The Butterfly Box(74)

Federica wanted to join Hester for Christmas, but Helena insisted she stay at home with her own family. ‘You’re not an Appleby, you’re a Campione,’ she said, much to Federica’s disappointment because she was beginning to feel more like an Appleby every day. Ingrid began to decorate the manor in

October. Instead of tinsel she made garlands of flowers made out of crepe paper, which she hung up the banisters and around the cornices in the hall and sitting room. The tree was hung with large goose eggs that she painted in festive colours and lit with a conventional string of Christmas tree lights. On the top she made a nest for Blackie to sit in. To Federica’s surprise Blackie was delighted with her new bed. None of the Applebys were in the least bit surprised, for when it came to animals Ingrid had the touch of Saint Francis. But the most surprising of all was Nuno. Apparently every Christmas Nuno made the pudding. It was a ceremonial affair, which was taken very seriously indeed. The entire kitchen had to be cleared for a day. No one except Sam was allowed in so the rest of the family had to have lunch at the pub while Nuno floated about the kitchen in a state of rapture. Even Inigo was dragged out of his philosophy books and his black mood and forced to join in the fun at The Bear and Ball. Nuno believed himself to be a phenomenal cook.

‘It’s not so much about the right quantity of ingredients, dear boy, but the way the pot is stirred,’ he told Sam.





“‘Kissing don’t last. Cookery do!”’ said Nuno in his clipped Italian accent.

That one’s lost on me,’ Sam admitted in irritation, after having thought about it for a while.

Nuno widened his glittering eyes and tapped his wooden spoon on the butcher’s table. ‘Come come, dear boy, think.’



‘Sorry, Nuno. I can’t,’ he replied, defeated.

‘Meredith Middleton.’

‘Of course. “Speech is the small change of silence,”’ Sam sighed, shaking his head. ‘That was an easy one.’

‘It’s always the easy ones that get us, Samuel. And we’re always got in the end.’

For Federica Christmas with her grandparents was going to be very dull in comparison to the Applebys’. Polly and Helena decorated the house with conventional streamers and the tree with tinsel and shiny baubles. Federica would have joined in had she not preferred to help Hester make presents for all the animals. Jake thought Christmas highly overrated and began to build a new model ship, leaving glue and pieces of wood all over the house, much to

Polly’s chagrin. Helena found her daughter’s daily jaunts up the lane excessive and decided that Hal and Federica were going to paint pictures for their grandparents’ presents and set them to work at the kitchen table. ‘I want the most beautiful paintings you can do, and if it doesn’t take at least a week you’re obviously not doing it properly,’ she said, directing her comments at Federica. Federica’s heart sank. She set about her task with little enthusiasm, wondering at every moment what Hester was doing up at Pickthistle Manor.

Toby had told his parents that he was going to spend Christmas with Julian’s family in Shropshire. They were hurt. No less hurt than they had been the Christmas before or the Christmas before that. But Toby wanted them to be sorry. As long as his father refused to have Julian in the house he would make him suffer by staying away too.

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Helena was furious and confronted her father about it. ‘He’s my brother and I won’t stand by and watch you treat him in this way. He’s not a leper, you know, he just happens to be in love with a boy. What’s the big deal?’ she said angrily. But Jake didn’t want to discuss it with his daughter. H' speak about his son’s homosexuality to anyone, not even to hi

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too ashamed. Helena didn’t give up. She spoke about Julian at every opportunity. ‘I went up to Toby's today with Hal. Really, Julian is so sweet with him. I left them together while Toby and I went for a walk. He couldn’t have been in safer hands. I’d trust him with my life,’ she would say, but Jake would ignore her and either leave the room or bury his nose further into the bowels of his model ships. But Helena was determined their family shouldn’t be wrenched apart because of some old-fashioned, irrational, misguided prejudice. She didn’t know how she’d do it but she was confident she could rectify the situation given time. In the meantime she was saddened. Christmas would be deeply lacking without Toby.

By the time Christmas arrived a thick covering of snow had transformed Polperro into an ice kingdom. The sky was pale and timid, the sun no more than a resplendent haze that hung low in the eastern sky. The trees had retreated into themselves, leaving only their frozen shells to fend off the bitter wind and in spite of their naked branches a few rooks and the odd robin braved the cold and sought shelter there. Federica and Hal were enchanted by the snow. They awoke early and pressed their noses against the frosted