“Well observed,” said Rudy, his eyes flashing around the table. “As you know, I did forget to switch on the power when you arrived. But I kept the table a surprise, at the request of one of your guests.”
Trevor peered to the end of the table.
“You knew, didn’t you, Mrs M?” he asked.
“Of course she knew,” said Cheryl, rolling her eyes. “They’re as thick as thieves already, those two. I had a feeling something was afoot when I asked her this morning and she just shrugged.”
“Even at my age, a woman’s got to have her secrets.”
“Quite right, Mrs M. So can I ask you all to top up your glasses with—” Rudy looked quizzically to Mrs M and tilted the glass.
“Mimosa—”
“Mimosa. Then wait for me by the Christmas tree in front of the raised floor section in the living room. I have a little surprise for you all.”
Chairs scraped away from the table, and while everyone filtered out, excited and intrigued, Trevor grabbed Rudy’s elbow.
“You planned this?” he asked.
“Not me. Mrs M asked me not to say anything to anyone, including you. I’m sorry, Trev. But the day I came and showed you where to find the fuse box and all the switches, she asked me to leave this as a surprise for everyone. In a moment you’ll understand why.”
Everyone had arranged themselves by the Christmas tree with its piles of brightly wrapped presents beneath. Wooden shutters covered the windows, blocking out any daylight, the only illuminations coming from the glowing white tree lights. Calling for quiet, Rudy instructed them to remain where they were while he walked to the other end of the raised floor.
“Why are the blinds still drawn?” asked Jessica.
“We’ll open them as soon as lunch is served,” said Mrs M.
“As you’ll know,” said Rudy, “nature laid on a surprise Christmas wonderland for you all—my family can’t take credit for that—so Mrs M thought it might be nice to have Christmas lunch here, so we can we eat together and enjoy a view over the loch of the winter landscape.”
“Before you say anything else, Rudy,” said Johnny, “I am not carrying that bloody great kitchen table in here. Not risking getting a slipped disc on Christmas Day.”
“You won’t need to,” said Rudy.
Holding a remote control in his hand, he aimed the small device at the ground and pressed a button.
At first nothing happened, and some of those gathered giggled. But then a mechanical buzzing kicked in, a vibration from beneath the smooth floorboards. Suddenly, to everyone’s gasped surprise, a portion of the pine flooring began to ascend, a long oblong section rising slowly almost to waist height. Within minutes, a vast banqueting table clunked into place, with dining chairs stored artfully in the spaces beneath.
“Sick,” said Jessica, mesmerised. “Just hides away when you don’t need it anymore. That is well sick.”
“The catch is you’re all going to be tasked with helping get things ready,” said Rudy. “And to begin with, the table will need to be cleaned and polished thoroughly—”
“Good enough that you could eat off the floor,” said Frank, causing Johnny to laugh.
“Glad you think it’s funny, Johnny,” said Mrs M, “because you and Frank will be doing the cleaning.”
“Not a problem, Mrs M. And I bet it’ll look amazing once it’s laid,” said Johnny.
“Bit like Trevor?” said Frank to Johnny, clearly on a roll.
Even Trevor laughed, although his felt his cheeks burning. Rudy must have noticed because he strolled over, grinning, and put his arm around Trevor’s shoulders.
“And while you’re all busy in here,” said Mrs M, taking over from Rudy, “I will be preparing everything in the kitchen. Lunch will be served at one. If you need drinks beforehand, use the bar in here once Frank and Johnny are done. Cheryl and I stocked the small fridge here this morning. Now let me read out the Christmas work rota.”
Those who had been on the Christmas getaway before knew the drill and turned their attention to Mrs M. Only Jessica, Antoni and especially Mary looked on, intrigued.
“While everyone else clears out of the room, Johnny and Frank will vacuum everywhere, as well as cleaning and polishing the table and chairs. Once they’ve finished, Antoni and Jessica, you can lay the Christmas tablecloth and place table decorations, candles and Christmas crackers from the big cardboard box behind the bar. While they’re doing that, Karl and Mary will collect everything we need—place settings, cutlery and wineglasses—from the kitchen and lay the table. You’ll also get to choose the music for us all to listen to through lunch. Sorry, Cheryl, but we need someone else’s selection today. Cheryl, Trevor and Rudy will be the only ones allowed to remain in the kitchen with me, because they’ll be on washing up and vegetable-peeling duties—King Edwards, parsnips, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots and fresh peas. Any questions?”
Nobody spoke for a few moments and Mrs M took that as a sign of consent.
