The Inn at Holiday Bay: Note in the Nutcracker

by Kathi Daley

  “I feel bad that Mylie didn’t find her soulmate, but she does seem excited about her trip to Prague with Riley. She insists they are just friends, and she is going to continue her search for a husband when she gets back from her trip, but I won’t be at all surprised if they end up together.”

  “They do have spark,” Georgia agreed. “And while Mylie claims not to have fallen in love, she did say that the Inn at Holiday Bay really is the perfect place to fall in love. Maybe we can use that in our marketing.”

  “Maybe we can,” I smiled. “We do have a very romantic setting, and thanks to the fact that Mark decided on the lakefront resort I suggested, the setting is going to remain romantic into the future. Maybe we can do a couples’ week at some point. We can offer couples’ massage, champagne at sunset, carriage rides after dark.”

  “Sounds like a magical idea,” Georgia agreed.

  I curled my legs under my body as Rufus climbed onto my lap. I supposed I should go in and get dressed, but lounging around on New Year’s Eve morning seemed like a good plan, given the late night Georgia and I had planned.

  “What time did you tell Tanner we’d be by?” I asked.

  “I told him around nine. I’m serving dinner at seven, and Jeremy offered to clean up. He’s planning on hanging around at the inn with Christy and Haley, Mylie and Riley, and the new guests who have checked in. I feel a little bad about not staying as well, but we’ve both been working hard, and a night with Tanner and Colt to kick off the new year sounded like the right move. Actually, I think Nikki is going to be at the inn as well. I’m sure they’ll have fun.”

  “They will, and I don’t think we’ll be needed,” I agreed.

  “I’m going to head over to the inn to see to breakfast,” Georgia announced. “The guests know we planned a late morning brunch, but I still need to get that brunch prepared.”

  After Georgia left, I poured myself a second cup of coffee. As much as I liked the loud and lively mornings at the inn, I felt like I needed a few minutes to review the past year in my mind and look forward to the new year that was just beyond the horizon. I’d actually considered jotting down a few resolutions when my phone rang.

  “Happy New Year, Kate,” I greeted my agent.

  “Happy New Year to you as well,” she responded.

  “Are you calling to see if I’ve totally forgotten about the novel I owe you?” I tried for a lighthearted voice but was actually worried that was exactly why she had called since I hadn’t worked on it since before Christmas.

  “Actually, no. I am planning a writers’ retreat for a group of new authors I recently signed with who are either working on polishing their first book or on getting that second book written after the first one has published. I had a house booked in Vermont for the week-long retreat, but there was a house fire this past week, and I need to find a new venue. I know the odds of you having all six of your rooms empty for a week in January are unlikely, but I’m desperate enough to ask.”

  “Actually, we do have openings from January third through the twenty-third. We planned to use the time to clean and stock supplies, but if you can work with those dates, I’m sure we can accommodate your writers.”

  I heard her let out a long breath of relief. “That is perfect. The group plans to assemble January twelfth through the eighteenth. I have seven writers plus a writing mentor who will be running the event, but several of the writers are attending as pairs who can room together, so six rooms will work great.”

  “Okay. I’ll block off the dates and send you our rate schedule. You can call me next week with the details.”

  “Perfect. And thank you, Abby. I really think your inn is going to be a lovely place for my retreat.”

  A writers’ retreat sounded fun. I’d attended one when I was just starting out and found the experience to be invaluable. A lot of new authors needed the extra help to get their second book written after the success of publishing the first, and spending time in a supportive environment with critique partners could be just the thing to get them over the hurdle.

  After I hung up, I walked over to the window and looked out at the bay. I loved this view so much that mere words could not express the contentment I experienced when I took in the endless sea, deserted shoreline, and thick forest that ran along the coastline as far as the eye could see. I’d initially thought it had been chance that brought me here, but the more time I spent here, the more certain I was that it was not chance but fate that had led me to the one place on earth where I’d find the solace I needed to mend my heart and feed my soul.

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  Wednesday, December 18

  “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young woman named Lady Catherine who was sent by her father, an English Duke, to marry a man she’d never met.” I recited a bedtime story to my daughter, Catherine Donovan-Zimmerman, as I fed her the bottle she still took before bed. “Lord Dunphy was the son of the Duke of Dunphy, who lived in a castle in Ireland and ruled over an entire village. The marriage of the English daughter to the Irish son was orchestrated by their fathers in order to create a political and military alliance between the families.”

  She snuggled her head into my chest as I continued the true story of her namesake Catherine Dunphy. “Lady Catherine was not only the most beautiful woman in all the land with her dark hair and piercing blue eyes, but she was also one of the strongest and bravest women of her time.” I gently rocked her toward sleep as I imagined the fiery ancestor my daughter was named after. “I feel quite certain the pairing was rocky in the beginning as Lady Catherine fought to make her mark in her new relationship, but I suspect that she eventually grew to love Lord Carrick, and he grew to love her. During their marriage, Lady Catherine bore Lord Carrick twelve children, all sons. Or at least at the time, all were believed to be sons.”

  Catherine reached up and touched my cheek as I continued to tell the story. I was determined to wean her off the bedtime bottle once we returned to Ashton Falls from our quick trip to Ireland but to be honest, the evening ritual meant as much to me as it did to her.

  “The love story of Carrick and Catherine is beautiful in many ways,” I stroked her cheek and continued to speak. “It is filled with love and passion, yet it is also extremely sad. You see, life in the sixteen hundreds was hard, and like many people who lived during this period in time, several of Catherine’s children died early in life. In fact, it was Catherine’s fourth son who eventually inherited the title from Lord Carrick Dunphy. Catherine lost three sons in her lifetime, and Carrick lost two more before he passed.”

  My heart hurt for Lady Catherine. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if something happened to my Catherine. To lose so many children seemed unbearable. I glanced down at the dark curly hair nestled against my chest and tightened my arms around the bundle in my arms just a bit. God, I loved her. I leaned over, kissed her gently on the forehead, and then continued my story. “The real twist to this story is that son number five, a baby boy named Donovan, was born while Carrack was away at war, but as it turns out, Donovan was not a son at all. He was actually a daughter.”

  Catherine had stopped sucking, but she had not taken her eyes from my face. It appeared she was really interested in the story even though she couldn’t really understand anything I was saying. I smiled, and she began to suck again. I could see that she was losing her battle to stay awake as her eyes drifted closed, and her body softened. I continued to rock slowly back and forth, as I allowed my mind to wander to Lady Catherine and the difficult decision she’d made.

  “You see, while Lady Catherine loved all of her children equally, she also loved her chauvinistic husband, a man she knew would not offer a female child the same advantages offered to his male offspring. Lady Catherine wanted more for her daughter than to be married off to a family with political ties as she’d been, so she told everyone the baby she’d delivered had died during childbirth. She named her daughter Amelia, swore the midw
ife to secrecy, and then she gave her baby to an educated and progressive couple living in the village. Conall and Deirdre Donovan gave their last name to Amelia, and it was from Amelia’s lineage that Pappy, Grandpa, you, and I are descended.”

  Catherine had stopped sucking, and her mouth had fallen open. She hadn’t finished the bottle, but she appeared to be asleep, so I slowly removed the bottle from her mouth and set it on the table next to the rocker where I was sitting. I gently stood up with her in my arms. I’d already bathed and dressed her in a nighttime diaper and warm fuzzy bunny jammies. I carried her into the second bedroom of the two-bedroom suite Zak, Catherine, Charlie, and I shared. Zak had taken Charlie out for his final bathroom break of the day while I fed Catherine. The two of us were to join the wedding party and out of town wedding guests for a late meal, and we’d decided to get Catherine to bed first.

  After I covered Catherine and made sure she was settled, I walked over to the window and looked out. I wondered where Zak and Charlie were. I’d expected them to be back by now. The section of the castle where we were staying looked out over the raging sea. It was dark now, so I couldn’t actually see the water, but the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below left no doubt that the ocean was very near.

  I opened the window and paused to listen to the sound of rain hitting the stone walkway. Apparently, it rained a lot in this part of Ireland. The last time we’d been here, the sea had risen, and the river overflowed, causing the castle, which was accessible to the town below by a bridge, to become entirely cut off for several days. According to Lord Dunphy, being cut off by raging water was a frequent occurrence, and all we could really do in such an instance was wait it out.

  I hoped the rain would not return with the velocity it had the last time we were here. We’d only planned a short stay so we could be home with our family for Christmas, so if we were going to do any sightseeing at all, we were going to need the weather to cooperate. There was a village up the coast known for its Christmas traditions, and Lord Dunphy had told me there was a Christmas Market in the small town at the foot of the castle that featured booths that sold food and locally made crafts.

  “Zoe.” I turned and looked toward the door as Alex Bremmerton knocked once and then came into the room. She was one of the two sixteen-year-olds living with Zak and me, and she’d come along on the trip to help with Catherine.

  “Are you and Nona all settled?” I asked. Nona was Zak’s honorary grandmother, who also lived with us back in Ashton Falls and came along on the trip.

  “We are. Nona was tired from the trip, so she turned in early.”

  Nona was a leather-wearing, Harley driving, senior citizen, with energy to burn most of the time, but she’d had a stroke a while back, and her energy level just wasn’t what it used to be.

  “How’s your suite?” I asked.

  “It’s really great,” Alex answered. “It has an old-world feel to it, yet it is outfitted with all the modern conveniences anyone could want. I’m sorry Scooter wasn’t able to come along. He would have loved all the weaponry on the walls.” Scooter Sherwood, the other sixteen-year-old who lived with us, was in Los Angeles visiting his father but would return to Ashton Falls in time for Christmas. “What time is your dinner?”

  “Not for another hour, but we really should head downstairs and mingle. Zak took Charlie out, so I suppose we’ll go down as soon as he gets back. I appreciate you sitting with Catherine.”

  “You know that I’m happy to. I brought the book Ellie gave me, and it’s nice and cozy in here. I’m sure Catherine and I will be fine.”

  Ellie Denton, along with her husband, Levi Denton, were my two best friends. At one point, we’d discussed having them come to Ireland with us, but then Ellie’s mother insisted she bring their children, Eli and Alya, for a visit, so the Denton family headed east for the holiday, while the Donovan-Zimmerman clan made the trip across the sea.

  Alex sat down on the sofa and hugged a pillow to her chest. “I really love how the entire castle is decorated. So far, there has been a fully decorated tree in every room, including the thirty-foot tree in the entry. How on earth did they manage to decorate that?”

  “I guess they must have used a lift of some sort. The huge double doors at the front of the castle would open wide enough to allow for scaffolding or some sort of equipment to be brought in.”

  “Yeah. I guess that makes sense. If you take into account the number of trees on the premises, the garland that is strung along the stairway and over every mantle, the bright red bows, poinsettias on every table, and lights strung everywhere, it must have taken a whole lot of people a whole lot of time to create the magic they’ve managed to pull off.”

  “It is pretty special. Like an enchanted fairytale come to life.”

  Alex tucked a lock of her long hair behind her ear. “It would be pretty magical to be married here in this castle at Christmas. I’m really excited about the wedding on Saturday. I bet it will be like something out of Cinderella. And the fact that the wedding party is staying here at the castle, and there are events planned for the entire four days between today and Saturday, makes it even more special.”

  “I am looking forward to the dinner this evening,” I agreed. “This will be the first chance I’ve had to meet my Irish relatives face to face.”

  “Personally, I’m excited about the formal ball that will be held on Friday evening,” Alex countered. “I know there probably won’t be anyone my age attending, but Nona said she’d watch Catherine if I wanted to go for a while, and I did bring the red velvet dress you bought me.”

  “You should absolutely go. I heard the ball is open to people from the village as well as those staying at the castle, so there might be someone close to your age.”

  “I hope so, but if not, it will still be fun. This castle is so awesome. I can’t wait to go exploring.”

  “It is a pretty great castle,” I agreed.

  “And so big. I’m really not sure what I was expecting. Something grand for sure, but something that felt touristy. But this place has managed to maintain its old-world charm in spite of the upgrades.”

  Alex voiced much the same sentiment I had during my first stay in Dunphy Castle. The floors and walls were made of stone, and every room had a fireplace, which served as the primary source of the heat in the huge structure. The castle had a moat, medieval weaponry on the walls, and a long, winding staircase leading to the roof. Still, in spite of the care that was taken to maintain the authenticity of the castle, the place had modern plumbing, electricity, internet, and even satellite television.

  “Nona told me that she hopes we will be given a tour of the section of the castle that’s closed off to tourists,” Alex added.

  “I’m not sure whether we will be allowed to gain access to the closed-off section or not, but I am sure we are going to have a wonderful time. I hope we will be able to go to the Christmas Market tomorrow, but it’s started to rain, and I remember from the last time we were here, that it can rain a lot once it gets started.”

  Alex shrugged. “If we can’t do the market tomorrow, I’m sure there will be other things to do. Zak told me there is a huge library as well as an arboretum where one can read.”

  I nodded. “Both statements are true. And the arboretum is really something. It seems Lord Dunphy’s grandfather built the arboretum for his wife, who was ill and unable to go outdoors. It contains a variety of plants and trees, a trickling waterfall, and climate control to ensure blooming flowers year-round.”

  “That sounds amazing.”

  Zak walked in with Charlie while Alex and I were discussing the different options that might be available to us should the rain continue.

  “You’re both soaking wet,” I said.

  “It was raining pretty hard by the time we started back,” Zak informed me. “I tried to hurry Charlie along, but he was having nothing of it. I guess I don’t blame him. It was a long flight over, followed by a long car ride up to the castle. I’m going to
change my clothes, and then we can head down to dinner. When I came through the first floor, I noticed that everyone seemed to be gathering in the parlor.”

  “Okay, great.” I looked down at the long red dress I wore. “I’ll just run a brush through my hair, and then I’ll be ready as well.”

  The suites we’d been assigned were in the back of the castle on the second floor, and the dinner was in the formal dining room on the first floor, so once we were both ready, we made our way down the long staircase. When Zak and I arrived at the party, we were greeted by Lord Dunphy, who introduced us to Adam Donovan, the groom and my distant cousin. Apparently, we shared a grandfather five generations ago, a man named Alby Donovan. Alby had five sons, the youngest of whom was my great, great grandfather, a man named Braden Donovan. Braden left Ireland and made the voyage to America when he was a young man. He married a woman named Celeste Brown and started the line of American Donovans from which I am descended. Adam is descended from Alby’s middle son, a man named David Donovan, who stayed in Ireland and worked as a blacksmith in the very village that still sits at the foot of the castle.

  “I’m so happy to finally meet you,” I said to the man who I had exchanged several emails with before speaking to on the phone twice. “This is my husband, Zak Zimmerman.”

  Adam gave me a warm hug. “You look a lot like her, you know. Catherine Dunphy.”

  “I have some features in common with Lady Catherine, but wait until you meet my daughter. She looks like she could be Catherine reincarnated.”

  Adam turned to his left. “This is my fiancée, Alyssa.”

  I turned my attention to the red-haired beauty. “I’m so very happy to meet you as well.”