A Cotswold Christmas Mystery by Rebecca Tope

Author:Rebecca Tope
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2020-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Thea sat down on the sofa with a thump, and said, ‘Well! How about that!’

‘He was nice,’ said Stephanie with a glance at Jessica. ‘Don’t you think?’

‘Not sure about that hair,’ said Jessica.

‘It was providential, meeting him like that. I feel a huge sense of relief,’ sighed Thea. ‘It’s all out of my hands now, and I can concentrate on Christmas like a good wife and mother.’

‘Don’t fool yourself. By this time tomorrow, you’ll be desperate to know what’s happening.’

‘No, I won’t. I give myself a bit longer than that. Maybe by the middle of Boxing Day I’ll be feeling a bit curious.’

‘What did Dad say exactly?’ asked Stephanie. ‘You didn’t tell us all of it.’

‘I pretty much did. He’s okay, that’s the main thing. And the roads aren’t much worse than they were yesterday. He thinks they’ll be here by eight. Which means I’d better get a move on. I haven’t even lit the fire yet.’

‘I’ll get started on the potato cakes,’ Jessica announced. ‘I hope there’s plenty of onions and cheese?’

‘Don’t use too many potatoes. We need them for tomorrow,’ warned Thea. ‘Aren’t we supposed to fast on Christmas Eve, to leave room for the coming feast?’

‘Onions? Cheese?’

‘I really don’t know. Go and see for yourself.’

Jessica went off humming to herself, while Stephanie retired to the sofa, with the dog as usual, and her beloved Through the Looking-Glass. Reading about the white knight and his inanities restored her to a better frame of mind. It was still the funniest piece of writing she could think of. The jokes were so fresh and unexpected. And it had all been written so long ago! It seemed like a kind of miracle to her – and certainly quite magical. Thea was kneeling in front of the woodburner, piling up sticks and rattling the vents. She stayed there watching the flames after the fire had become nicely established. Before long the smell of onions frying gently in butter came wafting through.

‘Blimey – it’s half past six!’ Thea realised. ‘I was off in a dream for a minute.’

Stephanie had finished the book and was half asleep. She had a feeling they’d lost quite a lot more than a minute. Dad and Timmy would be back before they knew it, and Christmas would really be only one sleep away.

‘Ready!’ called Jessica, and they all sat round the table with the golden-brown potato cakes in front of them.

‘We always used to have baked beans with them,’ Thea reminisced. ‘When we were little. My father made them for Saturday lunch.’

‘It was him who taught me how to do them, when I was about fourteen,’ said Jessica. ‘I do miss him.’

‘Not another dead man to worry about,’ begged Thea.

Mother and daughter met each other’s eyes and burst into laughter. Stephanie stared. ‘What’s funny?’ she asked.

‘Oh, Steph – I’m sorry,’ said Jessica, with a final giggle. ‘It’s just us. Take no notice. It’s been quite a day for all of us. Let’s change the subject. That policeman’s nice, don’t you think? Maybe he’ll take us out metal detecting with him sometime.

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