Read Online A Proper Family Christmas by Jane Gordon - Cumming - Free Book Online Page B

the nicer cups and saucers in the cupboard. A tray to put them on was more of a problem, until she discovered one hidden in the gap between the cooker and the fridge.
    When it was all ready, she realised that she wasn’t entirely sure where the sitting-room was. She took the tray into the hall and listened for voices behind one of the closed doors.
    It wasn’t difficult. Some kind of argument was going on. “…But Father, you know it would be the sensible thing to do.”
    Frances hesitated, then rested the tray on the hall table and opened the door.
    â€œAh!” said Lesley irritably. “I thought you were upstairs with Tobias.”
    Her face was flushed. William looked sulky, Stephen embarrassed. “Put it down there, Nanny. Oh - no sugar?”
    â€œYou’ve used the brown teapot,” said William.
    â€œIt was all I could find. Sorry - I’ll go and get the sugar,” said Frances, trying to make room for the tray among the brochures on the coffee-table. …Coloured brochures with pictures of houses and the rooms inside them: ‘Woodfield Court’, ‘Greenbanks’. Was this what they had been discussing?
    Back in the kitchen, her own tea was getting cold. She gulped it, found a bowl of sugar and some teaspoons and took them to the sitting-room.
    â€œNext time, Nanny, would you use the china teapot that matches this service?” said Lesley. “You’ll find it with the rest of the set if you look carefully.”
    Frances bit her lip, unable to think of a reply which would keep her her job.
    Outside in the hall she took a few deep breaths. The raised voices had begun again.
    â€œThink of Tobias, Dad!”
    â€œI’d rather not, thank you!”
    Frances turned to go. The cat, however, deciding this was where the action was, began to scratch loudly at the sitting-room door, glaring at Frances when she didn’t open it.
    â€œShush!” she hissed, but this merely provoked him to reinforce his demand with a series of yowls that Tobias would have envied. She hovered, uncertain whether to run for it before someone else opened the door and accused her of eavesdropping, or try to let the cat in discreetly herself to stop him making that awful noise.
    Then suddenly he did stop. Her momentary relief turned to alarm as she realised he was listening to something outside the front door. …Footsteps in the porch. The bell rang.
    She heard exclamations from the sitting-room. Any moment they would come into the hall and ask her why she hadn’t opened the front door. So she opened it.
    A gust of scent. A tall lady in a voluminous Indian cotton dress, with voluminous red-gold hair bound in a scarf to match.
    â€œHello, I’m Julia! You must be Tobias’s nanny - we spoke on the phone.” She stepped forward almost as if to embrace Frances, but held out a warm hand instead. “How lovely to meet you at last! This is our little horror - Posy.” Frances found herself facing the appraising grey eyes of a girl of about eight. “Say hello to…?”
    â€œFrances.”
    â€œLovely name!”
    â€œOh, there’s Scratch!” said Posy, and ran to grab the cat, who dived for cover under the hall table.
    â€œâ€¦And here’s our Nanny.” Julia indicated a bottom in a tight skirt bending to extract something from the back of the car. “…Oh, hello Daddy! Isn’t this fun? We haven’t had a real family Christmas for ages. Stephen - Lesley… How super! And where’s darling little Tobias?” She wafted in to where the others had gathered in an uncomfortable group in the hall.
    Frances, continuing in her role as parlour-maid, stayed holding the door open for the only person Julia hadn’t introduced: a good-looking older man - the sort they use to advertise life-assurance - with neatly-waved hair, greying an acceptable amount at the sides, and an improbably smart suit.
    â€œSo