by N/A
A colony of butterflies took up residence in her stomach as she skipped down the stairs to grab her first coffee of the day. She had expected to see Claudia there, but remembered that Tim had insisted on making a doctor’s appointment for her that morning and they must have already left. She knew it would be a couple of hours at least before Leo and Gina, Mike and Marianne surfaced because the demonstration of festive canapés wasn’t scheduled until two o’clock.
She grabbed a croissant and made a start on the ingredients required to prepare the menu for that evening’s party. Tim was in charge of the drinks and Mitch had promised a barrel of his best craft ale, a vat of spice-infused mulled wine, and his famous Christmas punch which according to Zach was like paint stripper and to be avoided at all costs. She decided to take his advice because her train back to London was booked for the following afternoon and she didn’t want to spoil her last day at Stonelea suffering from a hangover. She couldn’t believe she had only been in Berryford for a week. She felt as though she had been there for years. She had been welcomed and accepted as part of the community and that filled her with warmth and a whole host of Christmas joy.
When at last Millie paused to survey the kitchen, a surge of satisfaction rolled through her body. Six sets of ingredients were in bowls covered in clingfilm and lined up on each workstation ready for the afternoon’s demonstration. Every work surface sparkled under the overhead lights and all the equipment she had used was back where it belonged. It was a real achievement and one which, surprisingly, she hadn’t found too onerous. Poppy would be proud of her and she took a quick snap to send to her.
She checked the time and was shocked to see it was already midday. Should she take a walk down to Zach’s lodge and confess her feelings before things got hectic, or should she wait until after the drinks reception? Or would it be better to do it the next day when they could spend the time together without interruption?
She decided that in affairs of the heart there was no time like the present. She washed her hands, tossed her apron to one side – well, it was a journey not a destination! - and made for the boot room.
“Oh, hi Tim!”
“Hello, Millie.
Tim pushed past her, wrestling with an enormous Christmas tree which he deposited in the entrance hall, wiping the perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand. Zach followed with another two fragrant fir trees, one under each arm, and set about putting one up in the library and the other in the dining room
“The decorations are in boxes under the stairs, Millie. If you’ve finished the preparations for the Festive Feast demonstrations this afternoon, wouldn’t mind a bit of help to turn this place into the best Christmas grotto this side of Oxford?”
“Sure. Where’s Claudia?”
“Stayed on in town to do a bit of last minute Christmas shopping.”
“Oh.”
Millie glanced at Tim’s face and saw a wide beaming smile, his cheeks splashed with circles of red, his eyes dancing with excitement. She wanted to ask why Claudia had decided to stay in Berryford when they had the presentation to deliver in forty minutes but decided against it. However, the jollity in Tim’s demeanour told her something had happened that morning, or maybe it was just the reprieve from the worry of the manor’s future and he was determined to celebrate.
“Tim, is everything…”
“Never better, Millie, never better.” And to her amazement he hugged her, managing to stab her cheek with a sprig of holly in the process. “Ooops, sorry!”
“Tim? Where do you want me to put this garland?” asked Zach, traipsing through her pristine kitchen with his muddy boots carrying a long necklace of interwoven greenery, pine cones, ribbons and baubles.
“Mantlepiece in the library, please. Could you help Millie with the mistletoe for the doorways?
“Absolutely!”
Millie saw Zach glance across at her, his eyebrows raised suggestively until his eyes fell on the work surfaces in the kitchen and a smile split his cheeks.
“Did you do the preparations this morning?”
“I did.”
“Looks great.”
Zach waited until Tim had disappeared into the dining room and moved closer to her, so close the aroma of his cologne tickled at her nostrils sending her emotions into turmoil. If she hadn’t known before, her body was certainly screaming its desire at her now. It was the perfect time to tell him how she felt.
“Zach…”
“Millie…”
“You go…”
Her mouth was inches from his, her heart beating out a concerto of jubilation. No sooner had their lips met than there was a triumphant exclamation from the hallway.
“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Are you serious?”
Millie rolled her eyes and Zach whispered, “Later. Better go and see what’s bothering Tim.”
They rushed into the entrance hall to see Tim standing stock-still with his mobile phone pressed to his ear, his mouth gaping and his face as red as the Santa’s hat dangling from his hands.
“Everything okay?”
“Okay?” Tim repeated, staring at them as if they were strangers.
Millie giggled.
“Oh, yes, erm, that was Claudia. I…”
He stopped, his eyes fixed unseeingly on the oil painting hanging next to the library door.
“Tim?”
“Yes, sorry. Yes. Well, they do say good news comes in threes.”
Again a pause.
“Tim!” cried Millie and Zach in unison.
“Yes, that was Claudia. She’s just had a call from Giles, her agent, about the Caribbean cookery book idea. Apparently, quite a few publishers loved his pitch yesterday and there was a very exciting auction for the rights. But the best bit is…”
Millie saw Tim’s Adam’s apple working overtime as he fought the sudden sweep of emotions.
“Yes?”
“The best bit is he’s also negotiated a TV show tie-in with Claudia showcasing everything the Caribbean has to offer, ably assisted by Ella of course, so with that in the pipeline, and a very decent advance for the book, it means… it means…”
Tim was unable to continue and sat down with a bump on the bottom step, a string of fairy lights looped around his neck like a Hawaiian lei.
“…it means we’ll be able to raise the money to buy Dexter’s share of the manor. The cookery school is safe!”
Millie scooted to his side and flung her arms around his shoulders. She knew tears were glistening at her eyelashes, but when she glanced up at Zach she didn’t see the eye roll she had expected but an intense happiness scrawled across his handsome features. She hadn’t yet had the chance to tell him how she felt about him but she had no doubt whatsoever in her mind that he felt the same way. It was as if, in that moment, there was an invisible connection that drew him to her, sending coils of hot desire through her whole body. She wondered what Tim would say if she launched herself at Zach and kissed him until she was breathless.
“Did I hear my name?” asked Dexter, jogging down the stairs to join them.
Tim managed to collect his thoughts, inhale a long, revitalising breath, and relay to Dexter the good news. Dexter stared at them until he succumbed to a whoosh of emotion and grabbed them one-by-one into a forceful hug.
Ten minutes later, Millie had switched on the radio and they danced to Christmas tunes while they decked the hallway with boughs of holly garlands, strings of festive bunting and every last bauble and ornament stashed in the boxes that had been hidden from view under the stairs. Even Zach got stuck in, reigning in his grumbles about untidiness and clutter with minimum effort. When they had finished, with some additional help from Leo and Gina, the whole manor was festooned in its party best for that evening’s celebrations.
“Okay, we’d better get started on the food,” said Millie. “Tim, have you heard from Claudia? It’s two thirty and we should have started the tutorial half an hour ago.”
Millie saw a flash of s
omething indecipherable scoot across his expression and concern spread through her chest causing her stomach to squeeze uncomfortably.
“Was everything okay… this morning?” She didn’t want to pry, but she needed to know that the doctor’s appointment had been routine. “At the doctors?”
“All’s well!” Tim declared, turning his back so she couldn’t see his face and all but skipping from the room towards his beloved workshop.
Millie smiled as she took up her place behind the culinary lectern to face her eager students. She proceeded to deliver one of her best presentations ever – even if she did say so herself. By the time the last tray of mini onion bajis and sweet mince samosas were removed from the oven, and they had arranged them on Claudia’s best china platters, it was after six o’clock and everyone disappeared to get ready for the celebration of the end of the Festive Feast cookery course. Knowing it would not be the last one filled Millie with a surge of elation and she couldn’t wait to change into her party dress.
It had been an eventful afternoon, but that was nothing compared to how Millie’s stay at Stonelea Manor had changed her. Six months ago, she would never have believed that she was ready to open up her heart and let someone in and she sent up a prayer of gratitude to the director of her destiny for their skill in story development. It had been a rocky journey with many twists and turns along the way, but one which had enabled her to grow as a person, to expand her skills as a chef, but most important of all, to fall in love.
Chapter Eighteen
Millie had never felt more glamorous. When she returned to her suite she discovered the most exquisite dress hanging on the front of her wardrobe, a pale shell-pink chiffon column, glistening with sparkles, that clung to her curves like a second skin. She had received a text from Claudia telling her it was their gift to her to express their heartfelt thanks for all her hard work and the support she had provided during the most difficult few months of Claudia’s life.
Whilst she loved the dress and appreciated the gesture – she did think it rather strange that Claudia had sent her a text rather than presenting her with the gift in person so she could thank her immediately. A niggle of concern scratched at her chest, but she shoved it away, chastising herself for always reading too much into things, and concentrated on her mounting excitement for the evening ahead.
Leo and Gina had presented her with a bottle of her favourite perfume, and Mike and Marianne had given her a gorgeous diamanté hair slide which she slotted into her curls to complete her outfit. She felt like a princess going to her first ball and she recalled her conversation with Zach earlier on in the week when she had told him that her childhood dream had been to be a princess – little had she known it would come true, which was something else she had to thank him for.
She made sure she was in the kitchen fifteen minutes before the first guests were due to arrive, ready to help with the food and drink, only to discover that Claudia and Tim had engaged Mitch’s teenage daughter, Erin, and five of her friends to perform waitressing duties that evening and all she had to do was relax and enjoy the celebrations.
The manor was at its most spectacular, with white fairy lights twinkling around every window and doorway, luxurious garlands of tinsel entwined around the banister, and a pair of Christmas trees standing guard at the front door. Outside, the snow-covered lawn glistened under the moonlight like a gem-encrusted blanket, dotted with golden spools of light from the lampposts that meandered down the driveway.
Millie sauntered towards the library where the rumble of conversation grew louder as the drinks flowed in abundance, all to the backing track of Christmas carols and the crackling of the logs on the fire. The fragrance of pine needles, mingled with expensive perfumes and colognes, suffused the air and her spirits edged up a notch.
Tim looked splendid in a burgundy velvet jacket and jaunty cravat, regaling his audience with the finer details of his newest invention, his face alight with animation and not a trace of his earlier tiredness. There was no sign of Claudia. Millie assumed that she was still getting ready and, as their hostess, wanted to make a grand entrance when everyone had arrived. Leo and the Festive Feast gang had dressed for the occasion in designer eveningwear and were busy quaffing cocktails mixed by a loose-wristed Mitch.
A waft of fresh air on the back of her neck told her that the front door had opened and she returned to the hallway to see if Zach had arrived. It wasn’t him but the last of the guests from the village, two of whom made their way into the kitchen to deliver a contribution to the food. Kate held a huge Tupperware box aloft, topped with a chocolate yule log covered in thick dark buttercream with the most incongruous stuffed robin perched on the top. She spotted Blake too, resplendent in a bright orange shirt, black tie and matching trousers, his hair teased into a trendy quiff and a smattering of designer stubble on his jaw.
“Darling! You look a-ma-zing! That dress is sooo gorgeous! Save a dance for me later, won’t you? If you can bear to tear yourself away from our gorgeous Zach, of course.” Blake dragged her into a warm embrace, engulfing her in a cloud of cologne so potent that it would be enough to awake anyone’s maiden aunt from the deepest of slumbers!
Millie felt warmth surge into her cheeks as at last her eyes landed on Zach, who had just that moment walked through the door. When he met her gaze, the corners of his lips turned into a smile, and her whole body tingled with anticipation. Blake released her swiftly from his hug and shot over to Zach, enveloping him too, before giving Millie a cheeky wink of encouragement, linking his arm through Kate’s and escorting her towards the library.
“You look stunning!” Zach reached for her hand and wove his fingers through hers. “Come on.”
With her heart fluttering against her ribcage, she floated at his side. However, Zach didn’t lead her towards the melee in the library but to the boot room where he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, slowly, gently, tentatively at first, then with growing urgency until a crescendo of desire whipped around her body. She kissed him back, relishing the sensations zinging through her body, not wanting their embrace to end.
“I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to do that!”
“Me too,” she laughed.
Zach held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity and she melted once again into his arms, marvelling at the way her body fit perfectly against his. An avalanche of emotion surged from her stomach to her chest, and she had never been more certain of anything in her life. Her feelings for Zach had ballooned into something amazing and she wanted him to know.
“Zach, I…”
“Hey, so this is where you two are hiding,” chuckled Dexter, totally oblivious to what he was interrupting. “Thought you might like to know that our hostess is about to make her entrance.”
Millie giggled at the expression on Zach’s handsome face. For a moment she thought he was going to refuse to leave the shadowy confines of the boot room, but of course he didn’t. He hooked his arm around her waist and together they made their way to the bottom of the stairs where all the guests had congregated to await the arrival of Claudia.
A gasp of appreciation echoed around the entrance hall and Millie’s spirits soared when her friend appeared at the top of the staircase looking every inch the celebrated chef she was. Claudia radiated happiness and appeared to have conquered her previous battle with exhaustion. As she lingered beneath the chandelier, her gem-encrusted gown shone like a Fabergé creation and she looked like a movie star about to accept an Oscar. Her gold-streaked hair had been professionally coiffed into a smooth glossy bob and she wore a pair of long diamanté earrings that almost brushed her naked shoulders.
Tim skipped up the steps to accompany his wife down the stairs to greet her guests – except they unexpectedly paused on the last step and waited until everyone was quiet. Millie glanced at Zach, a question in her eyes. Zach shook his head, his brow knitted slightly as he pulled her closer and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
“Ladies and gentl
emen. Claudia and I would like to thank you all for joining us this evening for the annual celebration of the end of the Festive Feast cookery course. We want you to know that we appreciate everything each and every one of you has done to support us at Stonelea Manor and at the cookery school throughout the year and this is our chance to say a huge, heartfelt thank you. As some of you know, this year has presented a number of challenges and we could not have weathered the storm without the knowledge that our Berryford family was cheering us along from the side-lines. So, before we indulge in a few glasses of Mitch’s excellent Christmas punch and we forget our names - taxis will be available at midnight by the way - I’d like to make a couple of announcements.”
The ripple of laughter that had reverberated around the oak-panelled hallway at the mention of Mitch’s lethal punch and cocktails ceased and everyone fell silent, eager to hear what Tim was about to say.
“First of all, a piece of news that I know many of you will enjoy. We have this year’s winners of the Festive Feast dessert recipes competition with us tonight, so I wanted to announce that these wonderful traditional family recipes will form part of a hand-illustrated cookery book that will be published next year in time for Christmas.”
A whoop of celebration burst from the audience and high-pitched chatter filled the room until Zach noticed that Tim and Claudia had remained standing on the bottom step, waiting to continue, happiness shining from their faces as they smiled at each other with affection.
“Hang on, everyone. Let Tim finish.”
The crowd quietened, and Millie felt Zach squeeze her hand as she scrutinised Claudia’s expression for an idea of what they were about to reveal.
“As you all know, the Claudia Croft Cookery School means a great deal to us both. It’s an integral part of our family and of village life and we were devastated when we thought we would have to close its doors. However, I’m delighted to reassure you that the school will continue for the foreseeable future. In fact, Claudia has a swathe of new ideas for even more exciting and exotic courses, and possibly even starting one for children during the school holidays.”