With its new paint, polished wooden panels and the carefully laid table, the room looked absolutely stunning and it made Izzy feel a lot better about the amount of money they were going to be charging their Christmas guests. Everything looked very stylish with a touch of authenticity thanks to all the original silverware, china and glasses that Jeanette had painstakingly cleaned and polished under Xanthe’s supervision.
‘What do we have here?’ asked Godfrey.
‘It’s a partan bree,’ said Izzy with a breezy air, as if she’d been making the dish all her life. Thanks to Adrienne’s training at the cookery school making the fish stock for the crab bisque had been quite simple and she was extremely chuffed with the results.
‘Ah, excellent,’ said Godfrey, rubbing his hands together as if he were bestowing some great compliment on her.
Next, she served up the pale orange soup dressed with slivers of pickled fennel, which tasted deliciously tart against the creaminess of the soup, and for once she was pleased with her presentation, never her strong point. The little touch looked impressive and was surprisingly easy to make. Thank you, Jason, for that little tip. She hoped that he and Fliss would have their phones switched on over Christmas.
‘Oh this is delicious, Izzy. I take it all back. It was worth going on that cookery course.’ Xanthe tapped her soup bowl with her spoon in approval.
Izzy rolled her eyes. She’d been doing most of the cooking since she’d been about fourteen as Xanthe had a habit of losing interest in the process and wandering away from the kitchen, which inevitably led to the smoke alarm being set off and another pan being destroyed.
‘I’d love to take a look at the Claymore,’ said Godfrey, as he slurped his soup. Of course, he slurped; he was that kind of man – irritating in the extreme. Izzy heartily wished her mother hadn’t invited him to stay.
Izzy wasn’t sure she wanted it in Godfrey’s hands but before she could say anything, Xanthe piped up. ‘Of course you can. It’s so good of you to come all this way and help us look for the sapphires. I’m sorry it’s been a fruitless task.’ Godfrey had spent the whole day searching the castle, tapping at walls, examining shelves and panelling and peering up chimneys, all to no avail, which Izzy was secretly pleased about.
‘Ah, it takes persistence, fair lady. Always the way with these family treasures. Of course, they’ll be well hidden out of sight in a place only the family knew, so it was always going to be difficult. I’d like to come back again, bring another expert with me.’
I bet you would,thought Izzy a touch resentfully, and who would be footing the bill for that? In fact, it was embarrassing that Godfrey was staying for free given how much Ross was paying.
‘That would be lovely,’ said Xanthe.
Izzy rose, the serene smile on her face hiding her inner irritation. ‘Let me help,’ said Jeanette, who immediately began gathering plates and cutlery with a practised hand. Leaving her to it, Izzy took the soup tureen out and went to check on the main course in the kitchen. She’d left the venison steaks to rest and they were oozing meat juices nicely and the roast potatoes looked wonderfully golden, with crisp skins. The kale glistened with olive oil, salt and the tiny bit of sugar that she’d sprinkled over. The carrots, cooked in butter and star anise, smelled wonderfully aromatic. Quickly transferring the meat juices to a pan, which already contained meat stock, fried shallots, port, red wine and a bay leaf, she set it to boil to reduce the liquid, while she plated up the meat and vegetables. Right on cue, Jeanette appeared.
‘Is it me or is that man a complete lavvy heid?’
Izzy laughed. ‘He’s full of crap, that’s for sure.’
The main course went down extremely well and Izzy was rather thrilled with all the compliments that came her way. Maybe she could do this after all.
After she’d served the loganberry and apple pie – a cheat from the farm shop because she hadn’t had time to think about a dessert let alone make one – she nipped off to the loo before going to face the devastation in the kitchen and make coffee. It was going to take her a while to tidy up but when she went back to the kitchen, she found Jeanette had brought through the plates, Ross had tidied up the pans and utensils she’d used and was stacking the dishwasher, while Jim was wiping down the surfaces and cleaning the cooker and had already made a big cafetière of coffee.
‘Wow,’ she said, coming to a halt and looking around the kitchen. ‘Thank you. You really didn’t—’
‘Teamwork,’ said Ross. ‘It’s much easier if we all pitch in.’
‘But you’re supposed to be a guest,’ Izzy said for the umpteenth time, with a slight wail of panic in her voice.
He shrugged. ‘I’d be bored sitting around. Besides, there’s only so much of that windbag I can take.’
‘And we work here, remember?’ said Jim.
‘Yes, but I’m hardly paying you.’ Izzy’s stomach cramped in guilt. They were both so lovely and willing. Nothing was ever too much trouble.
‘Board and lodgings is enough.’
Izzy shook her head, suddenly overcome. Her throat closed up and she couldn’t say anything so she just stood there, tears glistening in her eyes.
‘Hey,’ said Ross, sliding an arm around her shoulder.
‘Sorry.’ She sniffed. ‘You’re all so kind.’
‘We’re a team,’ said Jeanette, coming up and putting an arm through hers.
‘Group hug,’ said Jim, bundling in and encircling them all with his long, gangly arms. He was like a puppy with a lot of growing to do.
Izzy sniffed again. ‘I’m not sure what I’d do without you.’
