‘Does she have high standards then, your mother?’
I snorted. ‘Oh yes, the highest. Higher than our recently departed queen at times.’ Then I remembered that she was in a relationship with his father and added hurriedly, ‘But she’s mellowed as she’s got older and more successful – I think she doesn’t feel she has so much to prove anymore.’
He nodded. ‘I can relate to that.’
My eyes flicked to his right hand. I could see the end of a scar between his thumb and forefinger, which ran through to his palm – how bad was it? He was using the hand without any difficultly that I could see, except perhaps for a slight stiffness as he grasped the handle of the kettle.
‘It’s healed quite well,’ he said calmly, as he poured water into the teapot.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. Mum mentioned you’d been injured.’
‘A while ago now. Have you chosen one of the monstrosities yet?’
I hurriedly plucked an orange and green tea cosy with purple pompoms out of the drawer and handed it to him, glad of the change of subject.
‘Do you have a range of matching hats? Or a special festive tea cosy with snowmen cavorting round it?’
‘Ha ha. Sadly not. Biscuits?’
‘I never say no to a biscuit.’
‘Sensible woman.’
He handed me a tin, picked up the tray and led the way back to the hall.
As Alexander poured the tea, I found a dog biscuit for Runcible.
‘Put her down,’ I said to Theo, ‘and give her this – you’ll love what she does.’
He placed her gently on the rug in front of the fire and offered the treat, which she took delicately from his fingers. Then she lay down and, as she always did, propped the biscuit up neatly between her two front paws and started nibbling.
‘Oh, she’s so sweet!’ said Theo, lying down next to her and watching her, enchanted.
Alexander smiled over at me, and I dared to glance at my mother who, for once, looked slightly flustered. I don’t think she could decide where to focus her attention: the disgusting tea cosy, my scrap of a dog or the fact that Alexander and I seemed to be getting along. So, in true Jacqueline Honeywood style, she swung it right back to herself.
‘Douglas, darling, can we go into York tomorrow? There’s a restaurant there everyone says Imusttry – La Cosita – and I must keep my Instagram exciting for my fans.’
I stared hard into my cup of tea to prevent my eyes from rolling. My mother’s Instagram account is another whole world of madness, to which she is slavishly devoted, but with more than a million followers, who can blame her? It’s brought her in a tidy sum from advertising, and the adoring comments help her while away many an idle moment.
‘Of course we can, my love,’ said Douglas, ‘but I’ve heard of that place, and it’s booked weeks in advance.’
Mum waved an airy hand.
‘Don’t give that another thought. I’ll have Acanthe make the booking; I’mneverrefused tables.’
Theo suddenly sat up.
‘But Dad…’ He trailed off and then looked uncomfortably at my mother.
‘What is it, Theo?’ asked Alexander.
‘Well, it’s just that I thought Grandpa was looking after me tomorrow so that you could work, and we could go to the cinema in the afternoon to see that new Santa Claus film. That’s all.’
‘Can’t you go to the cinema another day?’ asked Mum, looking up from her phone, where she’d been tapping away. ‘I’ve emailed Acanthe now.’
‘My fault entirely,’ said Douglas. ‘Theo and I do love a Christmas movie; maybe we could go to lunch the day after, Jacqueline?’
She pouted.
