by Emma Davies
21
Tuesday 17th December
Eight shopping days until Christmas
Daisy felt the colour drain from her face, but for Bertie’s sake she plastered on a smile. Kit, on the other hand, had a face like thunder.
‘Run that by me again,’ he said bluntly.
‘I’m pulling out of the competition,’ Bertie said, screwing up his face in sheepish apology.
‘Yeah, that’s what I thought you said.’
Bertie’s face fell. He’d looked so happy when he came through the door that Daisy couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Now, his excitement was seeping out of him like a punctured tyre.
‘I know it’s not great timing, but then actually, maybe it is. And it wouldn’t be right for me to go along with this thing, not when I’ve realised that running this place isn’t what I want to do. At all.’ He took a step forward. ‘You made me realise what my life should be about, Daisy, and I’m sorry, it isn’t about running the family business.’
Daisy looked up in anguish. ‘Don’t make this my fault,’ she said.
‘It’s not anyone’s fault,’ countered Bertie. ‘I’m immensely grateful to you. If it hadn’t been for you, I would never have realised what I wanted. Or had the courage to go for it.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’d kiss you if I didn’t think you’d hit me for it.’
She sighed, not daring to look at Kit. ‘I’ll go and put the kettle on,’ she said. ‘And then I think you’d better start at the beginning.’
Daisy didn’t want a drink at all. What she wanted was a private opportunity to take in what Bertie had just said away from Kit’s furious stare. How had it all gone so horribly wrong? Only a day ago she had come home from seeing Flora and Amos, fired with inspiration and determined to follow her dreams, and then yesterday, it had all been so lovely to start with until Kit had ruined it all. And now this.
She couldn’t blame Bertie for wanting to follow his dreams but, out of all of the brothers, she’d always had the feeling that he was the most likely to win the competition. And she already knew that she could work with him. His news couldn’t have come at a worse time.
She added water and teabags to three mugs and held her hands to both cheeks, feeling how flushed they were. Kit was clearly stunned by Bertie’s news and she wondered how that was making him feel – more confident about his chances of running Buchanans, or less so? There had just been the two of them in the shop today, and it had been busy, but the atmosphere had been awful, a strained politeness that set her teeth on edge and made her head ache. And Bertie’s news would only make it worse. But, whatever happened, she still didn’t want there to be any unpleasantness with Bertie. He’d obviously made up his mind up about his future, and that had to be good thing.
Kit was with a customer when Daisy returned to the shop floor and so she and Bertie stood, rather awkwardly, while they waited for Kit to finish. Her tea was far too hot to drink but she tried to sip it anyway, feeling a little self-conscious. She hadn’t seen Bertie since their rather embarrassing encounter when he had brought the flowers that weren’t for her – only a week ago and yet so much seemed to have happened.
‘So how did your day out with Lawrence go?’ asked Bertie, blowing across the top of his mug. ‘I hear he took you to Harrods.’
Daisy nodded. ‘As you might imagine, not my favourite place,’ she replied. ‘But it was okay. I met your mother’s friend, Monique, which was… enlightening.’ She smiled. ‘Actually, it was good fun. If you ignored the price tags on the clothes, it was just like the dressing-up games I used to play when I was a child.’
Bertie grinned. ‘I didn’t ever really play at dressing-up…’
‘No, I don’t suppose you did. What did you boys do then?’
‘Ran around shooting at stuff mostly, from what I can remember. That and try to kill one another. Nothing much has changed.’ He winked at her. ‘And how was Lawrence?’
She tutted. ‘He was fine.’
‘Just fine? Really?’
Daisy rolled her eyes. ‘Okay, he lectured me on his birthright and exactly why he’s the one who is going to gain control of Buchanans. Then he told me what he wants to do when he does. Oh, and of course he didn’t think I would see through his thinly veiled plot to use Monique as a spy, feeding him with all the information about me that he could possibly wish to know. I think I annoyed him by arguing with nearly everything he said, and then he pretty much threatened me for doing so, implying it wasn’t the kind of behaviour he would expect from an employee. Apart from that, we had a lovely day…’
Bertie groaned.
‘Well, you did ask.’
‘And I’ve just made everything a million times worse, haven’t I?’
Daisy held up her hand to prevent him from saying anything else and was about to change the subject when Kit’s voice sounded from across the room.
‘That’s pretty much the size of it, yes.’
His customer was just walking towards the door and Kit came across to join them, claiming his cup of tea. ‘This had better be good,’ he said. ‘And I don’t mean the tea.’
Bertie took a deep breath. ‘In a nutshell, what’s happened is that Luka has asked me again to go into business with him, only this time, I’ve said yes.’
‘So you’d rather do that than keep the family firm going, thanks Bertie.’
Daisy winced. ‘Hang on a minute, Kit. At least let Bertie explain.’
Kit glared at her, wanting to say something else, but then his shoulders dropped and he held his tongue. He nodded slightly in Bertie’s direction.
‘I’ve been doing a lot of thinking ever since our day out,’ said Bertie. ‘I rang Luka the day after to thank him for his hospitality and he mentioned then that I should come on board with him. To be fair, he says that nearly every time I talk to him, and I’ve kind of got used to just glibly batting his remarks aside. This time, I told him I couldn’t because of what was going on here, and he laughed, saying it was about time I grew up and thought seriously about what I wanted to do with my life.’
‘Ouch.’ Daisy tried to look sympathetic.
Bertie shrugged. ‘Luka wasn’t being critical, it’s a bit of a running gag between us. But given that you and I had been discussing that very thing only the day before, well, this time it rather hit home.’ He stroked the stubble on the end of his chin. ‘I think I said to you that I wasn’t really fit for anything, and in a way that’s true, but I think what I am good at is being with people—’
‘Party animal…’ muttered Kit.
Daisy threw him a sour look, but Bertie held up his hands. ‘Yes, in a way, but I hope in a good way too, rather than the derogatory way you mean, Kit.’
‘Actually, I would agree with that,’ said Daisy, lifting her head a little. ‘You do have a natural way with people, Bertie, and you’re a born mediator. For heaven’s sake it’s the role you’ve played in your own family for years and, I would imagine, a skill that would come in very handy in Luka’s line of work. I’d hardly said ten words to you before our day out, but you were the perfect host as it happens. We were both nervous, and you really put me at ease and helped me to enjoy a day I didn’t think I would.’
Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Kit was looking at her, probably wondering if she was trying to score points, but she wasn’t. This was important to Bertie, and he deserved his chance at happiness, just the same as anyone else.
Bertie smiled and she could see him finally relax a little, his natural excitement growing once more.
‘That’s a really kind thing to say, Daisy, thank you. And I know that I could use those skills here, but there are two reasons why I’ve decided I don’t want to. The first is purely practical in that I’m not a businessman, not yet anyway. But Luka is, and I need someone like him to show me the ropes. Otherwise I think all I’d be doing here is sinking the ship and that doesn’t help anyone.
‘And the second reason, as you so eloquently put it, Kit, is
that I’m a party animal and this is not, and never will be, my natural environment. I don’t want to sell people trinkets and baubles, I want to sell them memories, and friendship, time spent with family, and I think I’d be good at that. You might think that’s trivial or worthless, but I don’t. I think people need good times in their lives, maybe now more than ever.’
Bertie’s words struck a chord with Daisy and she suddenly felt rather sorry for him. All his life he had been portrayed as a rather careless individual, never taking responsibility for anything, his talents belittled because they weren’t ‘serious’ or possibly, more to the point, a match for Lawrence’s business acumen. Yet what Bertie had said made absolute sense and she could see that he could be very successful, particularly sheltering under Luka’s wing for a while. She was just about to say so when Kit cleared his throat.
‘I think that’s the most sensible thing I’ve ever heard you say,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, Bertie, I owe you a huge apology.’ He held out his hand.
Bertie regarded him a little warily at first, but then took it and broke into a grin. ‘I think perhaps I am finally growing up too. It’s taken a while, but this feels right. Luka is doing well but he needs help to expand, and I can’t think of a better way to invest in my future.’
He broke off, pulling a face. ‘But I am sorry, Daisy, I realise what this means for you.’ He smiled at his brother. ‘No offence, Kit.’
‘None taken. We all know that with you out of the competition it’s a virtual certainty that Lawrence will get this place.’
Daisy couldn’t bear it. Kit sounded so despondent and, despite their argument, she now knew just how much he cared about Buchanans, and why. This was an awful blow for him.
‘Listen, just because Lawrence likes to think he has this place in the bag, doesn’t mean it’s so. Don’t put yourself down like that, Kit, you have just as much chance as he does.’ She broke off to include Bertie in her next words. ‘And besides, you mustn’t worry about me; whatever happens, I’ll be fine.’
‘But I do worry about you,’ replied Kit, his eyes on hers.
‘Do you?’ Daisy could feel herself blushing. ‘Oh.’
Time seemed to stand still for several seconds as Kit’s words swelled to fill the space between them.
‘But you shouldn’t… either of you,’ said Daisy. ‘Maybe it’s just time for things to change. And you mustn’t feel bad either, Bertie. You’re only doing what I know is right for you.’
‘So, what did Lawrence say then?’ he asked. ‘You mentioned earlier that he told you exactly what he would do here.’
There didn’t seem to be any point now in not telling them. ‘Well, he’s going to get rid of you two for starters. Sorry, but that’s what he said. Although I don’t suppose that comes as much of a surprise. Lawrence definitely sees this place as his and his alone. As to what he intends to do with the business, I’m not so clear about that. But he has it all planned out. And I would imagine, given his taste in retailers, that he intends to take this place up a notch.’
‘Which will kill it off completely,’ said Kit. ‘It’s his fault things are the way they are now.’
Daisy nodded. ‘I agree with you. But I don’t think Lawrence will listen to what anyone else has to say, least of all me.’
‘But you’re probably the expert among us,’ said Bertie. ‘That’s a rather short-sighted attitude to take.’
‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that you’re the expert among us,’ countered Kit. ‘So what are we going to do?’
Bertie smiled. ‘Well I should have thought that was obvious… There’s only one thing you can do and that’s win the competition.’
‘Easier said than done,’ replied Kit. ‘Lawrence will be pulling out all the stops.’
‘Yes, but how is that going to help him when he doesn’t know a thing about me, or what jewellery I would like? Despite his conviction that Monique was going to spy for him and divulge all, he’ll probably have found out by now that her lips are very firmly sealed.’
‘He’ll find a way,’ said Kit darkly. ‘I don’t know how, but he will. That’s just what Lawrence is like. No point trying to outwit him.’
Bertie swallowed a mouthful of his tea and then put the mug down very carefully, clearing his throat as he did so. ‘There is one way to swing the outcome of the competition in your favour…’
Daisy looked at him bemused. ‘Well, I don’t see how when…’ She broke off as she suddenly realised what Bertie meant. She flashed a look at Kit, but he was studying the floor, avoiding her gaze. ‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘Absolutely not, that’s cheating.’
Bertie opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand. ‘Don’t even think about it,’ she warned. ‘I could have given the game away at any point over the last couple of weeks, to any of you, but I haven’t, nor will I. My feelings about who gets to run Buchanans are immaterial. If they weren’t then Bea would have given me a say in who wins, but she didn’t. So it’s her decision and hers alone, and whatever that is I will just have to accept it.’ Kit’s gaze was still resolutely on the floor and she kicked his foot to make her point. ‘I thought I’d made that perfectly clear.’
He looked up, startled, and threw Bertie a warning look but it was too late.
‘Daisy… your loyalty does you enormous credit, and when I was in the running for this place I was incredibly grateful for it, but come on, the whole situation is different now, surely you can see that? Besides, if Lawrence wins then I dread to think what will happen to this place. Despite ducking out of the competition, I still care enormously what becomes of Buchanans; it’s been in the family for years for goodness’ sake. We owe it everything and l can’t stand by and let all that fall by the wayside because Lawrence has ideas above his station.’
He gave Kit a pointed look. ‘Sorry, Kit, I don’t mean that you’re not in with a chance, of course you are, but look, it’s the just the two of us here – who’s going to know if we stack the odds slightly in your favour?’
Kit groaned. ‘Bertie, that’s really not—’
‘For goodness’ sake, what is the matter with you two?’ exclaimed Daisy. ‘Am I really the only one here with any morals? And I thought better of you, Bertie. I really thought you were prepared to play by the rules, but first Kit and now you!’ She banged down her mug and glared at them both.
Bertie was looking confused. ‘Have I missed something here?’ he said, looking at his brother, and then he gave a wry chuckle. ‘Well, Christopher Buchanan… seems like you can’t help yourself after all. Pretending to be all holier than thou when really you’re no better than the rest of us!’
Kit looked like he was about to explode and Daisy winced. Bertie was only teasing, but whereas Kit would probably have shrugged it off before, now it was all getting a little too personal. And that was probably her fault.
She raised her hands. ‘Listen… this isn’t helping anybody—’
But Kit wasn’t about to heed her words.
‘For your information, Bertie, I have never considered myself above anyone in this family. I simply live a different life from the rest of you, but I’ve never interfered in your choices, I just accept them. And I have certainly not cheated, despite what Daisy seems to think – last night was just a misunderstanding, that’s all.’
Bertie slapped a hand against his head. ‘Of course, your meal! How did it go?’
‘Fine…’ Kit’s voice echoed just a split second behind her own, but his voice was flat. She looked imploringly at Bertie to drop the subject and was relieved when he winked at her.
‘Oh I see, bit of a touchy subject. I’ll keep quiet then.’
Daisy rolled her eyes. That was almost as bad, but at least she didn’t have to say any more. She fixed both brothers with a steely gaze.
‘Right. I’ll just make this clear again, shall I? I will not be entering into a discussion with any of you about the competition, on any level, so I suggest you refrain from bringing up the subject
again. Kit and Lawrence can both do what has been asked of them and, on Christmas Eve, Bea will decide who is running Buchanans. Following that, I will decide what I want to do. And that’s it. End of story. And now, if I’m not very much mistaken, Bertie came in to tell us his good news and as such we should be congratulating him, not bickering like small children.’
Kit had the grace to look sheepish.
‘She’s right, Bertie. Fighting among ourselves isn’t going to help, and I am really pleased for you. So if this competition has helped you to work out what you want then it’s had its uses after all. I suppose that’s something to be thankful for at least.’
Bertie nodded. ‘Although I think it was mostly down to Daisy.’
‘But I really didn’t do anything,’ she protested. ‘Perhaps it’s just that the time is right.’
‘Maybe…’ He thought for a moment. ‘No, it isn’t that. I know exactly what made me change my mind – it was seeing you, whirling on the ice, the look of absolute joy on your face as you were reminded what that felt like. It’s the little things, you said, and it really is. We were in the middle of a busy town, crowded with people, and the thing that made you happy wasn’t the shops, or the food, or the spectacle of the whole thing, but a simple memory of something that meant a lot to you. And I did that, by taking you there, I brought that back to you, and it made me realise that if I could do it for you, I could do it for other people too. Or at least give them the chance to make those happy memories.’
She leaned forward and impulsively kissed his cheek. ‘I think that’s perfect,’ she said.
‘But what about you two?’ asked Bertie. ‘What do you want to do? If you could do the one thing that truly made you happy, what would it be?’