn't introduced you to Margery at that dinner -party…” She didn't need to say more.

“Look,” he took her hands in his, “I know you're still grieving for Ben, and you'll say it's a bit soon to get too deeply involved in another relationship, but I do hope you'll feel it's okay to keep on seeing each other when we get back to London.”

“Well, of course!” said Hilary, startled by his diffidence. “I've got to meet this Nigel Rofford who's caused so much trouble, for one thing.”

“I'll introduce you,” he promised. “…And now perhaps I'd better get some breakfast.”

“If Leo hasn't eaten it all.”

They parted outside her door with another brief kiss, and at that moment Daniel came charging downstairs from the attic.

“Darling…” she was about to tell him their good news, but he didn't even let her get started.

“
Don't
speak to me, Mum!” he snapped, with a ferocious glare. - God, she'd never seen him look so angry!

Frances had a feeling of miserable déjà vu as she and Shelley brought the children down to breakfast. Her employers had been quick to reimpose her duties with renewed earnestness, as if to obliterate the unfortunate interlude when she had been in danger of becoming something more to the family than Tobias's nanny. If it weren't for the lingering stiffness in her ankle, Frances might have thought that the events of the past couple of days had been nothing but a vivid dream, from which she had just awoken.

Everyone glanced up. She had the impression that for a moment they were all staring at her in particular, rather than the others. Daniel immediately dropped his gaze, as if he couldn't bear to look at such a despicable person.

They had had a brief, unsatisfactory exchange upstairs. Lesley clearly hadn't done her any favours by coming out bluntly with what Frances had meant to think of a tactful way of breaking to him herself. Daniel had come charging up for an explanation, only to find her busy getting the children dressed with Shelley, and in the presence of those eager ears, her stumbling attempts to justify herself merely made her sound mercenary. Daniel had stormed off again, saying he was going to ‘get the truth' out of Lesley, and it was no surprise that whatever she had said obviously hadn't done anything to mend matters.

Shelley had barely been able to conceal her delight. “Never mind, babe! So what if Daniel wasn't as rich as you thought?” she'd chosen to misinterpret her reasoning. “Plenty of other guys around, - even for you, I dare say.” Now, of course, she was moving straight in. “Hi there, Daniel! Are you going to make us some breakfast?”

And Daniel wasn't the only person Frances would have preferred not to encounter this morning. What was that look on Julia's face, - shame? embarrassment? a hint of compunction, maybe? …No, it was sympathy. Oh lord, so they all
knew
what had happened between her and Daniel, - and Julia, whose fault the whole thing was, had the nerve to be regarding her with pity!

“At last!” said Lesley, glancing at her watch and then at Frances, her meaning clear. “You must be hungry, Tobias darling. …No, not that cereal, Nanny! Posy can have that if she likes, but Tobias has this one, doesn't he?”

Daniel, who an hour ago might have come to her defence with some sarcastic comment, was returning Shelley's advances with interest, - probably only a show put on for her benefit, but Frances felt a lump rise to her throat as she fetched Tobias's muesli. …Being pushed around by the Shirburns, watching Shelley flirt with Daniel. It was as if she had been transported back a couple of days in time.

William had noticed the shock on Daniel's face, and the triumph on Lesley's, when she'd told him that his inconvenient romance with their nanny was at an end. He'd seen him bolt off to question her, only to return far too soon for them to have sorted anything out. They'd all heard him demand to know exactly what had been said, and witnessed Lesley's use of words which made Frances sound materialistic and self-centred. …And now Daniel was madly pretending to flirt with that other awful nanny, leaving the nice one in tears. It wouldn't do! Whatever the reason William's friend and counsellor, Frances, had decided to end her relationship with his wretched nephew, it wasn't because she didn't love him. William caught Oliver and Margery's eyes. They were thinking the same thing.