With much love, your affectionate friends,

Lavinia, Peter, Horatio.

Chapter Fourteen

CHRISTMAS

Business was fairly good though the theatre was never packed. Then the Christmas plans were announced. Over Christmas there would be performances twice daily four times a week. After that all day long people bought seats, for The Little Queen would, they thought, be just the play to which to take the children.

The theatre would be closed on Christmas Day and Sarah began worrying what she was to do for Margaret over Christmas. She could see that her stocking was filled, take her to church and give her a Christmas dinner but there was not much fun in that, just her and Mrs Wallow. Then, the week before Christmas Katie, her eyes shining, gave Margaret an invitation.

‘Mama says I may ask you to stay here for Christmas. You could stay the two nights, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Oh, do say yes, it would be so wonderful if you could.’

Of course Margaret could, and was enchanted by the offer. ‘Imagine, Sarah, all that at Christmas, and in the week after, Lavinia and the boys are coming. Aren’t I lucky?’

Sarah was overjoyed at the way things had turned out. Now she could spend Christmas with Lou and they would go to a theatrical party on Christmas evening.

‘Very lucky, dear, but you deserve it. A very good girl you’ve been.’

Margaret had the best Christmas she had known. Where she had been brought up, the old ladies had tried to make a happy day for her and so had Hannah and the rector, but it had not been easy when there was one small child with so many grown-ups.

‘I never spent Christmas at that orphanage,’ Margaret told Katie, ‘but I believe all they had was one orange each.’

‘Poor things!’ said Katie. ‘Do you think if ever you made a lot of money you would go and visit the orphanage?’

Margaret shivered as if a goose had walked over her grave. ‘I don’t know, I did hate it there so much, I wouldn’t even want to visit.’

On Christmas morning Miss Grey, true to her vicarage upbringing, took the girls to church and by the time they got home Mrs Melly was dishing up the Christmas dinner. It was a gay, laughing meal, for several theatre people came in for it and even Lady Teaser seemed to enjoy it.

In the evening they had the Christmas tree. It was beautifully dressed, glittering with ornaments and blazing with candles, in fact so many candles that Hilton and Henry stood by with mops and pails of water in case one set fire to the tree.

Everybody had presents. First of all the staff. Each woman received an apron except Mrs Melly, who was above aprons and instead had a silk dress-length. Then they each had personal presents. Cuff links for the men with special initials and trinkets for the women. Katie had her own presents for them all: fine handkerchiefs with the edges hand-rolled by herself.