Outside, a force five gale, Hurricane Fiona, as Patrick had called her, was rampaging up the valley, rattling the windows, and howling down the chimneys. On the lawn a huge pink-and-white-striped marquee, heated by gas burners, wrestled with its moorings. 'Perhaps we could enter it for the Americas Cup,' said Caitlin. 'We can line all the drunks round the bottom to hold it down," said Patrick, taking another slug of Moe't. 'You'll be one of them if you don't stop knocking back that stuff,' said Caitlin reprovingly. 'It's my birthday. Everyone is entitled to behave appallingly on their birthday. Oh, I've got the key-hee-hee of the door, never been twenty-one before.' He was extremely happy because, unknown to his father, his mother had given him a new Golf for his birthday. As Maud had gone off to the hairdressers and to pick up a new dress that was being altered, Patrick and Caitlin carried on doing the seating plan she had started. Taggie had tried to write names on some of the cards', but was in such a state of excitement about Ralphie's arrival that her spelling had gone totally to pot.
