This update was getting rather long so I decided to split it. The first part, this chapter, is quite short but the next one will be longer. And because its already nearly finished, you won't have to wait too long. :D

Chapter Thirteen

When the family returned from church, the Hooper-Holmes children were delighted to find Mummy up and dressed and feeling much better and Daddy home, having solved his case. All except Violet, that is, who after initially greeting Sherlock with great enthusiasm suddenly remembered how resentful she had been of his unauthorized absence the day before and proceeded to pointedly ignore him in favour of William. However, she couldn't sustain it, especially when the Easter Egg Hunt was officially started by Uncle Mycroft and everyone, including William, began racing round the garden of Colbert House at breakneck speed. Violet suddenly realised how much she loved Daddy, most especially because he was tall and could hold her up so she could pluck eggs out of the highest places. So, in an instant, all was forgiven and forgotten.

After half an hour or so of frenzied activity, pretty much all the hidden eggs secreted away by the Colbert House staff, while everyone else was in the church, had been retrieved. Any remaining ones would be sniffed out by the gamekeeper's dogs – and immediately confiscated, since chocolate is poisonous to canines – later in the day. But, now, everyone made their way to the garden entrance of the Great Hall, where Mrs Orgreave had provided a sumptuous Easter-themed buffet of honey-glazed ham sandwiches, beetroot dip with sour dough toast, butternut squash falafels with zhoug sauce, lamb lollipops with sticky pomegranate glaze, mini mushroom burgers, asparagus, spring onion and mint tart, mini iced Simnel loaves and Easter bunny shortbread biscuits, the latter two baked and decorated by Mrs O's daughter – and talented baker - who had helped prepare the feast. And to wash it all down, there was tea, coffee, hot chocolate or elderflower cordial.

Every one queued patiently to take their turn at the buffet table without fear that the food might run out before they got there. Mrs O always made more than enough. Once furnished with a plate of tasty morsels and a hot or cold drink, the guests all mingled in the Great Hall, chatting together in groups until the time came for Mycroft to call them all to order and give his usual seasonal speech, thanking Mrs Orgreave and all the other staff for giving up their Easter weekend in order to service the needs of the family and the house and to host this annual event.

'And we all look forward to finishing off the left-overs over the next couple of days – not that there are likely to be many of those,' Mycroft concluded – his usual joke – at which everyone - apart from the usual suspect - laughed politely and clapped.

Mycroft and Arthur then stood by the garden door and said goodbye to each of the guests, thanking them for coming and wishing them a happy Easter until the very last person had departed, whereupon the doors were closed and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The family made their way back into the main house and then peeled off, with Sherlock, Molly and their brood making their way upstairs to their allocated suite of rooms while Mycroft, Arthur and the twins went into the snug for a bit of down time.

Everyone was free to do as they wished until dinner time, so Sherlock put Violet down for her afternoon nap then he, Molly and the boys chilled out in the boys' bedroom. William was excited to tell his father about his new friend, while Freddie and Mummy discussed costume ideas for Freddie's latest competition solo.

Since joining the dance school, Freddie had discovered that there were dance completions and festivals of dance going on all over the country, mostly during the summer months, and that children who wished to could compete in the various classes and different age groups. And, if they were good enough, they could win certificates or even medals! Freddie just loved to perform in front of an audience but the opportunity to come away with a medal was just the icing on the cake.

Sherlock and Molly were a little dubious about the idea to begin with. Molly had seen videos posted on YouTube (and similar platforms) of small, inappropriately dressed (in her opinion) children, dolled up to the nines in lipstick and eye makeup, performing equally inappropriate (in her opinion) dances to packed halls of people cheering and hollering and she found the idea rather distasteful but a conversation with the dance teacher soon put her mind at rest. Although there were classes at the regional and national dance competitions for those types of dances – show dances, they were called – there were lots of other classes the children could enter, such as ballet, modern, tap, contemporary and national. And, within these classes, there were opportunities for the children to dance solos, duets, trios and group dances. She also reassured Molly that parents could watch the rehearsals and hold a veto over whether or not their child should perform any particular routine.

Having voiced her concerns, Molly hoped that Freddie would never be asked to perform anything risqué, at least until he was old enough for it to be deemed appropriate, but until then she reserved the right to say 'No'.

So, ever since Christmas, Freddie had been busy learning new dances. So far, he had learned a Sailor's Hornpipe solo, a Greek trio with two of the girls in his dance class and a group flower dance that required him to wear a Hungarian national costume, which included a heavily embroidered apron and a sort of bowler hat. It was the design of the apron that Molly and Freddie were discussing.

'I'm not very good at embroidery, Freddie,' Molly confessed, 'but I'll do my best.'

'Oh, no, Mummy, you don't have to embroider it, really. Sophie's mummy told me that you can buy trimmings on a roll and just stitch them onto a plain cotton apron,' Freddie explained. 'We just need to choose the colours and the sort of pattern we want.'

Molly was rather relieved.

'So, what sort of colour and pattern would you like?' she asked.

'I think red or purple flowers would be nice, with some yellow ones, too, or even blue. And green leaves, of course. Can we go to Borough Market one Sunday morning and look on the haberda…haderba…habracadabera…'

'Haberdashery stalls?' Molly suggested.

'Yes, those!' exclaimed Freddie, giggling. He still had a bit of trouble pronouncing some words, especially ones with multiple syllables, all beginning with a similar sounding letter. But he was never bothered if he got words wrong. In fact, he seemed to find it rather amusing. Molly hoped he would always have such a laid-back attitude to his little faux pas.

Later, the family all lounged together on the boys' bed, watching a Sunday matinee film on the TV. Freddie and Sherlock even had a snooze but William had to abandon ship when Daddy started snoring. He went down to the library again, armed with the tablet, and emailed Sky to tell her all about the Easter Egg Hunt.

Before they all knew it, it was time to go downstairs for the only semi-formal meal of the whole weekend – the Easter Sunday Dinner. Nobody was expected to 'dress', as such, but they all washed their hands and faces and combed their hair – except Sherlock, who just ruffled his fingers through his hair and said that would do.

Once the family were assembled and seated in the dining room, the first course of clear soup and various types of bread disappeared in no time. It was a light course, designed to whet their appetites, not to fill them up, so the children were advised not to eat too much of the bread, freshly baked for the occasion by Mrs O's daughter, delicious though it was. As Mrs Willis and Andrew cleared away the soup bowls and spoons, there was a real sense of anticipation for the main course and no one was disappointed.

Mrs Orgreave herself, to a round of appreciative applause, carried in the magnificent roast leg of lamb on a silver serving dish and placed it in front of Mycroft, who would have the honour of carving it at the table. The various dishes of roast or steamed vegetables, gravy boats and sauce bowls were brought in by Mrs Willis and Andrew then the staff retired to enjoy their own Easter Sunday dinner in the kitchen whilst the family tucked into theirs.

The conversation around the table soon turned to speculation – amongst the children, at least - about what tomorrow's mystery day out might be but the grown-ups remained very tight-lipped about it.

'Wait and see,' Arthur advised them. 'And, trust us, you won't be disappointed.'

So, they had to settle for that.

The final course was fruit sorbet or ice cream, for those who still had room for dessert, or fresh fruit or cheese and biscuits, after which everyone – including Freddie, famous for his enormous appetite – declared themselves replete. They all retired to the Snug for postprandial drinks and then it was time for the children to go to bed. No one complained, not even Violet. It had been a busy day, full of fun and excitement, and they all wanted to be well-rested and fit for the Bank Holiday treat tomorrow.

ooOoo

Many thanks to Sainsburys website for all those yummy food suggestions for Mrs O's Easter buffet. I must try some of those myself!