The Bluebell Castle Collection

by Sarah Bennett

  ‘It’s incredible. Beyond anything I could’ve imagined,’ she said, squeezing his hand. ‘And it’ll be here for our guests to enjoy over Christmas?’

  Tristan nodded. ‘We’re closing everything to the public from the evening of the twenty-third. We want the guests to have exclusive access to the estate, although I was talking to Arthur and we thought we might invite the village up to watch the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. We’ll open the gates and they can watch from the driveway.’

  She grabbed his arm, unable to contain her excitement. ‘You’ve changed your mind about the fireworks? Oh, thank you!’

  ‘Arthur, Iggy and I had a chat about it and decided it would be a great way to round out the year and though no one outside the family needs to know about it, it can also be a tribute to Dad’s memory. We thought we’d open up the battlements to the guests so they can watch it from up there.’

  ‘Really?’ It was more than she could’ve asked for.

  ‘Really,’ he confirmed, grinning down at her. ‘There’s a staircase that comes out next to a nice wide section of the wall over the front door so they’ll be front and centre for the display. We’ve decided to get a firm in to do it. I know you said you could handle it, but you’ll have more than enough on your plate with the masquerade ball. We want to put on something special, especially if we’re going to invite the locals. They’ve done a huge amount to support us all since we lost Dad, and it feels like a nice way to say thank you.’

  ‘And it will be a brilliant way to send our guests off with a memory they’ll hopefully treasure for a long time.’

  ‘As long as they tell all their rich mates about it, I’ll be happy.’

  She tilted her head back to look at him properly. ‘You think you’ll repeat the house party if it’s a success?’

  ‘Absolutely. If we pull it off, I’ve got my eye on holding four a year – Easter, midsummer, harvest time and Christmas again. I also want to capitalise on the success of hosting Arthur and Lucie’s wedding and add some of those to next year’s calendar.’

  His enthusiasm was catching. ‘You’re going to be busy.’

  ‘We’re going to be busy.’ Turning to face her, he took her other hand. ‘When I said I wanted a future with you, this is what I was talking about. Not just us living together, but working together, a partnership in every sense.’ He squeezed her hands. ‘I’m not winging it anymore, Jess. I’ve got a plan, a vision for how I want my life to go from here on in, and nothing would make me happier than to have you by my side. I know I can achieve the success I want on my own, and whatever you choose to do you’ll smash it, but imagine how much better it could be if we combined forces.’

  How easy would it be to say yes? To let him sweep her away in the tide of his enthusiasm and chase this dream of his together? It was so tempting, her tongue tingled with the need to shout ‘Yes!’ And if it was only her own future to consider she wouldn’t hesitate. Head over heart, Jess. ‘It’s a risk.’

  She watched his face fall for a moment before he sucked in a breath and nodded his head. ‘It is. And if it’s a step you find you can’t take, I’ll understand. But whatever you decide, I’m not giving up on you – on us. I said I’d wait for you, Jess, and I meant it. I mean it.’

  Raising her hand, she cupped his cheek. ‘I’m not saying no.’

  ‘Then that’s enough for me.’ He lowered his head and brushed a kiss across her lips. ‘Come on, let me show you the rest of the lights.’

  Jess had just shown out the decorating team and stood admiring the triumph of a tree they’d installed in the great hall when she heard a gasp above her. Raising her eyes, she saw Lucie gripping the railing of the balcony at the top of the stairs, her stunned gaze fixed on the glittering white star topping the tree a few inches from the ceiling. ‘Oh, Jess, it’s stunning!’

  She smiled up at Lucie. ‘You don’t think it’s a bit over the top?’ She’d debated back and forth with the lead decorator over the merits of a smaller, more subtle tree and had eventually been persuaded that although those would be suitable for the library and the guest drawing room, a space as huge as the great hall deserved a statement tree. They’d chosen a Douglas fir for it’s dark green-blue branches and installed it on the left-hand side of the hall. Its position gave maximum impact from the front door, the stairs, and for those entering from the long gallery while also keeping it well away from the huge fireplace. They’d used only white decorations and lights to complement the green and white pattern on the enormous round table which dominated the centre of the hall. A direct replica of the one hanging in Winchester Castle, the table was another of their Arthurian-obsessed ancestor’s contributions to the castle’s decor. Thick fir garlands studded with twinkling white lights wound around the entire length of the balcony balustrade and down the curving banister of the stairs. A matching garland draped the length of the mantel high over the fireplace.

  Lucie jogged down the stairs to join her, dressed in jeans and a soft emerald-green jumper which turned her long red hair into a flame tumbling around her shoulders. ‘Oh, I think it’s completely over the top.’ She grinned at Jess, hooking an arm through hers. ‘And absolutely perfect.’ She sighed. ‘Imagine walking into the hall for the very first time and being confronted with this sight. Our guests are going to be blown away.’

  ‘God, I hope so.’

  Lucie hugged her arm. ‘Please tell me you’re not nervous about this! Honestly, Jess, you’ve got nothing to worry about. After all the hard work you’ve put in, you deserve for it to be a success. I was telling Arthur only this morning I wished we were staying here as your guests, because they are going to be pampered and spoiled to within an inch of their lives.’

  Jess leaned into her friend’s shoulder – that’s how she thought of her now, not the lady of the castle, nor the wife of her employer, but a good friend and true confidante. Whenever she’d had doubts over the decorations in one of the guest rooms or was struggling to make a final decision on menus, it had been to Lucie she’d turned for advice. Together they’d debated the pros and cons of a tweed patterned blanket vs a neutral throw – silly little details to some people, perhaps, but Jess wanted everything to be perfect and Lucie had never made her feel like she was wasting her time on trivialities. ‘Thank you, Luce, for everything.’

  ‘It’s been my pleasure, Jess.’ Lucie pecked a kiss on her cheek. ‘You look worn out. I hope you’re going to get some rest this weekend before the guests arrive on Monday.’

  Jess shrugged. ‘It’s the last weekend for the winter festival so I’m sure there will be lots to do. Besides,’ her voice caught in her throat. ‘I’d rather keep busy.’ Her parents were on their way up to collect the boys and take them back to Somerset for Christmas. It was breaking her heart to think about not being with them when they opened their presents on Christmas morning, but she didn’t know what else to do. They deserved to be the centre of attention, and she would be busy looking after their guests. Steve was desperate to see them, and they’d be back with her on the twenty-ninth and then through the new year.

  ‘Oh, Jess, I didn’t mean to upset you.’ Lucie drew her into a tight hug.

  ‘Ignore me, I’m being silly.’ Jess laughed through a sniffle. ‘I know the boys will have a wonderful time with Steve and our parents. I just hadn’t expected it to be quite this hard.’ She straightened her shoulders. ‘But this is our life now, and we’ll all have to get used to sharing holidays; better to start sooner rather than later.’

  Lucie pulled a clean tissue from her pocket and handed it to her. ‘And we’re going to make such a fuss of them when they come home.’ Though she’d protested against it, the Ludworths had decided to postpone their own official Christmas celebrations until the children were back to share it with them.

  ‘You didn’t have to do that, you know.’

  ‘We know.’ Lucie smiled. ‘But Christmas is such a special time when there are little ones to share it with. It was a unanimous decision so don’t
bother arguing against it anymore.’

  ‘I won’t.’ Her phone beeped in her pocket. She scanned the text. ‘It’s Mum. They’ve stopped at the services for a cup of tea. Dad reckons it’ll be no more than an hour once they set off again, I’d better go and make sure everything’s ready upstairs.’ They were staying overnight and setting off early in the morning to get ahead of the weekend traffic if they could. As the guest rooms were all made up ready for next week, Mum and Dad would sleep in her room and she’d sleep in with the boys. Isaac wouldn’t mind the cot for one night, and she liked the idea of having them as close as possible before they headed off.

  ‘I’ll speak to Betsy now. If we have lunch at one-thirty that will give them a chance to get their bearings first, and still leave time before we have to head down to the village.’ It was the last day of school, and Elijah, long with all the other children, was taking part in the nativity play and carol concert.

  ‘Sounds good to me.’ Jess gave her another quick hug and they went their separate ways.

  Chapter 16

  ‘You made good time!’ Jess called to her parents as she hurried down the steps to meet them. ‘How was the drive?’

  ‘Not bad at all,’ her dad replied, giving her a huge bear hug. ‘You’re looking good, flower. All this country air must agree with you.’ Stepping back, he craned his neck as he took in the imposing vista of the castle. ‘What a place!’ He turned to look the other way out of over the gardens. ‘What a view!’

  ‘It’s pretty amazing, huh?’ Jess walked around the other side to hug her mother. Things had been a little stiff between them since the confrontation at Centre Parcs and Jess was hoping they might improve with a bit of face-time. ‘Hello, Mum. It’s good to see you.’

  ‘Hello, darling.’ She returned Jess’s hug then smoothed a hand over the jeans she was wearing with a pretty pink jumper and matching gilet. ‘I’m not very dressed up, I’m afraid.’

  Jess pointed to her own sweatshirt. ‘Nor am I. It’s very casual here, so don’t worry about it. Arthur and Lucie are waiting inside to say hello, and you’ll meet the others over lunch.’

  Her mum’s lips twitched, a habit she had when she was nervous. ‘And they’re the lord and lady of the castle, is that right? What should I call them?’

  Jess slung an arm around her mum’s waist and steered her towards the steps. ‘He’s not a lord, he’s a baronet, and you call them Arthur and Lucie.’ She gave her mum a little squeeze. ‘They’re just people, Mum.’

  Whatever nerves her mum might have been feeling were soon swept away by Arthur’s natural exuberance and charm. ‘Alan, Wendy, how wonderful to meet you both,’ he said, striding over to shake her dad’s hand and press a quick kiss to her mum’s cheek. ‘Such a shame you’re not staying longer than one night, but we’ll do our best to make you feel at home in the short time we have.’

  Lucie stepped forward and hugged Jess’s parents in turn. ‘Welcome to Bluebell Castle. As Arthur said, you must make yourselves at home.’ She kept a gentle hand on Wendy’s shoulder. ‘Come and see what your amazing daughter has done with the decorations. We’re quite overwhelmed by this tree.’

  While she took Wendy on a little tour around the great hall, Arthur chatted to her dad about the drive up, the route he’d used and the forecast for the morning. ‘It’ll be icy first thing, but you should have a clear run home.’

  Maxwell appeared on cue to relieve her dad of the little overnight case he was carrying and escorted the three of them upstairs, leaving them at the door to the nursery with an instruction to Jess to call if they needed anything.

  ‘Well,’ her mum said as she removed her gilet and hung it on the back of one of the chairs in the playroom. ‘They’ve certainly tucked you out of the way up here.’

  Jess rolled her eyes in her dad’s direction, imploring with him not to let her start. ‘We love it up here, it’s like our own little flat and we come and go as we please. The boys have settled in very well.’

  ‘I think it’s lovely,’ her dad said. ‘These windows certainly flood the place with sunshine, don’t they? Why don’t you give us the tour, flower?’

  Grateful for his support, Jess showed them around. ‘You’ll be in here.’ She showed them the room she’d come to love with its big high bed and slanted ceiling. ‘We have to share the one bathroom, but I’ll make sure the boys have a bath tonight so there’ll be plenty of time for you to have a shower in the morning.’

  ‘I might have a shower tonight, before bed,’ her dad said. ‘Give your mum time to do her hair and whatnot before we set off in the morning. If it’s as icy as Arthur reckons, we might not want to rush off too quickly. I don’t suppose the gritters get out here much.’

  ‘We can play it by ear. There’s always a big cooked breakfast buffet at the weekends, and everyone else will be up early as it’s the last of the winter festival weekends.’

  Her dad rubbed his hands together. ‘Sounds good to me.’

  ‘Alan. What did the doctor say to you about your cholesterol?’

  ‘Come off it, Wend, one fry-up isn’t going to kill me.’ He curled his arm around his wife’s waist. ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily.’ Though she tried to duck away from the big kiss he aimed at her cheek, she was laughing.

  Jess found herself smiling. She’d forgotten they could be like this together. ‘You can have a poached egg, Dad, that’ll cut back on the fat.’

  His eyes widened. ‘Traitor! I might’ve known you women would gang up on me. Now where’s that youngest grandson of mine? I need someone on my side.’

  ‘He’s downstairs. Mrs W, the housekeeper has been looking after him while I supervised the last of the decoration installations. Let’s go and fetch him and I can give you a quick tour before lunch.’

  Lunch passed in a flurry of friendly conversation as the Ludworths went out of their way to make her parents feel welcome. She didn’t say anything, but merely raised an eyebrow in Tristan’s direction. The look of wide-eyed innocence he gave her only confirmed her suspicions he was behind this full court press of charm. Well, more power to him. If she was going to stay on at the castle, it might help persuade her parents to support that decision now they could see what a nice environment the boys would be living in.

  Though she’d tried to be sensible about it and keep her options open, none of the job searches she’d done had turned up anything suitable nearer to her parents or Steve, and going back to London where her best prospects lay still seemed impossible on one salary, never mind the horrendous cost of childcare she’d have to fork out on top of rent, food and all the other essentials. Trying to build a new business with Tristan would be a risk, but if they could make it work … She closed her eyes for a second. God, if only she had a crystal ball.

  There was also the small matter of when and how she was going to tell her parents about Tristan. Her dad would probably take it okay, but she couldn’t see her mum responding well to what would be the final nail in the coffin of her dreams that Jess and Steve would get back together. Probably best to play it by ear and see how the rest of the afternoon and evening went first.

  They made quite a parade going down the hill towards the village. In addition to Jess and her parents, the entire Ludworth clan, including Betsy, Mrs W, and Maxwell were enjoying the stroll down in the early afternoon sunshine. As they made their way to the village hall, it seemed like most of the residents of Camland had turned out to join them. While Arthur and Lucie spent some time outside saying hello to everyone, the rest of the group made their way in and managed to claim a block of seats a few rows from the front. A flurry of greetings came Jess’s way from other parents she’d met at the gates over the past few months. ‘You’ve settled in well, here,’ her mum observed as Jess sat down and placed Isaac on the seat beside her.

  ‘Yes, we all have. It’s a lovely place, Mum …’ A waft of amber aftershave stole the rest of her sentence as Tristan scooped Isaac up and settled himself into the empty seat, with the little
boy on his knee.

  ‘We miscalculated the number of chairs,’ he said with a grin so cheeky she wondered if he’d somehow cooked this up on purpose. Leaning forward she glanced down the row to see it was full, as was the one behind.

  ‘I can take him.’ She held out her hands to Isaac, who ignored her gesture and nestled himself into the crook of Tristan’s arm.

  ‘He’s fine where he is, don’t fret.’ A soft touch brushed her hand where it rested between their seats, his little finger curling around hers for an instant before moving away.

  Don’t fret? Was he trying to give the game away? Though he’d kissed her during the woodland walk, they’d been out of the glare of the lights and as far as she was aware no one in the family had seen them. He certainly hadn’t made any other public overtures towards her, and she’d not said anything – not even to Lucie, though it had been tempting to ask her advice. And now here he was, holding Isaac like he had every right to, while all but holding hands with her. All it would take was one sharp-eyed observer to put two and two together to set the rumour mill rumbling. Secrets didn’t stay very secret in a little place like this. She shifted her chair a little closer to her mum, just in case.

  ‘You’ll find it hard to leave, I expect, but then I never understood why you took on this job in the first place, knowing it would only be a temporary position.’

  Jess bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping. Trust her mum to ambush her with this when they were in a public setting. ‘I told you why I wanted to come here, and it’s the best thing I could’ve done for the three of us,’ she said, trying to keep her voice low enough so as not to be overheard.