It had been over a week now. Eight days since they’d found Jamie and offered to care for him, while the search for his mother went on behind the scenes. Even the social services lady was starting to look at them with that gleam in her eye that told Liam she was getting ideas.
But Alice wasn’t, he knew that. She’d been very careful to maintain every boundary they’d put up—bubbles notwithstanding. She might be letting him help out more since that night, but that was all about Jamie. She wasn’t letting him in on her feelings, her thoughts. She’d clammed up completely after her confession about her husband’s abuse, and nothing he tried seemed to change that. He’d attempted to draw her out further on her marriage, tried to figure out what question he should have asked but hadn’t, but she’d stonewalled him, or changed the conversation to Jamie’s well-being. Her past relationships were clearly off limits, and the only things she was interested in discussing were Jamie and Thornwood. It was as if she wanted him to believe that she’d arrived here fresh-faced and with no past at all.
It only took one look at her for him to know that wasn’t the case.
Oh, it wasn’t as if she looked worn out by life, like his mother had at the end. On the contrary, despite the night feeds and the exhaustion of caring for a newborn, Alice looked bright and fresh and happier than she had when he’d arrived. It was almost as if Jamie had woken something within her, something that had brought her back to life.
If he was honest with himself, it was incredibly attractive, that kind of brightness. As if the way she looked at Jamie, the love she showed there, was enough to make him feel a tug on his heart.
He’d considered it, he had to admit.
He hadn’t expected to fall for Jamie the way he had; all he’d intended to do was help out a clearly clueless Alice with the childcare, make sure that Jamie got a better start in life than most kids in his situation. He’d known that sooner or later—and probably sooner—Jamie would go back to his mother or be adopted by a real family, so he’d not even worried about becoming attached. If he’d never managed to fall in love with any of his beautiful ex-girlfriends in all the time he’d spent with them, he’d imagined it would take more than a few nights with a squalling newborn to win him over. Same with his foster siblings; he’d liked them well enough, loved one or two of them even, but it had never felt like it did with Jamie.
No, this all-encompassing love that made his heart feel too big for his chest every time he looked down at that tiny, trusting body...this wasn’t what he’d expected at all.
And neither was Alice.
At first sight, he’d assumed she was a gold-digger, after Rose’s fortune. Then he’d realised she was a do-gooder, and gone out of his way to annoy her. He’d had enough do-gooders try to interfere in his early life, and they’d always ended up making the situation worse, not better. He had no patience for them.
Except Alice was that rarity—someone who actually helped. Who did real good. Who made a difference in people’s lives.
And, given the hell she’d been through, the fact she wanted to improve others’ lots instead of just her own, well, that made him admire her. Just a bit.
The woman he’d got to know since they’d found Jamie wasn’t at all what he’d expected, and he could understand now why Jamie’s mother had left him for Alice to find—even if she did know nothing about babies.
Unbidden, an image from the night before rose up in his mind, like a film playing over and over. He’d walked into their rooms late in the evening, ready to help put Jamie to bed, and found Alice already dozing in the armchair, Jamie fast asleep on her chest. Their breathing seemed in perfect sync and they had matching expressions of peace and contentment on their faces. Alice’s golden hair shone in the lamplight like a halo, and he’d thought instantly of those paintings on traditional Christmas cards—of angels, and Mary with the baby Jesus.
For a moment his chest had felt about to burst with emotions he’d thought he wasn’t capable of feeling any more. And he’d known, without ever consciously deciding, that all of this—Jamie, Thornwood, even Alice—was no longer a reluctant responsibility for him, something he felt he had to do before he could move on.
It was where he wanted to be.
Alice’s eyes had opened even as that realisation reverberated through him, and she’d met his gaze and smiled. And he’d been lost.
So yes, he’d definitely thought about Alice that way—more than he’d like to admit. He’d considered the possibility of keeping Jamie for himself and having Alice at his side to help. He knew that if Jamie’s mother didn’t come forward a new family would have to be found—and why shouldn’t it be them? It might take some persuasion, but Jamie’s mother had left him to the two of them. That had to count for something.
Except there wasn’t really a ‘them,’ was there? He and Alice weren’t a couple, and the only thing that linked them was their love for Jamie.
But maybe that was enough?
He’d seen his mother fall for man after man, every time sure that he was the one—only to be let down time and again. From his father, who’d never even acknowledged their existence after discovering she was pregnant, to her last boyfriend, the one who’d led to their midnight flight to a local women’s refuge, just before his mum got sick. He had no interest in that sort of love—something he regularly told his casual girlfriends. Company, conversation, sex, they were all good things. But you couldn’t put your faith in them for more.
But Alice was different—not because he loved her, but because she wanted what was best for Jamie. She had no interest in love or forever either, not after her experiences. But maybe she’d be open to a deal—to sticking around long enough to persuade the authorities that they were a stable family for Jamie.
Liam didn’t need love, marriage and all that. But he did need Jamie to have everything he’d missed out on. And Alice might just be the answer.
He just needed to find the right way to put his proposition to her.
* * *
‘How do you feel about dinner tonight?’ Liam asked, leaning casually back against the stone wall behind them as they watched the pudding-makers stir their mixtures.
Alice blinked. ‘I was...definitely planning on eating some?’
‘Great. Then it’s settled. Who should we ask to babysit?’
Okay, she was definitely missing something here. ‘Babysit? What are you talking about?’
He turned to her, the smile on his lips more charming than she’d ever seen from him before. ‘You, me, dinner. Somewhere in the village, maybe. What’s the name of that nice gastro pub?’
‘The Fox and Hare?’ Was he seriously suggesting the two of them go out for dinner? Together? Without Jamie?
Like a...date?
No. She was still missing something. There was an ulterior motive at work here; she just had to find it.
‘That’s the one. I’ll call, make a reservation for what? Seven-thirty? I know you country types like to eat early.’ He flashed another charming smile, presumably to show he was joking, but Alice didn’t trust it one iota.
‘I think you’ll find that it has more to do with knowing I’ll be spending half the night feeding and soothing a crying baby, so like to get to bed early.’ Never mind that he took care of the other half. The man seemed to be able to function on no sleep at all, something Alice had never managed.
‘Fine, I’ll book it for six, then.’
Six. What was happening at six today? Alice frowned as she tried to visualise her diary. She smiled as it came to her.
‘No can do,’ she said. ‘Tonight is the Christingle service at the village church, followed by the tree lighting on the green. I was planning to take Jamie.’ By Christmas, Jamie would be with his real family. This might be her only chance to celebrate a little with him, even if he wouldn’t have a clue what was going on.
‘Even better,’ Liam said, unfazed, pulling out his phone. ‘We can go as a family. I’ll go call the pub now.’
Alice started with a jolt at his words. A family? Was that what they were?
No, Alice knew that much for sure. She’d dreamed of what a family would feel like for too long not to recognise that this was as far away from it as she could imagine.
And she was more certain than ever that Liam was up to something.
Jamie finished his bottle and she took him back from Liam and brought the baby up to her shoulder for winding. ‘Guess we’ll find out tonight, huh, baby boy?’ she whispered as she patted his back gently.
CHAPTER TWELVE
LIAM SAT BESIDE Alice on the uncomfortable church pew, Jamie snoozing in his arms, and tried to figure out how his plan had gone so off-track.
All he’d wanted to do was take Alice out somewhere private, away from the ears of Thornwood Castle’s many, many female occupants, and put his suggestion to her—that they fake being a real family for a while so that he could keep Jamie safe at Thornwood. Easy.
Except the entire population of Thornwood village appeared to have turned out for the Christingle service, and every one of them had wanted to welcome him to town on the way in. Add in all the children racing up and down the aisles excited by their oranges with glow sticks in, and the sweets they’d get to chow down on later, and there hadn’t been a moment’s peace.
And then there was the other surprise.
Liam sneaked a glance beside him again, looking away quickly when Alice met his gaze. The last thing he needed was her thinking he was staring at her.
Except he was. Or he would be, if he wasn’t being watched by an entire village.
He’d known objectively that Alice was an attractive woman. She had that willowy body that she hid under baggy jumpers to keep warm in the castle, but he’d imagined it had to be under there somewhere—hell, he’d seen it in that gold dress the night of the fundraiser. It just seemed to him now that he hadn’t really been looking. And her features had always been pretty, her honey-blonde hair usually knotted up on top of her head and her face make-up free, but still obviously pretty.
He just hadn’t ever thought about what she might look like if she made an effort. Not dressed-up-in-a-costume-to-con-money-out-of-people gold dress effort. Just an ordinary, everyday nice outfit and some make-up.
Church, apparently, was worthy of that sort of effort.
It wasn’t as if she was even wearing anything fancy. But just the simple grey velvet skirt and black boots teamed with a bright red sweater transformed her body. He could see every curve, every dip, without having to imagine anything at all.
Except, maybe, what her skin felt like under all those layers...
No. He wasn’t thinking about that. It didn’t matter that her golden hair hung loose around her shoulders in waves, and he could smell the cinnamon shampoo he’d seen in the bathroom they now shared. The bathroom where she’d hidden that body under all those bubbles... No, definitely not thinking about that. And the fact she was wearing a little make-up, and her lips looked redder and more kissable than ever, didn’t matter to him at all.
Not one bit.
Probably.
He had to stick to the plan—and that plan did not involve thinking about kissing Alice Walters. It involved a purely businesslike arrangement where they took care of a child in need together—and that was more important than any lusty thoughts the evening might have brought out in him.
Liam focused on the service instead. He wasn’t a churchgoer—church had never loomed large in his childhood—but apparently Thornwood Castle, and its owner, were patrons of the village church. The impression he’d got from the vicar was that he’d be expected to attend at least occasionally if he lived at Thornwood.
Which he wasn’t planning to do, of course.
That was the other discomfiting side of his evening. From the conversations he’d had on arrival at the church, it was obvious that the village had very clear expectations of him. Expectations that he was going to fail, once he started moving on his plans for the future of Thornwood.
The children, all holding their Christingle oranges, paraded around the sides of the church, glow sticks held aloft as the lights went out. The organ started up with one last carol—‘Silent Night’—and the whole church rang with song. The music reverberated in his chest and he looked down to see Jamie staring up at him, mesmerised by the sound.
If he adopted Jamie, he’d be heir to Thornwood, Liam realised. No direct bloodline descendant of the Howlett family, but the whole estate would be his, all the same. The castle, the village, the land—all of it in the hands of a boy whose parents weren’t just unmarried—they were a mystery.
Liam smiled to himself. That seemed like a very fitting inheritance to pass on.
The music came to an end and, after a moment of silence, the lights of the church flicked back on.
‘Come on,’ Alice said, jumping to her feet. ‘We need to get a move on if we want a good spot to see the tree-lighting from.’
Liam followed her, manoeuvring Jamie back into his snowsuit and tucking him into the pram they’d left at the back of the church. He couldn’t imagine that the switching on of a few Christmas tree lights was really that spectacular, but Alice seemed so excited it was almost contagious.
That, or he wanted another look at how magnificent her legs looked in those long, shiny black boots.
Thornwood village green was situated just outside the church, and already it seemed to be full of people. In the centre stood a large pine tree, its base secured in a box made of logs and wrapped around with a bright red ribbon. The tree itself looked bare, though.
To one side of the green, the choir who had sung during the Christingle service filed out and took their places beside the tree. Then a group of schoolchildren, all in uniform under their thick coats, gloves and hats, were ushered into place by their teacher, until they stood neatly in rows in front of the choir.
Alice darted ahead of him and he hurried to keep up with her, pushing the pram through the crowd and hoping people moved out of the way before he crushed their feet. Finally she came to a halt, not too far from the tree and close enough to hear the kids’ choir chattering excitedly.
‘What’s that for?’ Liam pointed to an unexpected cherry picker beside the tree.
‘How else did you expect them to light the lights?’ Alice asked, eyes wide. The excitement sparkling in them made her more beautiful than any make-up or change of clothes had managed. Liam looked away in a hurry. He had a plan, damn it.
To be honest, he’d expected the lights to be lit by a remote—some local celebrity pushing a button that made the whole thing light up. Come to think about it, he’d half expected that local celebrity to be him, but no one had asked.
‘Ladies, gentlemen, boys and girls!’ A woman’s voice rang out over the crowd, and Liam hunted to find the speaker. Then he realised her voice was coming from above. Up in the basket of the cherry picker, to be precise, which had now been raised to the same level as the top of the tree. In it stood a woman dressed all in white, with gossamer wings attached to her back and a shiny silver halo hovering somehow above her head.
Liam stared. ‘And here I was thinking that you were the only angel of mercy in this village,’ he murmured, and Alice’s eyes widened even further. He flashed her a quick grin and turned his attention back to the angel.
‘If she was a real angel, she’d be flying,’ he heard one of the kids nearby mutter.
‘But her wings would get tired,’ another pointed out pragmatically. ‘This is probably easier.’
‘It is my great honour to start the Thornwood Christmas celebrations this year by lighting the village Christmas tree,’ the angel said, and a cheer went up. ‘Now, if you could all help me by cou
nting down...’
‘Ten! Nine!’ the countdown started. Beside him, Alice reached into the pram and lifted Jamie out, holding him up to see the tree.
‘You know he probably can’t even see that far yet, right?’ Liam asked, in between shouts of numbers.
Alice didn’t answer him. She was too busy murmuring in Jamie’s ear, holding him tight as the countdown continued.
‘Two! One!’
At the top of the tree, the angel reached out and placed a silvery star on the tip and, as she did so, the whole tree burst into rivers of light—tiny sparkles and flashes cascading down the branches. It was, Liam had to admit, wholly magical.
On the ground, the choirs broke into song—the choristers and the children’s voices mingling as they sang of peace on earth and other impossible things. And Liam looked around him and realised that this was unlike any Christmas he’d ever experienced or even dreamt of.
Then he turned to Alice, tucking Jamie back into his pram, her golden hair falling in front of her shining pale eyes, and realised it might just be the Christmas he wanted.
* * *
‘What did you think?’ Alice asked Liam, straightening up from the pram. Jamie hadn’t seemed particularly thrilled by the whole event, but she hoped that Liam might have found it more affecting. It was her second Christmas at Thornwood, and she remembered how magical she’d found it the first year she’d been there.
She was glad she’d got to share that feeling with Liam and Jamie before she left.
She turned to hear Liam’s answer.
‘It was beautiful,’ he said, but he wasn’t looking at the tree.
He was looking at her.
Alice’s next words caught in her throat as his gaze fixed on hers. There was something new in those dark blue eyes, something she’d never expected to see. A heat, perhaps. A wanting.
She stepped back but his hand caught hers and tugged her closer. ‘This might just be the magic of the moment speaking, or possibly that angel has cast some sort of spell on me—’
Newborn Under the Christmas Tree Page 13