Page 7 of The Christmas Invitation

‘You think I can wake the dead?’ Bill finally relaxed enough to chuckle. ‘He did say he might go and meet some friends this afternoon.’

Jasper, their fifteen-year-old son, had come home from Eton last week when the term had ended. So far, he had mostly spent the time sleeping, and when he was awake would be either glued to his phone or eating his way through the contents of their fridge. Sally was worried that, in typical teenager fashion, he was growing moody and distant. She also had a nagging fear that Jasper was becoming rude and entitled, spoiled by his privileged lifestyle and emulating Bill’s ungracious behaviour. She had been determined to spend more time with her son over the holidays, but Christmas was one of the busiest times of year for her events company, Elevation, and so far Jasper had been left to his own devices.

‘It would do him good to get out of the house,’ Sally said. ‘By the way, what time are we planning to leave tomorrow?’

‘Mid-morning? That way we’ll get to the Hall around lunchtime.’

‘Perfect.’

Marrying into a veritable dynasty like the Olivers could have been difficult for some, but Sally was naturally cheerful and easygoing and she had slotted into the family perfectly. She loved Clarendon Hall despite the hard work and complicated family undercurrents. It was one of the best things about being married to Bill, although these days she found she was having to remind herself of the plus sides more and more.

‘Don’t forget I have the Tatler party tonight, then I’ve got a few things to finish up in the office tomorrow before we leave,’ she said to Bill. ‘All the cases are ready in the spare room, so can you pop them in the car in the morning?’

Bill sighed, and Sally bit back her frustration.

‘I’m only asking you to do one thing,’ she continued. ‘I’ll take care of everything else. Oh, and I’ll ring your mother, let her know to expect Fliss for Christmas. Christmas is meant to be fun, remember?’

‘Fabulous. Can’t wait,’ Bill replied, with a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Sally frowned and was about to say something else, but then her phone started ringing. She scrambled in her bag and saw Tara’s name light up on the screen.

‘Hi darling, everything OK?’ Sally asked, straightening Bill’s tie for him as she waited for the reply. ‘What? Oh no, you didn’t! But how …? Tara, how could you not know? That’s a nightmare! Well, how do you expect me to react? Have you called them? All right, all right. Stop flapping. I’ll leave now and make some calls on the way. Meet me in the office asap.’

Sally hung up and very uncharacteristically swore. Bill looked at her in surprise.

‘Tara filled out the customs forms incorrectly for that shipment for the Out of Africa fundraiser, so now I have a life-sized, crystal-encrusted baby elephant statue sitting in a container at Felixstowe with customs officers refusing to release it.’ Sally was already draining her coffee and grabbing her coat. ‘I need to go and sort this out. Dammit, I’m going to have to drive up there, aren’t I? I could really do without this today.’

‘I know she’s my sister but she’s a bloody liability. Do you need me to have a word?’

‘No, darling, don’t get involved. I can fight my own battles.’

‘I don’t know why you don’t just fire her,’ Bill shrugged.

‘Technically she’s not an employee, that’s why. She just helps out when she’s “resting” between acting jobs.’

‘And then sends you an inflated invoice for her time, which you’re always too nice to challenge.’

‘She’s family, Bill. Your family.’

‘Well, it’s not as though she needs the money with hubby hitting the big time. Kit’s doing very, very nicely for himself, especially with that horny elves and dragons thing he did for Netflix taking off into the stratosphere. The residuals on that will pay George’s school fees right the way through to university.’

‘Kit’s been working hard for years and deserves every penny. It’s lovely to see him doing so well – I think he’s on the way to national treasure status.’

Bill made a noise between a snort and a scoff. ‘Don’t say that to Tara. We all know she thinks that she’s going to be the national treasure of this generation of the family, following in Dad’s footsteps – but that’s hardly likely with some of the drivel she’s been in recently.’

‘Bill! I’m sure your mother taught you that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,’ Sally joked, but unsure how Bill would react these days. She did love him, of course, but he had always been a touchy character and had got worse of late. Something was bothering him, but she didn’t have time to interrogate the problem right now. ‘I need to go. Are you working today?’

‘Yes, of course I am,’ he snapped back. ‘But I can check in remotely. Oh, and I said I’d meet Miles later for a drink.’

Sally raised her eyebrows. Bill worked in television, as a senior executive for a production company, but most of his role seemed to consist of meetings in the pub and socialising after hours. Over the course of his career he had worked for most of the major players – BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky – each job never quite working out before Bill either moved on or, more often, was restructured out. He now headed up LWB, a smaller, independent corporation based in north London.

Sally bit her tongue; she didn’t want to start an argument now, and besides, she was in a rush. ‘I’ll see you when I see you then. Do try and rouse Jasper before you leave. And don’t forget to pack the car. Love you, darling.’ Sally gave him a hasty kiss before rushing out of the door.

‘Love you too,’ she heard Bill call after her. ‘And don’t forget to fire that useless sister of mine!’

Sally didn’t reply, but knew she never would. If there was one thing she had learned since being married to Bill, it was that you stayed out of Oliver family business.

Chapter 4

Cotswolds