'So delightful of you to have made shortbread Hortensia, thank you.' Aunt Mildred was very fond of Hortensia, she sometimes looked so like her mother that it made Aunt Mildred's heart sing to see her. Hortensia's mother (Aunt Mildred's sister) had died when she was very young, and Hortensia had been taken under the wing of Aunt Mildred and her husband Engelbert and been especially cherished - both for the sadness that had befallen her and for her very sweet nature. For you see, Hortensia was that rare mixture of great intelligence and kindness in equal measure.
They had covered sheets of paper with diagrams and and made so many lists for the different competitions that Hortensia felt utterly overwhelmed. They both felt that this was going to be the very best Midsummer Revels that had ever been.
Just as they were beginning to feel exhausted and began to repeat themselves, Arichbold saved the day and arrived home for his lunch! 'Thank goodness for that' thought Hortensia 'we can all have a sit down and have a rest in the garden'. She had prepared a tasty mushroom soup which she served up with a loaf of her special seedy bread and some soft cheese. Once she had finished her lunch, Aunt Mildred of course fell asleep for a little snooze, and Hortensia quickly filled Archibold's head with all the gossip of the day!
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