appearing on the table, there was a ring at the doorbell. Agatha jumped to her feet, but Charles, seated in the hall, shouted he'd get it.
James Lacey walked in. 'Your place is here!' called Agatha, her face radiant.
He walked up to her and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. Agatha drew back and pointed to the large bunch of mistletoe above her head. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, bent his head, and kissed her passionately on the mouth.
And Agatha felt nothing.
When he drew back, he looked down at her with a puzzled frown.
'Oh, do sit down, James,' said Agatha, all false jollity. 'You've missed the first course but you're in good time for the salmon and the turkey.'
Oh dear, thought Mrs Bloxby, as Agatha bent her head over her plate and studied the smoked salmon as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.
Jade, Bill Wong's girlfriend, was flirting outrageously with Harry Beam.
Toni and Bill Wong had their heads together in animated discussion. Miss Simms's boyfriend was poking at his smoked salmon, shouting, 'What's this muck?'
George Pyson felt very lonely. He had nourished such hopes for this evening.
Toni, once she had started talking to Bill, had barely looked at him.
The plates were cleared away. The chef appeared in the doorway with the magnificent roasted turkey on a trolley.
'Wait!' shouted Charles. He took out a whistle and blew a loud blast.
'What on earth...?' began Agatha.
'Go to the window,' called Charles, 'and look out. It's a surprise.'
Agatha went to the dining room window and looked out and then stared in amazement.
'It's snowing!' she cried. 'It's really snowing.'
There was an excited scraping back of chairs. Those in the sitting room opened their window: those in the hall opened the door. Agatha swung open the casement window, wide.
Roy crouched in the darkness with the snow machine, and, slightly tipsy because he had been fortifying himself with brandy, was delighted with the reaction. 'See if I can get some more,' he muttered. He fiddled with the dials. But he accidentally turned the dial to 'Blizzard'.
One minute, Agatha Raisin was framed by the window, looking out at gently falling snow. The next moment, she had turned into a snowman. She turned slowly, her beady eyes glaring out from her white snow-covered face.
Screams and yells and the crash of broken glass came as the guests reeled backwards before the arctic blast: curses as windows and door were wrenched shut.
But not before Charles had run out through the blizzard, thrust Roy aside, and switched the machine off.
There was a sudden silence.
'You may as well all go home,' Agatha said wearily. Wet, papery snowflakes melted in her hair and dribbled down her face like tears.
Then Miss Simms began to laugh. It was an infectious throaty laugh.
Everyone began to join in. James shouted above the laughter, 'This is a Christmas to remember. Here's to Agatha!'
Agatha jolted herself out of her misery. She turned to the chef. 'We don't want the turkey to get cold. Thank goodness the snow missed it. Get your girls in here to clear up the broken glass. Who the hell thought up this idea?'
'Me and Roy,' said Charles. 'We did so want to give you a white Christmas.'
'I'll kill you later. Chef, start carving. Girls, we need lots of paper towels so everyone can dry themselves off.'
Agatha ran upstairs to change her clothes and repair her make-up. When she returned, everyone was sitting over large plates full of turkey and all the trimmings.
'Agatha,' said James, 'you never fail to surprise. Just listen to everybody. Your party's a big success.'
'I don't know why they don't want to lynch me,' said Agatha. 'Mrs Bloxby's got on a beautiful new dress. I hope it isn't ruined.'
'Eat your turkey and stop worrying. It's the best turkey ever.'
Agatha looked up at his handsome face and at his blue eyes and tried to reanimate some of that old passion, but nothing came.
Roy had reappeared and was chattering to everyone between mouthfuls of turkey and avoiding looking down the table in Agatha's direction.
Patrick said, 'Everyone's drinking rather a lot. How are they all going to get home?'
'I've hired a bus to come at midnight to take the Mircester lot home. At ten the following morning, it will pick them up in the square and bring them back to Carsely to pick up their cars. Toni left a note about that with their place cards.' After the turkey, a huge plum pudding in all its flaming glory was brought in, along with plates of mince pies and tubs of brandy butter and dishes of whipped cream.
Agatha talked to Patrick about the Tamworthy case and then realized it looked as if she were pointedly ignoring James and turned back to him. He said he had been out of touch with the news on his travels, so Agatha told him about the murders.
'Toni?' he asked when she had finished. 'Is she here?'
'She's the blonde girl talking to Bill Wong.'
'Very young and beautiful,' commented James. 'I hope Bill doesn't get his heart broken.'
Agatha felt a stab of jealousy. Bill Wong was her friend, her very first friend. Oh, well, if he took Toni to meet his mother and father, that would be the end of that. The dinner finished with three cheers for Agatha and then they all moved back to the marquee, where liqueurs and mulled wine were being served.
It was hard to feel dismal, thought Agatha, when everyone, even the knuckle dragger, kept telling her what a marvellous evening it had been. Even the vicar, a little bit tipsy, confided in her that he hadn't wanted to come but it had all been so wonderful, he was glad he hadn't missed it.
James was constantly at Agatha's side. Charles noticed that although Agatha looked happy, she didn't have that look of anguished exhilaration she used to have whenever James was near.
Agatha said to Mrs Bloxby, 'Your gorgeous gown doesn't seem to have suffered.'
'Guess what, Mrs Raisin. Alf and I are going on holiday at the New Year. It's only a package deal to Tunisia, but just think! Sunshine and no complaining parishioners.'
At last the bus arrived to take the Mircester crowd home. Agatha stood outside her cottage to wave them off. She noticed that Bill was sitting next to Toni and Harry Beam next to Jade while George had a seat on his own.
As the bus rolled away, George reflected that he had a chance of a job on an estate in Sussex. He had dreamed of taking Toni with him as his wife. But Toni seemed to have forgotten his very existence.
James tried to kiss Agatha goodnight and looked surprised when she quickly turned her cheek. Charles and Roy were staying the night.
'Now, Roy,' said Agatha when James had gone. 'How could you do that to me?'
'We both did it,' said Charles. 'If Roy hadn't hit the wrong button, it would have been a great success. But look at it this way. No one is ever going to forget Agatha Raisin's Christmas dinner!'
Epilogue
The Mircester guests arrived the following morning and were served with coffee and Alka-Seltzer in the marquee. Agatha felt sorry for George. Toni was obviously trying to be polite to him but kept
