by Heidi Swain
‘My father gave it away,’ I sniffed. ‘But not to the right person.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Jamie frowned.
‘I gave it to him,’ I explained. ‘To pass on to the wonderful woman I had hoped would become my stepmother. She had lived with us for a while and had a quiet way of making everything better. In the end my father thought she was too quiet for him.’
‘Oh, Anna,’
‘On the day I thought he was going to propose to her,’ I sniffed, ‘I gave him the brooch in lieu of an engagement ring, but he turned back to the bottle instead and, blind drunk, ended up giving it to this dreadful woman he used to drink with in the pub after we first lost mum.’
‘That’s terrible,’ said Jamie, propping himself up on one elbow.
‘I know,’ I said, ‘and the worst of it was, I couldn’t do anything about it. He broke my heart all over again that day. He threw Sarah out and took up with his old drinking partner who he then moved into the house. She had always hated me because I reminded her of my mum. She couldn’t wait to see the back of me. She made my life hell.’
‘What a terrible situation,’ said Jamie, ‘and what an awful father for not seeing what was going on under his nose.’
‘To tell you the truth,’ I told him, ‘I think he did know, but it was his fondness for a drink that blurred the edges and stopped him seeing my life for what it really was.’
Jamie was quiet for a moment before asking, ‘So what happened to the brooch?’
‘I left it behind when I ran away just after my eighteenth birthday. It was Christmas Day,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘At the time I didn’t think I would ever want to see it again after what he’d done but it wasn’t long before I regretted leaving it.’
‘Yet another ruined Christmas.’
‘It was just another in a long line,’ I sighed.
‘And you’ve been moving ever since, haven’t you?’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I suppose I have.’
‘Well not any more,’ he said, putting the brooch to one side and pinning me to the bed. ‘From now on you’re staying right here, in my hall and with my family.’
I couldn’t help thinking how ironic it was that ever since the moment I arrived at the hall, and in the town for that matter, everyone had been telling me I wouldn’t be moving on when my contract came to an end, and here I was, all set to start a whole new life.
The charity plans were ready to be put into action and even Archie, now purged of Elise and her father’s awful ideas and poison pen letters, had been talking about getting involved and helping out. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed that as soon as everyone had started talking about going to bed he had offered to take Floss and Suki out because it gave him an excuse to pop and see Molly. I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if a romance was beginning to blossom there, and I was sure he was going to announce he was moving home soon. I was thrilled that the future of Wynthorpe Hall, which was thankfully now also my future, was looking very bright indeed.
‘I think you’ll find they’re my family as well now,’ I told Jamie, trying to suppress a giggle as I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders.
‘And I don’t care what you say,’ he said, ignoring me and kissing me firmly as he pressed his hot body down on top of mine. ‘You’re staying put whether you like it or not.’
‘Oh I like it,’ I laughed, ‘I like it very much indeed.’
Acknowledgements
What a phenomenal year this has been! Not one, not two, but three paperbacks have found their way out into the world and hopefully into your hearts and I absolutely have to begin by saying a huge and heartfelt thank you to the fabulous team at Books and the City for making it all happen. An incredible amount of work goes into turning pages of prose into a beautiful book and I am so grateful to now have five such beauties gracing my shelves. You guys really are a dream team and I love you all!
Sleigh Rides and Sliver Bells is especially dear to me as I have carried the Wynthorpe Hall setting in my heart for years, just hoping to give it the opportunity to take centre stage. Needless to say, when the call came asking if I would consider writing another Christmas tale I absolutely jumped at the chance to let it shine, so thank you Emma Capron for making that call and for letting me write the book of my dreams.
As always, massive thanks, hugs and kisses are needed for my hugely supportive family. Now that I have made the leap to writing full-time I don’t have to split myself into quite so many pieces and can actually manage a coherent conversation or two during daylight hours. However, the jury is still out as to whether or not they think this is a good thing.
And last, but never ever least, I have to thank my author pals, the many, many bloggers and the generous readers who make the endless hours at the keyboard so worthwhile. Your support, encouragement, tweets, messages and reviews really make a massive difference. Earlier this year I was told, by someone who wishes to remain anonymous, that reading one of my books had made her forget about all the horrible things that were happening in the world and I really can’t ask for more flattering praise and encouragement to keep writing than that. I hope my books will continue to offer an escape for many years to come.
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and thank you for travelling back to wonderful Wynbridge with me once again. May your bookshelves, be they virtual or real, always be filled with fabulous fiction!
H x
Heidi Swain lives in Norfolk with her husband, two allegedly grown up children and a mischievous black cat called Storm. She is passionate about gardening, the countryside and collects vintage paraphernalia. Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells at the Christmas Fair is her fifth novel.
You can follow Heidi on twitter @Heidi_Swain or visit her website: heidiswain.co.uk
Also by Heidi Swain
The Cherry Tree Café
Summer at Skylark Farm
Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market
Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage
Christmas has arrived in the town of Wynbridge and it promises mince pies, mistletoe and a whole host of seasonal joy.
Ruby has finished with university and is heading home for the holidays. She takes on a stall at the local market, and sets about making it the best Christmas market stall ever. There’ll be bunting and mistletoe and maybe even a bit of mulled wine.
But with a new retail park just opened, the market is under threat. So together with all the other stallholders, Ruby devises a plan to make sure the market is the first port of call for everyone’s Christmas shopping needs.
The only thing standing in her way is her ex, Steve. It’s pretty hard to concentrate when he works on the stall opposite, especially when she realises that her feelings are still there . . .
This Christmas make time for some winter sparkle – and see who might be under the mistletoe this year . . .
OUT NOW IN PAPERBACK AND EBOOK
First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2017
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Copyright © Heidi-Jo Swain, 2017
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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4711-6485-9
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-6486-6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, charac
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