Mia’s cheeks blazed as she realised what her housekeeper was getting at. Oh God, she’s talking about sex! Floor, please open up and swallow me. I’ve had enough of this conversation.
Apparently Betty wasn’t done. “I mean, I know I’ve been all for you getting yourself a nice man and some decent rumpy-pumpy, but…” She shook her head again, her eyes wide. “Let’s just say that’s not exactly what I meant and leave it at that, shall we?” She looked back at Mia and smiled warmly. “Love, I’m glad you told us. Really glad. It must have been very difficult. I can’t say I’m not shocked, and it’s going to take me a while to get it straight in my head, but the way I see it is, you were backed into a corner, and you came out fighting. In fact, you came out on top. You got everything you wanted and deserved, and more besides. Your heart was, and still is, in the right place. So, as long as nobody gets hurt, and I don’t suddenly walk in on you and your men… well, whatever,” Mia’s face heated further still—she must be almost purple by now, “then I don’t have a problem with it. Not that it’s for me to decide. It certainly won’t go any further. But, can I ask one question?”
Mia nodded, then managed to say, “Of course.”
“What, er, will the living arrangements be? Currently you’re here, Tom’s in the cottage,” she narrowed her eyes, “or is he? Meanwhile, Elias and Alex are in London, and Arjun—terribly handsome, that boy, glorious accent—is in… Kent, is it? Will I be expected to run around after five of you? Perhaps more, if babies—”
“Stop right there, Betty,” Mia said quickly. “There will be no talk of babies. None. That’s not something I’ve even thought about myself. As for everything else, I honestly don’t know right now. Certainly Tom and I will be able to be open about our relationship within these walls and grounds. He may move into the house, or he might prefer to stay where he is. I have no idea. But either way, you needn’t worry about finding us in… certain situations. We’re not exhibitionists. When it comes to the others, there’s lots to discuss and figure out. It could take quite some time—but there’s no rush. If it gets to the stage where there are multiple adults living here and there’s too much work for you, we can discuss employing someone else to help you out.
“One thing I do know at this moment in time, however, is that it’s important to me that all my men feel valued and loved equally. I might be married to Elias, but if I could legally marry all of them, then make no mistake, I would. In the absence of that option, I’m going to have keys to the house cut and give a set to each of them. Tom obviously already has some, but I’m going to have a set couriered to the rest, making it absolutely clear that they’re all welcome to come and go as they please.
“It’s basically a symbol of my commitment. Since this all came about because of the staggering importance of this house and estate to me, the significance won’t be lost on them. Having said that, I’m sure none of them will simply start turning up at random, or arrive on the doorstep with their belongings and move right on in, but it’s incredibly important for them to know that if they want to, they can. I’ve long since given up trying to micro manage my personal life. It’s no fun for anyone involved, and is, quite honestly, exhausting. These days, I go with the flow. Or try to, anyway. But don’t worry,” she winked, feeling much happier and more confident now, “when it comes to the business, I’ve still got a death grip on the reins and have no intention of letting go.”
“Well.” For once, Betty didn’t seem to have anything else to say. She furrowed her brow for a moment and fiddled with the rings on her fingers. Then, true to form, she still managed to come up with something. “I have to say, Mia, that despite the upheaval and chaos of recent times, you seem to have it all sorted out. You’ve always been an incredibly capable human being—you’ve proven that repeatedly since you lost your mother. But now, well, you’re just incredible. You took an impossible situation and made it into something positive—for yourself, for this house and estate, and all the people who rely on it for employment. I couldn’t possibly be more impressed. You, love, are a force of nature. A true inspiration. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—your parents would be very proud. I know I am.”
Tears sprang to Mia’s eyes. She got out of the chair, then walked over and crouched at Betty’s feet. She took the older woman’s hands and squeezed them. “Thank you, Betty. For your kind words, your understanding, but mostly for being you. I was terrified you’d leave in disgust when you found out.”
“Pfft. Don’t be ridiculous. I’m sticking around for as long as you’ll have me. You might be a force of nature, but you still need someone around the place, helping out. Besides,” her eyes twinkled, and a smile twitched at the corners of her lips, “you can’t iron for toffee. Can’t have my Mia running about in creased clothes now, can I? Not with meetings to attend, business deals to cut, handsome men to—”
“That’ll do, Betty! For heaven’s sake!” James said suddenly, startling both women. He’d been silent and had barely moved a muscle since Mia had brought them into her confidence, but Mia had been so taken up with the subsequent conversation with her housekeeper that she hadn’t had time to check on how James was reacting to the news.
Both women stared at him for seconds that dragged on uncomfortably. Finally, Mia said tentatively, “So, James… is there anything you’d like to say? To ask?”
After a handful more awkward seconds, he lifted his head and met Mia’s gaze. A healthy—and completely understandable—dollop of confusion floated around behind his eyes, coupled with something she could only interpret as thoughtfulness. She suspected he was still getting his head around it, but the lack of any judgement from him told her that he’d already accepted it and would come to terms with it in his own time. Which was perfectly fine with her—she could wait. He gave a small smile and said, “So, Mia, should I go and get those keys cut for you, then? Three sets, wasn’t it?”
Chapter Fourteen
When Mia returned to her office, she did something she didn’t do very often—she closed the door. It was silly, really, since after the end of their conversation, James had gone straight out to get the keys cut, and Betty had returned to her task of cleaning the back parlour. They were nowhere near her office. But after such a fraught, emotionally draining experience, she needed that extra barrier between her and the outside world. Just until she regained her equilibrium.
Letting out a huge sigh, she headed to her desk and plopped into the chair, then switched the fan back on. She was about to lean her head on the wooden surface and let the enormity of what had happened wash over her when her mobile phone bleeped, startling her.
“Shit!” She clutched her chest with one hand, and reached for the device with the other. On pressing the button to illuminate the screen, she saw she’d been very popular indeed since she’d gone off to talk to James and Betty. One missed call, and four text messages. The former was from Elias, to her surprise and confusion. She’d asked him to call after he finished work, but hadn’t expected he would be able to do so for at least another hour, if not more, depending on how late he was staying to catch up following their three-week break.
The four text messages were from each of her men, which amused her no end. But then, she had contacted all of them before leaving her office, so it wasn’t like their responses were out of the blue. She pulled up her messages and read them in order from oldest to newest—that seemed to be her theme for the day.
From Thomas: Oh bloody hell, I think I’ll go and hide in the shed. Sending you lots of luck. Hope it goes okay. Let me know if and when I can come out of hiding. Harry sends kisses. Love you x
She smiled and tapped a response: Actually went well—I’m in shock. Everything is out in the open, and they seem okay with it. You can come out of hiding. ;) Got some more work and other stuff to deal with here. Will catch up with you later. Kisses back to Harry, and some for you, too. Love you xxx
Arjun’s reply was brief but no less pleasing: Love you too, beautiful.
Love you more, Alex had written. Is it time for another holiday yet? zzz
She smiled and shook her head. Poor guy was tired already. She guessed when you were a top-notch, sought-after surgeon, there was no easing back into work gently, no catching up. It was right in at the deep end, saving lives. Alex’s schedule was always going to be the toughest to work around, but since their conversation while they’d been away, where Mia had proposed visiting London more often with the premise of spending time with him, and Alex had suggested Mia having a key to his flat so she could meet him there, she felt happier about their specific situation. They were committed to their relationship, and she was confident they could make it work. London wasn’t that far away—not like she lived in the wilds of Scotland.
The last message, from Elias, said, Bugger, missed you. Boss is in a meeting and not many people around, so I can talk whenever you’re free. I’m intrigued by the business proposals already, and will of course do whatever I can to help. Love you too x
Mia woke up her computer by giving the mouse a wiggle and checked her inbox. Only one further email had come in since she’d left, and she was almost done with the red-flagged messages. Many of them hadn’t even been what she’d considered important enough for a red flag in the first place. The two business proposals, however, were incredibly important, and one of them was genuinely urgent.
Sod it. It might be your husband you’re about to call, but it’s still work. No need to feel guilty about it. You can’t reply to everyone at once—you’re not superhuman. You’ve had an out of office autoresponder set up, so everyone that’s sent an email since you signed off to get married and go on honeymoon will know why you haven’t replied in a timely manner.
She turned her attention back to her phone and hit the little icon to call her husband. She smiled. Husband. Calling him that was still taking some getting used to, but it felt good.
The call connected and she heard ringing. She held the phone to her ear and waited.
“Hello, darling,” came Elias’s voice down the line, smooth as chocolate.
She smiled again, wider this time. She’d only seen him yesterday, but missed him already—and decided to tell him as much. “Hello, gorgeous. I miss you.”
“Likewise. I’ve spent portions of the day wondering if I can persuade Arjun to buy that island. Or, more accurately, get you to persuade him. Somehow, I think you’d be more successful than me. We could all chip in, of course, but I suspect he’d have to cover most of it.”
Mia chuckled. “Probably. And that’s one hell of a good idea. But buying private islands is a conversation for another day. What I’m looking at is much closer to home. I hate to cut right to business talk, but I’d really like to discuss these proposals with you so I can figure out how best to proceed. One I know quite a lot about, and already have an appointment organised to visit the site tomorrow. I’ve been given right of first refusal, but there’s no particular hurry to respond. The other I know very little about, but the owner would like to sell as a matter of some urgency.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“It isn’t. Not in the way you think, anyway. The business isn’t in trouble.” She began outlining everything she’d learned, and soon they were batting ideas, suggestions and questions back and forth and discussing pros and cons. Mia quickly came to the conclusion that, for all Elias’s playfulness, she’d definitely made the right decision to get his opinion—he could be serious when it mattered, and his knowledge and insight were incredibly useful.
“So,” she said when they’d covered everything, “what you’re saying is that both businesses are probably a good idea?” She got up and took her glass over to the carafe on the sideboard, then poured herself some more water. After taking a swig, she returned the glass to her desk and looked out of the window on to the sun-bathed gardens.
“In a nutshell. Obviously we’d need lots more information on the cider farm, details of financials and whatnot, but your preliminary research shows a positive outlook for the business. It could be a very exciting challenge. And as for the coppicing proposal, if I were in your shoes, I’d buy it even if it wasn’t doing well, to remove any risk of developers getting their hands on it. If it came to it, you could wind up the business and let the land go wild. The last option isn’t ideal, of course, but having developers move in would have a negative effect on your land and business, as well as the local area.”
“Yes, I’ve had the same thought.” She ran a hand through her hair, then pressed it against the window frame. “Thing is, what if they’re both excellent prospects? If the cider farm isn’t out of my league financially, I could purchase it as well as the bordering land—but that’s an awful lot to take on at once. Much as I’m loathe to admit it, that would be too much to manage. I know both businesses could be left completely untouched to begin with, with their staff just doing their thing, but all the paperwork, dealing with the money, it all takes time. And I’ve barely even scratched the surface of everything else that’s been going on while we’ve been away. The timing isn’t great.”
There was a long pause before Elias replied, “Timing usually isn’t in these situations. Any idea how much of a rush the cider farm chap is in?”
She shook her head. “None, I’m afraid. I haven’t even responded to his email yet—I haven’t had time. I’ve told you absolutely everything I know.”
“Right.” Another pause, one pregnant with possibility—Mia could feel it in her bones. What the hell was he thinking? After what had to be a whole minute, Elias put her out of her misery. “What would you say, darling, if I jacked my job in right now? This minute?”
Mia gasped, then spluttered, “I thought your boss was in a meeting?”
His voice thick with amusement, Elias replied, “He’ll come out eventually. If he doesn’t, I’ll knock on the door and ask him for a quick word.”
“But… a-are you sure? I know you said you’ve been thinking about it, and that you wanted to discuss it with me…”
“I did, and I did. But as you know, darling, life doesn’t always wait for us to get our ducks in a row. Occasionally things get thrown at us unexpectedly—these two business proposals being prime examples. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad. And I believe this could well be a golden opportunity. Part of the reason I haven’t left the banking sector before now is because I didn’t know what I wanted to do next. Then you came along, and the wedding… well, I don’t need to tell you how crazy it’s been!”
She chuckled. “You certainly don’t.”
“Anyway, this could be it. The kick up the backside I need to move my life in a different direction. And if that direction also happens to put me closer to my beautiful wife, then it’s perfect, isn’t it? Providing you’re okay with it, of course. I’m not presuming to move in—we haven’t even broached that subject yet, have we? I can rent somewhere. For all we know, there could be living quarters somewhere on the farm premises.”
“T-the farm?” Mia blinked. She was having trouble keeping up with Elias’s thought process. “You’re thinking of buying the cider farm?”
“Yes. Unless you desperately want it, of course. I’d never stand in your way, darling. The offer was made to you, not me. If you do want it, I’d consider the coppicing business instead—unless you’re truly considering both, in which case I’ll support you wholeheartedly. But I was thinking the farm would be better because I’m in the mood and position to make a snap decision like this, whereas it’s clear you’re not. What I propose is this: I go to see my boss when we finish speaking on the phone, and hand in my notice. They’ll put me on gardening leave, effective immediately. I’ll go home, get changed, pack a few things, jump in the car, and whizz up to you. While I’m doing that, you contact the fellow at the farm and set up a meeting for as soon as he’s available. We could head over there together and scope the place out. If we’re happy, I’ll make him an offer. If he’s in so much of a rush, he’s not going to care that it’s
your husband, rather than you, buying the business. That then takes the pressure off both you and him, and solves the problem of what I’ll do with my life. Leaving you to make the decision in your own time about the coppicing business. How does that sound?”
“Err…” She rubbed the back of her neck as she tried to process it all. “It sounds life-changing. Are you sure this is what you want? Just so you know, I have no qualms about you leaving the bank, or moving in here—in fact, I have news on that front, when we’re done on this particular topic—but this is all pretty damn huge. I don’t want you to regret it afterwards.”
“What’s to regret? As long as this guy is legit, then I’ll be leaving a job I hate and buying a profitable business. With some sound advice and hard work, I’m hopeful I can turn that profitable business into a very profitable business. I really like the idea of being hands on, too. Obviously I haven’t got the first bloody idea of how to make cider, but the staff are already in place for that, and hopefully they’ll be willing to teach me. It’ll also mean I can be flexible with my time and do some charity work, too. If it turns out I have no interest in working at the place, then I’ll find something else to do as well as charity work. I can either keep the business, or sell it on—no harm done. The way I see it, though, is that old saying: nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s got two enormous plusses—I get out of this bloody place, and I see you more often. The minuses would have to be significant to counteract that.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Mia’s brain snagged on to the phrase and squeezed it tightly. “You know what?” she said, her confidence and elation growing by the second. “We’ve been dealing with life-changing stuff since we met. What’s a bit more? And this is all positive. But would you do me one favour?”
The response came wholeheartedly and without hesitation. “Anything.”
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