“It’s not for me,” I hissed. “It’s for them! It’s my duty to get the best price for the client!”
“Good,” said a voice.
Walter and I spun round.
Robert was standing next to an Art Deco globe drinks cabinet, one hand resting on the top. He swiveled it casually, as if choosing his next holiday destination. My skin went chilly, then very hot, and finally settled on a buzzing warmth.
But Walter, like Max, was no friend to the casual browser, and gave him a dismissive glare, then turned back to me. “Okay, so it’s probably worth a bob or two. They don’t need to know that. Get it at the right price, and if we split the profit on it three ways, we’re still quids in.”
“They deserve to know what it’s worth,” I said.
“Philistines like them don’t deserve a priceless Persian carpet!” Walter roared, finally losing it. “They’re using it to line their junk room! You might as well let them use straw!”
I gestured to my phone. “I think they’ve come off hold. Um, hello? I can offer you five thousand pounds.”
“No, I’m going to take private advice,” said Robert into his mobile. “But thanks for your professional honesty.”
Walter gripped hold of the desk as if he was about to keel right over, then gave me a piercing glare. “I’m going to talk to Max,” he whispered furiously, pointing a nicotine-stained finger right in my face.
“Do,” I said. “And I’ll tell him how you were going to cut him out of the deal.”
Walter let out a strangled squeal, then gathered himself sufficiently to stalk out of the shop, tipping his hat down so as not to meet Robert’s amused gaze. He tried to slam the door behind him, but it was set up to release slowly to spare Max’s nerves, and he had to haul it shut, which rather spoiled the effect.
The bell jangled, and Robert and I looked at each other. I could feel an involuntary stupid grin playing at the edges of my mouth—not so much at Walter, but because my chest felt full of bubbles. My mouth went dry and my mind went blank as all the blood rushed elsewhere.
“So, we have another unexpected valuable in our midst?” he inquired.
“If Walter Piven’s sniffing around, then yes,” I said, grabbing on to the facts. “I mean, I’m assuming Violet didn’t know any backstreet rug-weavers in Jedburgh . . . ?”
“It’s all cashmere golf sweaters, as far as I know.” Robert helped himself to a chaise longue. “Any chance of a cup of coffee? I hear it’s a specialty of the house.”
I don’t think I’ve ever made coffee so fast, or cared so much about the state of the cups.
Robert sipped it politely, and if he was suffering clutter-phobia surrounded by so many sewing boxes, he didn’t show it. Instead, he chatted about the “big family conference” that had erupted shortly after I left.
“Fraser sorted us out in the end,” he said. “Put me and Dad in the dining room with a good bottle of wine and told us not to come out till we’d cleared the air. I mean, obviously we had to send out for more wine. It took hours. Went through the lot—why he thought I needed a qualification to fall back on, in case people stopped needing storage; why it drove me mad that he didn’t even ask if I wanted to do law; why I was never ever going to play cricket, but how that didn’t make me a bad son. . . .”
He rubbed his face. “Anyway, we’ve basically reached a compromise—we’re giving it a three-year trial. Kettlesheer Gold. He’s going to have his distillery in the stables, but I’m going to run it and get some specialists in, so it actually makes a profit. I’m looking into grants. And insurance.”
“Wow. That’s brilliant news,” I said, delighted for Duncan as much as for Robert. “So you’re moving up there?”
“Not yet.” Robert looked for somewhere to put his cup down, and settled on a gramophone. “I’ve got things in London that I don’t want to give up yet.” He looked at me, his dark eyes searching mine. “It’s not going to be straightforward, working with Dad, but I think keeping a little bit of space is important. I don’t want us to fall out and ruin everything.”
I smiled. “You’ve changed your tune.”
“Well . . .” He looked away, slightly embarrassed. “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but I think I’d just got too close to it all. Looking at it through your eyes made me realize, yeah, I’m pretty lucky.” He reached into his pocket. “I’ve got a present for you.”
Robert leaned over and handed me a small tissue-wrapped parcel, tied up with a tartan ribbon. “Sorry about the packaging,” he added. “Bit twee, but Mum’s already started looking into packaging for Kettlesheer Gold.”
“Family business, eh?” I said, unwinding the tissue paper. I didn’t mention Catriona. I wanted this to be our moment.
Something heavy and silver dropped out of the tissue into my palm, about the size of a drumstick with a decorative end to it, topped with a solid thistle.
“Wow, thanks!” I said. I had absolutely no idea what it was.
I looked up. Robert was watching me with a grin.
“Go on,” he said. “Pretend you know what it is.”
“Of course I know what it is. It’s a . . . reeling aid?”
He swung himself up from the chaise longue and held out his hand for the silver stick. “It’s a porridge spurtle,” he said, waggling it around an invisible pan. “For stirring porridge. I found it among Violet’s belongings—it was a subscription wedding present from the tenants on the Kettlesheer farms. She kept it in the original box, with the note. I thought since you were so good at stirring us into action, it was an appropriate thank-you present.” He handed it back, his eyebrow raised. “And, of course, I know how much you like sentimental knickknacks.”
“But I didn’t do anything!” I protested, touched and thrilled to have a tangible memento of a woman I now felt I knew better than my own great-granny. I might even start eating porridge for breakfast.
“You did. You made us look at stuff we’d been doing our best to ignore for years. And I don’t just mean the dining table.”
“Oh, come on. You had to tell your dad you don’t like carrot schnapps at some point,” I teased.
“No. Not that.” Robert glanced down, then up at me, and I flinched at the direct honesty in his eyes. “Catriona and I have decided to go our separate ways.”
“Oh,” I said faintly. “I thought . . . at the ball . . . the announcement?” Was that what I’d seen, when Robert had led her away? Was that not Will you marry me?—but instead Goodbye?
He looked at me as if he were reading my mind. “Oh, you missed that. Managed to turn it into her taking over from Janet next year. Bit hairy—Janet had already called for hush—but I think we managed to cover things over. Until afterward.” He rubbed his head ruefully, as if massaging away a tension headache. “The ball really brought home to me that there are more important things in a relationship than finding a good managing director.”
There was a momentary awkward silence.
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what the correct reaction was, but inside I was flipping about with joy. I hoped my face was more sympathetic.
“Don’t be too sorry,” he said. “We parted friends—maybe that was the problem. Did you know Cat and her sister have already set up some kind of dating agency for luckless Border farmers?”
“I did, actually, yes. She’s sent Alice her business card about organizing her and Fraser’s ‘wedding experience.’ She can get owls to drop the rings at the altar, apparently.”
“Well, there you go.” He managed a small smile. “She’s already dating some point-to-point champion from Berwick. Strong thighs. Drives an Aston Martin. Totally her type.”
“And are you . . .” I began at the same time he said, “I was wondering . . .”
“No, go on.” I nodded encouragingly, twisting the spurtle round and round in my fingers.
“I was wondering,” said Robert with a faint hesitation, “now you’re such an impeccable reeler, if you’d like to go to another ball
with me? There’s one in London, in May. White tie, tiaras, your usual requirements for a night out. Fraser was talking about taking a party, and—”
“I’d love to,” I said at once. “Any excuse for formal wear. I mean, not that you have to wear formal wear, it’s just that you look so amazing in tails and . . .”
Shut up, Evie.
“That would be lovely,” I finished. “May it is.”
“Ah, well, May’s a while off. I thought you might consider a few practice evenings. Informal dress is fine.”
Robert reached out and took the silver spurtle from me, laying it gently on the desk. The bubbling sensation in my chest went into slow motion as I watched him take my hands in his, as he had done in the ballroom. Only this time, he held them as if I were some precious porcelain objet, not as if he were about to hurl me across the room backward.
“I’ll try to make sure Alice doesn’t cut in,” I said, tingling at the warmth of his fingers interlacing with mine.
Robert half-smiled. “Ideally, I’d like you to be my partner for the whole evening. If you don’t mind?”
I gazed up into his huge brown eyes. I didn’t think I’d ever get bored of looking into them. They didn’t even need adorning with a top hat, or repositioning in the Napoleonic Wars. They were . . . perfect as they were.
“I’ll clear my dance card,” I said.
“Good,” he said softly, and leaned forward.
I met him halfway, breathing in his familiar, intoxicating smell, feeling his warm lips brushing against mine as his hair tickled my face. There was no rush this time, no panic to imprint every stolen moment into my memory. This was real. This was actually happening to me.
Behind us the bell rang above the door, and I thought I heard Max come in, but I didn’t really care. I wasn’t taking any lectures about what was valuable from anyone. Not today.
HESTER BROWNE
Introduction
Evie Nicholson, an assistant antiques dealer in London, has a fascination with what others might consider “old junk.” When her sister, Alice, offers Evie the chance to value items in her friend’s family castle in the Scottish Borders, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.
Kettlesheer Castle appears to hold many wonders—none more intriguing to Evie than the castle’s attractive young heir, Robert McAndrew. But when she discovers the late Violet McAndrew’s notebooks, Evie uncovers a scandal that could financially ruin the McAndrew family. On top of this upsetting discovery, Evie is forced to take her sister’s place in the McAndrews’ annual Scottish Reeling Ball, learn a complicated dance routine, and sort through her feelings for Robert—all in the course of two days.
Topics and Questions for Discussion
1. Max’s motivations for being in the business of antiques are very different from Evie’s: “To succeed in antiques, you’ve got to ignore the item and focus on the person you can sell it to” (p. 3). If you were looking to buy or sell an antique item, with which dealer would you rather work? Why?
2. At the beginning of the novel, Alice and Evie are two sisters at odds. How does their relationship change over the course of the novel?
3. Although Evie and Alice’s mother never actually appears in the novel, each sister speaks to the effects she’s had on their lives. Did you find the girls’ relationship with their mother to be typical? In what ways do their relationships mirror your own relationship with your parents and in what ways is it different?
4. What do Evie and Robert think of each other when they first meet? Do you think either of them expects to fall so deeply for the other?
5. What were your feelings toward Catriona? Did you like or dislike her character? Did you feel sorry for her when she didn’t get the proposal she so expected?
6. When Evie doesn’t “feel” anything from what is supposed to be a very valuable and historical table, she tries to ignore her suspicions. Did you think something was wrong with the table? What were your initial suspicions?
7. Evie’s impression of Violet changes when she finds out Violet is selling off the castle’s antiques and replacing them with duplicates. What was your reaction to this scandal? Do you admire Violet for doing everything in her power to keep the house? Were you appalled to find she’d sold off the family’s most valuable treasures?
8. The beauty of the fallen snow outside the castle catches Evie by surprise. In what ways does nature have an impact on the novel, particularly on the individual characters?
9. Evie is entranced by the candlelit ball, which she says is straight out of a Jane Austen novel. What are some other references or comparisons to Jane Austen novels in Swept Off Her Feet?
10. Although Evie has spent her entire adult life avoiding dancing in any form, the magic of the reeling ball takes charge as she finds herself easily moving with the music. Can you picture the ball through Evie’s eyes? Discuss what you imagine the reeling ball looks like.
11. Did you find yourself surprised when Alice showed up at the McAndrews’ mid-first reel? Or had you anticipated that she would show up all along? Did you think it was fair of Alice to take her sister’s place after having pressured Evie to fill in?
12. Robert and Duncan have very different opinions on how to run both the castle and Duncan’s proposed brewing business. Do you think the compromise they reach at the end of the novel will be successful? Why or why not?
13. Evie’s crush on Fraser disappears when she finally realizes the strength of her feelings for Robert. How are her feelings for each man different? What do you think would have happened with Fraser if she had never met Robert?
14. Max groans when Evie mentions using eBay to sell antique items, and Duncan brushes off her need for an Internet connection, telling her to use her eyes and brain instead. Are there other examples throughout the book in which the generations differ in their opinions on technology?
15. Despite having always wanted to attend a romantic ball, Evie is unsure when Alice presents her with the opportunity: “It was my absolute dream, actually happening. So what was holding me back? Fear. Fear of being the one part of the dream that didn’t match up” (p. 177). In what ways has Evie overcome her fears by the end of the novel? Which other characters had fears of their own that they had to conquer? Were they successful in doing so?
16. If Swept Off Her Feet were to be made into a movie, which actors and actresses would you cast to play the main characters?
17. Max tells Evie to look out for Kettlesheer’s many assets—the famous table, beautiful silverware, paintings—but Evie’s drawn to far more personal treasures in the house, such as the daily household book of Lady Violet and her love letters. Which are, ultimately, the most “valuable” to the McAndrew family? What would be the real treasures in your family?
18. Evie loves history and is always looking for ways to make the past come alive around her, whether it’s buying vintage clothes, or imagining Ranald and Violet following the reel she’s learning, in the very same ballroom. Have you ever done anything to “connect” with your family’s past?
19. To begin with, Evie has a very romantic view of what life would have been like as a noblewoman in a Scottish castle. Do you think her view changes over the course of her stay?
20. Scottish reels are often danced in “sets” of four couples. Who would you invite to make up your ideal “set”?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Visit an antiques shop with your reading group and explore the shop’s unique treasures. Can you imagine the history of each object, like Evie does? Which objects do you think Evie would have found the most interesting?
2. Evie feels a deep connection with Violet and Ranald as she wanders through their castle. Which items around your home would you want to represent you in one hundred years? Ask each member of your reading group to compile a list, then compare lists to see which items are similar and which are different. Why did you choose the items on your list? What special significance do they hold?
3. When Evie and Max have trouble se
lling an item in Max’s store, Evie often turns to eBay. Ask the members of your reading group to search eBay for antique items. Who can find the best bargain? The rarest object? The oldest piece of furniture?
4. If your reading group is feeling particularly brave, why not try to learn a Scottish reel? For instructions, go online to the Scottish Dance Archives at http://www.dancearchives.co.uk/instructions.htm. If you’d rather skip the dancing but still want to experience the music of the Scottish reels, try looking for recordings online or at your local library.
5. Can’t get enough of the Scottish dances and customs featured in Swept Off Her Feet? Visit the following websites:
All forms of Scottish dancing, from the very formal to barn dances: http://www.scottishdance.net/
Royal Scottish Country Dance Society—the official body of the formal side of things: http://www.rscds.org/index.php
The Strathspey Server—everything you ever wanted to know, and more: http://www.strathspey.org/index.html
6. To learn more about Hester Browne and her books, including her bestselling The Little Lady Agency series, visit her author page at http://authors.simonandschuster.com/ Hester-Browne.
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