Starlight Over Bluebell Castle (Bluebell Castle, Book 3)

by Sarah Bennett

  She tried to wriggle out from under Tristan’s weight, only to receive a grumbled complaint in her ear as his arm tightened around her waist. The alarm hadn’t gone off, so she whisked the covers off her lower half as much as possible and let him sleep. Drowsiness tugged at her eyelids, and she was nodding back off when she realised the room wasn’t completely dark, though it had been every morning she’d awoken since not long after the clocks had gone forward. Worried they’d somehow managed to oversleep, she fumbled for her phone on the nightstand and held the illuminated screen in front of her face. 5.20, still ten minutes before the alarm was due to go off.

  So why was it so light? With a more determined effort this time, she freed herself from Tristan’s embrace and tiptoed to the window. An odd light filtered through a gap in the curtains, and when she twitched them open she couldn’t hold back her gasp of delight. Everywhere she looked was covered in a blanket of white. Unable to contain her excitement, she ran back to the bed, flicked on the lamp and bounced onto the bed. ‘Tristan! Tristan, wake up!’

  ‘Wha …?’ Shaking his shaggy hair out of his eyes, he sat up. ‘What’s the matter? What time is it?’

  ‘Not quite half five.’

  ‘Then unless the castle is on fire, I’ve still got time to sleep,’ he grumbled, lay down and pulled the cover over his head.

  ‘But it’s been snowing! Come and look.’ She tugged his arm, trying to pull him from the bed.

  ‘We live in the dales, that’s what happens in winter.’ His complaint was muffled by the quilt still covering his face.

  ‘Aren’t you even a little bit excited about it?’ She pouted. ‘Imagine how the guests are going to feel when they wake up and see we’re having a white Christmas. I couldn’t have planned it more perfectly if I’d tried.’

  ‘It’s not technically Christmas until tomorrow. It might melt during the day.’ When she didn’t answer, he flipped the quilt down and squinted up at her. ‘You’re really excited about this, aren’t you?’

  ‘A little bit,’ she admitted. ‘I wonder if it’s just up here, or if they’ve had some down south.’ She pictured Elijah’s face if he woke later to snow in Somerset. A fist clenched her heart, God, how she wished they were here with her.

  ‘Oh, no you don’t.’ Tristan scrambled up and pulled her into his arms. ‘No feeling sad. We’ll have the boys back with us before you know it, and they’ll be able to build a whole army of snowmen on the back lawns.’

  She nodded against his shoulder. ‘I know, it’s just …’

  ‘Shh, darling.’ He rocked her gently, his lips brushing tiny kisses to her temple. ‘I know.’

  She was gratified when their guests at least shared her enthusiasm for the overnight snowfall. Once the sun had risen, it was clear to see not much more than a couple of inches had fallen, enough to cover the grass and the roof of the stables, but not so much as to present a hazard if they needed to get a vehicle out – especially one of the four-wheel drives.

  Breakfast with the family went down well, and Jess was pleased to see Morgana had chosen to join them after deciding to give the welcome reception a miss. She had fallen into conversation with Abigail and the merry widows and, having discovered Abigail was working on an embroidery project, had invited her to use her upstairs sitting room any time she wished as the light was ‘far superior to that in the west drawing room.’ The general consensus between the guests was everyone was happy to remain at the castle for the next couple of days, content to explore at their leisure. Jess had double-checked everyone had her mobile number programmed into their phones and left them in peace.

  They’d opted to place hotel-style ‘Do Not Disturb’ cards in every bedroom, and when she went up mid-morning to check in with Mrs W and her little team of temporary cleaners, it was to find they’d worked out perfectly and they were just finishing up the last of the rooms. Though she’d not expected anything less from someone as experienced as Mrs W, Jess was delighted to see the bedrooms were spotless, and as she headed down the private staircase they’d allocated for the guests, she could hear the drone of a handheld vacuum down below where one of the cleaning team was finishing off the last few steps.

  She headed next for the orangery, where she found Yuki curled up in one of the chairs, the sketchpad on her lap showing the preliminary outlines of an orchid blooming in a pot. ‘Can I get you anything?’

  Yuki tilted her head back, the black silk waterfall of her hair falling in arrow straight lines from her face. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’ She gestured around her with the pencil in her hand. ‘I might just live in here for the next week.’

  Jess smiled. ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And as I said yesterday, you must please yourself while you are here. There’s no obligation to do anything other than relax and have a good time.’

  ‘We’re relaxed all right.’ The humorous remark came from behind them, and Jess turned to see David standing in front of the large plate-glass windows, an easel set up in front of him. ‘We were in bed by nine o’clock and I don’t think I moved a muscle until half eight this morning. I can’t remember the last time I slept that long.’

  ‘That’s music to my ears. Right, well, I’ll leave you both in peace, but I’ll be around if there’s anything you need.’

  A quick stroll through the library showed her it was empty. Sweeping up a coffee cup left on one of the tables, she poked her head around the door of the west drawing room to find Mr and Mrs Bolton ensconced on the sofa in front of the fire, noses buried in their books. After promising them a fresh pot of tea, she completed her circuit of the guest spaces and made her way back to the great hall. Tim, Charlie and the Carlisles were just coming in, boots encrusted with snow and cheeks rosy from the fresh air. They’d obviously been out with the dogs from the number of wet paw prints on the tiles trailing towards the pile of cushions in front of the fire. Whipping out her phone, she sent a quick WhatsApp to the messaging group she’d set up for the cleaning crew before helping the two couples to hang up their coats, scarves and other paraphernalia.

  ‘I can’t get over the air up here,’ Charlie said, shaking his head. ‘It’s like I can feel it clearing out all the muck and emissions from living in the city.’

  ‘So that’s why you were coughing every time we walked up the tiniest incline?’ Tim raised a sardonic eyebrow at this partner.

  ‘No, that’s because I haven’t been to the gym in the last six months,’ Charlie responded with a grin. ‘But that’s all going to change. I’m on a health and fitness kick starting from now.’

  ‘And I was going to ask if anyone wanted a cup of tea and a piece of freshly baked ginger cake,’ Jess teased. ‘So, none for Charlie, but what about the rest of you?’

  ‘Now, hold on a minute,’ Charlie protested. ‘I’ve walked off a ton of calories this morning. A slice of cake won’t do any harm.’

  ‘Looks like the health and fitness kick is starting tomorrow,’ Tim tossed over his shoulder to Jess as he linked arms with Charlie and the pair strolled towards the door leading back the way she’d just come. ‘We’ll be in the drawing room. Bob, Gloria, are you going to join us?’

  ‘I wouldn’t say no to a piece of that cake,’ Bob said, curving an arm around his wife. ‘What about you, honey?’

  ‘Just the tiniest piece,’ she said, placing a hand on Jess’s arm. ‘The food here is so wonderful, I’ll have to watch myself.’

  ‘A sliver,’ Jess promised. ‘Enough for a taste, nothing more. And some Earl Grey tea to go with it?’ she asked, recalling the woman’s preferences.

  ‘That’d be delightful.’

  To her surprise, everyone opted to attend Midnight Mass and they gathered that night, just after ten-thirty in the great hall for luxury hot chocolate. While she left Tristan manning the table where guests could have huge dollops of fresh cream, marshmallows and dark chocolate shavings added to their drinks, Jess dashed off to lay out the stockings she’d prepared on the end of everyone’s beds. She’d gone for a mix of hig
h-end toiletries, and some of the bits and pieces Lucie and Arthur had picked up from the traders at the winter festival such as jars of homemade preserves and hand-carved tree ornaments. She’d add silk scarves for the women and ties for the men, and a few jokey items like miniature versions of childhood games such as Connect 4 and Guess Who?. Her grown up version of a selection box was to include a box of handmade Belgian chocolates, as well as the traditional satsuma and a small bag of nuts. Each item had been covered in cheerful wrappings made from recycled paper and tucked carefully inside the knitted stockings she’d found online, made by a wonderful lady who donated all her profits to a local hospice.

  She made it back to the hall as everyone was putting on their coats. She caught Tristan’s eye and gave him a quick thumbs-up to let him know she was ready to go. Torches were distributed between the group and they were soon crunching across the snow-topped gravel drive towards the main gate and the old church which lay on the opposite side of the road from the castle grounds.

  A steady stream of people from the village were making their way up the hill, torches bobbing and the group from the castle blended in with them as they walked through the old lychgate marking the entrance to the church’s sacred ground. Here and there among the gravestones, tiny tealights flickered where people had paused to place a memorial to a relative or friend.

  The church itself was ablaze with light. Thick white pillar candles filled every stone window ledge, and two pairs of wrought-iron standing candelabras stood at the front and rear of the small interior. The candles sent strange shadows dancing on the stone walls and lit up the rich jewelled tones of the stained-glass windows. Little sprigs of holly and pine cones had been scattered along the backs of each set of pews interspersed with red-leather bound hymnals. Arthur, Lucie and the rest of the family made their way to the Ludworth pew which sat at the very front of the church at a right-angle to the pulpit. Tristan remained with Jess to help their guests find seats, then slid into the end of the pew next to her.

  It was only as a hush began to settle over the congregation, she recalled she hadn’t been in a church since her wedding to Steve. She’d been such a different person back then, it was almost like watching a movie as bits and pieces of that day flashed in her mind. As she’d said to Tristan when they’d lain looking up at the stars, she would never regret the choices she’d made back then because that would mean she regretted Elijah and Isaac when they were her greatest joy. But just for a moment she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if she’d stayed at the party and let Tristan kiss her. Would they have ended up standing side by side at the front of this church, or would that first flush of young love have faded after a few brief months?

  Perhaps the fates had known it was too soon for them and intervened, sending them on divergent paths until the time was right. Because it felt right, now. Sitting here in a packed church surrounded by a community she was becoming to feel she belonged in, she truly felt like she was in exactly the right place, at exactly the right time. As the organist struck up the opening bars to ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, a single tear trickled down her cheek. Home. She was home, at last. If only the boys could be there with her, everything would be perfect.

  Though Jess managed to hide how much she was missing them throughout most of Christmas Day morning, the Skype call with her boys after lunch was pure torture. They were so full of excitement and stories about what they’d been doing with their dad she couldn’t help but smile, even though her heart was breaking at being apart from them.

  When she finally crawled into bed that night, she was too tired to fight back the tears and buried her head in her pillow. A creak from the attic stairs a few minutes later alerted her to Tristan’s imminent arrival. Sitting up, she did her best to mop her face and put on a bright smile.

  With a bottle of champagne under one arm and a pair of crystal flutes dangling from the fingers of the other, he gave her a rakish smile as he kicked the bedroom door shut behind him. ‘I think you deserve this, after all your hard work today.’ His face fell almost immediately. ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing, I’m being silly,’ she managed through a fresh sting of tears. ‘I just miss the boys.’

  After setting the champagne and glasses down on the nightstand, he climbed onto the bed and drew her into his arms. ‘Shh. You’re not being silly, and of course you miss them. Have a little cry if you need to.’

  Safe and snug in his embrace, she wept herself out, grateful for his understanding. When she finally felt better, she wriggled away from him to go to the bathroom and wash her face. By the time she returned, he’d opened the champagne. Accepting a glass, she clinked it against his and took a sip. ‘Oh, that’s good.’

  ‘I’ve got something else that might make you feel even better,’ he said with an exaggerated wink.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Come on then, show me what you’ve got.’

  Reaching into his pocket, he drew out his phone, opened a video clip and handed it to her. ‘I recorded this the other day.’

  Elijah’s laughter filled the air. ‘Watch me, Tristan! Watch how fast I can go.’ Little legs pumping he cycled around the stable yard, eyes shining with joy. The image changed and they were inside the stable block. She watched as Lancelot led out a pony from a stall and hitched him to a railing. With gentle encouragement, he introduced first Elijah and then Isaac to the animal. The wonder on their faces put a lump in her throat.

  ‘When did you film this?’ she murmured, unable to tear her eyes from the screen.

  ‘Last week when you went shopping with Lucie. I meant to show you that evening, but I got distracted. They were so happy that day, I thought it might help cheer you up.’

  ‘Thank you.’ As the clip ended, her guilt eased. Yes, her boys were happy to be spending time with Steve and their grandparents, but they were happy here at Bluebell Castle, too. She raised her glass to Tristan’s. ‘Merry Christmas.’

  Instead of clinking glasses, he leaned forward and kissed her. ‘Merry Christmas, darling.’

  ‘Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!’ Elijah barely gave his father time to unbuckle his seat belt before he was flying across the gravel towards her.

  Crouching down, she hoisted him into her arms and held him tight, showering his little face in kisses until he squirmed in protest. ‘Welcome home, darling! Did you have a lovely time?’

  ‘I did! I got lots of presents. I was worried that Santa wouldn’t be able to find us, but Daddy said he wrote to him and told him where we’d be, and when I woke up in the morning, all my presents were there under Granny’s tree.’

  ‘That’s good to know, and well done Daddy for making sure Santa got the right house.’ She grinned up at Steve as he came over to them, carrying Isaac. ‘Everything all right?’

  He nodded. ‘The journey was fine, thanks, and the boys have been good as gold all week.’ He raised an eyebrow at the castle next to them. ‘Nice place you’ve got here.’

  She laughed. ‘We’ve only got a tiny bit at the top, but it suits us just fine. You can come up and have a look if you like?’

  Steve shook his head. ‘Maybe another time?’ She’d messaged him to say she was thinking about extending her time at the castle, without elaborating on all the reasons why, and he’d been fully supportive, saying he could see the boys were thriving up here. He set Isaac down on the ground. ‘Eli? Why don’t you take your brother inside while I have a quick word with Mummy?’

  ‘Okay, Daddy.’ They exchanged hugs and kisses and Steve promised he would Skype them the next day.

  Jess watched with an eagle-eye as Elijah helped his little brother up the big stone steps one at a time to where Lucie was waiting at the top to greet them. ‘Are you sure you won’t come in?’ she asked, turning back to Steve once Lucie had waved to say she had them okay.

  ‘I’d rather just unpack and run, if it’s all the same to you.’ He scuffed a foot in the gravel. ‘It’s a couple of hours from here to Wrexham, I’d lik
e to try and get there in the daylight.’ She’d been surprised when Steve had told her he would be bringing the boys back, until he’d explained the reason behind it. He and Holly, his geologist friend had certainly progressed beyond coffee.

  ‘Meeting the parents, eh?’ She said, giving his shoulder a playful push.

  He laughed. ‘It’s nothing serious. Holly told them I was spending time with the boys, and they thought I might be feeling a bit blue afterwards and might like a few days away.’

  ‘Don’t believe a word of it! You’re going to be inspected, so you’d best behave yourself.’

  A polite cough came from behind them, and she turned to see Tristan on the steps.

  ‘I thought you might need a hand bringing the boys stuff in,’ he said, not moving closer.

  ‘Good idea.’ She waved him over. ‘This is Steve, be kind to him as he’s off to meet his new girlfriend’s parents.’

  ‘Hi. Tristan Ludworth, it’s good to meet you.’ Tristan shook Steve’s hand. ‘Well they can’t be any scarier than Wendy, so I’m sure you’ll be fine.’

  Steve laughed. ‘Good point, and it’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.’

  When Tristan raised an eyebrow at her, Jess shook her head. ‘Not from me!’