‘Is she nice?’
Tristan smiled. ‘Yes. She’s very nice. You’ll get to do lots of fun things there, and you’ll also be able to spend some time with your class up here at the castle. We’re just starting a new gardening project with the school, so you’ll learn all about how to plant things and where your food comes from.’
‘That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?’ Jess prompted. She glanced up at Tristan. ‘It’s a new project?’
He nodded. ‘Iggy and Will came up with the idea. They created an interactive area of the grounds for children who come to visit and then it grew from there. We’ve set aside a plot of land for the school to use as a green space. As well as room to plant a vegetable plot, there’s enough room for them to do sports activities. There’s only a concrete playground area on the grounds of the school itself.’
‘It sounds great, and some positive PR for you when you’re promoting the castle.’
‘I hadn’t really thought about it, I don’t want it to seem like I’m exploiting them.’
Jess shrugged. ‘Well, you’d have to get permission from the parents for any photos you take and publish, but if they’re all in agreement then it’d make a nice feature for your blog and you can tie it in with the fact there’s a general children’s area in the gardens as well. Healthy eating and dietary awareness is all the rage.’
‘I’ll talk to Mrs Winters about it. Do you want me to come down with you tomorrow? I can do the introductions and then take the boys exploring while you talk to her.’
Before she could answer, Maxwell entered the room to announce dinner and there was the usual hubbub as everyone made their way across the great hall and down the corridor to the dining room. Leaving Jess in Lucie and Arthur’s care, Tristan went to offer his arm to Morgana. Trim and fit, she didn’t need any assistance, but one of the base standards in the Ludworth household was a lady did not walk unescorted into the evening meal.
‘Well, my boy, you’ve certainly livened things up around here.’
Though her tone was dry, he could see a spark of mischief in his aunt’s eye. ‘You know me, I like to shake things up now and again.’
‘Hmm.’
They entered the dining room to find Maxwell had magicked up a highchair for Isaac from somewhere. Really, there was no end to the man’s resourcefulness. As he watched Jess swing the toddler into the chair and strap him into the harness without any sign of hesitation, he realised it must be one she’d brought with her. Pulling out a seat for his aunt in her usual spot at Arthur’s right hand he bent forward to whisper in her ear as she settled into it. ‘Just you wait and see what she can do. Even you’ll be impressed once Jess finds her feet and gets to work.’
‘Even me?’
Tristan brushed a quick kiss on her cheek, ‘Even you.’
Dinner was a noisy, happy affair, and Tristan was impressed once again with how well the two little boys seemed to be adapting to this new, strange environment. The roast chicken went down a storm, especially with Isaac who kept offering his open mouth to Jess like a baby bird every time she wasn’t quick with the next forkful of mashed up meat, vegetables and gravy. Elijah managed very well, with a little bit of assistance from Constance cutting things up for him, and a large dollop of ketchup to dip his meat into.
By the time Maxwell returned to clear the table and see if anyone required dessert, Isaac was all but asleep, his head doing that nodding and jerking thing as he kept dropping off and waking himself up again. ‘I think that’s my cue.’ Jess unstrapped the toddler and lifted him out of the chair. ‘Come on Eli, bed for you too.’
‘But I’m not tired,’ Elijah protested moments before he yawned so wide he set the adults laughing.
Faking a yawn, Tristan stretched then stood. ‘I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m almost ready for bed.’ The murmurs of assent might not have fooled an older child, but it was enough to get Elijah moving once he believed there was nothing he’d be missing out on by going to bed. As he waited for them at the door, Tristan returned Jess’s grateful smile with a wink that went over Elijah’s head, then followed them out. The climb to the nursery was a slow one, but Tristan kept pace behind Elijah to make sure his tired legs didn’t stumble. He waited a couple of steps below the landing to the upper floor, waiting until Jess turned back to him. ‘So, did you want me to come down to the village with you tomorrow?’
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. ‘If you don’t mind. I don’t want to keep you from your own work.’
‘It’s not a problem, besides the sooner we get you all sorted, the sooner you can start work and then I’ll be able to sit around with my feet up while you do everything.’
The laugh she gave held more than a hint of her own exhaustion. ‘If that’s what you think is going to happen, you’re going to be very disappointed.’
‘I don’t think you could ever disappoint me.’ The words were out before he knew what he was saying.
Flushing to the dark roots of her hair, Jess glanced away then back. ‘Yes, well, I’ll see you in the morning.’
He tucked his hands in his pockets in an effort to look casual and not like a bloke who’d just tossed his foolish, unwanted heart at her feet. ‘Sure. Shall we aim for about eight o’clock? Arthur will be up and about by then as well and we can get your stuff unloaded while you give the boys their breakfast.’ When she opened her mouth, he shook his head. ‘No arguments, you can’t lug it all up here by yourself now, can you?’
‘True, but you don’t have to do everything.’
‘I’ll let you unpack it all, don’t worry!’ That earned him another tired smile and gave him some hope that he’d managed to steer the conversation away from his embarrassing outburst. ‘Well, I shall see you in the morning.’ He tugged a hand from his pocket to give the sleepy-looking boy next to her a wave. ‘Night, night, Elijah.’
‘Night, Tris’an.’
As he trudged back downstairs, he gave himself a stern talking to. Jess was not an option, and the sooner he got that idea out of his head the better. Pining around after her was pathetic and it was time he put himself out there and started looking for an eligible girlfriend. Rather than return to the rest of the family who were no doubt settled once more in their usual spots in the family room, he veered left towards his bedroom and settled on the comfy old chair beside the window. Staring out into the stormy night, he considered his options. He’d never had to look for a girlfriend before, they’d always just come along in his life through social interactions, or via introductions from mutual friends. Neither of those were a viable option currently, so he’d have to do what everyone else seemed to be doing these days and resort to his phone. After all, they had an app for everything these days …
With Arthur only too happy to help, the two of them made short work of the stack of boxes, cases and sundry odds and ends packed into the back of the trailer. Maxwell and Lancelot soon stepped in to assist, and they formed something of a human chain with he and Arthur lugging everything up the main staircase and the two older men ferrying it along the corridor and up the shorter flight to the nursery with the aid of a flat-bed trolley Maxwell kept for moving heavier items. They left a few things downstairs, including a folded down buggy, a bright red scooter and a child-sized pushbike with stabilisers. Neither the scooter nor the bike would be much good on the gravel drive, but there was plenty of hard standing down by the stables where Elijah would be able to practice. But that could wait for another day.
He’d just finished stowing them in the side of the huge porch which framed the door when a yap from Pippin alerted him to the sight of Jess coming down the stairs with the boys, each clad in a padded coat which made them look like squishy little barrels. Jess had belted a bright red raincoat over jeans and a thin sweater, and he was pleased to note they all had sensible trainers on their feet. There was a proper path down to the village, but it would be a steep climb back.
He was just shrugging on his wax jacket when Mrs W entered
the great hall, her low heels clicking on the stone floor as she hurried over to him. ‘Oh good, I caught you before you left. Betsy needs a few bits from the shop and the main delivery isn’t due until tomorrow, do you mind?’
Tristan scanned a quick glance over the list she handed him. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘You’re a good boy,’ she said, patting his cheek just the way she used to do when he’d been no bigger than Elijah was now.
‘Despite what everyone else says, right?’
Laughing at his quip, she paused briefly to greet Jess and the boys before heading off to one of the myriad things she did to keep the place running as smooth as clockwork. Some might think they were overfamiliar with the staff, but to Tristan they were a part of his family. He knew Arthur and Iggy both felt the same way.
Grabbing a rucksack from one of the hooks in the boot room he shrugged it onto his back then turned to Jess. ‘All set?’
‘I think so.’ She glanced around, then spotted the folded-up buggy. ‘Oh, thank goodness. I thought for an awful moment we’d forgotten to pack it.’ Setting Isaac down, she flipped a couple of clips and the buggy unfolded. It was larger than he’d expected, with a single wheel at the front giving it a streamlined shape, and a thick rubber platform stretching between the back wheels.
Tristan held open the door so she could manoeuvre it out and was ready to give her a hand to lift it down the steps but Jess was already walking it backwards. Elijah, he noted, had taken his little brother’s hand to keep him from trying to follow her and he was impressed with the way he looked out for Isaac without having to be asked. Pippin came up to them just as Jess returned to collect Isaac and she gave him a quick pet before helping the boys down the steps. ‘No, not this time.’ Tristan told the terrier, trying to keep him inside as he began to pull the door closed.’
‘Can we take Pip for a walk?’ Elijah asked, giving the dog the perfect excuse to wriggle through the gap in the door and bound down the steps.
It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse, juggling two children, a buggy and a rucksack full of shopping back up the hill was going to be enough work without Pippin getting in everyone’s way, but the look of hope on Elijah’s face was too much to resist. ‘If we take him outside the grounds, he has to wear his harness.’ He fetched it from the boot room, ignoring Pippin’s soft growl when he spotted the hated thing. ‘Behave,’ he admonished, closing a gentle hand around the terrier’s muzzle until he quietened and consented to being strapped into the harness.
‘Would you like to walk with him to the gate?’ When Elijah nodded, Tristan showed him how to hold the lead. ‘You don’t need to yank on it, because he’s only little, just keep walking in the direction you want and he’ll get the hint. I’ve given him lots of extra lead for now, but we’ll have to tighten it up when we get on the street because we don’t want him to get into the road.’
‘Make sure you stop before the gate, Eli,’ Jess called out as boy and dog began to trot along the gravel driveway.
‘Yes, Mummy.’
They watched for a few moments and it was all Tristan could do not to laugh because it was already pretty clear that Elijah was happy to let Pippin lead him all over the place. ‘If they do a tour of all Pip’s favourite spots, they won’t reach the gate before lunchtime.’ He watched as Jess gave the buggy a shove to get it going on the stony surface. ‘Can you manage that okay?’
‘Yes, it’s fine now we’re moving.’ The wide tread on the wheels did seem to be handling the uneven surface just fine so he left her to it as they strolled along, their trainers crunching over the stones.
It was still a bit overcast, but at least the rain had cleared overnight and though there was a hint of autumn crispness in the air, it was still warm enough to be pleasant. As they walked, Tristan showed her the path down towards the formal gardens and chatted a bit about the work Iggy had put in to restore them to their former glory. ‘Can you see the tops of those tall trees in the distance?’ He pointed to the narrow tips of a long stand of cypress trees just showing over the thick hedges of the formal gardens. ‘Just beyond them we’ve got a fantastic display area, complete with a water garden which is an exclusive Will Talbot, gardener to the rich and famous, design.’ They shared a grin at his teasing tone about his sister’s boyfriend. We used it for the summer fete, and also pitched a marquee there for Arthur and Lucie’s wedding reception. The fountains were the perfect backdrop, and they’ve got a programmed light display which is stunning in the evening. I want to put on a winter festival with lots of food and drink outlets and the kind of stalls you get in Christmas markets. I’ve also got details of the guy who helped Will design the lighting for the fountains and I’m going to pick his brains about doing something similar in the woods.’ He gestured back behind them towards the thick stretch of trees which bordered one side of the land. ‘We installed a couple of easy walks during the summer, including one which is a loop and I thought we could use that.’
‘I’ve been to one of those before, and they’re incredibly atmospheric.’
‘Yes, I went to a couple around London. And we can set up a catering point at the entrance/exit to the walk so people can warm themselves up with a nice hot chocolate or a glass of mulled wine.’
‘Make sure you agree a deal with the caterer that anyone bringing a reusable cup gets a discount. It will cut down on waste and the risk of people dropping their rubbish. Perhaps you could order some with the castle motif on and sell them alongside the drinks – going green is on a lot of peoples’ conscience at the moment, and it’ll bring it a bit more revenue as well as giving you free advertising.’
Tristan groaned. Not because it wasn’t a great idea, but because he really needed to get his arse in gear in sorting out lines for a gift shop. And work out where the hell they were going to put a gift shop. When she looked at him askance, he told her as much, and she laughed. ‘You really didn’t think everything through before you started, did you?’
He shrugged. ‘We did what we could, but the imperative was to get people through the gates and some money – any money – coming in. If Lucie hadn’t found the painting, I’m not sure we’d still be living here now.’
‘Things were that bad? I’m sorry, I had no idea. I mean, I knew you’d come home because your father died, which is terrible, of course, but I didn’t …’ Jess trailed off, her face reddening.
‘Hey,’ he said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, I knew what you meant. To be honest, I don’t think any of us realised how dire things were until after Dad died – he did his best to shield us from it all, which is I think what killed him in the end. In trying to rescue our finances he got ripped off by a conman.’ An old anger stirred in his gut. ‘He might be in jail, but ours wasn’t the only family who lost more than money because of what he did.’
‘Oh, Tristan, I wish I’d known.’
Her sympathy was welcome, but there wasn’t anything she could’ve done. It might have been nice to know someone was worrying for him, though. The neediness in that thought made him profoundly uncomfortable. This was a woman in the throes of a divorce and facing a very uncertain future with two children to think about. He should be trying to ease her burdens, not want her to take on his as well. ‘I think you had enough on your plate.’
It was her turn to shrug. ‘People don’t have a finite capacity to care. If you don’t ever let your shields down, it’s not possible to have more than superficial relationships. When things were going wrong with Steve, my first instinct was to hold it all in, but that would’ve been a mistake. I knew there were times when I wouldn’t be able to cope with everything, and by being honest with Tim and Charlie I got the support I needed before I reached crisis point.’
The logic of her statement was mostly lost on him because his brain had locked onto the word ‘superficial’ and had gone into a spiral of outrage and embarrassment. Not everyone wore their heart on their sleeves, and if he chose to mask his feelings then what o
f it? He’d never been one to blubber into his hanky, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care deeply. If he needed a shoulder to lean on, he had Arthur and Iggy for that. But Arthur and Iggy were moving on with their lives and had other people, other priorities now.
As they walked past the old gatehouse that panicky sense he was being left behind clawed at his insides once more. What was he doing with his life? He needed a proper plan, and he needed it quickly. Staring through the dusty windows of an empty building with a headful of dreams and half-ideas wasn’t good enough anymore. There was no point in yearning after the kind of happiness and stability his siblings had if he had nothing to offer a potential partner.
It was one of the things he’d stalled out on last night after downloading a couple of the most popular dating apps. They all wanted to know stuff like where he lived and what job he did, and there was no easy way to explain his circumstances. ‘I still live at home’, didn’t sound great for any thirty-year-old, even if his home was a castle. ‘I sort of work for my brother’ sounded even less appealing, and so he’d left the boxes unfilled, his profile incomplete.
Christ, he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and get a grip. It was time to have those conversations with Arthur he’d been postponing and find out if those dreams could be turned into reality. If they couldn’t, if Arthur had a different vision for running things at the castle which didn’t directly involve him, at least he’d know and could start making some alternative plans. Iggy had found a rewarding new life for herself away from Bluebell Castle, and Tristan himself had done the same before, too. He’d always been great at selling stuff, at finding the right words for a decent bit of copy. Looked like he was going to have to find a way to market himself.
Starlight Over Bluebell Castle (Bluebell Castle, Book 3) Page 8