Christmas at Pendragon (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Rosemary J. Anderson

  Watching him as he strode to the door, Hannah absently wondered—just what on earth had happened?

  * * * *

  It was just two weeks away from Christmas and the children were beside themselves with excitement. Annabel was her usual caustic self and spent much of her time in the orangery, engaging the sexy muscular Fred in conversation and titivating the flowers that grew in abundance there. Ethel was fully engaged in the secret mission of buying and wrapping presents for the children. Goran was busy writing and Hannah was kept fully occupied typing his notes and paragraphs of his book. For most of the time harmony ensured, and Hannah really began to feel the thrill of the season. The weather hadn’t changed much, snow kept falling and covered the ground in a blanket of white. And as the wind howled around the sturdy walls of the castle they spent their evenings snugly warm in front of roaring fires anticipating the big day and the visit of Santa Claus.

  * * * *

  The next morning began well with Goran deciding it was time to decorate the house. The trees had been delivered along with enormous amounts of fresh produce from the farm, and an extravagant basket of goodies from Fortnum and Mason. Hannah poured over the delights therein, everything from rose petal jam to smoked salmon and caviar, to a huge chunk of stilton and a pineapple glazed gammon. Her mouth watered, never had she tasted such food and she probably never would again she thought ruefully. Hastily reminding herself that the engagement to Goran, and living in a castle on a wild cliff top in Cornwall was not real it was only the stuff dreams and films were made of Hannah nevertheless couldn’t help the warm feeling that engulfed her.

  Everyone was industrious. Baskets of apple logs and fir cones were brought in and placed beside the fires. Holly and mistletoe were gathered with much laughter and gaiety and everyone ended up kissing everyone else in the vicinity. Hannah’s eyes sparkled with laughter until they caught Goran’s thoughtful gaze on her and soon they sparkled with a different emotion which had nothing to do with mirth as he took her in his arms and kissed her most thoroughly. Big boxes filled with all manner of tree ornaments, baubles and ribbons were brought down from the attics and soon the house was festooned with colour and sparkle. Annabel watched with cynical amusement as the children and Hannah squealed with glee as a tree was brought into the large lounge and another into the hall.

  Goran smiled with genuine amusement as Hannah became as much of a child as the twins as they delved into the boxes of decorations looking for that particular ornament which gave special meaning to the joy of the season. Watching as she cried in triumph and held aloft the star that would have pride of place on top of the tree his gaze softened. Hannah had somehow beguiled her way into his home, his life and his heart and he couldn’t imagine life without her. What had started as a farce, a pretence, had somehow become something he now wanted above all else. Hannah in his life permanently, as his fiancé, his wife and the mother of his children. It didn’t matter about her affair with Jeffrey Stevens, he could understand how a naïve young woman could be taken in by his money, his lifestyle and his pseudo charm. Especially a young woman as trusting as Hannah.

  But, he wondered, how did she feel about him? He knew she was enjoying the comforts of his home, the excitement of the holidays and the almost illicit exhilaration of sensational sex, but was it all a façade? The smokescreen that had started out as an attempt to keep Annabel off his back? He knew she enjoyed his kisses, the touch of his hands on her skin and the mind-blowing joining of their two bodies, but were her emotions as involved as his? He sighed, and momentarily putting his deliberations to one side, he got down on his knees beside the children and, sharing a special look with Hannah, joined in the fun.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The days passed swiftly as days do and still it snowed.

  Hannah checked her appearance in the mirror before exiting her room and making her way downstairs. Mrs. Henry had a dreadful cold, so everyone was helping prepare the dinner. Annabel grudgingly agreed to make the appetizer, Ethel the desert and Hannah had volunteered to do the main course ably assisted by Goran who claimed he was a dab hand at peeling potatoes. Henry himself would lay the table and do the numerous other tasks that were usually Mrs. Henry’s domain.

  The kitchen was a hive of activity when Hannah arrived and she quickly donned an enormous wraparound apron bearing the words, ‘Cooks do it with Cream’.

  Annabel threw a look of dislike at Hannah as Goran went up behind her and sliding his arms around her waist kissed the side of her neck before with an engaging grin demanded she put him to work.

  Happily Hannah pushed him in the direction of the potatoes, handed him a knife and ordered with a smile that, “He get to it.”

  Everyone was busy and with music playing in the background they all mucked in to prepare a dinner of reasonable quality.

  Later sitting around the table with an air of a job well done they waited in anticipation as Annabel brought in the first course. Hannah’s face fell as a prawn cocktail was placed before each person, she hated prawns with a vengeance, they were the one thing that gave her a violent allergic reaction. However, soon disappointment turned to pleased surprise as Annabel thoughtfully provided her with a brightly coloured salad instead. About to enjoy the first mouthful she jumped as Goran knocked the folk from her hand spilling the vibrant leaves and mushrooms onto the pristine tablecloth.

  Staring at him, Hannah was shocked to see anger reddening his cheeks.

  “Annabel.” He growled his look pinning her to the chair. “You prepared Hannah’s salad?”

  Annabel looked confusedly from Goran to Hannah and to the spilled salad. “Yes, what of it?”

  “The mushrooms, where did you get them?”

  “From the cold room of course.”

  “You didn’t pick them?”

  “Of course not,” she responded scornfully. “Look, what is this ,Goran?”

  “The mushrooms are in fact toadstools, very deadly toadstools actually. You could have killed Hannah.”

  The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop and Hannah felt the blood draining from her face. She knew Annabel was jealous of her but to kill her, it just beggared belief. But she should have realised, should have been on her guard, after all this was the fourth so-called accident. First the shove off the cliff top, then the deadly stone in the snowball, followed by the push into the road and an oncoming car, and now, the lethal toadstools. She swallowed hard to remove the lump of fear growing in her throat. What next?

  Hannah came back to the present to the sound of protestations from Annabel.

  “No!” she insisted. “I have no idea who put the toadstools amongst the mushrooms, and no, although I dislike Hannah I’m not out to kill her, no matter what you all think.”

  Hannah heard Annabel’s voice but she felt as if she was in limbo, caught between the normal world, and a world of violence and hate. What a horrible feeling to know someone hated you so much they were prepared to kill you because of it.

  “Yet you gave Hannah a salad with mushrooms, and us a prawn cocktail?”

  “Of course I did.” Annabel laughed scornfully. “I knew she had an allergy to shellfish. She mentioned it one evening, and forgive me for showing a modicum of kindness but even I wouldn’t give someone something to which they were allergic.”

  Goran stared thoughtfully at her. “Very well, we will just have to put this incident down to an unfortunate accident, and as there’s no harm done, I suggest we forget it and enjoy the rest of our meal.”

  Hannah stared at him in shocked surprise, she couldn’t believe it. His fiancé was nearly killed and he was willing to forget it. Was he for real? Feeling more than a little put out Hannah picked up her knife. Gripping the piece of flatware she wondered if she would be forgiven for stabbing him in his cold, granite-like heart.

  Almost as if he could read her mind, Goran grinned disarmingly and gave a wicked wink.

  Feeling her face flame, Hannah very carefully placed the knife back b
eside her plate.

  The rest of the day passed without incident, however, Hannah was supremely conscious of Annabel watching her malevolently from across the room. Goran was noticeable by his absence as was Ethel, however, the children were being happily entertained by the Henry’s niece Emily.

  It was later in the evening and they were all sitting in front of a cosy fire that the doorbell rang and to her surprise Henry announced that the taxi had arrived to take Ethel and Annabel to the station. Confused Hannah stared from one to the other wondering exactly what was going on? It was with ill grace that Annabel rose from her seat and stomped to the door followed in a mouse-like way by Ethel. And it was only when the door closed behind them and the sound of the taxi leaving that Hannah gathered her wits sufficiently to look questionably at Goran.

  “Sit down, Hannah.”

  Hannah sat.

  “I expect you’re wondering what that was all about? And to be honest you deserve an explanation.” He drew a deep breath and walked to stand in front of the fire closely followed by Zeus and Apollo who took up their position on either side of their master.

  Waiting for Goran to explain, Hannah drew his attention back to herself by shifting restlessly in her seat.

  “You have perhaps wondered why I have been absent for the last few hours?” His eyebrow lifted in enquiry and obediently Hannah nodded.

  “Firstly I have to apologise to you, Hannah. The things that have happened to you under my roof have been—unforgiveable. I dismissed your fall from the cliff as an accident even though you had been pushed. The reason for this was because I couldn’t comprehend that anyone should have done such a terrible thing, however, I was mistaken. Again the accident with the rock in the snowball and the incident with the car and today the incident with the toadstools, all these things I realise now were no accident. In fact they were a pre-meditated attempt to get rid of you.”

  “I knew that Annabel was…” Hannah’s voice trailed to a halt as Goran lifted up his hand.

  “No Hannah, Annabel was not to blame, well not directly. It was Ethel who was trying to get rid of you. With some questioning on my part she has today finally admitted to everything. To the cliff, the stone, the push off the pavement and to the toadstools.” Goran sat down in the wing backed chair in front of the fire, looking more immortal than ever. The flames from the glowing fire lightening up the sharp contours of his cheekbones, whilst plunging other parts of his face into shadow. “Ethel has been a widow for a long time, having lost her husband to a heart attack some years ago, but whilst her husband was alive she led a, shall we say, ideal life, a life of travel, parties and unlimited shopping. However, upon his death she was left, whilst not exactly destitute, in somewhat diminished means. However, Ethel considered that if her daughter, Annabel, could make a good marriage, a marriage to me, she would once again live in a desirable residence and have sufficient means to be able to return to her old lifestyle. But there was one unforeseen problem to her carefully laid plans, the proverbial fly in the ointment—you, Hannah. Our pretend engagement was in fact the catalyst to her insane attempts to be rid of you and for that I am deeply and sincerely sorry. It was never my intention to put you in any kind of danger. Anyway…”

  He took a deep breath. “Let me explain as best I can what happened. The afternoon you took a walk, Ethel followed you keeping her distance until she saw her chance to be rid of you once and for all whilst making it look like an accident. As you hesitated on the cliff top she picked up a fallen branch and hit you on the back, the force and the suddenness of it obviously unbalanced you and toppled you over the edge. Thinking you had plunged to your death Ethel returned home via the back door and quickly returned to the nursery and the children. No one knew of her absence because it was her wont to have a nap whilst the children rested. Then as to the rock in the snowball, that is self-explanatory, she had hoped that the rock would hit you on the head and either kill you outright, or cause you enough injury to be hospitalised and so out of the picture so to speak. As to the incident of the car, after she, Annabel, and the children arrived at the hotel for lunch, she made an excuse to visit the ladies room, but instead doubled back and mixing with the crown saw her opportunity and pushed you into the path of that oncoming car. Then, not waiting to see if you had been hurt she raced back to the hotel and emerged from the toilets as if nothing had happened. Now as to the toadstools, you probably weren’t aware that her husband was in fact a botanist and Ethel often acted as his aide, secretary or whatever, and in doing so picked up quite a bit of knowledge along the way. Hence her familiarity as to the effects of those particular toadstools. Luckily I have lived in the country long enough to become familiar with the flora and fauna of the area.”

  Goran pursed his lips as he looked into Hannah’s bewildered face.

  “Annabel was aware of her mother’s obsession with living here and was suspicious to some degree about her actions, but she wasn’t actually party to what Ethel’s antics. However, what happens now has to be up to you Hannah as you are the victim here. So, I need to ask, do you wish to press charges?”

  Her eyes feeling too big for her face, Hannah shook her head. There was no way she wanted to be the object of more publicity she’d been there before and never, ever, wanted to be put in that insidious position again.

  “No, I think it’s best if I try and forget what happened. “

  Goran nodded. “Very well, Hannah. So on that note I suggest we try and put all this unpleasantness behind us and try to enjoy Christmas if only for the children’s sake. I have contacted their father and mother and they will be joining us Christmas day as a surprise to the children.”

  Goran got to his feet and taking Hannah’s hand in his pulled her gently to her feet and into his arms. Cupping her face between his hands he sipped tenderly from her lips before deepening the kiss.

  Hannah, feeling bewildered, saddened and uncertain closed her mind and her eyes on the confusion and gave herself up to his embrace.

  * * * *

  Annabel drew angrily on her cigarette and, crashing the gears of her smart sports car, shot her mother a furious look.

  “You do realise that we could have ended up in court and all because you were incompetent?”

  “You can hardly blame me for the fact that you are unable to catch yourself a rich husband. Or any husband, for that matter,” she muttered, staring fixedly at the countryside whizzing past the window.

  “How dare you.” Furiously stubbing the half-smoked cigarette out in the ashtray, Annabel swerved the car across the road as the tyres lost purchase on the ice.

  “Of course if you kill us both with your reckless driving, you won’t have to worry about growing old and being alone.”

  “Oh shut up, Mother, if you had performed your sweet old lady act a little bit better and got more inventive with the toadstools we would have been celebrating my forthcoming wedding now, instead of driving home with our tail between our legs.”

  “Well, we’ve nothing in the house to eat, and the heating will be off, so some Christmas this is going to be. I’m sorry to say it, Annabel, but you’ve let me down. My own daughter ending up as a shrivelled old spinster is going to be hard to live with, I can tell you.”

  “Mother,” Annabel ground between her teeth. “Just shut up!”

  Silence filled the car as both Ethel and Annabel became lost in their own thoughts.

  Minutes later, Annabel lifted her foot off the accelerator, and the car slowed. “Mother, do you remember the Stevensons? In particular, Boris Stevenson?”

  Ethel frowned. “Boris of Withell? Isn’t he a bit on the large size?”

  “You mean fat? Yes he is fat, fifty, four-eyed, and single. Which makes him desperate.”

  “Desperate.” Ethel breathed in unison, a smile lighting her face.

  “And if I’m not very much mistaken, they live just a few miles from here.”

  “So?”

  “Soooo, Boris is a chivalrous man and would, I’m sur
e, be happy to come to the aid of a damsel in distress.”

  “And her mother,” Ethel interceded.

  “Yes, yes of course.” Annabel muttered impatiently, quickly turning the wheel and heading her car careering toward Withell.

  * * * *

  Withell! The Cornish word for lion. Annabel gazed up at the stone edifice in satisfaction, she could see herself as Mistress here. Drawing her fur closer so it framed her pale face, she bit her lip until she felt pain.

  It wouldn’t hurt to shed a few tears. The door opened and Boris, all twenty-four stone of him, filled the entrance of the property.

  “Oh Boris, do you remember me, Annabelle De-Pont?”

  “Annabel.” He stared dumbfounded at the beautiful woman hovering uncertainly at his door. “What on earth? Come in, come in.”

  “Oh, Boris, how kind,” she murmured tremulously before falling in a dead faint at his feet.

  Shouting to his staff, Boris lifted Annabel in his arms and carried her inside. Laying her down on a convenient sofa, he perched beside her and, lifting her hand, gently patted it. After a suitable time, Annabel stirred and opened her eyes.

  “Oh my, what happened?”

  “You fainted, Annabel.”

  “Oh dear yes. So sorry but I’ve had such a shock, we swerved on some ice and I lost control of the car. Luckily I managed to regain control but, oh the shock, it’s just too much.”

  “Where were you going, my dear?”

  “Oh, just home. We had been hoping to spend Christmas with friends but…” She bit her lip and looked shakily at Boris from under her tear-dewed lashes.

  “Oh my dear, don’t distress yourself. You are welcome to spend Christmas at Withell, however, I’m afraid there is only me here so it will probably be a bit dull for you. However, I can get one of the staff to drive you home or to a hotel.”

  “Oh no, no…” She placed a hand on Boris’s chest and gave a soft, misty smile. “I can think of nothing nicer that spending Christmas with you, Boris, but I do have my mother with me.”