Tidings of Great Boys by Shelley Adina Read Free Book Online Page A

The dresser, also painted white, held everything from jeans to sweaters,
     and I knew that downstairs in the scullery I’d find my anoraks and a collection of coats that probably dated back to the sixties.
     Hmm. At least they’d be in fashion again—Lissa would love that. Even though there wouldn’t be anything but rooks and deer
     for miles, she could sally forth knowing her coat was vintage and on the cutting edge.
    I pulled my computer out of its case and plugged it in, and checked my phone for messages. One from Carrie and one from Mummy.
     Aha! Operation Prodigal Mum was about to begin.
    “Darling!” she greeted me without even saying hello. “Welcome back. I’m so sorry I didn’t get to the airport, but your connection
     was only what, twenty minutes?”
    “Something like that. We barely made it. Of course, our party filled half the plane, so they couldn’t very well go without
     us. And Dad met us, and here we are.”
    “What do the girls think of the old place?”
    “They haven’t seen much but the hall and their rooms, but I thought Carly’s eyes were going to fall out of her head. She’s
     keeping Frances Arbuthnot company, completely blissful with all the old stuff.”
    “That’s because she doesn’t have to clean it and keep it in order.”
    Neither do you.
I buttoned my lip. If I were to be successful in this campaign, it wouldn’t do to go ticking my mother off during the first
     two minutes. “Have you seen Lissa’s parents?”
    “Yes, as a matter of fact, they just left. I had them in to dinner. What a lovely girl Patricia is.”
    She was probably the same age as my mother, or maybe a couple of years older. “I knew you’d like her. You should come for
     Christmas and spend some time with them while they’re here.”
    Mummy laughed. “Hardly, darling. I don’t expect your father is in the mood for the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
    “Whether he is or not, he’s going to get a Christmas like the ones you used to put on.”
    “Darling, Christmas is only a week away. I used to begin work in September for our little parties.”
    “How hard can it be? I’ll simply send out the invitations by e-mail, order the food catered, and everyone will turn up. Easy.”
    Mummy laughed, but the musical notes of it had an edge of mockery I didn’t particularly like. “I think you’ll find catering
     is nonexistent in the village, and the people in Inniscairn and even Aberdeen will have been booked up for months.”
    “I’ll have everything flown in from Edinburgh, then.”
    “Good luck getting your father’s approval on that.”
    Unless she planned to help me, it wasn’t fair of her to sit there in London and rain on my parade. “Honestly, could you be
     any less encouraging?”
    “Look at it practically, darling. It took me months to arrange events at Strathcairn. People in the village worked for weeks,
     and everyone came and helped out. How are you going to get the same results in such a short time? You have to be realistic.
     And let’s face it, the money—” She stopped.
    “What about the money?”
    “You can’t just pick up the phone and expect it to solve everything,” she said lightly. “People have other obligations.”
    “Well, then, we’ll do it ourselves. I have four friends here to help, and my friends in the village will, too. You’ll see.
     I’ll have everything pulled together in time, and it will be talked of for months.”
    “I do hope you’ll send me photographs. What a wonderful invention Flickr is.”
    “You’d do better to see it in person.”
    “Don’t get your hopes up, darling. I shall live it vicariously through your pictures and stand amazed at my talented daughter’s
     feats of social brilliance.”
    “You will,” was all I said. “Love you.”
    “And you. ’Bye-bye, love.”
    So much for the opening salvo. I disconnected and tossed my phone in my bag. It was time to bring in the big guns.
    I walked down the corridor and knocked on