‘Where have you been!’ demanded Véronique. ‘And what have you done with Stéphie?’
Alexandra decided not to engage in conversation until everyone was out of the car and in the house.
Antoine was in the doorway with Véronique by the time this had happened.
‘Papa!’ said Félicité, running to his arms. ‘You’re home early!’
‘And you’re home late, chérie,’ said Antoine, returning the hug. ‘Where have you been? And where is your little sister?’
‘We’ve been to a party,’ said Henri, going in for a hug. ‘Stéphie’s with Grand-mère.’
‘Thank God she’s safe!’ said Véronique, clasping her hands to her chest.
Alexandra didn’t say anything. It was far better if the explanations came from the children, she felt.
Antoine looked down the length of his long nose at Alexandra, his expression entirely inscrutable. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. His children were safe, had suffered no injury, although now she heard them talking to their father she realised they may have had a little bit too much to drink. Yet she felt guilty, remiss and a bad carer.
‘I can’t believe you allowed the children to go to a party without their father’s permission!’ said Véronique.
‘Excuse me,’ said Alexandra. ‘If I could just squeeze by you and get into the house?’
She had forgotten how beautiful the hall looked, dressed for Christmas and smelling strongly of pine, rosemary and sweet box. Alexandra found the fragrance very calming. Milou came up and gave her a gentle woof of welcome, his two satellites dancing along behind him. She rubbed his neck and under his chin. The kittens ran up her leg and landed on her shoulder. ‘Hello, you lot. Have you been good?’
She was tired suddenly, and would very much have liked to slip upstairs and go to bed without any more conversation, but she knew that wasn’t possible.
‘Véronique, as Félicité said, you’re earlier than expected and your room isn’t ready,’ said Alexandra.
‘I’ve put my things in the room where I was before,’ said Véronique. ‘I threw all the clothes that were on the bed on to the chaise longue. You don’t need to tidy it until tomorrow because I’m very tired and need to sleep now, but can you please put clean sheets on the bed?’
No, Alexandra decided, she could not put clean sheets on her bed so that Véronique could sleep in it. But nor did she have the energy to spend much time arguing. ‘I’ll certainly find you some clean sheets,’ she said, smiling warmly as if this was a generous gesture. ‘We are halfway through preparing you a very lovely room at the other end of the chateau, near where David and Jack have their rooms.’
Before Alexandra could go up to the linen cupboard, David appeared in the hall, wearing a very flamboyant dressing gown which he may well have acquired from a Noël Coward play.
‘What on earth is going on?’ he said. ‘Oh! The master of the house has arrived! Welcome! Shall I make everyone a snack?’
Even Véronique found it difficult to continue to be so frosty now. David’s presence was so benign and welcoming it affected everyone.
‘I’m starving!’ said Félicité and Henri, as one.
‘So am I,’ said Antoine. ‘Let’s stop standing round in the hall – which does look beautiful – and go through to the kitchen.’
Alexandra slipped upstairs and found sheets for her bed. She laid them on top so Véronique could find them and rescued a few bits of her own and took them to Stéphie’s bedroom. She also scooped up anything she really didn’t want Véronique to find and then went back downstairs.
David was the master of the creation of meals and hot drinks at a moment’s notice and Antoine had got the range going in a way only he could, as well as producing a bottle of brandy and glasses.
Véronique obviously realised the wisdom of going with the general mood. She accepted a glass of brandy and a little piece of toast with pâté. David had obviously rustled up a plate of these to keep people going while he made a rich cheese sauce for Welsh rarebit.
Félicité and Henri got through nearly a whole flûte toasted with pâté.
‘So,’ said Antoine when there was a pause after everyone’s initial hunger was satisfied. ‘Tell me about this party.’
‘You should never have let them go to a party!’ Véronique said again, addressing Alexandra. ‘What were you thinking?’
‘I was thinking – or rather I thought – that it was nice for Félicité and Henri to be invited to a party at Christmas,’ she said. ‘But as I didn’t know the hosts, I decided the best thing to do was to go with them and disguise myself as a fellow guest.’ This last bit was meant as a joke but only David gave a humph of amusement.
‘And we all came back safely,’ said Félicité. She glanced at Alexandra. ‘Alexandra didn’t take her eyes off us, all party.’
Antoine laughed. ‘How very – annoying of her.’
