‘Pudding smells good,’ said Joe, sniffing the air like a Bisto kid. He seemed unaware of the undercurrent. ‘Did you make it?’
She couldn’t take the credit. ‘Nana did. I sort of helped. She always made them weeks in advance.’All I had to do was heat it and get it out of the sodding bowl and I can’t even do that right, she thought. Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them away. She wasn’t going to let Joe see her cry, especially not over a pudding.
She moved the half-pudding to another plate and checked for any shards of china – the last thing they needed was another injury. She took a knife from the drawer, prised out the rest of the pudding and plonked iton top. It looked like a mole hill dug by a very amateur mole. Oh well, it would have to do. Hopefully no one would notice once she’d poured the brandy on it.
Lottie warmed the brandy, poured it over the lumpy-looking pudding and quickly put a lit match against the surface. The match burned but the pudding didn’t. She moved the match over the surface, but it still didn’t catch light before the match burned out. She sighed, went to rummage in a drawer and found the candle lighter. She held it up, pulled the trigger, and to her surprise a flame appeared. ‘Hurrah!’ she said, aware she looked like a crazed scientist.
She stood by with the candle lighter, repeated the brandy heating, poured it over the pudding and immediately put the flame to it. Nothing. She frantically waved the candle lighter over the whole pudding. Nothing. The pudding wouldn’t light.
‘The one thing that’s meant to be on fire.’
Joe chuckled. ‘You’re not getting cross with a pudding. Are you?’
Lottie pulled back her shoulders. She was cross about a lot of things. ‘How’s the hand?’ she asked.
He took it from the iced water and inspected it. ‘Okay, I think.’
She offered him a clean towel to dry it on. ‘I’m giving up on lighting the pudding.’
‘Maybe we’ve seen enough things overheat today.’ His tone was soothing and they exchanged weak smiles.
Zach slunk in from the garden and shut the door. ‘You okay mate?’ He nodded at Joe’s hand.
‘I’ll live,’ said Joe, and he went to join the others in the dining room.
‘Did Dave do his business?’ asked Lottie.
‘Nope. He’s peed on everything out there though. I swear he’s holding on to it on purpose.’ He watched his sister, who was using two serving spoons to try to squish the pudding into more of a dome shape. ‘I’ve got an idea,’ said Zach, a twinkle in his eye. He pulled a bright green plastic ring from his pocket and held it under her nose.
Lottie looked at the tacky toy ring and then at her brother. ‘You’re never going to propose with that. Are you?’ She hoped her screwed-up expression conveyed her thoughts.
‘Listen. It’s genius. We hide this in the pudding. Because why would I put a diamond ring that cost a grand in—’
‘Howmuch?’ said Lottie, pulling her head back in surprise.
Zach waved the question away and continued. ‘She finds this one in the pudding. I go down on one knee. Everyone swoons. She says yes. Then I can tell her she can have the real one later.’
‘You think she’ll say yes, to that?’ She pointed at the plastic ring.
‘Definitely,’ said Zach.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Trust me. It’s delightful and Christmassy.’
‘Not cheap and tacky?’ Lottie gave the ring a sideways look.
‘No.’ Zach looked hurt. ‘It’s better than waiting for Dave to poo out the real one. This way she doesn’t even need to know it’s been through a dog’s digestive system.’
Lottie could see how that would be appealing. ‘What if Emily chokes on it?’
‘You’re being negative. If we put the pudding on top, she won’t actually scoop it up and eat it.’
Lottie shrugged. ‘On your head be it.’ She picked up thetop bowl, put the ring in the next one and replaced the top one so it couldn’t be seen.
She carried through the Christmas pudding and Zach brought in the tray with everything else, including ice cream for Jessie.
‘You not lighting it?’ asked Rhys, disappointedly eyeing the puddingy mass.
