The Bluebell Castle Collection

by Sarah Bennett

  Leaving Elijah absorbed in his film, Tristan came to greet her. ‘All good. Isaac woke up earlier. He seemed a lot better, but he said he was thirsty, so I gave him a drink and he went right back to sleep.’

  Jess rubbed her eyes, trying to get her groggy brain to catch up. ‘I didn’t hear him.’

  ‘Probably because I snuck into your room as soon as you were asleep and took your phone from the nightstand.’ If the expression on his face was supposed to be guilty, it missed by a country mile.

  ‘You had no right!’ God, what if she’d been snoring, or drooling, or both?

  ‘Well, I claimed that right anyway, so you’ll have to get over it. Next you’ll be cross because I gave Elijah his dinner.’

  The look he gave her said he thought she was being ridiculous, and she had a feeling he might be right. ‘I’m sorry, I’m being ungracious. It’s a bit of a shift in gears and my brain hasn’t quite woken up. I’m sure he’s fine, but I just want to look in on Isaac.’

  He stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. ‘I’m just trying to take care of you, Jess. I can’t do that without taking care of the boys, and I wouldn’t want to.’

  ‘I know.’ She raised her hand to cover his fingers. ‘I’ll get better at this.’

  ‘Me too.’ His smile warmed her all over. ‘I should’ve asked before I took your phone, but by the time I thought about it you were already crashed out.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ And it really was because he hadn’t done it because he didn’t think she couldn’t cope with looking after her children, he was simply saying she didn’t have to do it on her own. ‘If you’re happy to keep Eli company, I’m going to grab that shower once I’ve checked on Isaac.’

  ‘Of course. We’re watching Wreck-It Ralph. I can’t believe how many great animated films I’ve missed out on. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.’

  Isaac was dead to the world still, but he seemed to be sleeping easily and that horrible clamminess to his skin had gone. Feeling like the worst had passed, she paused by the door to turn on the night light in case he woke up, then headed for the bathroom. Showering in peace was a rare luxury so she decided to take Tristan at his word that he was happy to look after Elijah and she took her time. After washing her hair twice, she took the time to massage in a deep conditioning treatment and shave her legs and underarms.

  When she finally emerged from the fragrant steam, she felt more like herself than she had in ages. Swathed from neck to knees in a thick cotton robe with a towel wrapped around her wet hair, she returned to the playroom to find it empty. Tristan’s laptop sat in the middle of the rug still, so they couldn’t have gone far. As she headed towards her bedroom, she heard a murmur of conversation from the little kitchen. She stopped outside the door to listen.

  ‘How about PAW Patrol spaghetti shapes?’ Tristan was asking.

  Elijah giggled. ‘No, silly, those are mine’ Jess rested her head against the wall, smiling at the easy way her son responded to Tristan.

  ‘Hmm. Peppa Pig, then? Is Mummy a fan of Peppa?’ Tristan was trying hard to sound serious, but Jess could hear the humour in his tone.

  ‘Those are for Isaac. Mummy doesn’t eat sketti. She likes soup.’

  ‘Soup it is then.’

  Leaving the pair of them pottering around in the kitchen, Jess tiptoed past to her room to get dressed. Stealing a few extra minutes of me-time, Jess slathered herself with cream from a set of toiletries she’d been given by her former in-laws the previous Christmas. It smelled of cherry blossom and felt like silk sliding over her skin. She dug out a pair of soft yoga pants that matched her grey jersey top then unwound the towel from her hair. Drying it felt like too much effort, so she wove it into a loose plait. The moment she left her room, the smell of chicken soup filled the air, sending her tummy rumbling.

  ‘What’s all this, then?’ She asked, walking into the kitchen to find the little table in the corner had been set with a single place.

  ‘We’re making you dinner.’ Elijah skipped over to give her a hug. ‘You smell yummy.’

  She laughed. ‘Why, thank you, and thank you for taking such good care of me and making my dinner. What a lovely surprise.’

  Elijah tugged her over to sit at the table, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. ‘I set the table.’

  ‘You did a grand job, too. Well done.’ Jess waited until he glanced away to flip her spoon the right way around.

  Tristan placed a steaming bowl in front of her. ‘Here you go.’ He returned to the counter to retrieve a plate holding a couple of slices of buttered bread. ‘If you want anything else, just let me know.’

  Jess couldn’t help but smile at his proprietary air. He’d really made himself at home. ‘This is perfect, thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure.’ He held out a hand to Elijah. ‘Time to help me with the washing up.’

  As she ate her soup, she watched as Tristan placed the other kitchen chair in front of the sink and helped Elijah to stand on it. With his arms around the boy to stop him from falling, the pair made a big performance of washing up the saucepan and wooden spoon they’d used. She liked how patient Tristan was with her son, how he kept his voice soft and encouraging. Even when he corrected Elijah’s scrubbing technique, he did it with lots of warm praise and she could hear how it boosted Elijah’s confidence in the way he chatted freely.

  ‘Talk about a dream team,’ she said, bringing her empty bowl and plate over to the sink.

  ‘Put it in the water, Mummy, and watch me.’ As Tristan held the bowl steady for him, Elijah whirled the scrubbing brush around and around until every inch of it was clean.

  ‘That’s amazing, Eli. You’re getting to be such a big boy. I’m very proud of you.’ She lifted him down off the chair with a hug and a kiss then set him on his feet. ‘Now I think it’s time you thought about bed.’ He pouted but didn’t say anything when she held up a warning finger. ‘You’ve got school in the morning, remember? Now say good night to Tristan and thank him for looking after you today.’

  ‘No need to thank me,’ Tristan said, hunkering down to give Elijah a quick hug. ‘I had a great time. Night night, buddy.’

  ‘Night.’ Elijah returned to Jess. ‘Night, Mummy.’

  She stroked his hair. ‘Do you want to sleep in with me, so we don’t disturb Isaac? My tablet’s beside the bed so why don’t you go and snuggle down and find yourself a story and I’ll be in soon.’

  Happy now he was getting the treat of staying in her room, Elijah skipped out to do as she’d suggested.

  Tristan straightened up and turned back to the sink to empty it and rinse away the bubbles. ‘No need to do that,’ she said. ‘You’ve done more than enough, already.’

  ‘It’s been my pleasure. He’s a fab kid. If you want me to walk him down to school in the morning so you don’t have to take Isaac out in the cold, I’m happy to do it.’

  She thought about what he’d said earlier, about wanting to take care of her, and the boys being a part of that. If she was seriously considering pursuing a relationship with him, she needed to know it would work for the boys as much as it did for her. Tristan and Elijah were starting to form a lovely bond and she should do what she could to encourage that. ‘That would be a great help.’

  Wanting to show her appreciation, she stretched up intent on brushing a kiss to his cheek but he moved at the same time, reaching across her to grab the tea towel from the rack and somehow her lips ended up grazing the corner of his mouth. He froze, their mouths a breath apart. The sensible thing would’ve been to laugh it off, to move away and make an excuse about having to see to Elijah. His cheek carried a hint of that amber aftershave of his she loved so much and suddenly she wasn’t feeling in the least bit sensible. She closed the gap, feathering her lips over the edge of his, coaxing him with tiny kisses to turn and give her more of his mouth. When he did, she sighed into him, offering her parted lips up for him to claim.

  The chair stood between them, preventing her from pressing a
ny other part of her body against his so there was no other sensation to distract her from the firm heat of his mouth, the slip and slide of their tongues, tentative at first as they tasted and tested and learned the feel of one another. The pressure of his lips increased, turning their kiss deeper, forcing a little sound of need from her throat as she clutched at the edge of the stainless-steel board, any control she might have started off with completely deserting her.

  He kissed her like a man starved; like a man who’d been waiting years for this moment and was determined to make the most of it. All those fears she’d had about whether she was ready to venture deeper into intimacy burned away in the heat of his lips on hers. Passion like she’d never known roared to life inside her. Had she honestly been worried she wouldn’t be able to connect to this part of herself again? She’d never felt more alive, more aware of herself as a woman. She wanted … hell, she just wanted.

  She wanted to kiss him all night, to cast aside all her responsibilities and not be Jessica Ridley, not be anything other than a woman in the arms of a man intent on bringing her nothing but pleasure and the sweetest of release. The utter recklessness of it was enough to shock her back into reality and she dragged her mouth from his with a gasp. ‘Stop.’

  Eyes locked, chests panting for breath they stared at each other across the gap created by the chair between them. ‘Jess, he gasped. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t m—’

  Pressing trembling fingers to his lips, she shook her head. ‘That stop was for me, not for you. You haven’t done anything wrong.’

  His brow furrowed. ‘Then what …’ He cut himself off this time and she could almost see the gears clicking behind his eyes as he comprehended the reality of their situation. ‘Yeah, yeah, of course, okay.’

  She smiled at him, sharing his sense of frustration. ‘I think perhaps we should call it a night.’

  Blowing out a long breath, he tucked his hands in his pockets. ‘I think you’re probably right.’ He strolled across the kitchen, pausing on the threshold to look back at her, a wicked glint in his eyes. ‘Jessica Ridley,’ he said with a shake of his head. ‘Who knew?’ And with that he was gone.

  Chapter 14

  The Saturday morning of the winter festival dawned dry and crisp. And bloody cold, Tristan thought to himself as he jogged down the steps of the castle and the shock of the freezing air hit his lungs. Tugging his flat cap down over his ears, he bundled his gloved hands into the pockets of his thick winter coat and marched briskly towards the front gates. Condensation turned the air white with every exhalation, to match the thickly frosted grass all around him. It was hard to tell how clear the day would be with the sky still mostly grey and the sun barely a hint of red on the low horizon, but the forecast was promising sunshine all weekend, and he was putting his faith in the Met Office. As he neared the gate, he could hear the hum of vehicle engines and bits and pieces of conversation. He quickened his pace.

  ‘Morning, Mr Ludworth.’ A plump, older man clutching a steaming mug and clad in a bright red bobble hat and a garish green puffa jacket greeted his arrival at the locked gates. ‘Lovely day for it.’

  ‘Morning, Mac, I certainly hope so,’ he replied, recognising one of the food vendors who’d not only participated in the summer fete with his speciality hog roast, but had also catered for Arthur and Lucie’s wedding reception. Tristan unlocked the padlock and tugged loose the thick chain securing the gates before chucking both out of the way beside one of the gateposts. Having worked free the bolt which locked the gate into the ground, he swung back the left-hand side. Without prompting, Mac unfastened the right-hand side and did the same. ‘Cheers, Mac. Right, do you remember which way you’re going?’

  ‘I do, indeed, and I’m in the same pitch as before, that’s right?’

  ‘Absolutely. Arthur and Will are just finishing up their breakfasts and then they’ll be down to make sure everyone sets up in the right spot, but if you wouldn’t mind acting as the lead for the rest of the early birds.’ Tristan wasn’t sure how many other vendors were already in the queue, but the headlights on the vehicles disappeared beyond his line of sight.

  ‘Not a problem. I think most of us are returners so we can look after ourselves and help the newbies. I’ve got a copy of the plan you sent through in the cab of my truck if there’s any issues until his Lordship gets down there. How is he, by the way? I’m looking forward to seeing him – and his lovely wife – again.’

  ‘He’s doing great,’ Tristan said as he walked Mac back to his truck. ‘Lucie, too. I’ve no doubt you’ll be able to catch up with everyone during the day as the conversation at dinner last night was how much all of us are looking forward to one of your pork and apple sauce rolls.’

  Beaming, Mac clambered into the driver’s seat. ‘Send ‘em all my way. Mate’s rates for the family.’

  ‘You’ve got yourself a deal.’ Tristan closed the door and smiled across at the peroxide blonde in the passenger seat of the truck. ‘Morning, Mrs Mac.’

  ‘Morning, lovely. All set for the day? It’s going to be a good one, I reckon.’

  ‘Just about, and I hope so. You guys are staying over tonight, right?’ The festival was running over three consecutive weekends, and most of the vendors who weren’t local were either camping overnight or putting up in the village. They had a couple of B&Bs, but a number of enterprising families had offered overnight accommodation to make a few extra pounds in the run up to Christmas.

  ‘We are indeed, lovely. Forecast is chilly, but it’s plenty snug and warm in there.’ She nodded back to the special sleeping compartment in the back of the truck. As plump as her husband, Tristan had no doubt it would be both snug and warm once the pair of them were in there.

  ‘Well, we’re launching the woodland walk tonight, so if you’re not too tired at the end of the day, I hope you’ll come and join us.’

  Mrs Mac smiled. ‘I was telling Mac about it and we’ve got our walking shoes packed and ready.’

  ‘Fantastic, I’ll catch up with you both later.’ Tristan stepped back and waved the truck forward.

  A sharp whistle rang out as Mac was easing his truck and trailer through the gate, and Tristan glanced behind him to see Arthur jogging down the drive towards them. After a few quick hellos, Arthur was installed in the back of Mac’s truck and they were on their way to the showground.

  The morning passed in a blur of checking in all the vendors and welcoming the volunteers from the village who were taking admission fees on the gate. Tristan stayed with them for the first hour to make sure they had everything in hand before finally feeling able to head down to the showground. The weather was fulfilling everything the forecasters had promised, the duck-egg blue sky clear apart from the odd streak of high, white cloud. Those early freezing temperatures had eased now the sun was out and everywhere he looked there were smiling faces.

  Every stall had people around it and the hot food trucks filled the air with delicious scents. One of the biggest queues was over where the team from the wildlife park had set up. Wandering over, Tristan was delighted to find Jess and the boys in the queue. Though she had the pushchair with her, Isaac was out of it and clinging to Elijah’s hand as they waited for their turn to meet ‘Santa’s’ reindeer. Smiling his thanks as people behind them in the queue let him through, Tristan made his way to Jess’s side. ‘Good morning.’ Though he wanted to kiss her, he settled for finding her hand and giving it a discreet squeeze.

  ‘Hello! How are you?’ To his delight, Jess planted a quick kiss on his cheek. ‘Everything looks wonderful, is it all running to plan?’

  ‘Tris! Tris!’

  Laughing, Tristan bent down to scoop up Isaac who was waving his arms for a lift up. ‘Hello, matey, nice hat!’ He tugged one of the plaited wool lengths hanging down from the ear flaps on Isaac’s Nordic-style woolly hat. Settling the boy on his hip, he turned back to Jess. ‘I can’t believe how smoothly it’s all going, it’s actually quite terrifying. I saw Iggy earlier and she said she felt the
same all the way through the summer fete so perhaps this is normal.’

  The people in front of them shuffled forward a dozen steps as the next small group were admitted into the animal pens. ‘Have you been queuing long?’ He asked Jess as they closed the gap.

  She shrugged a shoulder. ‘About ten minutes, give or take. I explained to the boys before we started that the reindeer didn’t like big crowds so it might be a while. If we all behave then we’re going for waffles and hot chocolate afterwards, isn’t that right, Eli?’

  The little boy grinned up. ‘I’m having chocolate sauce AND cream on mine.’

  ‘Wow! That sounds tasty. Do you think if I behave myself, I’ll be allowed waffles, too?’

  Jess laughed. ‘You’ll have to be a very good boy.’

  Leaning over, Tristan whispered in her ear. ‘Hard when I’m this close to you.’ He snuck a little kiss on her cheek to prove his point.

  Her cheeks, already glowing from the cold, deepened to a rosy blush. ‘Definitely no treats for you,’ she muttered, but she was smiling as she said it.

  As he had something of a captive audience around him, Tristan decided to do a bit of on the spot market research and began chatting to the families in the queue on either side of them. He was gratified to learn the couple in front had travelled over an hour and had driven up in a little convoy with several other family members. ‘Did you mind that we don’t have a Santa’s grotto?’ he asked the father of the group in an undertone.

  ‘To be honest, mate, it was a relief. These days are always expensive when you factor in the food and stuff you end up picking up from the stalls. I like this idea, and if the kids enjoy it, we’re going to make a trip to the wildlife park in the new year. We hadn’t heard of it until we saw about it in the programme, and we’re always looking for something to do at weekends.’

  ‘That’s great to hear, and one of the things we were hoping would come of their association with us. They do a lot of great conservation work so if we can send a few more visitors their way, then it’s win-win.’ He hefted a wriggling Isaac higher on his hip. ‘What about the woodland walk? Are you planning to stick around for that?’