Tinsel and Terriers. Cressida McLaughlin

appearing for the last three weeks. So far they had been final versions of sketches that Cat had already seen – the kitten about to lift a lid on a pan containing a piranha, scrabbling on a box outside a window – but she’d come to look forward to them, to feel the connection to Joe while he was hundreds of miles away.

      With the excitement over the result of the protest and planning a Christmas event, she hadn’t yet looked at today’s cartoon. She was sure Polly had. She often mentioned to Cat how proud she was of her brother, how well he was doing in the States, which meant he was keeping in touch with her. Cat had no right to expect him to contact her too, especially not since the events of the protest, but she couldn’t deny that she missed him, and that Curiosity Kitten had become an important part of her week. She’d gone from feeling affronted by it to counting the days until it arrived.

      ‘Dog secret Santa?’ Polly asked. ‘We could buy them all something, have a Santa give them out at the party.’

      ‘Have a person dressed as a dog dressed as Santa?’ Elsie asked, sipping her wine.

      Polly sighed. ‘OK, that sounds a bit weird. Maybe not.’

      ‘Some kind of dog show or parade,’ Owen said. ‘A dog fashion show. Is that cruel?’

      ‘Why would it be cruel?’ Jessica asked, appraising her Westies as they tussled good-naturedly on the kitchen floor.

      ‘Dressing them up. Making them wear outfits.’

      ‘I don’t think so,’ Elsie said, ‘not if it’s only for a few hours.’

      ‘Valentino loves his little tartan jacket,’ Jessica said.

      ‘Of course he would,’ Polly said, laughing. ‘He’s called Valentino.’

      ‘So let’s take it a step further.’ Owen leaned forward. ‘How about fancy dress? A Christmas lights competition for the houses, and a fancy-dress competition for the dogs. It could be judged at the party, if you’re happy to have dogs there, Jessica?’

      Jessica sipped her wine, thinking. Cat remembered how beautiful and dressy everyone had been at her spring party.

      ‘We could have the fancy dress early afternoon,’ Cat said, ‘then come back later for the party and the lights judging. That way the dogs could all go home and de-robe, and the adults could have fun without worrying about their pets causing havoc.’

      ‘I like your style,’ Owen said, pointing at her. ‘You’ve got a pretty solid events head on your shoulders.’

      ‘Why, thank you,’ Cat grinned. ‘We’re all coming up with some good ideas.’

      ‘Excellent Christmas committee,’ Elsie said, raising her glass. They all clinked, and Jessica opened another bottle of wine as the music moved seamlessly from Michael Bublé to Christmas hits and the first bars of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’. Polly hummed along, swaying in time to the music.

      Jessica leaned over the table, her long blonde hair falling over her face. ‘It’s November in two days, so we need to let everyone know. They can’t be expected to put on a good show if they don’t have long enough to prepare.’

      ‘What do you think you and Mark will do?’ Elsie asked.

      ‘I still live at number nine,’ Cat said. ‘And I’m not sure Mark will be up for any of this. He’ll take some encouraging.’

      ‘So encourage him.’ Elsie squeezed her arm. ‘If anyone can, then it’s you. And if Owen’s helping Polly, and presumably Joe will be back too, that leaves you free to help Mr Charming.’

      ‘Mr Charming horror writer,’ Jessica added. ‘You might end up having the scariest display on the road.’

      ‘That could be fun,’ Cat laughed. ‘I’ll remind him that it’s Christmas and not Halloween.’

      ‘I think we should give people ideas,’ Jessica said, ‘encourage creativity, something grandiose. Let’s have a look at some displays on the plasma screen.’ She got up and, taking her wine, led the way out of the room. Cat hung back, waiting until Elsie, Polly and Owen had followed her, and turned to the copy of the Fairhaven Press.