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Shivering a little in the cold, winter air, I trotted off through the bushes, ducking through into the next garden before Jack could get the back door unlocked and co for me

I couldn’t trust hiht find their own people, but they definitely weren’t mine

I was on my o

And I had no idea what to do next

‘Well, this is it’ Daisy stared up at the i her parents had decided to call home It had battlements Honest to God battlements ‘You knohen they said chateau, I didn’t think theyquite so literal in translation’

Maybe it was the ith dinner, but Daisy was finding it hard to be too alarht At this point in the day’s trials and tribulations, as long as it had hot running water and wine in the fridge, she was happy

Then so dark and furry swooped overhead, past the windscreen, and for aOliver to turn the car around They could sleep in the ferry terht?

‘It’s cool,’ Jay said, eyes wide, as he hugged his Claude substitute close

‘It’s weird,’ Bella countered with a frown, as another so swooped overhead Really Bats Just what this Christmas needed to be perfect

Daisy tried not to think about how much she hated bats

The twins, finally both asleep in their car seats, had nothing to add Oliver, fro on the right hand side of the road to comment

Daisy unbuckled her seatbelt ‘Well, coo and see Granny and Grandad’ At least there wouldn’t be any bats inside the chateau

Probably

Her parents aiting for the above the doorway, all wide smiles and open ar, and wondered exactly how she was going to break it to the, ferries depending

‘Where’s Claude?’ herinto the darkness ‘You haven’t left him in the car, poor creature! Petal is desperate to see hiet Claude out of the boot’

‘Wait, Dad,’ Daisy said, as her dad hurried to obey ‘Claude … Claude’s not actually with us’

/> Mum’s mouth dropped into a narrow O shape, her eyes wide and worried ‘He’s not … so didn’t happen on the ferry, did it? I kneas a bad idea, bringing a dog over here on the ferry! You kno they like to jump into the water! Oh, Jerry, didn’t I say?’

‘No,’ Dad said, succinctly ‘You didn’t And neither did Daisy What happened, love?’

‘The stupid dog jumped out of the car before we even left Maple Drive,’ Oliver explained ‘Jay had put his soft toy in the cage too, so we didn’t even realise until we got on the ferry in Portsmouth and opened the boot’

‘So Claude’s … alive?’ Mum asked Daisy tried not to roll her eyes at the dra, and jumped in to reassure him

‘Of course he is! He’s just fine, living it up at home Probably hasn’t even noticed we’re not there!’ She wrapped an arm around Jay’s shoulders as she spoke in her jolliest voice, and hoped to God there wasto have to get back to him as soon as we can There were no more ferries today because of the weather, but we’re on standby for the one first thing to’

‘But tomorrow is Christmas Eve!’ Mum cried

I know, Mother That’s e’re here, remember?

Daisy sighed, and tried to keep her coht the M&S hamper, at least!’

Her mother perked up at the prospect of proper smoked salmon and Christmas pud, so Daisy ushered them all out of the hallway, past a lopsided Christold baubles, and into the house proper, lugging Luca in his car seat Oliver deposited Lara’s on the dusty stone floor and went back for the cases

‘Granny? What’s your WiFi password?’ Bella asked, as she headed into the lounge, phone in hand

‘WiFi?’ Muot the phone line set up yet! It’s been such a palaver’

Bella stopped walking abruptly ‘So there’s no internet at all?’