by Suzanne Snow
‘Yes please. I can’t wait any longer to give you yours.’
Tom reached for a package under the tree and handed it to her. ‘Merry Christmas.’ He followed it up with a kiss, his hand gentle on her neck, both of them sitting on the floor. ‘I hope you like it.’
‘I will because you gave it to me. Thank you.’ The present was beautifully wrapped and Olivia took her time, pulling off the bow, snapping the ribbon and finally tearing the paper. Inside was a beautiful cashmere scarf in navy, heather and burgundy.
‘You need a proper scarf of your own, you can’t keep borrowing that old thing of your dad’s any more.’
‘I love it. Thank you.’ Olivia lifted it to wind it around her neck, halting as an envelope fluttered onto her lap. ‘What’s this?’
‘Open it.’
She did, tearing the envelope and lifting out a gift voucher, one she soon realised was homemade and tears followed as she read the words Tom had written. ‘Paris? For our first proper date?’
‘Absolutely. I’m not risking that Operating Theatre museum and the stinking cheese again. There is one catch, as you’ll see. It’s only a voucher, a promise to take you when I can – I don’t really know when that will be, but we’re going. Hopefully when the book is an instant bestseller.’
‘That’s the most perfect present I’ve ever had.’ She reached up to kiss him again. ‘Thank you. After Twitter and your reading last night, I don’t think there are any doubts about the success of your book. I still haven’t replied to everything, and people are desperate to know more about what you’re doing.’ Olivia pulled back, still wearing her scarf as she reached under the tree. ‘Now it’s your turn.’
Sudden nerves were fluttering in her stomach as he unwrapped the paper slowly, his gaze going from hers to the gift. He opened a narrow box to reveal a beautiful silver and navy ballpoint pen.
‘For all those books you’re going to be signing. It’s engraved.’
Tom turned the pen over to read the inscription. ‘“Believe”? Oh, Liv.’ He edged towards her until she was in his arms. ‘That’s just wonderful, thank you. I love it. I appreciate your confidence in me.’
‘You’re not the only one who loves The Polar Express.’ Olivia was sniffing, and she pointed at the wrapping paper he had discarded. ‘That’s not quite everything, you might want to check in there. It seems we were on similar lines with vouchers.’
He did, pulling out an envelope, watching her as he opened it. Tom’s eyes fell to take in the voucher she had made him.
‘A domain name? Liv, that’s so thoughtful and generous.’
‘You like it?’ Suddenly she was worried that perhaps she had gone too far. ‘I should explain that I haven’t actually bought it, I didn’t think that would be fair. I checked and the name is available, so if you want it then it’s my gift to you. I quite understand if you’d rather not.’
‘“Tom Bellingham Author dot com”. I love how that sounds.’ He kissed her, holding her close. ‘And you’re right, I am going to need a website.’
‘I’m so pleased.’ She was hugging him fiercely, trying to imprint her faith and her love onto him. ‘It’s not like your bio pic has to be one of you in breeches, is it? Although…’
Olivia didn’t get any further. She squealed as Tom pulled her down on top of him and forgot all about Harrington. Her heart and her hands were full of Tom Bellingham and she knew he was more than enough.
Acknowledgements
This book was inspired by a house I found, a window to the right of the front door giving a view of an old leather chair and a library. Along came Hugh and the life he was living, and Olivia and Tom soon joined him. Creating their back stories was a lot of fun, especially Tom’s, and I’m still wondering about Harrington’s story and who might have written him. Or even who might still…
To Susan Yearwood, Emily Bedford and all at Canelo, including the fabulous cover designers, and Katrina Power, thank you. I was delighted to be able to complete the Thorndale series at Christmas and I very much appreciate the opportunities that working with a brilliant team brings.
I’m very grateful to book bloggers and readers, and all they do to share the books they review; I’m so pleased that readers are discovering and enjoying the Thorndale series. Thank you to the RNA, its members and volunteers for the support and encouragement we share in this most wonderful of genres. Friendship with other authors is a pleasure and I’m looking forward to meeting in person again when we can.
The similarities between my dad and Hugh are very few but they do share a love of cooking and we never say no when my dad rings to suggest a roast dinner. Thank you, Dad, for all the meals, memories and early morning Christmas Day phone calls to talk turkey.
I had a fairly small window to write Olivia and Tom’s story and it wouldn’t have happened without the unstinting support I have from my husband Stewart. Thank you, once again, for all you do and delivering delicious lunches to my desk so I could keep on working. And for the memories we’ve made together, all we share and the very best Christmas cake.
Christmas is a very special time in our house, and we’ve created our own traditions down the years, some from our childhood and some of our own. The search for the perfect tree to decorate whilst we watch an old movie, reading The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve and the mince pies I never liked until I tried my mother-in-law’s. All play a part in how we celebrate, from being in the choir and huddling around the tree outside to sing carols again in the dark, to the brass band strolling through the village pausing to play and the dash home from church on Christmas Day to cook the lunch. Each of these and more have their place in our traditions, and I hope we’ve passed some on to the next generation.
Olivia and Tom’s Cocktail Recipes
Olivia and Tom have fun sharing cocktails over a couple of evenings; here are two of their recipes, including Tom’s favourite.
Olivia’s Espresso Old Fashioned for Tom
Double shot (60ml) espresso
50ml bourbon (Elijah Craig Small Batch – Olivia’s gift and one of Tom’s favourites)
10ml brown sugar syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Ice
Orange zest, to garnish
Mix the espresso with the bourbon, sugar syrup and bitters in a shaker with lots of ice. Shake and strain into a short glass and garnish with a twist of orange zest.
Tom’s festive Black Russian for Olivia
50ml vodka
25ml coffee liqueur (like Kahlua or Tia Maria)
1tsp Cointreau
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Ice
Spoon the ice into a short glass and add all the ingredients; stir gently before serving.
Tom is planning to make a Christmas cake next year and Olivia has promised to take mince pie baking seriously. Mrs Timms is trying to persuade Tom to direct and star in a revival of the Thorndale pantomime and Olivia has polished his boots, just in case. She’s also ordered a wand.
Welcome to Thorndale
The Cottage of New Beginnings
The Garden of Little Rose
A Summer of Second Chances
A Country Village Christmas
Find out more
About the Author
Suzanne Snow writes contemporary, romantic and uplifting fiction with a strong sense of setting and community connecting the lives of her characters. Previously, she worked in financial services and was a stay-at-home mum before retraining as a horticulturist and planting re-designed gardens.
Living in Lancashire and appreciating the landscape around her always provides inspiration and when she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found in a garden or reading.
Also by Suzanne Snow
Welcome to Thorndale
The Cottage of New Beginnings
The Garden of Little Rose
A Summer of Second Chances
A Country Village Christmas
First p
ublished in the United Kingdom in 2021 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
31 Helen Road
Oxford OX2 0DF
United Kingdom
Copyright © Suzanne Snow, 2021
The moral right of Suzanne Snow to be identified as the creator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Ebook ISBN 9781800325463
Print ISBN 9781800325470
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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