The morning of the children's party dawned bright, cold, and very still, but nobody had time to think about the weather. 

The party was to be held in the Princess Alice room; on the second floor, it was painted a pretty blue, and its high windows overlooked the east lawn. Maids had cleaned and polished the room until it gleamed, and now nimble footmen were busy climbing ladders to decorate it. Lucy dashed from one task to another, still lugging the leather binder with her; helping here, advising there.

"The children from the home are getting here in two hired omnibuses after tea," Lucy addressed her team of volunteers, which now included Otto and Sebastian. "There will be guards on the door to make sure nobody wanders off, and children can only use the bathrooms inside the room itself."

"Grown ups can use the bathrooms across the hallway," Otto added. "We don't want too many people in them at once."  

"Anything else we need to know?" Roderick asked.

"Nobody is allowed to open that big cupboard at the back of the room during the party," Lucy said, pointing to it. "It says so in the book."

"What's in the cupboard?" asked Penelope.

"Absolutely nothing," Lucy said. "You can see for yourself if you want."

They all trooped over and examined the built-in cupboard. It was tall, wide, and had double doors; when opened, it revealed only a large empty space with no shelving. The back of the cupboard had an intricate design, which seemed odd for an otherwise very plain cupboard.

"I can't imagine why nobody is allowed to see inside this empty cupboard of mystery," said Aubrey.

"Probably so that a child doesn't shut themselves into it by mistake," Otto suggested.

"Is there a key to it?" Eden asked. "If we kept it locked, then nobody could get in."

"No, it can't be locked from the outside," said Lucy, sounding slightly harassed. "We just have to keep people away from this part of the room."

"We hear and obey," said Sebastian, giving Lucy a salute. "We do not question orders, my captain."

"There's tons of greenery brought in for decorations," Lucy said, changing the subject. "Yesterday some of us worked all afternoon and evening to tie them into wreaths and garlands with ribbons and baubles, and colour them with paint."

"My fingernails are still stained silver and gold," Aubrey moaned.

"Oh stop bragging about your pretty nails," Roderick said with a smirk.

"Otto, you're the tallest, so could you please help the footmen hang evergreens around the ceiling, and anything high up?" Lucy said. "Roddy, Aubrey, and Penelope, I'm putting you on general decorating duty. Walls, picture frames, candles – if you see a space, cover it with holly and ivy."

"What would you like me to do, Lucy?" Eden asked.

"Would you and Sebastian mind doing the Yule tree?" asked Lucy. "The decorations are in that big box next to it, and I'll help whenever I can." She raced away to supervise Otto and the footmen.

The Yule tree was a tall holly, pruned into a conical shape, covered in bright red berries, and planted in a sturdy wooden container that had been painted dark green.

Sebastian looked at Eden and said with a smile, "Well, Lucy has favoured us. Decorating the tree is by far the most enjoyable job. Shall I do the higher branches?"

"It's probably for the best," Eden admitted, moving towards the box of decorations.

"It feels a bit ungallant of me to suggest it though," Sebastian said as he opened the box. "The lower branches are the ones with prickly leaves, for some reason."

"It's because deer eat the low leaves, so they make themselves prickly to protect themselves," Eden explained, kneeling down. "Deer can't reach the leaves high up, so they're nice and smooth."

"I would never have thought of that," said Sebastian, beginning to hang beautiful glass baubles on the high branches of the tree. "You must know a lot of country lore."

"I suppose so," Eden said as she carefully placed ornaments on the tree. "I know more about boats though."

"Yes, Lucy said she spent the summer learning to row and sail on the lake with you," Sebastian nodded. "Do you like sailing ships? There's some beautiful ones in here that would look good lower down."

The ships were delicate blown glass, in the soft blues and greens of Lord Neptune, who kept all the ports safely closed through the icy storms of Yuletide. Eden handed Sebastian a collection of glittering mermaids and mermen to be placed higher up.

"I do like sailing ships," she replied, "although I haven't really been at sea very much."

"I'm going to spend my whole life on the sea, I love it," Sebastian said in a dreamy way that reminded Eden of Lucy when she was off imagining things. "I'm going to the Royal Naval Academy in Port Brine next year to train as an officer, and then I'm going to travel the world."

"Oh, I wish I could do something like that," said Eden with interest. "I'm thinking of going to university later, but that would be even better."

Sebastian gave an amused snort. "Not much chance of you being allowed to go to a naval academy."

"Because I'm a girl?" demanded Eden, her brows knit together in a frown.

"Don't get so prickly, I'm not nibbling on you like a deer," Sebastian joked. "Not only because you're a girl, but for the same reason Otto can't go – crown princes and princesses are too valuable. The kingdom can't risk losing you, while if I fall overboard, there's no great harm done."

This gave Eden a lot to think about as she tied wooden deer around the holly leaves – they were great stags with antlers painted silver. 

It didn't seem that long before everyone came to help, and the tree was soon covered with magical runes, flags of every nation, silver chains, and tinsel in all the colours of the rainbow. As the final touch, Otto lifted Lucy up so that she could place on top of the tree a shining golden sun with a smiling face which beamed down upon them all.

⋆⋅•⋅⊰∙∘⋆ ❆ ⋆∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋆

Everything was in readiness; the floor polished until they could see their faces in it, the Yule tree bristling with bright ornaments. A cautious Lucy had arranged for a green tapestry screen covered in golden birds and flowers to be placed in front of the forbidden cupboard.

The children from the orphanage began trooping in two by two, led by a kind looking grey-haired lady and her two assistants.

"Dame Barton, how wonderful to see you," Bernard said, holding out his hand. "Good Yule!"

"Good Yule, sir," she replied. "The children have been looking forward to this for some time."

"So have we," Pip smiled, kissing Dame Barton on the cheek. "We'll say just a few words to them, we won't keep them waiting."

"Good Yule, children!" Bernard said, waving to them. "Thank you very much for coming tonight."

"Good Yule, Mr Bernard, sir," the children chanted back obediently.

"You've been kind enough to invite us into your home many times, and now we're happy to be inviting you into our home," Pip said.

"Hurrah for Mr Pip!" the children called enthusiastically. 

One very small girl with curly black hair screamed Pippy! Pippy! She toddled over and threw herself at him, clutching his leg.

Pip picked her up, deposited a quick kiss on her forehead, and passed her to an assistant, saying, "I think this one belongs with you, Miss Faye." 

"Hush there, Bella," Miss Faye said, taking the child into her arms. Bella was hugged and soothed until her fit of excitement subsided.

"Anyway, Pip and I aren't going to keep jawing at you like a pair of old fogeys," Bernard said. "This is a party for young people, so I'm going to hand you over to my brother Otto, who will be your master of ceremonies tonight."

"Bernard and I will be over here with Dame Barton," Pip smiled. "Have a wonderful party!"

Eden didn't believe that Otto would be able to talk to the children; he always seemed so cold and superior. Indeed, he gave a little smirk to himself that only Eden saw. But the moment he walked out, he became a different person. He spoke to the children in their language, he made them giggle a few times, and he was able to tactfully convey both that they were to have a good time, and behave well while doing so.

"And now my brother Sebastian will lead you in the first game – Silly Sebastian Says!" Otto declared, before stepping back to let Sebastian take over.

The palace children lined up on one side of the room, wearing their oldest clothes so as not to make the visitors feel uncomfortable. The orphanage children lined up on the other, wearing their best clothes so as not to disgrace themselves. Both sets of children had been scrubbed clean, with not a hair out of place. They stared at each other shyly.

"Silly Sebastian says – run around the room!" ordered Sebastian, and soon they were all zooming in every direction. 

Once everyone had jumped up and down, flapped their arms like a bird, stuck out their tongues, and hopped on one foot three times, they were laughing, breathless, pink-cheeked, and no longer looking so painfully tidy.

"Dance with the person next to you!" cried Sebastian.

Without thinking, Eden turned to the next person, who happened to be a little boy with dark hair and spectacles, and swung him around by the hands. 

Nearly everyone had forgotten to wait for the words Silly Sebastian Says, and so a rather awkward little girl with freckles who hadn't found a dancing partner in time was declared the winner.

Lucy called out, "Flora Dingle," and the freckled girl received a brooch in the shape of a robin as her prize, looking slightly bewildered as to what had happened.

Eden didn't think Flora was ugly at all - she had toffee coloured hair, clear brook-brown eyes, and a forlorn air. It seemed likely her days of being pretty were still ahead of her, and that a little confidence and happiness would make all the difference to her looks.

It was Eden's turn to start a game next, and she had drawn Blind Man's Buff. There was an ancient leather mask to put on which might once have been dyed deep blue, but was now dark grey. It was of wolfish shape, and felt heavy on Eden's face, with an odour of beeswax and years in her nostrils.

There were slits cut in it for eyes, but they turned upwards, so that the wearer could see only the ceiling. She already felt strange when Otto began spinning her around to disorient her, while the children clapped slowly, and chanted:

"Grim, Grim, it is time for you to hunt."

"Where shall I seek?" said Eden, as she had been taught.

"Take a peek," came the taunt.

"My eyes are sightless," said Eden, as she moved her face like an animal sniffing the air.

"Find us on the roof of Wintertide Temple," the children jeered.

"Nothing there but copper of red."

"Then chase us and bite us and tear us to shreds!" screamed the children, beginning to run and shout, their very hoots of laughter making it hard for Eden to know where anyone was.

The lamps had been turned down so that there was only the dim light of flickering candles. Eden prowled in the darkness, the mask turning her into a different person – one who was cunning and fearless and savage. She hurled herself into nothingness, following the sound of squeaks and shrieks, her hands outstretched.

At one point, she barked her shin on a chair. Eden felt hands on her, and heard Otto's voice in her ear, "Not over here – you'll trip over something and hurt yourself." He gently pushed her back into the centre of the room.

Eden caught someone by the hair – long, soft curls. "Lucy," she gasped, holding onto her shoulders, as her friend laughed. And then it was Lucy's turn to don the mask and become a wild thing.

They played Truckle the Trencher, Musical Chairs, Pass the Parcel, Grandmother's Footsteps, and Pin the Tail on the Pig, before getting on to dancing games. These were led by Roderick, who chose a girl of around his own age as his dancing partner, with dark brown hair and a graceful manner. 

Aubrey whispered to Eden that this was the Daphne who was leaving the children's home next month. Eden thought she looked sensible and tidy, and hoped that Lucy's plan to find her a job would not prove fruitless.  

The last dance had finished; it was called The Elderberry Tree, and involved dancing around in a ring holding hands, with the last person to stop at the end having to pay a forfeit of a kiss. Prizes had been distributed, tears had been wiped away, friendships and rivalries had been formed. 

The moment it seemed the children had had enough of playing and were growing restless, Eden saw Lucy make a signal to the head footman, and supper was brought in. There was a big table with chairs for the children aged eleven and over, a middle-sized table with benches for those aged five and over, and a tiny table for the little ones, who still needed their nurses.

It was Eden's job to supervise the smallest table, and it seemed as if Nurse Melia had insinuated herself in with the nurses, because she was kneeling down, spoon feeding the little girl who had leapt upon Pip.

"You have some of this delicious French custard, Bella sweetheart," she said encouragingly. "I must say, the French do know about good food. That's it, there's a good girl!"

"Hello, Nurse. I suppose Lucy invited you," said Eden. "Can I help with anything?"

"If you wouldn't mind passing me a napkin, Miss Eden," Nurse Melia said. "I came with Nurse May, actually."

"I don't need an invitation, Miss Eden," Nurse May said, leading a little boy by the hand from the bathroom. "I have been a nursemaid at children's parties since before Miss Lucy was born. Now, doesn't it feel better to have clean hands, Master Alex?"

Eden recognised the boy as Penelope's youngest brother.

"You shall have a nice boiled egg, Master Alex, and if Miss Eden will be so kind as to pass me a plain bun, lightly buttered, you shall that as well," Nurse May said, busying herself. She said to the others in a confidential tone, "Master Alex has a very delicate digestion."

"Where is Nurse Winfreda this evening?" Nurse May asked. "Such a lovely girl."

"Nurse Winnie was sick all over the floor," Alex piped up in a high, clear voice. "The sick went everywhere."

"Oh dear!" said Nurse Melia.

"We say that Nurse Winnie was indisposed, Master Alex," lectured Nurse May. "We don't discuss such things at the table, thank you very much."

"Nurse was innersposed all over the floor," Alex repeated obediently.

"Yes, well that's why we need to wash our hands," Nurse May said, as if doggedly making her point. "And if you don't get your fingers out of the jam, you're going to be indisposed."