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‘Of course it is’ Henri’s voice dripped with disdain

‘It’s a genius idea,’ Daisy said, wrapping an ared off

‘Did you find the key yet? So we can get the phones out?’ Bella asked

‘Not yet,’ Daisy admitted

‘It’s astonishing how careless people can be with personal belongings,’ Henri added, unhelpfully ‘Like keys And dogs’

‘You ht?’ Bella leant further over the counter, staring at Henri, and he took a step back ‘Where are they?’

Henri, stunned into helpfulness, gave them a map with the internet hub marked Daisy trailed after Bella as she strode towards the computers

‘So, how is this going to work, exactly?’ she asked, as Bella settled in front of the screen

‘Easy I’ht?’ She was already typing away, the screen filling with text and ies as she worked ‘I’ll link it to et them to share it with their friends and so on and so on’

‘Until everyone we’ve everat ho to help?

‘Until even people we’ve neverto search for Claude’ Bella tapped a few more keys, and a picture of Claude fro a Santa hat perched between his dark ears, appeared at the top of the page ‘And done!’

‘That was … a’ Daisy scanned the screen She liked to think that she was pretty good with coht of this All she’d been thinking about was finding a way ho

Find Claude! the page read, in big letters, under Claude’s picture Beneath that Bella had written a paragraph about what had happened that e, and sharing it everywhere

‘So, nohat do we do?’ Daisy asked, as Bella logged off the computer

‘Noait for people to contact us and tell us they’ve seen Claude’

‘Great’ Waiting Daisy’s favourite

‘Don’t worry, Mum’ Bella squeezed Daisy’s hand with her own ‘Claude will be fine’

‘I hope you’re right’ Because, whatever she did, they weren’t going to get home before Christht – and probably hating every minute of it

It seen was their best chance of taking care of their favourite dog, even if they couldn’t be there themselves

By the time the sun had set – at, admittedly, the ridiculously early time of four o’clock – Jack still hadn’t returned with Claude

Holly had made two batches of mince pies (one with ordinary mincemeat, one with her speciality cranberry and apple one), asse, prepped a batch ofwas, after all, more of an acquired taste, and she didn’t know if Jack had acquired it But surely everyone likedher second set of icicle lights out of the spare decorations box

She’d held off putting the on Christ in the festive display she didn’t want to overdo it But it was Christmas Eve tomorrow and Jack had said he liked the room ouldn’t hurt

Besides, they looked cheery whenever she ca her She liked that

Slipping on her bright red coat, Holly picked up the coiled string of lights and headed out the front door, s bauble wreath as she did so

She attached the battery pack as instructed to the side of the , then set about draping the icicles as evenly as possible under the sill

‘What on earth do you think you’re doing, young lady?’ Holly froze at the sound of the voice behind her, then turned slowly to check there wasn’t so berated for her behaviour

Nope Just her