Oh, Christ. The last thing he needed was to get dragged into the middle of a domestic. ‘You’ve been very patient, sir. Please, give me a few more minutes and I’ll have this sorted.’
‘It’s a bloody disgrace, it is, and for the amount you’re charging to get in an’ all! I’ve a good mind to demand my money back.’
Deciding perhaps Will had the right attitude after all, Tristan pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and withdrew a twenty-pound note. ‘Here you go,’ he said, thrusting it at the driver. ‘Full refund of your entrance fee and a bit towards your petrol besides. I’ll escort you back to the gate as soon as I can get these other vehicles shifted and you can be on your way.’ He strode off, leaving the man spluttering and his wife giving him another earful.
It took a combination of charm, good humour and firm instructions, but he eventually got the cars turned around and with Will’s help they got them integrated into the correct line and everyone moving once more. The only car remaining was Terry, the driver who’d started it all. ‘Right, then,’ Tristan said, briskly. ‘Thank you for your patience, sir. Now if you head towards that yellow arrow over there, you’ll pick up the route back to the gate. I’ll run up and meet you there and we can get you back out onto the road and on your way. My apologies again for all the inconvenience.
The driver gave him a sheepish look. ‘Mary wants to have a look around, so I think we might stay after all.’ He held the twenty-pound note out to Tristan. ‘Sorry, mate.’
‘No harm done.’ Tristan accepted the cash with a smile. ‘Come on let’s get you parked so you can hopefully enjoy the rest of the day.’
Apart from a couple of other minor hiccups – including a hilarious half an hour when one of the miniature goats escaped its pen and was eventually corralled between a burger van and an ice cream truck by a very flustered keeper – the rest of the day ran like clockwork. Tristan managed to find time to stop at Mac’s van for a hot pork roll, and was delighted to hear that Mac and all the other food vendors were thrilled with the amount of trade they’d done.
Arthur performed his MC duties with aplomb, while Lucie spent an hour in the craft tent touring each of the stalls and giving each individual vendor some attention. When Tristan crossed paths with his brother, he was hefting two reusable shopping bags stuffed full of trinkets and gifts. ‘Lucie felt bad about singling anyone out, so she bought something off every stall in there,’ he said with a grin. ‘God knows what we’re going to do with it all.’
Tristan peered in the top of the nearest bag. ‘Looks like you’ve got some nice stuff. Have a chat with Jess and she might take some of it off your hands for the stockings she’s going to make up for the house party guests.’
‘Good call. Have you managed to spend any time with her today?’ Arthur never had been one for subtlety.
‘We took the boys to see the reindeer. You should’ve seen them, Arthur, they were so excited, it was the sweetest thing ever.’
Arthur grinned. ‘You should see the expression on your face right now.’
Tristan could well imagine. ‘I know, I know, I am a goner.’
‘It’s good to see. You’ve been really restless since Dad died, but it feels like you’ve got a sense of purpose back. And with Iggy pregnant too, we’re making great progress on the next generation already.’
‘I hope so. There’s still a lot of stuff unresolved between us, but I won’t give Jess or those boys up without a fight.’ He didn’t even try to hide the fierceness of his feelings.
Placing one of the bags down, Arthur gave him a quick slap on the shoulder. ‘That’s the spirit, and don’t forget you’ve got plenty of reinforcements to call in if you need them. Lucie adores Jess – and the boys, too – we both do. Nothing would make us happier than to be able to welcome them permanently into the family.’
Bless his brother for saying it, even when Tristan knew he’d likely say the same even if they weren’t so keen on Jess because he knew they only wanted to see him happy. ‘If it was up to me, it’d be a done deal already, but the last thing I want to do is rush Jess into something she might come to regret.’
Arthur nodded. ‘You never were one to do things the easy way, were you?’
‘At least I haven’t scared her off yet.’ Tristan couldn’t resist the dig at his brother whose own path to true love had been more than a little rocky.
‘Whatever, little brother.’ Arthur buffed his nails on his shirt then blew on them. ‘You wish you had my skills with the ladies.’
Tristan laughed, of course, but deep down inside his most sincere wish was that he and Jess might end up as happy as Arthur and Lucie were together.
Chapter 15
The great hall was the kind of noisy chaos that could only be expected when seven adults, two over-excited children and a rambunctious pack of dogs gathered in the same space. The dogs were milling around by the door, one or other of them giving a bark in the expectation they were being taken out for a walk. As she knelt to buckle Isaac into the harness for his reins, Jess smothered a grin as she watched Arthur and Lancelot’s somewhat ineffectual efforts to herd the dogs back towards the fireplace. With Isaac and Elijah both warmly wrapped up, Jess turned her attention to her own coat and hat, then called Lucie over to help her with the backpack carrier she planned to use rather than the buggy. Although the wheels on the buggy were sturdy and had a good tread, she wasn’t keen on trying to negotiate her way around the woods with it – even though she’d been assured the paths would be able to accommodate it. Isaac would want to explore and she’d only resort to carrying him when he got too tired. ‘I think that’s fine, thanks,’ she said to Lucie, giving the strap around her middle a quick check.
Another flurry of voices added to the general hubbub as Mrs W, Betsy and Maxwell entered the hall all similarly wrapped up for the cold weather. Arthur had extended the invitation to them when Maxwell served an early supper of stew and homemade bread, and Jess was delighted to see they’d accepted. The boys were particularly fond of the housekeeper and the cook, but she’d come across Maxwell one morning helping Elijah to tie his shoelaces ready for school and had instantly developed a soft spot for him.
With Maxwell there to help, the men had better luck shooing the dogs away from the front door and everyone was soon gathered at the bottom of the steps. It was a cold, clear night and the heavens were already doing their best to put on a light show to compete with the one waiting for them in the woods.
‘Where’s Tristan?’ Elijah asked, glancing around as though realising for the first time he wasn’t with them. Though their original arrangement had been to meet at the castle, he’d texted Jess earlier to say he would meet them at the entrance to the walk instead as he wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly.
‘He’s over at the woods with Will,’ Iggy said as she came over and held out a hand to Elijah. ‘Come on, let’s go and find them!’
Jess followed at Isaac’s slower pace with Constance and Lancelot falling in beside them. ‘Well, it’s a beautiful night for it,’ Constance said. ‘I must say I’m rather excited to see what they’ve done.’ Only Tristan and Will had seen the full display, the rest of the family having been barred from the woods so as not to spoil the surprise.
Their route from the house took them across some unlit open ground and with Lancelot’s help, she got Isaac settled into the carrier on her back, not wanting him to stumble even though most of the adults were carrying torches and she could see well enough. As they approached, the night before them took on an eerie green glow before switching to a deep violet then a bright red, and she stopped to point out the changing colours to Isaac. Little hands patted the thick, woolly hat on her head. ‘Pretty!’
‘Yes, darling, it’s very pretty.’ She spoke too soon. Pretty didn’t come close to describing the sights awaiting them. A shimmering curtain of lights covered the entrance to the walk, concealing what lay in store for them other than the ghostly glow of colour shining here and there abov
e the tree line. There was only a small queue in front of them. The display had opened a couple of hours previously at dusk, and they’d decided to eat first and let the majority of the crowds pass through before they ventured across. A tall figure silhouetted against the curtain of light waved and began weaving his way towards them. Though he had a flat cap tugged over his hair, Tristan’s cheeks and nose were red from the cold.
‘How’s it going?’ Jess reached up to cup his cheek. ‘My goodness, you’re freezing.’
Tristan leaned into her hand for a brief moment. ‘Only my face, the rest of me is fine. Will and I had an Irish coffee from the food van.’ He gave her a lopsided grin, and she wondered if the shot of whisky in that coffee had been a single or a double.
‘Tris! Tris!’ Isaac yelled his usual greeting to his new favourite person, almost deafening her in the process.
‘Look at you up there, you’re almost as tall as me.’ Reaching over her shoulder, Tristan took Isaac’s outstretched hand. ‘Are you ready to see the lights?’ From the way Isaac was bouncing against her back, the answer was most definitely yes.
As they approached the curtain of lights, Jess could feel the anticipation and excitement rising inside. ‘Ready?’ Tristan asked her, stretching his hand out to pull part of the curtain aside.
She nodded, and then found herself in the midst of a breathtaking fairyland. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t anything like the sight before them. Beneath the trees on either side of the path was an amazing array of illuminated toadstools in every shape and size imaginable. On the trunks of some of the bigger trees, spotlights shone on little doors, and every now and then tiny golden lights twinkled in the branches like fireflies or fairies were hiding in the branches. It was so magical, Jess felt tears prickle her eyes for a moment. ‘Oh, it’s beautiful.’ Her gasp of delight wasn’t the only one as the rest of the family group crossed from one side of the path to the other pointing out different things they’d spotted to one another.
‘Down!’ Isaac demanded behind her, and Tristan obliged immediately, lifting him free of the carrier and setting him on his feet.
‘Hold on there, mister.’ Jess caught his sleeve before he could escape and reached into her coat pocket with her free hand to fish out the strap which she clipped onto the harness of the reins. As soon as she released his arm, Isaac was off, toddling as fast as his little legs would carry him towards a toadstool standing right next to the path. She was about to warn him not to touch, but there was no need as he came to a stop and just stared in fascination at the glowing red and white spotted decoration as though expecting a fairy or a gnome to pop out from behind it. She wasn’t sure how long they remained in that first section, and would’ve happily stayed longer just to enjoy the wonder in her baby’s eyes as he explored everywhere but Elijah came running up and tugged her sleeve. ‘Mummy, Mummy, come and see!’ And she let him drag her along the path.
In the next section, the trees were filled with huge baubles, each tree illuminated in a different colour by hidden lights. Every few seconds the colours changed sending a rainbow ripple around the grove. Beyond the rainbow, the next section of trees appeared to be raining sparks of fire from high in their boughs.
And so it went on, each turn in the path bringing another visual delight. Twenty minutes later, she was standing alone in front of an open grove in the trees filled with a carpet of twinkling stars. Mrs W and Betsy were somewhere behind them with Isaac, having claimed his loyalty with a piece of homemade shortbread the cook produced from her pocket. She could hear Elijah’s bright, high voice a little ahead where he’d gone to explore the next bit of the walk with Iggy and Will. Warmth bracketed her side, and the familiar trace of amber filled the air. Her glove was tugged off and Tristan’s warm fingers entwined with hers. ‘So, what do you think?’
‘It’s incredible. Beyond anything I could’ve imagined,’ she said, squeezing his hand. ‘And it’ll be here for our guests to enjoy over Christmas?’
Tristan nodded. ‘We’re closing everything to the public from the evening of the twenty-third. We want the guests to have exclusive access to the estate, although I was talking to Arthur and we thought we might invite the village up to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. We’ll open the gates and they can watch from the driveway.’
She grabbed his arm, unable to contain her excitement. ‘You’ve changed your mind about the fireworks? Oh, thank you!’
‘Arthur, Iggy and I had a chat about it and decided it would be a great way to round out the year and though no one outside the family needs to know about it, it can also be a tribute to Dad’s memory. We thought we’d open up the battlements to the guests so they can watch it from up there.’
‘Really?’ It was more than she could’ve asked for.
‘Really,’ he confirmed, grinning down at her. ‘There’s a staircase that comes out next to a nice wide section of the wall over the front door so they’ll be front and centre for the display. We’ve decided to get a firm in to do it. I know you said you could handle it, but you’ll have more than enough on your plate with the masquerade ball. We want to put on something special, especially if we’re going to invite the locals. They’ve done a huge amount to support us all since we lost Dad, and it feels like a nice way to say thank you.’
‘And it will be a brilliant way to send our guests off with a memory they’ll hopefully treasure for a long time.’
‘As long as they tell all their rich mates about it, I’ll be happy.’
She tilted her head back to look at him properly. ‘You think you’ll repeat the house party if it’s a success?’
‘Absolutely. If we pull it off, I’ve got my eye on holding four a year – Easter, midsummer, harvest time and Christmas again. I also want to capitalise on the success of hosting Arthur and Lucie’s wedding and add some of those to next year’s calendar.’
His enthusiasm was catching. ‘You’re going to be busy.’
‘We’re going to be busy.’ Turning to face her, he took her other hand. ‘When I said I wanted a future with you, this is what I was talking about. Not just us living together, but working together, a partnership in every sense.’ He squeezed her hands. ‘I’m not winging it anymore, Jess. I’ve got a plan, a vision for how I want my life to go from here on in, and nothing would make me happier than to have you by my side. I know I can achieve the success I want on my own, and whatever you choose to do you’ll smash it, but imagine how much better it could be if we combined forces.’
How easy would it be to say yes? To let him sweep her away in the tide of his enthusiasm and chase this dream of his together? It was so tempting, her tongue tingled with the need to shout ‘Yes!’ And if it was only her own future to consider she wouldn’t hesitate. Head over heart, Jess. ‘It’s a risk.’
She watched his face fall for a moment before he sucked in a breath and nodded his head. ‘It is. And if it’s a step you find you can’t take, I’ll understand. But whatever you decide, I’m not giving up on you – on us. I said I’d wait for you, Jess, and I meant it. I mean it.’
Raising her hand, she cupped his cheek. ‘I’m not saying no.’
‘Then that’s enough for me.’ He lowered his head and brushed a kiss across her lips. ‘Come on, let me show you the rest of the lights.’
Jess had just shown out the decorating team and stood admiring the triumph of a tree they’d installed in the great hall when she heard a gasp above her. Raising her eyes, she saw Lucie gripping the railing of the balcony at the top of the stairs, her stunned gaze fixed on the glittering white star topping the tree a few inches from the ceiling. ‘Oh, Jess, it’s stunning!’
She smiled up at Lucie. ‘You don’t think it’s a bit over the top?’ She’d debated back and forth with the lead decorator over the merits of a smaller, more subtle tree and had eventually been persuaded that although those would be suitable for the library and the guest drawing room, a space as huge as the great hall deserved a statement tree
. They’d chosen a Douglas fir for it’s dark green-blue branches and installed it on the left-hand side of the hall. Its position gave maximum impact from the front door, the stairs, and for those entering from the long gallery while also keeping it well away from the huge fireplace. They’d used only white decorations and lights to complement the green and white pattern on the enormous round table which dominated the centre of the hall. A direct replica of the one hanging in Winchester Castle, the table was another of their Arthurian-obsessed ancestor’s contributions to the castle’s decor. Thick fir garlands studded with twinkling white lights wound around the entire length of the balcony balustrade and down the curving banister of the stairs. A matching garland draped the length of the mantel high over the fireplace.
Lucie jogged down the stairs to join her, dressed in jeans and a soft emerald-green jumper which turned her long red hair into a flame tumbling around her shoulders. ‘Oh, I think it’s completely over the top.’ She grinned at Jess, hooking an arm through hers. ‘And absolutely perfect.’ She sighed. ‘Imagine walking into the hall for the very first time and being confronted with this sight. Our guests are going to be blown away.’
‘God, I hope so.’
Lucie hugged her arm. ‘Please tell me you’re not nervous about this! Honestly, Jess, you’ve got nothing to worry about. After all the hard work you’ve put in, you deserve for it to be a success. I was telling Arthur only this morning I wished we were staying here as your guests, because they are going to be pampered and spoiled to within an inch of their lives.’
Jess leaned into her friend’s shoulder – that’s how she thought of her now, not the lady of the castle, nor the wife of her employer, but a good friend and true confidante. Whenever she’d had doubts over the decorations in one of the guest rooms or was struggling to make a final decision on menus, it had been to Lucie she’d turned for advice. Together they’d debated the pros and cons of a tweed patterned blanket vs a neutral throw – silly little details to some people, perhaps, but Jess wanted everything to be perfect and Lucie had never made her feel like she was wasting her time on trivialities. ‘Thank you, Luce, for everything.’
Starlight Over Bluebell Castle (Bluebell Castle, Book 3) Page 17
