Date Monday 26 December Time 11.30pm
My thoughts and reflections:
Today did not start well.
Or end well.
I was woken up by the sound of Ernie bellowing, ‘Mummy! Daddy! It’s gone everywhere!
’ and then had to listen to Arrie and Roger arguing outside the downstairs loo about which of them should have to go in there and help Ernie, and whose fault it was that he’d had two helpings of trifle last night when they are both fully aware of his intolerance to dairy.
Arrie won. Predictably.
Anyway, no one wants to be woken up that way – it was disgusting and brought back memories of what happened last night. Then, when I tried to go back to sleep, Mitzy had the brazen cheek to start clawing at the door and mewing to be let in. No way was I falling for that.
I put the pillow over my head and tried not to think about my nephew in the loo, and to block out the muffled sounds of scratching from Mitzy, and the shouting and banging doors from my ridiculously noisy family; it was quite calming to inhale the scent of laundry detergent instead, and I must have drifted off again because when I went to check my phone, which had fallen under the bed, I found it was already 10am – I’d completely slept through my alarm.
So I bounded out of bed, keen to find Aziz and see if he’d help me with my unboxing video before Matthew Lloyd arrived; in my enthusiasm I bashed my arm against that doltish bike, which bloody hurt.
As I was checking to see if it was bleeding, I heard more shouting and the front door slam.
The voices faded. Then it was oddly silent.
I opened the door into the hallway and listened for a moment.
‘Hello?’ I called. Nothing. I poked my head into the dining room but it was empty, so I ran straight upstairs and no one was there either.
I borrowed Arrie’s dressing gown, and picked up her neatly folded White Company pyjamas – perfect – and headed down to the empty kitchen where I found a half pot of coffee steaming away invitingly.
Things were looking up. All I needed was confirmation Matthew Lloyd wasn’t going to turn up unexpectedly, and I could get on with my video and start my new life as a successful influencer, like Charlotte.
I poured myself a mug of coffee and wandered through to the sitting room, where Aziz was standing staring out the bay window, his shoulders slightly hunched, hands in his pockets.
‘Hey,’ I said cheerfully.
He turned round and his brow unfurrowed when he saw it was me.
‘What you looking at?’ I asked, joining him at the window, unable to see what could possibly have been of such interest to him in our front garden, which really isn’t all that unless the foxes have managed to tip the bin over.
‘Nothing much,’ said Aziz. ‘Just… thinking.’
He didn’t say anything else, or even smile, which isn’t like him, so after a while I jostled his elbow to check he was okay, and then he did give me a jostle back.
‘Where is everyone?’ I asked.
‘Gone for a walk.’
‘Everyone?’
‘Yep,’ said Aziz.
‘What about Matthew?’
‘He arrived just as they were leaving, so he’s gone with them.’
Well, things were looking up.
‘Why haven’t you gone?’ I asked.
‘Not in the mood,’ said Aziz, walking off. ‘I thought I’d catch up on some work. Might even go back to London.’
‘No! Don’t go back to London. You can’t work on Boxing Day!’ I said, following him back through to the kitchen. ‘No one works on Boxing Day.’
‘Not true, Alice,’ said Aziz, going to pour himself the last of the coffee. ‘Plenty of people have to work over Christmas.’
‘Like who?’ I asked, perching on the arm of the sofa.
‘People who work in hotels, the fire service, vicars, nurses, doctors… I’m pretty sure the Co-op’s open today.’
‘Well, only proper doctors. No one’s going to need therapy at this time of year.’
Aziz shook his head at me.
Hmm. Maybe I spoke before I thought there. On a couple of counts. ‘Okay,’ I conceded. ‘You have a point. But I thought you said yesterday that you took this week off? Why would you head back to London already? Won’t Astrid be pissed off?’
Aziz took a sip of his coffee, making his glasses steam up. ‘I need some decent coffee.’
‘You’ve never left on Boxing Day before!’ I didn’t want Aziz to go. Christmases have been better since he’s been in the family.
‘Yeah, maybe you’re right. It was just a thought.’
‘A terrible thought! What would we even do without you?’
We’d have a disgusting supper, that’s what. Mum and Dad used to always give us ‘cold cuts’ but now, Aziz makes us a Boxing Day pie every year, which is pretty close to perfection.
‘You’re thinking about pie, aren’t you?’ said Aziz.
‘A bit,’ I admitted. ‘But I’d miss you as well as the pie.’
Aziz smiled properly this time, and I clinked coffee mugs with him.
‘So you’ll stay?’
‘Sure,’ he said, settling back into the devouring sofa.
‘Good. Make yourself comfortable.’ I caught sight of the clock, and paused on my way to the sink. On second thought… ‘Maybe not too comfortable, though… ’
‘Why?’ said Aziz suspiciously.
‘Nothing really. Just seeing as you and I are on our own and there’s no Matthew Lloyd or Astrid or Arrie to be judge-y and you need a distraction from work, I thought we could hang out together… ?’
Aziz pushed the bridge of his glasses back up and sighed before speaking.
‘You’ve used half a roll of paper opening and re-wrapping that journal and I’ve taken numerous videos of you pretending to be surprised by it.
You don’t like any of them. There’s nothing I can do differently with you or this room. I’m done, Alice.’
I looked around the sitting room and felt a sense of panic.
The reason I didn’t like any of the videos was because of the state of the sitting room.
The lighting was awful, as was that ridiculous tree.
Plus, whilst I loved our ancient shabby furniture, on camera it looked more junk store than cosy chic; in the sitting room at the old house it had worked but here it looked cramped and haphazard.
I was never going to get the kind of luxe vibe I needed in here.
I needed somewhere like the library in the Lamb.
Bloody Matthew Lloyd. How had he ended up with his own hotel? A video shot there would be perfect—
‘Oh my goodness, Aziz, you’re right!’ I said, mentally thanking The Guide for that advice last night: Every obstacle is a potential opportunity . ‘We need to go to the Lamb and film it there!’
‘We do?’ said Aziz. ‘Are they going to let you in there wearing pyjamas?’
‘I’ll wear a long coat and no one will notice the pyjamas. But we need to go right now.’ I reckoned I had less than an hour before they’d get back from that walk. There was no way I wanted to come across Matthew Lloyd whilst I was borrowing his hotel.
‘Alice, I think I’m going to say no to this. I’ve had enough “hanging out”.’
‘Come on,’ I cajoled. ‘Look, I’ll buy you a coffee there. A proper one.’
‘I could really use an espresso,’ deliberated Aziz. ‘But not enough to do videos again.’
‘Please. Just one… ?’
Aziz sighed. ‘One video. No re-shoots. No re-wrapping. And a double espresso.’
‘Done.’
We walked briskly along the street towards the Lamb, passing the huddle of honeyed stone houses that run up the rise of the hill, each one individual yet leaning comfortably together as if they had secrets to impart to one another.
Leaded glass panes within the stone framed the twinkling lights of Christmas trees, decorated much more tastefully than Mum’s, holly wreaths adorned doors painted in varying shades of Farrow articulate lighting highlighted beams and showcased the contents of gleaming oak bookcases; the golds and greens and reds of plumped cushions and deep sofas were a muted palate of taste and comfort amid the natural stone.
It was almost like our sitting room in the old house, but even better.
I sighed with pleasure. Surely anyone would aspire to receiving The Guide in a room like this.
I’d just got myself set up in the best position and was about to take my coat off, when a really attractive woman strode into the room. Oh great. It was Rachel from the other day. The one Matthew embarrassed me in front of. I pulled my coat around me more tightly.
‘Hello,’ she said warmly, adjusting a cushion which didn’t need adjusting, and changing the whole ambience with her proprietary presence. ‘Welcome to the Lamb.’
She was wearing a polo under her blazer and I was pretty sure it was Miu Miu.