Bells and Bows on Mistletoe Row

by Emily Harvale

  'Harrison Bow.' Mrs D's voice was merely a whisper.

  'Harrison?' Juliet's phone slid from her fingers as she stared at Mrs D. Thankfully, it landed in a box filled with tinsel at Juliet's feet but it was a moment or two before she bent down to retrieve it. She looked directly at Mrs D. 'You're mistaken, surely?' Twenty years ago, Harrison Bow had sworn he'd never set foot on Mistletoe Row again, or visit his grandfather at The Grange, and as far as Juliet knew, he hadn't. Why would he come back after all this time? Unless? 'Is the old man ill?'

  'Not that I know, dear. That old crook will outlive the lot of us, you mark my words. No. It's something to do with young Luke, I believe.'

  'Has something happened to Luke?' Luke was Harrison's younger brother. And possibly the only person in the world Harrison actually cared about.

  Mrs D threw her a curious look. 'Why must something have happened to someone to make Harrison return? He's a grown man now and an extremely successful one from all we've heard. Perhaps he wants to make amends. Put the past behind him.'

  'Or perhaps he's coming to check up on his inheritance. To make sure he's still going to get everything.'

  'I doubt that very much, dear. And if so, why now? Old Bow isn't likely to change his will after all these years. If he was ever going to disinherit Harrison, he would've done it twenty years ago, when the lad walked out.'

  'I still don't believe he did walk out. I think he ran away because he wasn't man enough to face me. I mean, face everyone.'

  'I don't know, dear. From what I heard, he and his grandad had the row to end all rows. After his head-to-head with you, of course. But none of us really knew him, did we?' Mrs D had a faraway look in her eye for a moment. 'I wonder if he's changed. You still look the same as you did all those years ago. That wonderful strawberry-blonde hair, those freckles and that determined gleam in your hazel eyes. Just like your mother's.' She smiled affectionately at Juliet before her brows furrowed. 'Although they aren't quite so filled with fire as they were. He was a scrawny teenager, if I remember rightly. But good-looking, in a moody sort of way. The complete opposite of young Luke. Harrison was so serious, wasn't he? Not that he was here for long. But he certainly made a lasting impression.' She pulled a face and nodded sagely. 'We weren't likely to forget Harrison Bow in a hurry.'

  Hardly a hurry. It was twenty years ago. But Mrs D was right. Harrison had definitely made his mark. Mostly for all the wrong reasons. Juliet often thought she was the only one who really remembered him, but of course she wasn't. Everyone who lived on Mistletoe Row twenty years ago would remember him.

  No one would forget what happened.

  Least of all, Juliet.

  Chapter Two

  The wipers of Harrison's Mercedes GLS glided across the windscreen as they batted away large flakes of snow. At least he'd avoided the earlier blizzard. Now the snow was falling far more gently and whilst visibility on the roads wasn't great, it was a lot better than it had been. He was glad he had delayed his journey by several hours, even though it meant arriving in the dark, and late into the evening. That was a bonus, in fact. He would only need to spend an hour or so with his grandfather before the old man retired to his room for the night. Harrison may not have set foot inside The Grange for twenty years, but he knew exactly what went on there. Luke made sure of that.

  And Luke wasn't Harrison's only informant. Three years ago, Rufus Bow, who was ninety this year, had begrudgingly agreed to a live-in housekeeper to oversee the day-to-day running of the house. A housekeeper paid for by Harrison. Not that Rufus could say no. The house belonged to Harrison, not to Rufus, and had done so for the last eight years, despite what everyone else might think. In fact, strictly speaking, it had belonged to Harrison since the day it was purchased from the Bells; he simply hadn't known about it at the time. More than once during the last eight years, Harrison had been sorely tempted to tell the old man to leave, but he never had. He might detest his grandfather, but family was family, no matter what he may have done.

  'So this is Mistletythe,' Kiki, Harrison's executive assistant said, peering out at the snow-laden streets of the town. 'I see what you mean by “quiet”. The place is bordering on dead.'

  She threw him a smile and he smiled back. 'I warned you, so it's too late to blame me. I still don't know why you wanted to come.' He glanced from side to side. 'The place hasn't changed in twenty years.'

  Kiki twisted in her seat and tipped her head to one side, a curtain of sleek, mahogany hair falling to her elbows. 'Why haven't you been back for twenty years? Did you ever tell me? I can't recall.'

  He hadn't, and she knew it. So what was she playing at, exactly? He'd never spoken of that time to her or to anyone since it happened; since he'd vowed never to return to The Grange, or to ever drive along Mistletoe Row again – the scene of one of the unhappiest times of his life.

  'No. And I'm not going to tell you now, so forget it. One thing I will say though, is beware of the old man. He may be ninety but all his faculties are intact. And he can be a real charmer when it suits him. He can make you believe in unicorns if he wants to.'

  'Unicorns?' Kiki gave a ripple of laughter and pulled a face at him. 'Where did that come from? I've never heard you mention unicorns before.'

  Harrison cursed under his breath. He hadn't even got to Mistletoe Row and already that damn girl was playing on his mind. Twenty years had passed and yet still Juliet bloody Bell and her sodding unicorns were the first thing that popped into his head the moment he was within spitting distance of the place.

  'It's something someone once said about me and my grandfather. What I'm saying is, don't believe everything he tells you. In fact, don't believe anything. That way you stand less chance of getting hurt.'

  'Getting hurt? Jesus, Harrison. What's come over you? You're acting weird. You've been acting weird since the day your brother called and asked you to come down here for Christmas. If you didn't want to come, why are we here?'

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and clenched his teeth.

  'Harrison?' Kiki coaxed.

  'I'm here because Luke asked me to be. You're here because you said you had nowhere else to go this year and you might as well come with me and get paid double-time.' He threw her a sardonic smile.

  'Double my Christmas bonus, I believe you mentioned.' She laid a manicured hand on his forearm and grinned. 'And it's not that I didn't have anywhere else to go. You're well aware that I could be skiing in Aspen with Charlie and the crowd. I chose to be here with you.'

  He cast a quick glance in her direction and furrowed his brows. 'Why was that? I told you it wouldn't be fun. Or festive. Or anything else you're expecting. I told you it would be all work, in a dark and dingy old house and that you'd be far better off going to Aspen with your brother. And yet here you are. And you say I'm the one who's acting weird.'

  Kiki let out a little sigh. 'Let's just say, I fancied a change. And I like spending time with you. You know that. We're friends first, more than we are boss and assistant, aren't we? We've been friends for years, yet we've never spent Christmas, or any other holiday time together. I thought it would be nice if we did.'

  He raised one brow. 'So you said when you told me you wanted to come. I don't think spending holiday time with one's boss is a requisite for a good working relationship, Kiki, or something friends need to do. In fact, I think it would be quite the opposite in many cases.'

  'But we're not like other people, are we? We have something special, don't you think?'

  She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger and Harrison watched her from the corner of his eye. He couldn't decide if she was going for sexy, or petulant. Her tone was soft and sultry but the expression on her undeniably beautiful face was more like a spoilt child.

  'We certainly work well together,' he said, turning his attention to the road and changing the subject. 'You can't see them, due to the fact that the local council is too mean to install adequate street lighting, but we're now on Mistletythe Lan
e and it's bordered either side by apple orchards. This time of year the apple trees are laden with bunches of mistletoe. Did you know that mistletoe is a parasitic plant and attaches itself to a host? Although it doesn't actually kill the host tree, just lives off its nutrients. It's a bit like some members of my family, in that respect.' He flashed Kiki a meaningful grin.

  She grinned back. 'Or like an alien from another planet.'

  'My relatives, or the plant?' He raised a brow before continuing: 'It also grows on lime and hawthorn in the UK, and poplar and conifer, I believe. Although I'm no expert. It's spread by birds. They eat the berries and wipe their beaks on the branches of the trees, leaving the mistletoe seed behind to establish itself. Or perhaps it's in their poop. Anyway, it takes years for it to get to the stage where it can bear berries. But Mistletoe is more valuable than the apple crop around here, which is why the mistletoe has been encouraged to thrive. It's a shame you won't get to see it. Even in daylight it'll be hidden under all this snow.'

  'We're going to be here for a week or two, aren't we? You never know what might happen.'

  For some reason, Harrison wasn't sure she was still talking about the mistletoe but he ignored the comment as he reached the narrow bridge and they drove across it in silence. From here, Mistletoe Row was full of twists and turns as it wound its way for about a mile until it climbed up Mistletoe Mount on which the stately Georgian house, The Grange, stood proud at the top, overlooking the clutch of cottages, the church, the pub and Dobbie's Convenience Store.

  'At least there's a pub,' Kiki said, nodding to her left.

  'And a church,' Harrison said, grinning. 'Not that you've probably ever been inside one of those, have you?'

  Kiki tutted and pouted her bright red lips. 'I'll have you know, Harrison Bow that I was a Catholic convent school girl. I spent more years than I care to remember inside a church.'

  'I'm impressed. I didn't know that about you.'

  'There're a lot of things you don't know about me, Harrison. And there are lots of things I don't know about you, despite the fact that you and Charlie have been friends for at least ten years. We can spend this holiday finding out.'

  He didn't like the sound of that. It came across as more of a threat than a treat. Or perhaps that was just him being his usual stand-off self and putting up his barriers. Maybe it was time he stopped doing that? After all, he was back on Mistletoe Row for the first time in twenty years, wasn't he? And hadn't Luke begged him to come and to try to put the past behind him? Behind them all. Perhaps the time was right. Kiki was drop-dead gorgeous and he was pretty sure she liked him. Perhaps spending this Christmas with her by his side wouldn't be all bad. Even if he would also be spending it with his grandfather.

  He tried not to look at number 29 as he passed, but he couldn't quite stop his head from turning briefly in that direction. The cottage looked warm, cosy and welcoming on the outside with its rows of white fairy lights, a garland of holly and mistletoe above the double front door and an amber glow from every window. Inside, he could imagine it would be even more festive, warm and welcoming. But not to him. If he knocked on that door, it'd be slammed in his face a second after it was opened. They'd probably toss out a bunch of garlic, and possibly even some holy water, for good measure. One of the last things Juliet Bell had said to him was that he was a bloodsucking pariah. Before she'd wished him dead. He hadn't forgotten that. Even after twenty years.

  'Is that it?'

  For a second Harrison wondered if Kiki could read his thoughts. Until he realised she was staring in the direction of Mistletoe Mount and The Grange.

  'Yep. That's it. It looks bloody depressing, doesn't it?'

  She met his eyes. 'It could definitely do with a bit of brightening up. Doesn't your grandad, or your brother like Christmas? God! The place does have electricity, doesn't it? I can't see one light anywhere. Perhaps everyone's gone out?'

  Harrison laughed mirthlessly. 'The old man will no doubt be in his study at the back of the house, and if I know Luke, he'll be in the gym, or the indoor pool, both also at the back. Daphne, the live-in housekeeper is probably in the kitchen.'

  'Also at the back, I suppose,' Kiki said, raising perfectly arched brows. 'What's at the front?'

  'The sitting room, dining room, library and my study.'

  'Your study? But you told me you haven't been here for twenty years.'

  'I haven't. When the old man bought the place – and I use that word charitably – he gave me a study. I know for a fact that's exactly as it was. And nothing will have changed because that old man will never change. That's simply the way he is.'

  'You really don't like him, do you? What did he do to make you hate him so?'

  Harrison sneered. 'What did he do? He ruined my life. And not just my life, but other people's too.'

  'Ruined your life?' Kiki's brows shot together and her voice increased by at least an octave. 'If this is your life ruined, I can't imagine just how wonderful it was before. God, Harrison. People would kill to have your life. And that includes me.'

  He shot her a look and after a moment he nodded. 'I suppose you're right. And it wasn't that my life was wonderful before. But it could've been. It could've been the sort of life people only dream about. He made sure that could never be.'

  'Will you ever tell me about it?'

  Her voice was soft and soothing but when she laid a hand on his knee, he moved his leg away.

  'Sorry, Kiki. I'm behaving like a bloody jerk, I know. It's this place. Seeing it again after all these years has brought it all back with a vengeance. But I'm being melodramatic. Ignore me. I expect you're beginning to regret offering to join me for Christmas, aren't you?'

  'Absolutely not. I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see Luke again. It must be several months since he visited you. And I'm dying to meet your grandad in spite of everything you've said about him. Or not said, to be more precise. I think this is the most you've spoken of him since I've known you, and certainly since I started working for you four years ago.'

  'Four years? Has it only been four? It feels a lot longer than that.'

  'Thanks.' She playfully tapped his arm. 'I'll take that as a compliment.'

  He grinned. 'You should. It was meant as one. You've become a good friend, Kiki. More like a sister, in fact.'

  'Great.' She folded her arms and pouted.

  'What's wrong with that?' He stopped the car outside the front door of The Grange and turned to her and smiled.

  'You should've stopped at good friend.' She twisted in her seat and met his eyes. 'I don't want to be your sister, Harrison. I want...'

  The front door of The Grange burst open and Kiki's voice trailed off as Harrison looked away to see his younger brother dashing towards them.

  Chapter Three

  Juliet still hadn't told her family about her redundancy despite having been home for more than three hours. She had meant to do so once all the exuberant greetings were over but her mum insisted she should take a lovely, long bath before supper and the prospect of soaking in scented bubbles far outweighed her need to break her news.

  'You must be frozen to the core,' her mum had said, the minute Juliet struggled in via the back door with the bags of shopping in her hands and her holdall slung across her shoulder, accompanied by a rather large flurry of snow and a gust of wind that sent the curtains flapping. 'I can hardly see you under the layers of snow. I hadn't realised how bad it was out there.'

  'Good heavens, sweetheart,' her dad had added, swooping forward and slamming the back door shut. 'Let me take those bags. Was the journey dreadful? Of course it was. What with the delays you called and told us about, and this dreadful weather. Sometimes I forget a conversation I've just had.' He took the shopping bags and chuckled as he placed them on the kitchen table.

  'Chuck me your coat,' Zoe said, rolling her eyes as Juliet removed the holdall and dropped it at her feet. 'You'll be thawing out all over the kitchen floor and I've already mopped the thing three times
today. Good to have you home though. Want a glass of mulled wine?'

  Juliet laughed as she regained her breath after battling her way up the garden path. She shrugged off her coat, handed it to Zoe and then hugged each member of her family in turn, even Cinnamon, who had woken up and come to greet her.

  'Yes please to the wine, Zoe. And I'd love a hot bath, Mum, if you don't mind. I'm absolutely shattered.'

  'Mind? Why would I mind? We can chat when you're warm and dry. We don't want you getting hypothermia. Zoe and I will make supper. You go and relax, sweetheart.'

  Juliet didn't need telling twice. She had more things in the car but they could stay there until morning. Everything she needed was in her holdall and her family wouldn't mind if she ate supper dressed in her PJs, dressing gown and slippers. The kitchen smelt divine, the cottage was cosy and she was more than a little relieved to be home. The bad news could wait.

  She had fully intended to bring the subject up over supper, but the truth was, since leaving Mrs D's she had thought of little else but Harrison Bow. Why would he return after all these years? What could Luke have said to bring him home? Did her family know? They hadn't mentioned it to her and surely they knew it was something she should be told? Or perhaps that was precisely why they hadn't done so? Perhaps they thought she might not come home for Christmas if she discovered there was a chance she would bump into him.

  No one had mentioned him as they consumed the cauliflower cheese and baked beans, either. Or the blackberry and apple crumble with homemade custard. All her family talked about was the weather, how good it was to have her home and whether she felt up to getting the Christmas tree in the morning now that the blizzard had subsided. That led into a long conversation about when, exactly, her dad planned to go into the roof space and bring down the decorations because apparently he had been promising to do so all week, and hadn't. Which in turn led into a discussion about the possibility of buying some new decorations this year. As usual, a question relating to the family finances sent her dad scurrying off to his study like a scared rabbit.