Starcross Manor: Feel-good summer 2020 romantic fiction from the bestselling author of Love Heart Lane (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 4)

by Christie Barlow

  Isla slipped her arm through Meredith’s. ‘Nonsense, if you go anywhere near the pub, he’ll make you feel guilty for having extra time out. We deserve this after today.’

  Meredith didn’t need any more persuading. ‘I’m in. I’m dying to take a look inside too.’

  Everyone chattered excitedly as they wandered down the path towards Starcross Manor, all except Julia who hung back slightly. Once again Flynn had gone out of his way to help them and Julia was so grateful. She thought about the idea whizzing around her head and felt excited. It would make perfect business for Flynn and the community of Heartcross, all she had to do now was arrange a meeting and put her ideas forward, and hope Flynn agreed. She had everything crossed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As they arrived at Starcross Manor, Felicity swirled round like a Disney princess, looking up at the impressive ceiling in the reception area. ‘Just look at this place.’

  ‘It’s quite impressive isn’t it?’ remarked Julia, noticing Wilbur, Flynn’s father, walking towards them. Wilbur had been in the village for a few months, staying with Flynn at his home in Love Heart Lane. He’d become good friends with Rory’s parents, Stuart and Alana, and was a likeable chap. Julia had seen him milling around the village but hadn’t been introduced to him yet.

  ‘Welcome, welcome, welcome!’ bellowed Wilbur, his voice echoing around the grand entrance hall. He was a jolly-looking fellow, with a huge beam on his face, wearing a flamboyant blue velvet suit, sporting a bright-red checked cravat, and leaning on his cane. Even though he had similar mannerisms to Flynn his dress sense was more daring. ‘The workers are finally here, are you ready to feast?’

  Julia stretched out her hand. ‘We most definitely are. I’m Julia,’ she said, before introducing everyone else.

  ‘Pleased to meet you all. Now, if you would like to follow me, we’ve set up the private dining suite for you all.’

  They followed Wilbur through the entrance hall into a huge reception room.

  ‘Look at this place,’ Meredith was awe-struck, ‘that chandelier must cost more than the value of my pub,’ she was looking up at the ceiling with her jaw wide open. ‘Simply stunning.’

  Julia knew all too well how breath-taking this room was, looking out over the gardens of the manor house.

  ‘I wish we’d got changed now,’ muttered Eleni, ‘this all looks very posh and look at the way we’re dressed.’

  Julia looked down at her dowdy clothes and couldn’t agree more, her bobbled black jogging pants were covered in dust and grime, and her white T-shirt was smeared with dirt. With her hair scraped back into a ponytail and her early-morning makeup long gone, she wished they’d made a little effort to clean themselves up now.

  ‘There you all are,’ Flynn was walking towards them and greeted them with a smile.

  ‘Thank you so much for feeding us,’ gushed Felicity with excitement. ‘It’s a wonderful place you have here.’

  ‘It’s no trouble, Andrew will be testing out his new menu on you and please do give your honest feedback.’

  ‘Ooo, what are we eating?’ asked Isla, rubbing her hands together. Her stomach rumbled loudly and everyone laughed as she clutched it, mortified.

  Flynn clasped his hands together. ‘I have it on good authority that for the starter, you’ll be sampling crispy duck and watermelon salad. For main you have grilled calf’s liver, whipped potatoes, bacon and melted onions, then for pudding…’

  ‘If we have any room,’ interrupted Aggie.

  ‘You have lemon meringue with a twist.’

  ‘I can feel my mouth watering already,’ exclaimed Felicity.

  Julia had to admit she was feeling ravenous too, and couldn’t wait to tuck in to the food.

  ‘I’ll show them to the dining area, you’ll need to get going otherwise you’ll be late,’ remarked Wilbur looking at Flynn then tapping his watch. ‘And where’s your tie?’

  Flynn was dressed in a classic blue tailored suit accompanied by a white shirt. He pulled a tie from each pocket and looked down at them in his hands. ‘I couldn’t quite make up my mind.’

  Almost immediately, Julia pointed to the navy, white and red-diamond silk tie in his left hand, ‘Definitely that one.’

  Flynn smiled. ‘Good choice,’ he answered, handing the other one over to Wilbur.

  ‘Are you off anywhere nice?’ asked Julia, intrigued.

  ‘Just a business meeting.’

  ‘Talking of business, I’ve got an idea to run past you? Something that’s going to benefit the whole community. Can we arrange a meeting… to talk about it?’

  Flynn narrowed his eyes. ‘A business idea? Now I am intrigued. I’ll catch you tomorrow and you can tell me all about it.’

  ‘Perfect,’ replied Julia, as Wilbur shooed him out the door.

  ‘Ladies, if you would like to go and get yourselves a drink at the bar, compliments of the house, I will be back in five minutes to show you all to your table.’ Wilbur waved his cane in the air before he turned and walked off.

  As soon as Wilbur turned his back Julia realised they were all staring at her. ‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ she asked, puzzled.

  ‘That tie is perfect, Flynn,’ teased Felicity, mimicking Julia’s voice. ‘We all saw the way you were looking at him.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, the man didn’t know which one to wear, I just pointed out the one that went better with his suit.’

  ‘Mmm, that’s your story and you’re sticking to it,’ Eleni marvelled at Julia’s embarrassment.

  ‘Let’s get that drink,’ suggested Julia, trying to brush Eleni’s comment under the carpet, knowing full well that Flynn wore the suit well and it complemented his physique perfectly.

  They all began to walk towards the bar when they heard a commotion over by the huge glass windows. All of Julia’s B&B guests were huddled together in a group and pointing at something in the gardens. ‘What’s going on over there?’ asked Felicity, standing on her tiptoes, trying to snag a look over the bobbing heads.

  They curiously ambled across the room to take a look. ‘Wow! Look at that,’ exclaimed Julia.

  All of them witnessed a red-and-yellow helicopter hovering over the centre of the lawn. Julia noticed the pilot wearing dark glasses, arched over the controls, and as the blades slowed, he landed the helicopter.

  ‘OMG!’ exclaimed Isla, pointing at Flynn who was hunched over, holding the lapels of his jacket as he was seen hurrying across the lawn.

  ‘How the other half live, eh? That’s some hell of a business meeting,’ added Eleni, staring out across the lawn.

  They watched Flynn climb inside the helicopter and the door closed behind him. Once more the blades began to spin and the helicopter lifted effortlessly off the ground, and within seconds took to the sky. The room was a buzz of excitement, the children’s eyes glued to the machine in the sky until it had completely disappeared behind the clouds.

  After returning to the bar they ordered their drinks, and within minutes Wilbur reappeared. ‘Follow me ladies, let me take you through to the private dining area.’

  Julia raised an eyebrow at Eleni; she could get used to this. As they followed Wilbur Julia heard her phone ping and after delving into her bag, saw it was Flynn’s name flashing up on the screen.

  She read, ‘Good choice of tie.’

  ‘What are you grinning at?’ Eleni narrowed her eyes at Julia.

  ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing,’ she smiled.

  ‘Seb will be your waiter for the evening,’ announced Wilbur, gesturing towards the man at the far end of the room leaning against an oak easel. At the mention of his name Seb looked up and fiddled with his cufflinks as he began to walk towards them. ‘Good evening ladies,’ he said politely. Julia noticed his accent wasn’t Scottish, maybe Southern.

  ‘VIP area,’ whispered Isla to them all. ‘Just look at this place.’

  ‘Please do relax and enjoy your food. I’ll leave you in Seb’s capable hands,’ announced W
ilbur, lightly placing his hand on Seb’s back before exiting the room via a different door at the far end of the room.

  ‘If you would like to follow me,’ Seb gestured to the tables in front of the windows, but this time the view overlooked the lake.

  They all sailed forward, feasting their eyes on the exquisite dining area laid out before them. The interior was warm. Huge paintings of landscapes hung on the walls in burnt-gold frames and Julia was mesmerised by the vast slate floor.

  ‘OMG, is that an original by Wallsey?’ questioned Eleni, stopping dead in her tracks and gazing at the piece of artwork hanging on the wall. Eleni knew her artwork like the back of her hand.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Seb, briefly casting a glance towards the painting. ‘He’s a friend of Flynn’s and I think he’s showcasing some of his new works of art here at the hotel in October.’

  Julia could tell by the look on Eleni’s face she was suitably impressed. ‘That must have cost a fortune,’ she mumbled under her breath giving Julia a look of amazement. ‘And I have to come to that exhibition, Wallsey is a hero of mine.’

  ‘Probably mate’s rates,’ whispered Felicity. ‘And you could eat your food off that floor,’ she said pointing at the marble floor.

  ‘Luckily, we have tables for that,’ replied Seb, amused, as he pulled out a chair for each one of them.

  ‘And this is why this magnificent manor house is called Starcross Manor,’ Seb swooped his hand up towards the ceiling, everyone gazed upwards and gasped. There was no denying Starcross Manor was going to be a year-round showstopper. The retractable roof was drawn back and the warm summer evening flooded into the airy dining room.

  ‘And in winter, stars will twinkle through that glass roof, candles will flicker on the tables and log fires will burn away…’

  ‘It’s just wow!’ exclaimed Eleni. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

  The elegance, panache and charm blew them all away, Julia knew this was place was instantly going to be a hit with anyone that passed through the doors, Flynn’s flair for grand designs was off the scale.

  ‘And this door leads through to a secret garden where you can feast or drink champagne beneath the swaying lanterns.’ Seb swung open the doors and revealed the beautiful hideaway. ‘But today, as you may already know, your meal will be prepared by the world-famous Andrew Glossop… and here he is now.’ Seb waved his hand towards the kitchen door that immediately swung wide open. Felicity gave a strangled squeal as Andrew walked into the dining area dressed in his chef’s outfit.

  ‘He’s a lot younger than I pictured,’ whispered Meredith. With his hands clasped together he sauntered towards them wearing his pristine white chef’s jacket, black and white houndstooth pattern trousers with his toque blanche resting on his head.

  Julia noticed everyone had suddenly fallen silent, they all seemed star-struck.

  ‘Good evening ladies, I’m Andrew, and it’s my honour to cook for you all this evening.’

  Andrew walked around the table and shook everyone’s hand. ‘Lovely to see you again, Julia and Eleni. Has Flynn told you what’s on the menu tonight?’

  They both nodded.

  ‘Excellent! And apparently if there are any bad reviews tonight my trial period is over,’ he joked. ‘And please do take one of these,’ he handed out a complimentary voucher to everyone. ‘A free ticket to come and join me in one of my cooking masterclasses.’

  There was a ripple of approval around the table. ‘This is amazing, thank you, please do tell us more,’ Meredith wanted more information, this was right up her street.

  ‘It involves spending the day with me while I inspire you to explore your passion for cooking. Come and live out a dream, from artisan bread-making to fresh pasta, learn about quality ingredients with an informative tasting experience. Let’s excite the palate! I can guarantee it’s all good fun. Or there’s the luxury chocolate-making workshop, complete with prosecco, gin and martinis, or general cake-baking… Think about it! Food for thought, no pun intended,’ he said, returning to his kitchen.

  Julia couldn’t help but think there was passion and honesty about this man, his voice quickened with excitement when he spoke about food. He was definitely going to be a huge hit here at Starcross Manor.

  ‘A luxury chocolate-making workshop, could you imagine?’ remarked Aggie, clearly impressed. ‘Even though I don’t think I’ve got the patience to make the chocolate, I just want to eat it, and I do eat way too much of it, but when you get to my time of life… a bar of chocolate and a glass of wine is my treat, empty calories in abundance!’

  ‘Only one glass? More like a bottle of wine,’ teased Meredith giving a little chuckle.

  ‘Maybe we could do something like that for my birthday?’ suggested Julia, thinking it sounded like fun.

  ‘Your birthday is already planned!’ admitted Isla. ‘Well, nearly, all we…’

  Eleni put up her hand like an over-zealous traffic warden. ‘Stop right there! Do not give anything away.’

  ‘At least give me a clue, how will I know what to wear?’ asked Julia, taking a sip of her wine.

  The girls looked at each other around the table. ‘Okay, she does have a point,’ admitted Felicity. ‘We can’t have her turning up in heels.’

  ‘Mmm, you will need normal clothes and sturdy flat shoes or trainers,’ confirmed Eleni. ‘But that’s the only information we are giving you.’

  ‘Oh, and be ready for ten o’clock,’ added Isla.

  ‘Ten o’clock?’

  ‘Yes, but ten o’clock at night,’ said everyone in unison.

  ‘It’s going to be fun,’ Felicity gave a huge grin as Seb started walking towards them balancing their starters. ‘And here’s the food.’

  ‘Wow! Wow! Wow! This looks amazing,’ chipped in Isla, swerving the conversation in a different direction as Seb placed the starter down in front of her.

  Julia’s phone pinged again. ‘I need your help,’ came Flynn’s text. ‘If you’re free tomorrow let me know!’

  Julia was intrigued, what did Flynn want her help with? She closed her eyes for a second trying to conjure up his presence, the smile he gave her when she picked out his tie and his lovely, manly smell. How things were changing in such a short space of time. Her heart gave a little leap as her eyes skimmed the text again. When she saw him tomorrow she was going to use the time to convince Flynn of the idea she had, so all the community could work together to boost everyone’s revenue. Remembering her grandfather’s old words of wisdom: out of everything negative always comes a positive. Julia had everything crossed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning Julia woke up early and watched the beautiful sunrise from the bedroom window of Starcross Manor. She was thankful it was going to be another hot, sunny day, which was a godsend. The contract cleaners were arriving today to give the mattresses a clean and hopefully they would be back on the beds by the end of play today. The worry over all the curtains and bedding being washed or dry-cleaned had been completely taken out of her hands thanks to Flynn, and everything was due back by tomorrow.

  Even with a busy morning ahead, it was still too early to head over to the B&B. The electrician and gasman were due there sometime after 10am, and hopefully they would give the place the all-clear so the B&B could get back on track. After pulling a brush through her hair and dabbing concealer on a spot on her chin that had sprouted from nowhere overnight, Julia powered up her laptop and thought back to last night. It had been a wonderful evening, the food was divine and the wine flowed freely. They’d all sat out in the secret garden until just after midnight, except Meredith who needed to get back to help Fraser at the pub.

  As soon as she’d typed in her password, Julia flicked onto the B&B’s Facebook page and was amazed by the number of new notifications, and began to click on them. To her dismay, there had been a number of reviews left by the guests in the last twenty-four hours, and even though they weren’t exactly putting the B&B in a bad light, they were sing
ing the praises of Starcross Manor:

  Mr Cullen… B&B four stars. ‘My family and I have stayed in the B&B on numerous occasions. The atmosphere is friendly, the place clean and easily accessible to all amenities, however a new hotel is opening up in the village which includes a pool, spa and gym, and restaurants at affordable rates, do give Starcross Manor a go!’

  Mrs Williams… B&B three and a half stars. ‘We have stayed at this fabulous B&B for a number of years. Unfortunately, due to a flood we were transferred to a brand-new hotel less than a mile away and what an absolute treat. Starcross Manor was amazing, the kids loved the pool, I loved the spa while my husband disappeared to the gym. The grounds are beautiful and the mouth-watering food is not to be missed by celebrity chef Andrew Glossop.’

  Will Blake… B&B four stars…

  Julia couldn’t read any more. It wasn’t as though any of the reviews were putting the B&B in a bad light – and they were absolutely right about how fabulous Starcross Manor was. But she needed to talk to Flynn before all of her regular guests began to jump ship. But what if Flynn didn’t go for her idea? She gave herself a little shake, she was worrying for no reason. Of course he was going to go for her idea, as she was certain he didn’t want to be on the wrong side of the villagers. She knew the proposal she was about to put to him meant exciting times for the community of Heartcross. Feeling much more positive, she determined to talk to Flynn as soon as she set eyes on him.

  With time still to kill, Julia shut down the lid of her laptop and packed her swimwear inside her rucksack with the latest book she was reading, and decided to explore the pool area. After closing the bedroom door behind her, Julia wandered down the vast corridors towards the spa area. This would be the perfect place for some quiet contemplation before heading over to the B&B. Julia had read the welcome pack in the room and knew the contents of the brochure back to front, from the beanbags, twinkly lights and floating canopies of the snooze room, to the light and airy atrium lounge, she was looking forward to finding her own little haven for the next hour.