“That is interesting,” Annie agreed. “Oh, but while it’s on my mind, can you give me Caroline’s address? I want to drop her a line and thank her for the weekend.”
“Did you decide what to wear tomorrow evening?” Samantha asked.
“I think I’ll wear a green silk that I have, since it’s Christmas,” Annie said. “The Erdem that I bought when I was with you has short sleeves and it does seem a bit too summery. If I remember, yours had three quarter length. That makes all the difference.”
“I haven’t worn a short sleeved anything since I turned sixty,” Samantha confessed. “Your arms still look good, but mine aren’t for public consumption, I’m afraid.”
“Samantha, your arms look just fine. But I know what you mean. These days I generally wear a little something over the top when I don’t have a sleeve.”
Samantha promised to collect Annie at three the next day to allow plenty of time to get to Penny and Rupert’s party. What with people flocking to London for last minute shopping, it was likely that traffic on the motorway would be heavy.
Samantha made her way back home. She put the rest of her groceries away and went up to have her bath. She had skipped it completely the night before. Today she did not have the excuse of the spa’s lap pool.
She sunk into the water and thought about the events of the past few weeks. No wonder she felt a bit tired. She had worked far more hours when she had been at Christ Church, but for most of the time she was there she had lived within walking distance of the College. Now she seemed to spend at least a full day each month traipsing all over the world. It was bound to catch up with her. At least for the next few weeks she could just relax and enjoy herself.
________________________
Eleven
“You’re right on time,” Annie said as they walked out to Samantha’s car. “I must say that dress looks lovely. I really prefer it to the black for the holidays.”
“I do like it,” Samantha admitted. “Of course it’s not as festive as yours.”
“I’ve had this for ages,” Annie said. “I rarely have an occasion to wear it these days. I thought that since it’s the holiday season, I’d have an excuse to show my colours.”
“I wonder who else will be there,” Samantha said as she slowed for the traffic getting onto the M40. “Penny mentioned Abbigail and Michael but she didn’t say who else would be coming. She did promise that it wouldn’t be a mob.”
“Now Samantha, you just don’t want to share Penny’s Beluga with too many other guests,” Annie teased.
“Well, there is that,” Samantha agreed. “Of course it might not even be on the menu tonight.”
So far it had been practically a staple whenever Samantha had been to Penny’s home. In fact, she had even brought some when they went to Newmarket to watch Abbigail and Michael’s horse win its first race back in October. She had to admit that if they gave out an award to hostesses, her future Sister-in-Law would win hands down.
Samantha pulled up in front of Abbigail and Michael’s new BMW. She noticed that the old Lexus he had driven before now sat in Penny’s drive. Rupert had told her that he and Michael had done some sort of three way swap and Michael had used Rupert’s old BMW as a trade-in and sold the considerably newer Lexus to Rupert. There was a new model Mercedes parked behind Michael’s car, but she didn’t recognize it.
“Don’t you two look lovely,” Penny said when she greeted them at the door. “Florence is serving tonight so I have door duty,” she explained as she took their coats and showed them in.
“I think you know everyone,” Penny said as they joined Abbigail and Michael and Jeremy and Georgina Foster in the den.
“Yes, of course,” Samantha said as she and Annie gave Abbigail and Georgina a hug and shook hands with the men.
“I hope I’ve remembered correctly,” Rupert smiled as he emerged from the makeshift bar with two flutes of juice.
“Perfect,” Samantha said as she sipped their favourite drink.
“Penny, you’d love the Richmond Fine Arts Museum I visited when I was in America recently,” Samantha said when Penny came over to join the women. “They have two gigantic rooms dedicated to British Sporting Art.”
“And I’ll bet there was no shortage of Stubbs,” Penny said as she unconsciously glanced at the two on either side of her secretaire.
“I don’t remember how many there were,” Samantha said, “but of course they weren’t all of horses. Some were of dogs or other scenes of sporting life. I had no idea he was so prolific.”
“Who was that other British artist you mentioned?” Annie asked.
“I’m not sure which one you mean, there were so many. It may have been John Wooten. He painted the wild-eyed bay that I told you about. I think he was a bit earlier than Stubbs.”
“I’d love to see them,” Penny agreed. “There’s an awful lot of British art in the museums and galleries over there. Maybe I can convince Rupert that we should visit America on our honeymoon,” she laughed.
“Are you still getting over to Paris on a regular basis?” Annie asked Georgina.
They had talked about how odd it was that they had run into Penny and Rupert at the Christie’s auction there, and then they had seen Georgina and Jeremy at the same one.
“I still think about that wonderful Vermeer you have over your sofa,” Annie said.
“I must look at it a dozen times a day,” Georgina smiled. “Isn’t art a wonderful gift?”
“Speaking of wonderful things,” Samantha said, “I think I’ll wander over and see if that’s what I think it is over on the buffet.”
True to form, Penny had outdone herself yet again. The large crystal bowl filled to the brim with Beluga nestled on a bed of ice. Samantha could not resist. She thought that if she could choose one food and only one, it would have to be the Caspian delicacy.
Some of the others had already filled their plates. Abbigail and Georgina sat on either end of the sofa and balanced theirs on their laps. Samantha and Annie took the two easy chairs on either side. Abbigail scooted over to the middle when Penny joined them a moment or two later. The men still stood around the buffet and ate standing up.
“Samantha and I just came back from the most fantastic weekend,” Annie said. “Samantha’s sister, Caroline invited us to one of those residential spas up near her in Leicester. Ragdale Hall. Have you heard of it?”
“I haven’t been to that one, but I believe I’ve heard of it,” Penny said. “I’ve been to one down in Hampshire several times, and it was sheer bliss.”
“As a matter of fact I went to Ragdale that weekend you and Rupert went to Paris,” Abbigail said. “Michael had some sort of conference up that way and he dropped me off at the spa on the way. It was pretty impressive, as I recall.”
“It certainly is,” Samantha agreed.
“Maybe we should all go there some time for a girls’ getaway weekend,” Georgina suggested.
“My sister’s husband is their accountant and they gave him the weekend for Caroline and three friends as a Christmas bonus,” Samantha explained.
“He must have saved them a bundle if that was his bonus,” Penny laughed. “It’s pretty pricey, from what I hear.”
“It was only turned into a spa about ten years ago,” Samantha said. “Before that it was owned by a family called Carrington.”
“My Aunt Frances married a Carrington, but I’m sure he’s no relation. They came from an entirely different part of the country,” Abbigail said.
“My Grandmother had a friend called Olivia Smythe who married a Carrington,” Georgina said. “I vaguely remember that she was from somewhere in the Midlands. I wonder if there’s any connection?”
“There’s bound to be,” Penny said. “I wonder if any of them are still around?”
“I don’t think so,” Samantha said. “I read in Sunday’s paper that Olivia Carrington died in London just last week. It did mention that she had been a Smythe before she married. It didn’t s
ay anything about any surviving children.”
“There was a lovely painting of her in the foyer at the spa,” Annie said. “She must have been very young when it was done.”
“I wonder why she left it behind when she sold the house?” Abbigail asked.
“You never know,” Samantha said. “Maybe she didn’t care to be reminded of herself as a young woman. If I remember correctly, the obituary said she was eighty-seven when she died.”
“So what plans do you have for the holidays?” Samantha asked.
She had felt the tone of the conversation drop with all that talk about obituaries and felt responsible for getting it back onto a lighter note.
“Jeremy was away so much last year with that Rodin Museum project in France that we thought it might be nice to have a quiet Christmas at home this year with just the two of us,” Georgina said. “What about the rest of you?”
“You know Michael. He wants the whole family. We’ve invited Michael’s Russian cousins Vitaly and Boris over from Moscow; of course his nephew, Nicky and his girl will be there as well, and I’ve invited my Aunt and Uncle. I guess it’ll be somewhat of a family reunion.” Abbigail explained that her father’s brother was still not very well, so her parents would not be able to join them.
“What about you and Rupert?” Annie asked Penny.
“I think we’re going to stay home and enjoy being in London for the holidays,” Penny said. “We have tickets for The Nutcracker and we’ll probably go to the Albert Hall for New Year’s Eve. They always put on a good programme. Other than that we’ll just stay at home and play with whatever toys Father Christmas leaves for us. But what about you two? Anything special going on?”
They told her about Annie’s Michael having to stay on board the ship through Christmas.
“But he has leave after that, so he’ll be up for New Year’s. Then I’ll go down to Hampshire for a couple of days.”
“What about you, Samantha? Any plans?”
Samantha explained that a friend was coming over from America after Christmas and that they planned to go riding down in Devon for a couple of days.
“We’ll just play it by ear for the rest of his visit,” Samantha said. “I’ll play host and tour guide.”
Penny looked quizzically at Annie for an explanation. It was the first she had heard about a visitor and she was intrigued. She knew that Samantha had been married to Rupert’s twin brother, but she had always thought of her as the proverbial spinster sister. She was dying to know what this new development was all about, but good breeding and manners prevailed.
“How lovely,” she said.
Samantha glanced at her watch. It had just gone seven. Annie was in deep conversation with Georgina, presumably about the Vermeer, and Penny had just excused herself to give some instruction or other to Florence.
“Please give my regards to Vitaly and his brother when you see them,” she said to Abbigail. “I hear from Ms Kalmykova occasionally and she seems very pleased with the work they’re doing for the Museum.”
She and her Cousin Julie had been in Russia about a year earlier for a talk Samantha had given at The Hermitage. While they were there, they had also visited the former jewellery factory in Moscow where the brothers worked. Samantha had been so impressed with the quality of their craftsmanship that she had recommended them to Ms Kalmykova, the Director of the Faberge Museum in St Petersburg.
“Michael’s looking forward to seeing them again,” Abbigail said. “And Nicky’s over the moon about it. And of course he can’t wait to show off his girlfriend.”
“Annie and I should think about going. I’m not wild about being on the Motorway after dark during the holidays,” Samantha explained when Penny rejoined them. “But it’s been lovely. You always outdo yourself.”
“Won’t you take some of that caviar home with you?” Penny asked. “There’s quite a bit left, and it’ll just go to waste.”
Samantha would have loved to, but she could practically feel her Grandmother’s eyes boring into the back of her neck.
“Oh, thanks, Penny; that’s awfully kind. But I’m sure it’ll disappear before the night’s over.”
“Thank you so much for including me in your Christmas party,” Annie said. “We’ll have to get everyone over to our part of the world one of these days.”
“Oh, wait. I have a little something for you,” Penny said as she handed both of them a gift, each one expertly wrapped in Harrod’s Christmas paper.
“I’m so embarrassed,” Samantha said. “I don’t have anything for you.”
“Don’t be silly. There’s no reason you should have. I just saw this and thought of you. And I couldn’t very well leave you out, could I?” She said to Annie.
“Well, whatever it is, I’m sure I didn’t deserve it,” Annie said as she graciously accepted the gift.
They made better time on the way back. Evidently whatever event the London-bound traffic had been heading to on their way in had not yet finished. They practically had the Motorway to themselves.
“Annie, I really wish you’d let me keep Lucy while you’re at your daughter’s. Grace won’t want to come in on Christmas Day and you know how much Pushkin and Lucy enjoy each other’s company. I can take her with me tonight when I drop you off,” Samantha offered as she exited the M40.
“Are you sure, Samantha? She probably would be happier having a bit of company.”
“Absolutely. I have plenty of food. I promise she won’t go hungry.”
Samantha went in when they got to Annie’s. Annie got the carrier from the hall cupboard and put a complaining Lucy in it and carried it to the car.
“This really is a big help,” Annie said as she put the carrier on the passenger seat and secured it with the seat belt. “Grace had said that she didn’t mind, but I’m sure she prefers not to have her Christmas interrupted.”
“And I’ll be in Pushkin’s good books for at least two days,” Samantha laughed. “What time’s your daughter meant to collect you tomorrow?”
“She said around noon. I told her I didn’t mind getting the train, but she insisted. Anyhow, I’ll try to talk her into letting me get it coming back.”
Samantha backed out of the drive and waved as she and Lucy headed to Chipping Norton.
Samantha put Lucy’s carrier cage down on the floor in the living room and left the door open. Naturally Pushkin was in there like a shot calling love songs to his girlfriend, but it took her a while to brave her new surroundings. Pushkin had had numerous sleepovers at her house, but it was the first time that Lucy had been away from Annie’s since she had adopted her nearly a year before.
Once the feline companions were sorted, Samantha went up to get herself ready for bed. She glanced in the wardrobe mirror. She was always surprised to see herself looking relatively smart in her new designer clothes. She had got used to the outfits she wore to the various conferences, but apart from the cruise with Annie and two or three social events that Penny had invited her to, she rarely had cause to wear a dress. She wondered why what she wore had held so little interest for her before Ms Grantham had set her on the path to semi haute couture.
In any event, she was tired. Much as she preferred to drive when they went anywhere outside of downtown London, she admitted that it did take a bit out of her. Still, she had four whole days with nothing to do except relax and putter around the house. She might take a few walks if the weather stayed fine, but other than that, she had nothing on her plate until Alex arrived on Saturday.
She carefully put her dress and shoes away and got into her night clothes and robe. When she went downstairs to check, Pushkin and Lucy were sprawled next to each other on his little beanbag pallet with their eyes closed. Samantha put the gift that Penny had given her and one from Annie on the coffee table. She did not have a tree, but she had put a few nostalgic Christmassy things out so that it did not look too ‘bah humbug’. She had given up sending out Christmas cards after Robert died, although she still received
a few. She had put those on the mantel over the gas fire in the living room along with the few of her things that she treasured. The little silver carriage and horses that she had bought in Ljubljana occupied pride of place in the centre and the plaster cast head of Camille Claudel was at one end. Her newest addition, the beautifully crafted silver riderless race-horse that she had received as a thank-you from the Mellon Foundation now sat at the opposite end. Normally Samantha was not fond of knick-knacks, but each of those pieces held a special memory for her and she loved looking at them. She checked that everything was turned off in the back of the house and that the doors were locked before she went upstairs to bed.
Samantha unplugged her Kindle from its charger and picked up where she had left off reading. Sometimes it was just nice to immerse oneself in a nice ‘whodunit’ and put everything else on the backburner for a while, she mused as sleep competed with Agatha Christie for her attention. The next thing she knew, the thin winter light was seeping through her shutters. She must have been more tired than she had thought.
_________________________
Twelve
Alex telephoned after he cleared immigration at Heathrow. He told Samantha that he had made it to the UK safe and sound and would telephone her again to get directions to her house once he had checked into The Forge in Churchill.
“You must be tired after your flight,” Samantha said. “You might decide you need to get in a bit of a nap first.”
“I struck it lucky,” he said. “I got upgraded to First Class. The seats fold down completely flat to convert into a bed. Once they turned the cabin lights out I slept like a log all the way over. I don’t think I budged until we’d practically landed.”
“Anyhow, see how you feel when you get there. I might have to go out to the shops for a few minutes, but you have both phone numbers.”
Samantha needed to make a quick run to Marks before Alex got there. She wanted to get a few more of their ready meals and pick up some beer. He had had juice when she was at his house, but she had seen an empty Becks bottle in his bin when she had lunch there and wanted to make sure she had some in the house. She telephoned to see if Annie wanted to go with her.
Dancing at the Savoy: A Samantha Duncan Mystery (Samantha Duncan Mysteries Book 9) Page 11
