Mistletoe & Mystery

by N/A

  “More than enough. In fact….”

  Sven almost galloped down the staircase, calling a last instruction over his shoulder.

  “Martha, would you tell Dexter I had an urgent business call, please?”

  “It’s Millie…”

  But he ignored her correction and sprinted out of the front door, down the steps and jumped into his Porsche Cayenne, shooting down the driveway like Lewis Hamilton’s older brother.

  “Was that Sven?” asked Dexter, coming to stand next to her on the front steps, his hands shoved into his pockets as he watched the vehicle’s red tail lights disappear through the stone pillars.

  “Yes. I don’t think he’s coming back, sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He was one of the most unpleasant men I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with. You should have heard his spiel as we drove over here. If my mother hadn’t brought me up with impeccable manners, I would have ditched him at the side of the road on our way out of Oxford. There’s no way I want him as the manor’s new owner, even if it does mean I’ll be foraging in the hedgerows for my own food for a while. I’ve done some crazy things in my life, but I think this has been one of the worst. How could I have forgotten how wonderful the Berryford villagers are and how central the manor is to the local community! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some apologising to do to Claudia… but not before I challenge you to a race down the banister, Miss Harper. And by the way, I loved the idea of an annual competition,” he smirked.

  “What… You heard?”

  “Every word! Bravo! I might hire your services when I’m in need of a PR ninja!”

  “Actually, my dream job is to be a cookery school presenter, like Claudia.”

  “You never know, there could be an opening here at the Cotswold Cookery School.”

  Millie watched Dexter bound up the stairs two at a time and then turn back to face her, his eyebrows raised.

  “Scared?”

  Millie giggled. “No way!” She sprinted after him, cocked her leg over the banister, leaned forward, and readied herself for the thrill she hadn’t expected to repeat.

  “On three! One… two… three!”

  This time Millie let go immediately and shot down the polished handrail at speed, grateful that she was wearing slinky trousers that gave her the slight edge over Dexter’s dress pants. She beat him by a couple of seconds and they both ended up in a pile on the floor, laughing like a pair of naughty toddlers.

  “Hurray! Manic Millie is back!” smirked Zach, appearing seemingly out of nowhere to reach down to help her up.

  “Don’t know if that’s the right description for your girlfriend, Zach. I think she should be rechristened Marvellous Millie because she’s just managed to hustle Sven from the premises without a rude word in sight!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Okay, Tim, I think that should hold things until you’ve had chance to call out a roofer,” said Mitch, wiping his hands on a cloth and shoving it back into his jacket pocket. The men shook hands before Tim pulled the landlord of The Flying Fox into a grateful hug. “Everyone’s retired to the pub for a drink. You’re welcome to join us?”

  “Thanks, Mitch, you’re a star. I’m not sure we’ll make it so would you open a tab for me and remind everyone they’re invited to the drinks party tomorrow night? Seven p.m. sharp.”

  “Sure.”

  “And I promise the place will be screaming Christmas festivities! What do you think, Claudie?”

  “Absolutely, darling! Decorations galore!”

  Tim’s eyes softened as he looked at his wife, his tiredness evident from the drop of his shoulders and the smudges of grey beneath his eyes. He was covered from head-to-toe in a layer of dust and what looked like a smear of chocolate on his cheek but was probably engine oil, and Millie had to supress a giggle.

  “Bye, Claudia, thanks for the coffee and the Christmas pastries. Might see you later, Zach? Millie?”

  Millie would have loved to have trotted down to the village pub for a drink, but she didn’t think she could remain upright for another minute. She had been on her feet since six a.m. that morning, had prepared and presented the Festive Feast brunch tutorial, then dealt with the surprise arrival of Dexter and Sven, assisted in the continual supply of coffee, hot chocolate and warm mince pies, Stollen, Panettone, and slabs of Kate’s parkin to Tim’s workshop. Next, she had got cracking with the tidying up which was desperately overdue; washing and drying the glasses and plates, wiping down the worktops and polishing the floor until it gleamed. Claudia had made a valiant effort to handle the mop but had only got a quarter of the way round when she had turned a sickly yellow colour and slumped into a waiting chair, filled with apologies.

  However, Millie had encountered busier days at Étienne’s and she realise that her exhaustion was as a result of her churning emotions. For the last two hours she had been treated as one of the villagers; no longer a passing stranger, but an integral part of the community of Berryford and she loved it.

  Through the kitchen window, she watched Mitch round up the last of the stragglers, bundle them into his truck, and zoom away down the driveway. For a couple of wonderful seconds the room was plunged into silence.

  “Claudia, I need to…” began Dexter, a wobble evident in his voice.

  “Why don’t we retire into the library for a nightcap,” suggested Tim. “Millie, Zach, could you join us, please?”

  Millie glanced at Zach who gave her one of his signature smirks, shrugged his shoulders and accompanied her to the cosy, book lover’s paradise where the fire glowed with the final embers of the day. Tim chose his favourite wrinkled leather chair and Claudia perched on an upholstered footstool next to him, resting her head on his arm.

  A squirm of awkwardness meandered through Millie as she and Zach took the Chesterfield, leaving Dexter to sit in the wing-backed armchair, his head lowered, his hands clasped between his knees, studiously avoiding everyone’s gaze. Millie could see he was desperate to explain himself and to make amends for the mistake he had made. However, she also thought that this was a family discussion that she and Zach should have no part of. Okay, Sven had backed out of the transaction, but the manor’s narrow escape from becoming an Ikea in the Cotswolds was merely a temporary reprieve.

  To break the impasse, Zach stepped in to perform the role of host and handed everyone a glass of Cognac. Millie took a sip and enjoyed the way the liquor scorched its way down her throat sending spasms of warmth tingling into her fingertips. She relaxed, leaned back in her seat and waited for Tim to launch into whatever it was he wanted to say.

  “First of all, I want to thank Zach and Dexter for helping with the workshop roof. Without your help my precious belongings would never have survived the winter. Millie, Claudie, you’ve done an amazing job of keeping everyone’s spirits up by providing a stream of delicious Christmas goodies, so thank you too.”

  Tim paused to drop a kiss on Claudia’s head and take a sip of his brandy.

  “Dexter…”

  “No, Tim, I want to speak first.”

  At last Dexter raised his head, pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and met Claudia’s gaze. “I owe everyone an apology for the way I’ve conducted myself these last few months. I’ve caused unimaginable heartache by my actions. How could I have forgotten what the manor means to the community? It’s just amazing how everyone has rallied around to help in your hour of need. I miss that. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you, Dexter.”

  “What I can’t forgive myself for is forgetting how much this place means to you, Claudia. It’s not only your place of business – the fabulous cookery school which I know you love - it’s your home and if someone had tried to take my home away from me, I would have been devastated, but also extremely angry. Since my parents died, you’ve both been nothing but kind to me and I’ve repaid you in the worst way possible. All I can do is beg your forgiveness and promise you that I’ve learned an important lesson today. It’s no one else
’s fault but my own that the bank is calling in the loan. I made some rash decisions, but they should never have impacted on you, Claudia, and what you’ve achieved here.”

  Dexter took a gulp of his brandy and watched the flames dance in the grate for a few beats.

  “Dex…”

  “No, Claudia, please. I don’t deserve your words of understanding. I’m flying back to Australia on Saturday and I intend to sell up. It won’t cover what I owe, but it’ll give me some breathing space. I’m coming back to live in the UK. I’ll get a proper job and I can promise you that my days of speculating are well and truly over.”

  “Dex, Tim and I will help you out financially, if we can.”

  “No. I made this mess and it’s me who should sort it out. I can’t believe I even contemplated showing Sven this place. What was I thinking? He has no concept of what owning a property in the English countryside means. When I heard what he had planned for the staircase, well, if Millie hadn’t stepped in when she did I think I would have doffed him over the head with a one of your walking sticks!”

  All eyes swung to Millie and heat flushed into her cheeks. At Dexter’s insistence she told them about Sven’s proposed steel and glasses staircase, and his plans to electrify the boundary fences, and everyone gasped.

  “Actually, I have Millie to thank for everything really.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Zach, sitting up straighter, his eyes resting on hers with such intensity she had to look away.

  “As you have gathered, Sven prefers a minimalist look when it comes to interior design projects. On the drive over here, he waxed lyrical about how his numerous homes in Sweden boast cutting-edge architectural design. No visible electrical appliances, smooth, glossy surfaces, no soft furnishings and not a picture frame in sight; in effect, a clinical white box in which to spend what little spare time he has. Not my idea of a welcoming home, but each to their own.”

  “What’s that got to do with Millie?” asked Zach, his smirk causing his dimples to appear. “If anything, she is the complete opposite. A fully paid-up member of the clutter and mess brigade and as far away from Sven on the spectrum of orderliness as it’s possible to get.”

  “Exactly! Claudia, you weren’t here when we arrived. You should have seen the look on Sven’s face when he saw the state of the kitchen.”

  “What do you mean the state of the kitchen?”

  A swirl of remorse spun through Millie’s chest and she cast a swift glance at Tim who chuckled with delight. “Erm, yes, actually, I think I need to take the credit for half of that. I offered to help Millie out with this morning’s tutorial as sous chef. I had the best fun outside of my workshop, but I don’t think I’m going to be stepping in your shoes any time soon, darling. I’m afraid to say that by the time we’d finished eating brunch the place was, well, a little untidy.”

  “Untidy? It looked like the Cotswolds Culinary Massacre!” declared Dexter, warming to his subject, his head raising as he realised he had been forgiven for his slip in integrity. “Sven was horrified, and I think that spelled the beginning of his escape back to civilisation. He had only seen the house from the photographs I’d sent him and, as they were the promotional ones Claudia uses to publicise the cookery courses, they are pretty stunning.”

  “You mean Sven couldn’t look past a little bit of clutter?” asked Claudia.

  “Oh, I’m sure he was able to do that. No, that was just the prologue to the horror story that was about to unfold for the addict of symmetry and uniformity. That’s where Millie came in.”

  “How?”

  As Dexter relayed the conversation in graphic detail, embroidered with a few embellishments, Millie waited for Claudia and Tim’s reaction with dread. She knew she shouldn’t have interfered in something that had nothing to do with her and she felt awful. It was her turn to grasp the apology baton.

  “I’m…”

  “Oh my God, Millie. Thank you! Thank you!” Claudia leapt from her seat and pulled Millie into her arms, the tears glistening at her lashes golden as they reflected the firelight.

  “So, let me get this right. Are you actually telling us that Millie’s tendency to disperse disorder wherever she goes saved the manor from a fate worse than demolition?” asked Zach, his eyes widened as he scratched his chin in disbelief.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying, and if you don’t mind, Millie, I’d also like to offer you a hug for what you’ve done to bring me to my senses – something I should have done much sooner.”

  A surge of emotion reared up in her chest as she accepted Dexter’s embrace, and then a pat on the back from Tim who had been moved to an emotional silence.

  “Oh my God! I’ll never hear the last of it!” said Zach, dropping his face into his hands. But Millie saw the gleam of happiness in his eyes, coupled with the ubiquitous glint of mischief. “I don’t care what Dexter says, I’m still not letting you loose in my kitchen!”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Friday dawned with a wide canopy of brilliant blue sky and freezing temperatures. The sun poked its face above the treetops, the air fresh, crisp and exhilarating. From where Millie lingered in the warmth of her duvet she had a wonderful view of Stonelea’s grounds and she was forced to smile when she saw a robin sitting on the windowsill watching her. She took it as a good omen and wondered what the last day of the Festive Feast cookery course would have in store.

  With a spurt of energy, she jumped into the shower. Memories of the previous evening rushed back at her; the declaration made by Dexter that she had single-handedly saved the manor - for the time being at least - and the warmth of Claudia and Tim’s embrace when they had eventually said good night and climbed the stairs to bed. Zach had relaxed too, knowing that his position as estate manager was secure, and she experienced a nip of pleasure as she recalled the way they had lingered at the boot room door the previous evening.

  “What a day!” she’d declared, turning to meet Zach’s eyes with a smile.

  “You can say that again. Tell me, is every day like this in your world? Because it seems that ever since I rescued you from that puddle in St Lucia, my life has been turned into a whirlwind of confusion, calamity and nervous expectation for the next bout of chaos.” Then he’d leaned forward to stroke a wisp of hair from her face and his voice had softened. “There’s never a dull moment when you’re around, Millie Harper; every second is crammed full of adventure.”

  For once, Zach’s familiar twist of mischief had been absent. The intensity of his gaze told Millie everything she needed to know, and desire had scorched around her body erasing the final kernel of doubt she’d harboured about his feelings for her since arriving at Stonelea Manor.

  “I’ve got you to thank for that, Zach,” she’d whispered, her heart beating out a concerto of elation. “You’ve shown me how to be adventurous; how to find the courage to fly through the air with abandon on a zip wire or on the back of a snowmobile; how to take the time to savour the sights, sounds and smells of the tropical rainforest or English countryside, not forgetting how to appreciate the flavours of an exotic Caribbean cocktail or a spiced Christmas punch! Being with you makes all my senses zing! But, the best thing of all is that you’ve helped me to understand how important it is to squeeze every ounce of excitement out of life!”

  The tremble in her voice had matched the wild vibration of emotion that zipped through her body, but she needed to continue, to make sure that Zach understood how she felt about him, how much their relationship meant to her, that she had fallen in love with him.

  “Meeting you has transformed my view of the future from monochrome to glorious technicolor, and I… and I…”

  Words had failed her at the last minute, so she’d decided to show Zach what she meant by taking a step forward, snaking her arms around his neck, and pressing her body against his. She’d had no need of the emergency sprig of mistletoe secreted in her pocket as Poppy had recommended, because Zach had lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with such
unbridled passion that her knees had weakened. She’d responded with delight, her pulse dancing the Tango as excitement coursed through her veins.

  Her lips still tingled with the thought of it!

  And who knew how the night might have ended had Dexter not, with spectacularly bad timing, appeared in the kitchen and steadfastly insisted on preparing himself a cup of coffee, chatting to them animatedly throughout, oblivious to the deathly glare Millie was giving him. Sadly, Dexter had not taken the hint before Leo and his friends barged in, searching for a midnight snack, singing the praises of the pantomime, even performing an impromptu rendition of the chorus much to Gina’s amusement.

  As she rinsed the shampoo from her eyes, she considered her and Zach’s chequered history in the path of romance. Now that she understood why he had backed off from kissing her after their dinner at his lodge, his consideration for her wellbeing made her heart perform a delicious somersault and her feelings for him blossomed still further. Poppy had been right - he hadn’t wanted to start a new relationship when he knew he was leaving in January; it would have been too difficult for both of them after what had happened with Chloe and Luke – better they remain friends than become lovers. Fortunately, that argument no longer held sway!

  She dried her hair and ran a dollop of coconut oil from root to tip, the fragrance sending her thoughts back to the sun-filled times she and Zach had enjoyed in St Lucia. Whenever she thought of the villa perched on the hill overlooking Soufrière and the Pitons, her lips curled into a smile. She had somehow felt freer, lighter, more joyful when she was there – even during the daily deluge of liquid sunshine as her taxi driver Clavie had labelled the regular tropical rainstorms.

  However, despite the natural paradise she had encountered, even the friendships of Ella and Lottie, Dylan and Henri, and the fabulous Paradise Cookery School itself, she had to admit that the icing on the cake had been Zach Barker and his quirky line in wit and sarcasm with which to jolt her from her melancholy over the ending of her relationship with Luke. She was happier than she had ever been and that was solely down to him - and now it seemed there was a possibility they could spend some time together and see where that might lead.