Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 47
‘I’ll pop an antacid prescription in on my way home, okay?’
‘NOT OKAY,’ said Rosie, but he’d already hung up.
The snow crunched on the gravel as they disembarked. Hetty stood there giving them all the once-over. It was hard to tell which was colder: the frosty air or her glance.
‘Angie… Angela,’ said Rosie’s mum. For a terrible instant Rosie thought she was going to curtsey. ‘Amazing house.’
‘What are you WEARING?’ said Hetty. ‘Aren’t you FREEZING?’
‘No, I’m fine,’ lied Angie through chattering teeth.
Pip put his hand out and nudged Shane to do the same.
‘I’m Rosie’s brother,’ he said.
‘And who’s this?’ asked Hetty, staring at Shane. Shane stared at his feet. Pip nudged him again, but he didn’t say a word, even when Angie hissed at him.
‘Um, this is Shane,’ said Pip.
‘Is he all right?’ asked Hetty.
‘Yes, just shy,’ said Desleigh.
Hetty sniffed.
‘We’re all shy, darling,’ she said.
Kelly stepped forward and did a twirl.
‘I’m Kelly.’
‘Nice to meet you, Kelly,’ said Hetty. ‘Welcome.’
Kelly smiled smugly and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
‘And who’s this?’
‘Spiderman,’ said Meridian in a tiny voice.
‘What’s that?’ boomed Hetty.
‘I Spiderman.’
‘She’s called what? Simona?’
‘This is Meridian,’ said Rosie, putting a reassuring hand on her niece’s shoulder. ‘Hello, Hetty. Let’s get in, shall we, it’s freezing out here.’
‘I never notice the cold,’ sniffed Hetty.
‘Where’s Stephen?’
‘He’s just helping Lilian to the loo,’ said Hetty, as usual not mincing her words, and Rosie smiled despite herself as the party entered.
It was a little warmer inside, but not much. There was a fire lit in the back kitchen, where Hetty herself was doing the cooking, and that was nice and cosy, but they weren’t eating in there; they were in the proper formal dining room tonight, which was about twenty-five metres long, with a small, not very optimistic-looking fire lit in the grate. Rosie was sure that if you could see all the way up into the corner of the room (which you couldn’t; the ceilings were too high and the lighting was too musty), you would see icicles forming.
‘It’s like The Addams Family,’ whispered Angie to her daughter as they entered. ‘Cor.’
‘I’m frightened,’ whined Kelly.
‘I will save you with my BAT LEGS,’ said Meridian bravely, karate-chopping at a suit of armour.
‘Hello everyone,’ said Stephen, coming in leading Lilian.
‘Stephen has just been helping me out of the car,’ said Lilian, in case anyone thought she’d just been to the toilet.
Angie kissed her.
‘You look lovely,’ she said, and she did. She was wearing a cream shirt and a thick lilac tunic over the top, with a long, soft cream woollen cardigan. It looked stylish and comfortable and warm all at once, and she had added a touch of lilac eyeshadow.
‘I know,’ said Lilian. ‘You look completely underdressed. Are you going to a discotheque afterwards?’
Angie stood as close to the fire as she could get without actually setting light to herself.
‘You don’t change much, Lilian.’
‘No,’ sighed Lilian. ‘Is it pitch dark in here or is it just me?’
‘No, it’s everyone,’ said Rosie. ‘The children are terrified.’
‘Oh well,’ said Lilian. ‘At least we won’t be able to see what we’re eating.’
Stephen kissed Rosie briefly. She wanted to grab him, breathe him in, but he winced as she brushed the skin on his side and she drew back.
‘How are you?’ she said.
‘Knackered,’ said Stephen. ‘I feel I’ve had enough of the little blighters today. Not to diss your relations, but does that boy ever put his device down? He’s like some awful City banker trying to get a mobile signal.’
‘Ssh,’ said Rosie. ‘They’re in an unfamiliar environment.’
‘Yeah, Super Mario Land.’
Stephen watched Kelly practise her dance moves.
‘Ah, the sugar plum elephant,’ he commented.
‘Shut up!’ said Rosie. ‘Stop it! Don’t pass judgement.’
‘I’m just making an observation!’
‘Well don’t,’ said Rosie. She was furious because she knew she was overwrought, slightly too keyed up about how much she wanted everyone to get on, and at the moment there were just knots of people in a dark room, bitching about each other.
‘Okay. Sorry,’ said Stephen. ‘Jeez, you’re touchy today.’
‘Well be nice to me then,’ said Rosie. She picked up Meridian, who was nestling by her knees.
‘Hello, Spiderman,’ said Stephen.
Meridian smiled proudly.
‘I Spiderman AN Batman.’
‘PHEW,’ said Stephen. ‘So we’re totally protected.’
‘This is like Batman’s house,’ said Shane suddenly without looking up. ‘Have you got a cool car under the house?’
‘Afraid not,’ said Stephen. ‘I’ve got a wheelchair, though.’
Shane went back to his game.
After what felt like about two hours, Hetty appeared with gin and tonics. Rosie was so relieved she took a huge gulp, only to splutter when she realised it was at least ninety per cent gin with a tiny squirt of tonic on the top.
‘Bloody hell,’ she said.
‘Oh yes,’ said Stephen, tucking into his. ‘I meant to have a word with you about the fact that you don’t know how to mix a gin and tonic.’
‘By pouring the tonic straight down the sink?’
Stephen looked at his drink.
‘You see, to me this is basically perfect.’
‘Oh, Stephen, you look exactly like your father standing there,’ said Lilian. Rosie nearly choked for a second time. Stephen’s relationship with his father was something generally not to be brought up in public.
‘Yes, but he could just as well be Frosty the Snowman in this light,’ said Angie. ‘Or the Incredible Hulk.’
‘NOT OKAY,’ said Rosie, but he’d already hung up.
The snow crunched on the gravel as they disembarked. Hetty stood there giving them all the once-over. It was hard to tell which was colder: the frosty air or her glance.
‘Angie… Angela,’ said Rosie’s mum. For a terrible instant Rosie thought she was going to curtsey. ‘Amazing house.’
‘What are you WEARING?’ said Hetty. ‘Aren’t you FREEZING?’
‘No, I’m fine,’ lied Angie through chattering teeth.
Pip put his hand out and nudged Shane to do the same.
‘I’m Rosie’s brother,’ he said.
‘And who’s this?’ asked Hetty, staring at Shane. Shane stared at his feet. Pip nudged him again, but he didn’t say a word, even when Angie hissed at him.
‘Um, this is Shane,’ said Pip.
‘Is he all right?’ asked Hetty.
‘Yes, just shy,’ said Desleigh.
Hetty sniffed.
‘We’re all shy, darling,’ she said.
Kelly stepped forward and did a twirl.
‘I’m Kelly.’
‘Nice to meet you, Kelly,’ said Hetty. ‘Welcome.’
Kelly smiled smugly and stuck her tongue out at her brother.
‘And who’s this?’
‘Spiderman,’ said Meridian in a tiny voice.
‘What’s that?’ boomed Hetty.
‘I Spiderman.’
‘She’s called what? Simona?’
‘This is Meridian,’ said Rosie, putting a reassuring hand on her niece’s shoulder. ‘Hello, Hetty. Let’s get in, shall we, it’s freezing out here.’
‘I never notice the cold,’ sniffed Hetty.
‘Where’s Stephen?’
‘He’s just helping Lilian to the loo,’ said Hetty, as usual not mincing her words, and Rosie smiled despite herself as the party entered.
It was a little warmer inside, but not much. There was a fire lit in the back kitchen, where Hetty herself was doing the cooking, and that was nice and cosy, but they weren’t eating in there; they were in the proper formal dining room tonight, which was about twenty-five metres long, with a small, not very optimistic-looking fire lit in the grate. Rosie was sure that if you could see all the way up into the corner of the room (which you couldn’t; the ceilings were too high and the lighting was too musty), you would see icicles forming.
‘It’s like The Addams Family,’ whispered Angie to her daughter as they entered. ‘Cor.’
‘I’m frightened,’ whined Kelly.
‘I will save you with my BAT LEGS,’ said Meridian bravely, karate-chopping at a suit of armour.
‘Hello everyone,’ said Stephen, coming in leading Lilian.
‘Stephen has just been helping me out of the car,’ said Lilian, in case anyone thought she’d just been to the toilet.
Angie kissed her.
‘You look lovely,’ she said, and she did. She was wearing a cream shirt and a thick lilac tunic over the top, with a long, soft cream woollen cardigan. It looked stylish and comfortable and warm all at once, and she had added a touch of lilac eyeshadow.
‘I know,’ said Lilian. ‘You look completely underdressed. Are you going to a discotheque afterwards?’
Angie stood as close to the fire as she could get without actually setting light to herself.
‘You don’t change much, Lilian.’
‘No,’ sighed Lilian. ‘Is it pitch dark in here or is it just me?’
‘No, it’s everyone,’ said Rosie. ‘The children are terrified.’
‘Oh well,’ said Lilian. ‘At least we won’t be able to see what we’re eating.’
Stephen kissed Rosie briefly. She wanted to grab him, breathe him in, but he winced as she brushed the skin on his side and she drew back.
‘How are you?’ she said.
‘Knackered,’ said Stephen. ‘I feel I’ve had enough of the little blighters today. Not to diss your relations, but does that boy ever put his device down? He’s like some awful City banker trying to get a mobile signal.’
‘Ssh,’ said Rosie. ‘They’re in an unfamiliar environment.’
‘Yeah, Super Mario Land.’
Stephen watched Kelly practise her dance moves.
‘Ah, the sugar plum elephant,’ he commented.
‘Shut up!’ said Rosie. ‘Stop it! Don’t pass judgement.’
‘I’m just making an observation!’
‘Well don’t,’ said Rosie. She was furious because she knew she was overwrought, slightly too keyed up about how much she wanted everyone to get on, and at the moment there were just knots of people in a dark room, bitching about each other.
‘Okay. Sorry,’ said Stephen. ‘Jeez, you’re touchy today.’
‘Well be nice to me then,’ said Rosie. She picked up Meridian, who was nestling by her knees.
‘Hello, Spiderman,’ said Stephen.
Meridian smiled proudly.
‘I Spiderman AN Batman.’
‘PHEW,’ said Stephen. ‘So we’re totally protected.’
‘This is like Batman’s house,’ said Shane suddenly without looking up. ‘Have you got a cool car under the house?’
‘Afraid not,’ said Stephen. ‘I’ve got a wheelchair, though.’
Shane went back to his game.
After what felt like about two hours, Hetty appeared with gin and tonics. Rosie was so relieved she took a huge gulp, only to splutter when she realised it was at least ninety per cent gin with a tiny squirt of tonic on the top.
‘Bloody hell,’ she said.
‘Oh yes,’ said Stephen, tucking into his. ‘I meant to have a word with you about the fact that you don’t know how to mix a gin and tonic.’
‘By pouring the tonic straight down the sink?’
Stephen looked at his drink.
‘You see, to me this is basically perfect.’
‘Oh, Stephen, you look exactly like your father standing there,’ said Lilian. Rosie nearly choked for a second time. Stephen’s relationship with his father was something generally not to be brought up in public.
‘Yes, but he could just as well be Frosty the Snowman in this light,’ said Angie. ‘Or the Incredible Hulk.’
