Chapter 12
As the month progressed, thoughts at number twenty-one Allen Street turned inevitably to Christmas. Picture frames sprouted wreaths of holly, brightly coloured cards bearing seasonal greetings appeared on the mantelpiece, and George walked into the sitting room one evening to find Miss Lewis attaching a sprig of mistletoe to the door frame with a decided air of mischief. Feeling discretion to be the better part of valour, he fled back upstairs and didn’t go down again until Matthew was with him.
“What are your plans for Christmas, George?” Matthew asked as they sat after supper sharing a copy of the Daily Mirror. “I’m off to my parents’ house in Hampshire on Christmas Eve. With Christmas Day falling on a Saturday this year, we’ll have a whole four days off.”
“I expect I’ll st
