‘Claymore,’ Callum returned.
‘Bombadil.’
‘Épassir.’
‘Justin Bieber.’
‘Bungalow.’
‘Smorgasbord.’
‘Batholith.’
‘Ooh, that’s a good one,’ I replied. ‘What does it mean?’
‘I can’t remember,’ Callum admitted. ‘But I learned it for my Geography A level.’
‘Did you pass?’
‘Not well.’
‘Then let’s go with something else,’ I said. ‘Narwhal.’
‘Narwhal?’ Callum repeated.
‘Narwhal,’ I confirmed. ‘Unicorn of the sea. Who doesn’t love a narwhal?’
‘Narwhal it is,’ he agreed. ‘If you feel like you want to get out of a situation, a conversation, whatever, just narwhal me.’
‘Possibly should’ve suggested a word that worked itself into conversation more easily,’ I said with a frown.
‘Hey, it’s your safe word, not mine.’
Callum opened the door to the dining room before I could reply, took my hand and pulled me inside, two pink spots high on my cheeks.
The dining room was formal and elegant, fancy wallpaper on the walls, more antique furniture, and another Christmas tree, a little bit smaller than the one in the foyer but still impressive, tucked away in a corner. Sitting at the head of the kind of dining table you’d expect to be covered in piles of fruit and an entire roasted pig, was a beaming Derek McClay, and beside him, Lizzie stared at me in a rather pinched way.
‘I thought you’d got lost,’ Derek declared without moving to stand. ‘Can you bloody sit down so your mother will let me eat? I’m dying of starvation over here.’
Judging by the neat little pot belly that tested the strength of his shirt buttons, this was factually untrue.
‘Did you not find the hairdryer, Caroline?’ Lizzie asked, half-rising out of her chair. ‘I’m sure there’s one in the wardrobe.’
‘There is, I saw it, please don’t get up,’ I insisted, immediately anxious to have caused distress. The only thing stopping me from running back to my room was Callum pulling out my chair and gently pressing on my shoulder until I sat. I was not Laura. I was Caroline. Caroline didn’t give two shits about Lizzie’s concerns.
‘Because, um, I don’t use a hairdryer. I hate them.’
I glanced at Callum who inclined his chin in approval as he took the seat across from me.
‘They’re bad for the environment?’ I added. ‘And climate change? And sea levels?’
‘Is that so?’ Derek stood as his wife sat and reached over to pour me a glass of water. ‘See, there Elizabeth, you learn something new every day.’
‘I’ll make sure it’s gone before you get back to your room,’ Callum said, giving my hand a pat. ‘Don’t give it another thought.’
‘If you’d told me ahead of time I would’ve taken care of it,’ a humbled Lizzie admonished her son. ‘Is there anything else you need?’
Nodding, I shook a starched linen napkin onto my lap. ‘If I could get the WiFi password, that would be amazing. There’s literally no reception up here, I don’t know how you survive. My phone must think I’ve had my hands chopped off.’
