Driving Me to Christmas (London Loves Book 5)

by Farrell, Julie

  She gasped as she saw that he was wearing a tuxedo. And so was Paul.

  “Thanks! And you guys look amazing!”

  Verlaine held her hands and embraced her with his deep brown eyes. “I sure am the luckiest guy alive.”

  Sam grinned. Next time she stood in this hallway, they’d probably be engaged! The memory of what Rebecca had just said drifted into her mind, but she shoved it away, refusing to let anyone ruffle her feathers this evening. Instead, she threw her arms around Verlaine’s shoulders, hugged him tightly, and kissed him hard.

  “I love you!” she said.

  He seemed to melt inside. “I love you, too. So much.”

  Paul cleared his throat. “Sorry, young lovers, but we’d better get going if we’re picking up Gemma. It looks like the snow’s getting worse and we’ve gotta drive all the way to London, then out again to the ball.”

  “Yeah, true,” Verlaine said. “Shame she didn’t feel like coming up here with you two earlier, but I guess she’s got a lot to ponder at the moment.”

  “Poor love,” Scott said. “I hope she resolves everything with Jack.”

  Sam nodded. “Me too.”

  Verlaine smiled tenderly at her. “You really do look stunning, baby.”

  Sam reached up to undo her coat. “Oh, but you haven’t seen the dress yet!”

  “Sam,” Paul said. “We haven’t got time. We’ll see the dress at the ball, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay, you’re right.”

  “Have you got everything, Verlaine?” Scott asked.

  He threw Scott a blank look, then he grinned. “Oh yeah, I sure have!”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Sam said. “Let’s go!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The location of the ball was an old restored castle in Kent and, as Verlaine pulled the T-bird into the sweeping gravel driveway, Sam could understand why Patty had been so keen for them all to come here. The exterior was beautiful and romantic – it resonated with mystery and nostalgia. The castle itself was made of stone, and it was shaped like the cardboard castles that Sam and Gemma had made as kids from tissue boxes and toilet-roll tubes. It was symmetrical and boxy, and the turrets looked as if they’d been stuck on as an afterthought. It was sturdy, though. It would have to be; apparently it had been built five-hundred years ago and was still standing strong.

  The snow was falling fast, and Sam had been worried about Verlaine driving this big old car through the narrow English lanes on the way here. But he’d done a skilful job, and he parked the T-bird now like a pro, alongside a Jag and a Bentley.

  He yanked up the handbrake and threw her a nervous grin. Sam knew how he felt about mingling with the wealthy – he didn’t enjoy it at all and would rather be down the pub. But she knew he’d make a special effort tonight, so as not to let his mum down. And there was that other thing he was planning to do tonight! Sam wondered when he was planning to propose and where. Would he do it in front of everyone? Probably not. He wasn’t the exhibitionist that she sometimes was.

  He climbed out and opened the passenger door for her, leaving Paul, Scott, and Gemma to clamber out of the back. Sam gazed up at him from the passenger seat and took his proffered hand, then she stepped out the car like an elegant movie star. Or perhaps even like a princess. It was like being inside a fairy-tale snow globe, with actual real snow. But this cold weather couldn’t stop Sam from radiating a warm glow of love for her man.

  Verlaine held her hand as they strolled through the massive entrance, following the corridor towards the Grand Hall. Sam glanced back to make sure Gemma was okay. She was huge now, but she’d still taken the trouble to get dressed up in a pair of floaty chiffon trousers and a glamorous maternity top. She seemed to be enjoying herself as she waddled behind Sam and Verlaine along the ornate corridor, with her arms linked though Scott and Paul’s, as if she was arriving with a gorgeous hunk on each arm. Sam was glad no one they knew would be here tonight, because they’d want to know where Jack was, and Gemma didn’t seem to have the strength for those kinds of explanations at the moment.

  Sam allowed her nerves to turn to excitement as she and Verlaine followed the soothing sounds of a string quartet into the Grand Hall. She halted in the lavish doorway and gasped. She wasn’t especially into architecture, but this place was spectacular. The lofty ceilings were complimented by gilded coving that delicately ran around the entire space. The tables that bordered the floor were covered in starched table-cloths and stocked with glassware and expensive wine. But the feature that really caught Sam’s eye was the huge dome in the ceiling, which reminded her of a smaller version of the Sistine Chapel. But this dome was made of stained glass and cast colourful rainbows on the shiny wooden floor below. Sam was sure it looked stunning in the daytime, lit by the sunshine. But the artificial lights were doing a good enough job for tonight.

  The place was buzzing already with smartly-dressed men and glamorous women, wearing their finest clothing and expensive jewellery. Sam spotted Patty, Jim, Ellie, and Rebecca on the other side of the hall, so she strode towards them through the perfumed air, squeezing past the chattering people, followed by Verlaine, Gemma, Scott, and Paul.

  Sam saw Rebecca look her up and down with a mocking smirk as she approached. Her ribcage filled with worry, remembering what Rebecca had said earlier – there was something Verlaine wasn’t telling her about his past. But Sam hadn’t felt able to interrogate him in the car, and Rebecca could possibly be lying. Surely it couldn’t be anything that bad. Verlaine was such a great guy and usually so honest and open. Sam tried to put it from her mind for tonight.

  Sam’s eyes scanned over Ellie, who was scrutinising her as she approached. Ellie was wearing a long black satin dress, which was smooth and shiny – just like the woman herself’s hard persona. Her hair was scraped back into the usual severe bun, and Sam realised that Ellie wouldn’t even let her hair down and relax at a fun party like this.

  Patty grinned as she saw Sam approaching, and put her arms out to hug her.

  “Sam, you look beautiful! Look at your hair – did Scott do that for you?”

  Sam flushed with pride, aware that Rebecca was watching and listening.

  “He did,” Sam said.

  Gemma stepped forward. “Hello, Patty and Jim. I’m Sam’s big sister. Bigger than usual at the moment, too!”

  Patty shook her hand. “Hi, Gemma – great to meet you. You look radiant!”

  “Yeah, awesome to meet ya, Gem,” Jim said. “You been eating too many mince pies?”

  Gemma chuckled politely as if she’d never heard that one before. “Yeah, something like that. Woo, it’s hot in here. Is there a cloakroom?”

  Gemma took off her overcoat, and Sam realised she was still wearing hers. She started to undo the buttons, and Verlaine eased it off of her shoulders from behind, kissing her on the cheek as he did so.

  Sam glanced up at him and they smiled into each other’s eyes. She hoped Rebecca was watching this – she’d see how much they adored each other and hopefully stop trying to cause trouble between them. She opened her mouth to tell Verlaine she loved him, but a shriek from Patty made them both look up. She was staring at Sam’s dress with her mouth wide open in shock.

  Verlaine stepped around to have a look, too. “What’s wrong, mom?”

  With shaking hands, Patty gestured towards Sam’s chest. “How dare you flaunt that thing so blatantly in my face!”

  Sam’s knees filled with horror as Patty swivelled round and buried herself in Jim’s arms. Sam had no idea what was wrong, but she’d never seen Patty this distressed so it was obviously something terrible. She opened her mouth to ask, but she noticed Verlaine’s expression flicker with anger.

  “Sam, where the hell did you get that?”

  “From the dress shop in Kensington. The Dovecoat. I told you.”

  “Not the dress. That.”

  He jabbed his finger towards the brooch.

  She glanced at the beautiful jewelled peacock restin
g so innocently on her dress. “Why? What’s happened? Oh, what have I done now? Please tell me!”

  Patty wailed in Jim’s arms as if Sam had just confessed she was a Nazi war criminal. Jim shot Sam a disgruntled look of disbelief, making her crumple inside.

  Verlaine grabbed Sam by the upper-arms and she flinched. “That brooch belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to… Ellie…”

  Verlaine suddenly dropped Sam and lunged over to interrogate Ellie, demanding to know what the fuck she was playing at, and accusing her of purposely upsetting his mom.

  Sam’s head spun with worry; it was hot in here and she felt sick and dizzy. She turned back to Patty, hoping to assure her this was a big misunderstanding. “I’m so sorry, Patty – I had no idea!”

  Jim held his hand up in Sam’s face. “Just leave her alone – can’t you see you’ve upset her? Again!”

  Jim’s words shoved Sam hard. She looked to Verlaine for support, but he was embroiled in an argument with Ellie and Rebecca, so she glanced at Gemma, but she was watching with her mouth open; as shocked at this scene as Sam was.

  Sam’s gaze flitted around for her beloved Scott and Paul but she couldn’t see them anywhere – they’d probably disappeared to the bar before this whole disaster had happened.

  Sam’s tears squeezed her throat, and she realised she desperately needed to release the pent-up emotion of the last few days. It would be un-British to cause a scene here by breaking down – Patty was doing enough of that for them both – so she turned and ran as fast as she could towards the sanctuary of the ladies’ restrooms, knowing she could allow her emotions to pour out there.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sam gazed at herself in the mirror and wiped away her tears, trying to tidy the eyeliner that Scott had so kindly applied for her earlier. Her frustration cracked – she seemed to be making herself look more like Alice Cooper with each wipe.

  Sophisticated and glamorous? Who was she trying to kid? She didn’t belong with these people. Even the restrooms were too posh for her, with their stupid embossed walls and the uniformed attendant who handed out towels and piffed you with expensive perfume. There were several other women in here at the moment, touching up their hair and make-up, and chatting with their friends. They were ignoring Sam, which was good, because right now her only desire in the world was for this mirror to absorb every atom in her body.

  Sam’s eyes caught sight of the offending brooch in the mirror. She reached up to remove it, but the velvet-covered door was thrust open and a male figure strode in. Sam closed her eyes and prepared to face Verlaine’s anger at humiliating his mother. But surely he’d understand it’d been an innocent mistake. She glanced over at the approaching man, and realised it wasn’t Verlaine; her insides sparkled as she saw her lovely friend.

  Why did filmmakers always think that women got hysterical when a man walked into the ladies’ room? These women ignored Scott, or jovially asked him if he was lost.

  He halted beside Sam and squeezed her shoulder. “What happened? I saw you run off – all hell’s breaking loose out there between Patty and Ellie.”

  “The brooch,” Sam said. “It’s upset Patty. Apparently it belonged to Verlaine’s grandmother, but she bequeathed it to Ellie. Not sure why. Didn’t hang around to find out.”

  “Oh god, Sam; Rebecca must’ve known – she’s set you up!”

  “So it seems.”

  “I told you she was a bitch.”

  Sam plucked another tissue from the gold-plated box and wiped her eyes. “God I feel like such a fool. Who was I trying to kid – thinking I could become part of Verlaine’s family. Not while Rebecca’s still hanging around.”

  “Verlaine loves you. We can go back out there now and find Rebecca, and you can confront her. Ask her what her intentions are towards your man. Come on, I’ll back you up.”

  The door swept open again. A couple of ladies were leaving, but they were forced out the way by the woman barging in.

  “Looks like she’s saved us the trouble,” Sam said.

  Sam glanced at Rebecca and saw that she’d dropped the act now. She was swaggering and smirking, as if this final faux pas meant she’d won.

  “You’ve really upset Patty,” Rebecca said. “She’s crying out there. I think she’s going home. I hope you’re ashamed of yourself.”

  Sam closed her eyes, which unfortunately squeezed a couple of tears down her cheeks; she opened her eyes and grabbed another tissue.

  Scott placed himself between Sam and Rebecca. “Why don’t you just leave her alone? Haven’t you done enough damage?”

  “What are you doing in the ladies’ room? I know you dress like a woman, but you’ve got no right to be in here.”

  “Is that supposed to be an insult?” Scott asked. “You think I’ve never been criticised over the way I dress before? You don’t intimidate me, Rebecca. You might have everyone else fooled, but I can see straight through your crap.”

  The door was pushed open again and Verlaine flew in. All the other ladies had left now, leaving the four of them to entertain the attendant with their dramas.

  “Sam! What’s going on? Where the hell did you get that brooch?”

  “Rebecca set her up,” Scott said.

  “Rubbish,” Rebecca said. “I found it in my room. I’d never seen it myself until today. Obviously it’s all a big misunderstanding.”

  “Bullshit,” Scott said.

  “Verlaine,” Rebecca said. “Don’t you think it’s strange how defensive Scott is of Sam? They’re always together, aren’t they? Doesn’t that make you suspicious?”

  “No, Rebecca, it doesn’t. Why do you keep trying to stir things up between me and Sam? I know Scott’s not interested in her. And she’s not interested in him.”

  Rebecca’s brow crumpled and the act came back. “Oh, Verlaine! It’s true. I have been trying to cause friction between you and Sam. The truth is, I still love you. I’ve always loved you. I married Ken on the rebound. And Sam’s such a sweet girl – I can understand why you like her. It’s highly commendable that she’d want you after everything you did back in Michigan. I forgave you a long time ago for that. But I wonder if Sam will?”

  Her words seemed to pin Verlaine to the spot. He stared at her, winded.

  Sam knew it was foolish, but she couldn’t resist Rebecca’s bait. “Verlaine, what did you do back in Michigan?”

  “Sam,” Scott said, “don’t fall for it. She’s trying to split you two up.”

  Rebecca sneered. “He hasn’t told you about his criminal past, then?”

  “What criminal past?”

  “I don’t have a criminal past.”

  “You were arrested and charged with assault, weren’t you?”

  Verlaine opened his mouth. He closed it again. Sam started at him waiting for him to deny Rebecca’s accusations.

  “Well,” Sam said. “Were you?”

  “I was. But let me explain.”

  Panic gripped Sam’s brain; could this really be happening? How could Verlaine have kept this from her? It was humiliating. She swallowed, trying to ignore the pain of her thrashing heart. Did Paul know about this? Did Scott? Did everyone know apart from her?

  His words echoed off the walls. “I beat up a guy when I was seventeen because he was bullying my friend at school, okay? This bully was making my friend’s life a living hell. No one would help him – the teachers, parents, the other kids – they all turned a blind eye. So I took the matter into my own hands. It’s not my proudest hour, but it was a lifetime ago. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, baby. I didn’t even think it was important anymore.”

  Rebecca threw her hand to her hip. “Of course it’s important, Verlaine. Don’t you know anything about women?”

  “Well, I –”

  Rebecca talked over him. “You need me, Verlaine. We work well together. I’m an insurance broker – I earn decent money. I can support you. You do still love me, don’t you? What do you say?”

  Verlaine frown
ed and opened his mouth to reply. But the door was pushed open again, and Gemma rushed in looking vexed.

  “Sam!” she said. “Oh my god! This is a disaster!”

  Sam inhaled bravely. “It’s okay, Gem. I think Verlaine was just about to tell Rebecca to take a hike. Nothing to worry about.”

  Gemma rubbed her huge tummy. “Yes there fucking is! My fucking waters have just broken!”

  All eyes swivelled to check Gemma’s trousers. Sam saw a wet patch at the front.

  The world shifted uncomfortably around her. “But the twins aren’t due for six weeks.”

  “Tell that to fucking them!”

  Verlaine gently gripped Gemma’s shoulder. “We’d better get you to hospital, huh?”

  “No, no. They won’t admit me until I’m ten centimetres dilated.”

  “Well, what should we do?” Verlaine asked.

  “I don’t know. This could take hours… days. I’ll get a taxi home and wait. You stay here and enjoy yourselves.”

  Sam’s heart filled with pride at how calm her sister was being. She was an inspiration amongst the madness that had just been spiralling around the room.

  “I don’t think enjoying ourselves is very likely now,” Sam said. “Why don’t we come with you? We’ve got a lot to discuss, Verlaine, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, sure. Scott, you coming?”

  “Yeah, I’ll find Paul.”

  Sam turned to face her friend. “You and Paul are welcome to stay here and enjoy the ball if you want.”

  “I’m not staying anywhere near Rebecca,” Scott said, shooting her an evil glance. “Not within a million miles.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The snow was lashing down now, and the T-bird’s windshield wipers were unable to cope, meaning Verlaine could hardly see the road ahead. Sam sat in the back with her arm around Gemma, and Scott was on Gemma’s other side, holding her hand. She seemed quite far into labour now, which was impossible, because Sam knew labour took hours of painful pushing. But she was groaning and holding her tummy, as if she was in considerable pain. Sam was trying not to panic, but it was distressing to see her usually-level-headed sister in such a state.