‘There is something uplifting about snow,’ I said. ‘And I’m looking forward to putting the decorations up today.’
‘Christmas has crept back into your heart,’ said Marilise. ‘I’m glad. Did you make your mince pies?’
‘The mince pies!’ I exclaimed in horror. ‘I forgot all about them.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Marilise. ‘I don’t think Sofia will have gone down yet. I am perfectly comfortable here, if you would like to go and deal with it? And then I would like to go downstairs again for breakfast.’
‘Thank you!’ I called, dashing from the room, berating myself. How could I have forgotten? Too busy lost in my girlish romantic dreams; I had better pull myself together. Put Nick to the back of my mind and focus on what needed to be done. That lasted about thirty seconds. I burst into the kitchen, and there he was, moving the mince pies from the cooling rack onto a plate. He turned as I made my rather inelegant entrance.
‘Oh! You remembered! I’d forgotten all about them!’
‘Morning,’ he said, smiling as he wiped the cooling rack and put it back in the cupboard. ‘I was down early with Steve, otherwise I would have forgotten, too. Lots of other things on my mind.’
He gazed at me as I floated across the room to him, then took my hand. He was lowering his head to mine for another kiss, when the door opened and we sprang apart guiltily.
‘Good morning,’ said Angela, her eyes darting between us as she no doubt correctly appraised the situation. ‘Still making those mince pies?’
‘They’re all done,’ said Nick, holding up the plate. ‘Just have to put them in a window.’
‘What about the number?’ I gasped. ‘I haven’t done that, either.’
‘All in hand,’ said Nick, picking up a piece of paper from the table, on which he had printed out a large and lavishly decorated number three.
‘You two seem to have swapped roles this morning,’ observed Angela, a smile pushing at her lips as she filled the kettle. ‘Nick all calm and organised and you, Laura, if you don’t mind me saying, a little flustered.’
I flushed, but Nick gave an easy grin.
‘Are you saying I’m normally flustered, Angela?’ he said in a tone of mock outrage.
‘Well, maybe more in a constant state of flux,’ she replied teasingly. ‘Now tell me, will this new state of tranquillity rub off on that dog of yours at all? He’s in the front hall at the moment, growling at the shadows the falling snow is making.’
‘I don’t think Steve remembers seeing snow before,’ said Nick. ‘He was very surprised by it when I took him out this morning. Right, I’d better go and get this sorted before Sofia appears.’
‘I’ll go and help Marilise,’ I said. ‘She’d like to come down for breakfast again today, please, Angela.’
Soon the whole family was around the table, eating and watching the falling snow.
‘Do you think there will be enough to make a snowman?’ asked Sofia, who had insisted on trying one of the mince pies she found beside the bathroom window for breakfast and declared it ‘awesome’.
‘It looks thick,’ said Astrid. ‘So you might be in luck, but we have the decorating to do as well.’
She glanced at her phone for the millionth time that morning, looking anxious. I wondered what was bothering her, but it wasn’t the right time to ask.
‘Do you know when the delivery’s coming?’ asked Greg. ‘I’ve started clearing the drive and put some salt down, so they shouldn’t have any trouble getting through.’
‘The trees are here already,’ said India, who had been last to the table. ‘I took Firefly out for a quick ride this morning and we saw them deliver them.’
‘Great,’ said Nick, and picked up his own phone. ‘The shop texted to say the delivery will be between ten and eleven, so we’ll be able to get started before lunch.’
As breakfast finished, I asked Marilise what she would like to do that morning.
‘What I would love,’ she said, ‘is to go outside in the snow. Maybe I can watch Sofia make her snowman. Is that foolish? Am I too likely to slip?’
I frowned.
‘Not foolish, no, not if we think about it carefully. You’ll need sturdy, non-slip shoes and to wrap up warm, and you must promise to tell me if you start to get chilly.’
‘I promise.’
