Christmas at the Little Clock House on the Green

by Eve Devon

  ‘I can’t believe I got drunk in front of my dad and his new wife. Way to go Ems, stellar performance,’ she added under her breath and he hated hearing her so down on herself.

  ‘Was it really that bad?’

  ‘Yes—no—yes.’

  ‘I guess this first visit was always going to be hard.’

  She was silent a while and then out of the corner of his eye he saw her sit up straighter and drag in a breath. ‘Yes. I’m sure next time won’t be so bad.’

  ‘Christmas Day, right?’

  ‘Right,’ she mumbled.

  ‘Hollywood?’

  ‘Maybe next Christmas.’

  He breathed in deep. They hadn’t invited her for Christmas Day? What the hell? The man’s daughter was back at Christmas for the first time in years and he wasn’t laying out the welcome mat? Wasn’t throwing a party? Wasn’t introducing or even including her in his life?

  It was one thing to want to spend Christmas on your own like him, but to basically be rejected? He couldn’t let that happen. He’d driven back to pick up Emma telling himself that as soon as the weather improved he’d be leaving Whispers Wood again. But now, before he left, he’d make sure that Kate and Juliet knew Emma didn’t deserve to be on her own Christmas Day. Make sure they knew to spoil her as well.

  After a few miles she broke the silence. ‘So I have a question that might help you relax,’ she mimicked his question from hours before.

  Impressed with how she’d rallied, he smiled, wanting to pre-empt her question with his answer, like she’d done to him. ‘Alice called off our engagement because she realised she couldn’t hack the lifestyle.’

  ‘I did wonder.’

  ‘So had I,’ he admitted. Along with realising how easy it had been to admit to Emma.

  ‘It wasn’t a complete shock, then?’

  ‘Looking back, no. The manner in which she chose to tell me? Definitely. And that she left it so late in the day? I could really have done without that.’ And what had come after, he thought, automatically shying away from sharing that particular memory.

  ‘You didn’t love her enough to try a different life with her? Sorry,’ Emma added hurriedly. ‘None of my business.’

  ‘No. It’s a fair point. The thing is I’d already led that different life with her. We’d done living in London. Socialising. Partying. Right from the beginning I’d said that that wasn’t for me. Not for forever. I couldn’t have been more clear that for me it was going to have to be Knightley Hall, and that if that wasn’t for her, that was okay. She wasted two years convincing both of us that was what she wanted too. She must have been so unhappy. Was so unhappy, it turned out,’ he said more to himself than to Emma.

  ‘That’s so sad.’

  ‘Yep.’

  He could feel her looking at him when she whispered, ‘Did she break your heart, Jake?’

  He thought about the last time he’d seen Alice and swallowed. ‘Yes, but not for the reasons you think.’ Before she could ask what that meant, he asked, ‘So, tell me why you wanted to get into acting?’

  ‘Oh,’ she turned her head back to face forward. ‘Doesn’t every little girl?’

  ‘So you wanted to be an actress ever since you can remember?’

  ‘I think so. Books, plays, films. That ability to be whoever you want to be.’

  Jake frowned. ‘But it’s not who you want to be though is it? It’s who the person who wrote the book or the screenplay wants you to be.’

  ‘I guess.’

  ‘Why did you want to be someone else?’

  ‘Who says I wanted to be anyone else?’

  ‘That’s what you just said.’

  ‘No I—okay, I did. I guess I liked the costumes and the lights.’

  ‘And you wanted to be famous?’

  ‘No. I really didn’t. I’d much rather be known for craft than face.’

  ‘But it’s such a beautiful face,’ he quipped.

  ‘Careful! You could really swell a girl’s head.’

  ‘And that’s when I’m not even trying to make a girl fall in love with me!’

  ‘Ha.’

  ‘So was it a rebellious thing? Your mum and dad didn’t approve?’

  ‘Oh my mum more than approved. She took me straight to the source as soon as she and my dad separated. And, well, you’ve just met my dad.’

  ‘It must have been hard on you being out there, with him here.’

  ‘It was better than all the fighting,’ she said quietly.

  ‘So acting was an escape?’ Just like the way he’d used gardening to escape all the endless arguments about Knightley Hall haemorrhaging money, he thought.

  ‘Books were my first escape. I was convinced I wanted to be a storyteller of some sort. Acting seemed easier than writing. It’s more physical.’

  ‘You ever think about telling your own story?’

  ‘Mine? It’s way too boring. Yours though…’

  ‘Oh, I think there’s more than enough stories about the Knightleys in circulation.’

  She laughed softly and then yawned, easing back into her seat.

  ‘Hey, don’t go going to sleep now, we’re near Whispers Ford.’

  ‘You know what?’ Emma said, sounding as if she was trying to wake herself up. ‘When I have kids of my own I’m going to make sure they grow up knowing without a shadow of a doubt that they’re loved.’

  Jake grinned as he drove through the village.

  She made it so easy to believe.

  So easy to see her with kids.

  So easy to want…

  Suddenly they were both leaning forward to peer out at the night.

  ‘Why are there no lights?’ Emma asked.

  ‘Damn. I think the power’s out,’ Jake said, the only thing illuminating The Clock House as they drove past the green was the car’s headlights bouncing light off the snow.

  ‘You’re kidding? Oh, snow, I so don’t want to hate you, and yet, you insist on taking away the heat,’ she moaned.

  Jake was aware of dark silhouettes of cottages and trees. ‘You could stay at Knightley Hall.’ The words slipped out into the confines of the car and he found himself holding his breath, hoping she’d say yes.

  What she actually said was, ‘But you won’t have electricity, either.’

  ‘But I am man and I make fire,’ he grunted.

  She grinned. ‘Sold.’

  Jake shoved his phone back into his pocket as Emma came out of the bathroom holding the torch.

  ‘You can use this room,’ he said, nodding to the one opposite. ‘I’ll light a fire in there for you. Seth’s room is in the other wing and my room is next door to this one.’

  He saw her eyes go to his closed bedroom door as she took in the information, saw the way her fingers fiddled with the strap on her bag. ‘So today was—’

  ‘Quite the day off,’ Jake said, watching her.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And tomorrow is your big night.’

  ‘Well, The Clock House’s at least. You could come to the grand opening now you’re back.’

  ‘I guess I could. If it keeps snowing I can’t see me getting out of here tomorrow, and I do have a tux sitting in the wardrobe.’

  ‘But after that…?’

  ‘I can’t stay here for Christmas, Emma. The snow will melt and I will want to leave.’ It was important that he be clear, even as he wondered how he would leave her.

  She gave a nod. ‘Well, thank you for being my Mr Knightley-in-shining-armour today. Goodnight,’ and stepping forward she rose up on tiptoes and brushed his lips with hers.

  Before she could turn around and disappear into her room, he reached out to snag her free hand in his.

  She glanced down to their joined hands and then sudden understanding crossed her face. ‘Oh, right, the fire. I can probably light it my—’

  He didn’t let her finish the sentence. Instead he reached out, and sliding his fingers into the hair at her nape, lowered his mouth to hers.

 
She tasted the same yet different.

  So incredibly soft and beguiling, but then as she nipped on his bottom lip, so incredibly hot and seductive.

  The more he got to know her, the more he wanted to know.

  The more his mouth explored hers, the more of her he wanted to explore.

  The sound of the torch falling out of her hand had him lifting his head.

  In the intimate light, their breathing more rushed, the sense of anticipation acute, he rushed out, ‘Remember when I said you make it hard to walk away?’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  ‘I did think about kissing you last night, Emma. It’s why I kept a piece of the mistletoe.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘And I do think about kissing you. Pretty much all the time. Those kisses didn’t mean nothing.’

  ‘Wait,’ she pushed him back to get some breathing space. ‘You read my text.’

  ‘Just now.’

  ‘My drunk text.’ Embarrassment flashed in her eyes and he lifted his hands to her face.

  ‘Are you drunk now, Emma?’ he checked, wanting them drunk on each other, not alcohol.

  ‘Stone,’ she said, her eyes sparkling, ‘cold,’ she added, as she placed her hand on his jumper, right over his abs, ‘sober,’ she finished, with a smile and then tugged so that he closed the distance again, tipping her head helpfully back so that his mouth could have access to her neck.

  ‘You were in my dreams last night and this morning,’ he admitted, enjoying her intake of breath. The way her hand tightened on him.

  ‘You were in mine too.’

  He lifted his head to stare down into her beautiful eyes. ‘So here’s the part where we could each go into our separate rooms and dream about each other, or—’

  ‘Or,’ she told him, opening his bedroom door and dragging him through into it. ‘I choose “or”.’

  Chapter 33

  Keep Calm & Jingle On

  Kate

  Was she the only one about to have a meltdown?

  Daniel and Oscar were in deep conversation that sounded all very bonhomie.

  She’d just left Juliet in her salon, singing along to the radio as she swept the already sparkly clean floor.

  And whenever Emma thought Kate wasn’t paying attention, she was grinning to herself like one of Juliet’s Cheshire cats.

  At least the power had come back on this morning, she supposed.

  Of course it could just as easily go off again.

  Whose bright idea had it been to open in the winter?

  During a bloody blizzard.

  Unable to stand still, she walked over to the window of Cocktails & Chai and stared out at the fluffy white flakes silently drifting down as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  Kids had been out all day building snowmen. The green was now a mix of Antony Gormley-esque figures and Disney Olafs. ‘I’m going to go outside and shovel the path again,’ she announced.

  ‘What?’ Daniel looked over to her. ‘But it’s still snowing.’

  ‘I have to do something. We have guests coming in,’ she opened the locket watch she never took off and glanced at the time, ‘three hours, people.’ Her stomach lurched. ‘How are they going to be able to get here if the snow is up to their armpits?’

  ‘Relax,’ Oscar said.

  Kate watched Daniel give him the ‘stop talking, idiot’ hand-to-the-throat gesture.

  ‘Oops,’ Oscar added, his gaze swinging back to take in Kate’s expression. ‘Wrong choice of word.’

  ‘Jake said he’ll shovel the snow for us,’ Emma said as she calmly lifted champagne flutes off a tray and held them to the light for inspection. ‘He’s going to get changed in one of the spa rooms afterwards.’

  Kate felt her voice rise to a ridiculous squeak, ‘But we’ll all be using those rooms to change in ourselves. I can’t just magic up another room for him. This wasn’t on the plan.’

  ‘Re—’ Emma closed her mouth abruptly and then grinned. ‘It’s okay, I’m pretty sure I can share whichever room he’s using.’

  Kate stared at Emma. ‘Oh my God,’ she muttered as the light dawned, her nerves momentarily on hold as she called out to Juliet. ‘Juliet? Juliet, get in here. Emma has had herself some sex.’

  Emma’s eyes went huge as Jake, who’d been coming through the doors came to an abrupt halt.

  Kate saw Juliet bump right into the back of him before she said, ‘Did you call me?’

  ‘I didn’t say a word,’ Emma, looking horrified, said to Jake, ‘Not. One. Word.’

  ‘You didn’t?’ Jake joked. ‘First thing I did when I got here.’

  Oblivious to his teasing because she was too busy looking like she wanted the earth to swallow her up, she gasped, ‘You told everyone?’

  ‘What,’ Jake grinned, coming into the room fully, ‘that you saw just how big my tree really is?’

  ‘Oh my—’ Emma put down the glass she’d been checking as if she was worried she was going to drop it. ‘He’s talking about his bed, guys. His bed.’

  ‘Sure he is,’ Kate snorted.

  ‘He is,’ Emma insisted, with a stamp of her foot. ‘It’s a four-poster carved out of wood like the branches of a tree.’ She stopped when she saw the huge grin on his face and then with a playful punch and a quick shake of her head at discovering he wasn’t angry their secret was out, she told him, ‘You should definitely let the photographer take pictures of it.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Daniel said, walking closer to make sure he’d heard right. ‘You’re going to let some stranger take photos of his tree?’

  Emma gave a nod and grinned bigger. ‘To advertise the gardens.’

  ‘I am so completely lost in this conversation,’ Juliet murmured.

  Kate could hold the laughter in no more. As she let it free she felt some of the tension uncoil and it felt good. Better than good. For the thirty seconds’ respite until the nerves came to clamour again. ‘Guys, it’s going to be okay, isn’t it? People will come tonight? Please tell me people are going to come tonight? In their beautiful gowns. To celebrate us opening.’

  ‘They will,’ Emma assured her. ‘Jake’s going to shovel snow until there’s a clear path.’

  ‘Plus I have a system of pegs and Clock House business cards for staff to attach names to brollies and wellies, and a storage area all set up for them,’ Juliet soothed.

  Kate breathed a little easier. ‘Now all we have to do is figure out what to do if the power goes again.’

  ‘Candles,’ Emma suggested. ‘I have loads of spare for Christmas.’

  ‘And I asked Crispin to put something on the Whisperings website asking guests to bring glow-sticks with them just in case,’ Daniel said.

  ‘And we have copious amounts of alcohol,’ Oscar stated.

  ‘Copious,’ Emma confirmed.

  ‘And, yay, for the backup generator,’ Juliet declared with a triumphant grin.

  ‘What a team,’ Kate declared. ‘Okay. Good. Great.’ She’d just caught her breath when Sheila strode into the room with snow in her hair and lots of boxes in her arms. ‘Mum! What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be getting ready.’

  ‘Relax.’

  ‘Nooo,’ Daniel, Oscar, Juliet, Emma and Jake all said simultaneously.

  ‘I think they’re all worried saying “relax” in a spa is like saying Macbeth at a play, or something,’ Kate explained.

  ‘Really Kate?’ her mum said, setting down the boxes on the bar. ‘It couldn’t possibly be because you look like you’re about to do a spot of projectile vomiting?’

  Kate looked at her mum with a mixture of disbelief and awe. ‘So happy you dropped by, Mum,’ she mumbled.

  Sheila smiled softly at her and walked over, grasped hold of her cold hands and gave them a quick squeeze. ‘Bea would be so proud, darling. I’m so proud.’

  ‘Oh.’ Kate felt tears blind her.

  ‘Now none of that or you’ll ruin your makeup,’ Sheila said with a sniff. ‘Right then, I’m here to hel
p Emma with that surprise for you, so Juliet? Kindly start on Kate’s hair and don’t let her in here until just before the party starts.’

  Emma pouted. ‘Last time I tried to tell Kate to keep out of this room, she engaged cohorts and blatantly disregarded my orders.’

  ‘Last time,’ Sheila said, ‘you didn’t threaten a visit from Crispin.’

  ‘Crispin?’ Kate looked around worriedly.

  ‘I have him on speed-dial,’ Sheila said. ‘He’s very worried you’ll have overlooked something. I believe he’s made a helpful checklist for you.’

  Kate’s chin came up proudly. ‘I’d like to see him try and find something to fuss about,’ she said and then had second thoughts because she had absolute faith in her team, and knew they could all do without Crispin being here early to inspect the place. ‘Okay, everyone clear this room so Mum and Emma can work and no peeking.’

  ‘Thank you, dear,’ Sheila said as she started taking off her gloves.

  As everyone started to disperse, Kate caught Emma’s hand. ‘Not so fast, you,’ she said dragging Emma off to the side. ‘I want to check something.’

  ‘I won’t start putting out the canapés until fifteen minutes before,’ Emma said, going straight into work-mode. ‘Gloria’s getting ready now so she has plenty of time to start filling champagne glasses. I’ve double-checked with the catering company and they’ve promised they’re turning up with at least three wait-staff. Let’s see, what else? Juliet’s going to do a simple top-knot hairstyle on me to go with the gorgeous Biba-meets-Studio-54 silver dress she’s lending me so it’ll take hardly any time for me to—’

  ‘Never mind all that. Jake Knightley came to your rescue yesterday and as a thank you, you slept with him?’

  ‘Well, no. I slept with him because I’ve been wanting to pretty much from the first moment I laid eyes on him,’ Emma replied with a dreamy look on her face. ‘You don’t have to worry about me.’

  Oh, but she did. Jake had told her how awkward Emma’s meeting had been with her dad, and that was all very nice and protective of him, but, Emma didn’t deserve to have thrown herself into a situation without thinking through the consequences. ‘It’s just that,’ she chewed her lip, wondering how to phrase it. ‘Jake’s really intent on getting out of here for Christmas and how is that going to make you feel if at the first sign of snowmelt, he’s freezing up again.’