We got back just as everyone else was arriving for breakfast. Coco looked fresh and professional in a chef’s coat and ushered us towards the Buttery.
‘Do you need any help bringing things through?’ I asked, but she shook her head.
‘No, just sit down, I’m nearly there.’
There were pleased exclamations as the food came through: a bowl of homemade granola, fresh fruit, toast and pastries.
‘Would anybody like a cooked breakfast?’ said Coco. ‘I’m going to have to do some shopping, but I can rustle something up?’ Everybody was happy with the feast already on the table, so she took off her chef’s whites and joined us. ‘What are you all doing today? If anyone’s going into York, I’d be grateful of a lift.’
‘Alexander and I are spending the day with Theo,’ said Douglas. I risked a sideways glance at my mother to see what she thought about this, but she had painted a firmly serene expression on her face which clearly wasn’t going to budge. ‘We’re going to visit a local animal shelter,’ he added, ‘but definitelynotbringing anyone home with us.’ He grinned at Theo, who rolled his eyes at his grandfather.
‘I know, I know,’ he said. ‘But it’s okay, these ones are not like Heathcliff. These animals are already being looked after. I’d like to start my own shelter one day, though.’
Alexander reached over and ruffled his hair.
‘Good idea. Maybe we’ll pick up some tips today.’
‘I shall be sequestered away in the study all day,’ said Constance. ‘I’ve got to try and get down four thousand words a day if there’s any hope of my enjoying Christmas.’
‘I’m going to do some work for the Christmas Fayre for a couple of hours,’ I said, ‘but then I was thinking of going to get some warmer clothes. If I can borrow a car, we can go to York, Coco?’
‘Take mine,’ said Alexander, as his sister eagerly nodded her agreement. ‘Dad will drive us to the shelter – that’s okay, isn’t it?’
Douglas nodded.
‘Of course, my pleasure.’
‘In the Aston Martin?’ said Theo, his eyes alight. ‘Brilliant!’
‘I’ll get you into Bond yet!’ said his grandfather. ‘The Aston Martin is certainly a good place to start.’
‘Just as long as you don’t move him on to martinis next,’ said Alexander, grinning.
‘Yuck!’ said Theo, wrinkling up his face, and everyone laughed.
‘I will join you if I may, Fallon,’ said Mum. ‘I have some shopping to do myself and I wanted to visit a small apothecary that I think will look wonderful on my grid.’
‘What’s a grid?’ asked Theo, and a few relieved faces indicated that other people had been thinking the same thing.
‘It’s my Instagram grid – where I put photos for my followers to see. Such a marvellous way of connecting with my fans, but also great for selling my products.’
‘What do you sell?’ asked Coco.
My mother looked momentarily annoyed that her empire hadn’t reached that far, but she answered politely:
‘Face products – serums, creams and so on. Marvellous stuff, but…’ she addedsotto voce, ‘no substitute for a skilled surgeon.’ Everyone laughed and she looked pleased. ‘If only I could persuade Fallon to try them – they’d work wonders on you, darling.’
The laughter died down as my face reddened and I stared at my plate. What can onesayat these moments? Short of swearing or walking out, both of which I have done in the past and have precisely no impact on Mum, I had nothing to clap back at her. Support came from Constance.
‘Oh, poppycock. Fallon is beautiful, as you well know, and there’s no snake oil needed to gild that particular lily.’
‘I don’t think she meant it like that,’ said Douglas in a calm voice. ‘Jacqueline just loves to help bring out the best in people.’
I glanced up to see Mum shooting a look of dislike in Constance’s direction, but it was wasted, as she was oblivious and selecting another pastry. My mother rapidly composed herself and smiled at Douglas; these days even she wouldn’t pick a fight with her boyfriend’s sister at the breakfast table, although a few years ago I would have run for cover at this point.
‘Anyway,’ she said smoothly, as if nothing had happened, ‘people are interested in more than skincare these days – I get asked more and more often about my wellness regime, so I shall start things off with picking up some of my favourite herbal supplements at this apothecary and putting the shop on the map at the same time.’
This was pure Jacqueline Honeywood, and I couldn’t resist an innocent question.
