‘You’re still here,’ mumbled Izzy.
‘That’s not the point. What if they helped themselves to the silver? Like the man inLes Misérables. Jean Valjean. He stole the candlesticks from the vicar.’
‘We have silver? Who knew?’
Xanthe gave her a tart smile. ‘Here, drink your tea. That will make you feel better.’
Izzy frowned. ‘Why were you in the tartan room so early?’
‘Because I’ve heard from the Carter-Joneses. They’re bringing at least two more people with them.’
Izzy threw her head back against the pillows.
Izzy was kneading bread when Duncan tapped on the door and let himself in later that morning. He went straight over to the Rayburn and held out his hands to warm them.
‘Mind if I make myself a cuppa? The bluidy pilot light has gone out on the furnace for the heating. It’s pure Baltic in my place.’
‘Oh no,’ said Izzy. ‘Can you get someone to fix it?’
‘Huh! I can try but every other bugger’s heating’s gubbed this morning. I canna even get through to the plumbing boys; the line is permanently engaged.’
Izzy smiled ruefully. What was one more? Suddenly the size of the household had doubled but soon there’d be even more guests, so she might as well start getting used to feeding them all. ‘You’re welcome to stay here until it’s fixed.’
‘Lass, that would be very kind of you. By the way, looks like the wild campers’ve gone.’
‘Hmm, not very far,’ said Izzy, but before she could explain further Ross walked into the room, carrying his coffee mug obviously in need of a refill.
‘How was the night shift?’ he asked. ‘Morning, Duncan.’
‘Eventful. I picked up a waif and a stray. I was telling Duncan. The wild campers’ tent was blown away. They’ve taken refuge here.’
‘Have they now?’ Ross eyed her with concern.
‘Don’t you start about them stealing the silver,’ she said.
‘I’m not worried about that, more about them making a noise. I came here for peace and quiet, remember? How long will they be here? Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘They’ll probably be gone today,’ she said, turning the dough and working it. ‘And yes, please. This is thirsty work.’
He pulled out a fresh mug for her and filled the teapot as she finished off the dough and popped it into an oiled bowl, covered it with a damp tea towel and left it beside the Rayburn to prove.
‘Come sit down and drink your tea,’ he said. ‘You look tired.’
Though it wasn’t exactly complimentary, it was hard to take offence at the comment when he was urging her to rest. ‘It was a very long night.’
‘You need to rest lass. I’m just away to check the cows,’ said Duncan, ‘I’ll be back in a minute for my tea.
Ross squinted down the table, which was filled with her handwritten notes scribbled on several sheets of A4 paper. ‘What’s all this?’
She paused before answering.
‘Christmas,’ she finally said. Xanthe’s news that morning about extra guests had galvanised her into action. ‘I don’t know what your plans are but we’ve taken a booking for a few days over Christmas.’ She gave him a direct look. ‘Sorry. I know you want peace and quiet but I’ll be totally honest with you…’ Her teeth grazed her lip before she ripped the plaster off. ‘They’ve offered to pay a fortune and we need the money to pay for the roof. I can reimburse you for that last week in December, if you want to leave before the Christmas break.’ She assumed he’d be going home to family then anyway.
He frowned for a moment and then stared out of the window, a stillness to his body that spoke of his self-containment. ‘I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’m hoping to have got my first draft done by then and was thinking about taking a couple of days off. I’m not sure of my plans, yet.’ Pushing his hands into his pockets and hunching his shoulders he asked, ‘How many are coming and for how long?’
‘At the moment it’s a party of six and I’m not sure of the exact dates.’ She winced. ‘Xanthe is liaising with the family.’
‘God help us,’ joked Ross. ‘I can envisage a sleigh with a full complement of reindeer in the hall, Christmas trees in every room in the house and more glitter than a primary school.’
