‘Never finalised them. Too many variables. Do you know traditionally they have thirteen desserts in Provence?’
‘Yes, I have been told several times, but we’re doing an English Christmas, so we don’t have to do that. It would be far too filling, anyway. So? What are we having?’
‘I found a lovely recipe for a tart with walnuts and caramel, and I’ve done a bûche de Noël – or a chocolate log as my gran would have called it. I thought the kids could decorate that if things get boring.’
‘On Christmas Day? That shouldn’t happen, should it?’
‘You know as well as I do about the longueurs of Christmas Day. I know we’ve always had fun since we got together but really? Having to wait until teatime to open your presents? The mad aunts and uncles who have to be invited because they’ve nowhere else to go? The Queen’s Speech?’
‘Well, I have experienced Christmases like that, but mostly, I’ve been in the mad aunt class. I had to be invited to other people’s Christmases because I had nowhere else to go. The Swiss cousins always arranged it. Sometimes I had fun and sometimes I didn’t.’
‘Well, this Christmas is going to be fun, for the children, anyway!’ said David. ‘So …’ He produced a hardbacked notebook. ‘I have a potential plan. It’s breakfast. A walk. Must have a walk on Christmas Day. Light lunch before our visitors come: they’re invited for about three; we’re planning to eat dinner at six. So when should we open presents?’
‘Oh goodness, I don’t know. The children have had some presents. They’ve got their stockings. Penelope gave them to me, filled and wrapped, and Antoine put them on their beds after they’d gone to sleep. Maybe we could wait until everyone is here?’
David wrote this down. ‘So, light lunch after the walk, then charades, then everyone else—’
‘Charades?’
‘Of course! It’s traditional! Proper charades when you act out half a word and then act out the second half. Lexi, darling, you have played charades, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, but I think it might be hard in two languages—’
‘Nonsense! Ah! Here’s Stéphie! Happy Christmas, darling!’ he said.
‘Happy Christmas,’ said Stéphie sleepily. ‘I brought my stocking down. Are the others up? We always open our stockings together.’
‘Tell you what, I’ll make some more hot chocolate and then we’ll wake them,’ suggested Alexandra.
‘We don’t need waking,’ said Félicité. ‘The kittens got into my bedroom and jumped on my face.’ She was holding her stocking, a beautifully embroidered velvet example which she put on the table. ‘Where’s Henri?’
‘Here. Wretched cats!’ he said. He had his stocking too.
‘Hot chocolate all round, then,’ said David. ‘Is the baker open on Christmas Day, do we think?’
Henri nodded. ‘For a short time.’
‘I’ll go!’ said Alexandra, glad of an excuse to get into the fresh air. It was surprisingly cold but she wanted to feel the air on her face and help her head to clear.
She got back to see everyone singing round the crib, in the hall. The last notes of ‘Away in the Manger’ to a different tune to the one she knew were dying away. Henri had accompanied it on his penny whistle.
‘That was delightful!’ she said, wondering if it was a family tradition and how lovely it was. ‘Do you do that every year?’
‘We needed to keep ourselves busy while we waited for our croissants,’ said Véronique with a smile that didn’t fool Alexandra for a tiny second. ‘Now that our breakfast has finally arrived, let us go through to the dining room. It is a special day, we should celebrate!’
‘Happy Christmas,’ Antoine said to her, in English, kissing her cheek.
‘Happy Christmas,’ she said back, wishing that Véronique wasn’t standing beside him.
Having found a basket for the croissants, viennoiserie and bread, Alexandra went through to the dining room. The table was set but Stéphie hadn’t had a chance to bring out all the little accessories to make it festive. So instead of a cosy breakfast in the kitchen, with the fire in the range crackling, and the coffee maker bubbling on the stove, the children’s opened stockings covering the table with toys, they had it sitting formally round the table of a chilly room.
‘Well,’ said David, after refilling cups of coffee and hot chocolate. ‘As you all know, Lexi and I have claimed today as English Christmas Day, and so we will follow the timetable.’
Although he was usually the most easy-going soul, Alexandra noted that his training as an actor allowed him to speak with great authority when he wanted to. It meant that Véronique said nothing and everyone else paid attention.
‘So, we’re going for a walk. We don’t have to go far, but we need to get out into the fresh air. Then we’ll have a light lunch, perhaps a glass of champagne, and after that we’ll play a parlour game or two. Our guests are invited for three o’clock.’
His enthusiasm was such that Alexandra wondered if he’d ever had a part as a games teacher; it made her smile.
