by Lynda Stacey
Jess had then sat with her heart in her mouth as she’d waited for the police to call her back.
‘Thank you,’ she said to Madeleine as she took the tea and began to sip. ‘What’s in the bag?’
Madeleine passed it to her. ‘Emily’s diaries. I found them.’
Jess sat forward. ‘Let me see. Where were they? Where did you find them?’
‘Well, think about it. Where did Emily live for a while, with Eddie’s mother?’
Jess nodded. ‘In your cottage. Is that where you found them?’
Madeleine smiled. ‘They were in the loft, where the dust motes are, waiting to be found,’ she said, and opened one of the books.
‘And …’ Jess grabbed her hand. ‘Are you going to write her story?’
Madeleine nodded much to Jess’s delight, just as Len walked in with Buddy close on his heels. ‘Hey, there, boy. Come here,’ she called and the springer jumped up on the settee beside her and snuggled in. ‘Thanks for walking him, Len. Is everyone else okay?’
‘They are, Jess. I’m just going to bring Jack down. I took him up a couple of hours ago, but I think being on the bed is driving him a bit mad.’ He turned and headed towards the stairs, just as the front door opened and Lily ran in, making Jess jump up from her seat.
‘Oh my God. Thank goodness you’re home. I was so frightened. So very, very frightened.’ She sank down to her knees. ‘You’ve been on quite an adventure, little one, haven’t you?’ She pulled Lily into a hug without waiting for an answer. It was one of those hugs that lasted forever. But finally she let go and then stood up to shepherd her sister towards the settee, where Buddy covered her with a shower of kisses.
Then they were surrounded. Both Bastion and Bandit walked in, and Nomsa ran in from the kitchen and without hesitation placed a kiss firmly on Bastion’s lips, before scooping Lily up in her arms. ‘Don’t you ever scare me again, my little one, do you get that?’ She buried her face in the youngster’s hair. ‘I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.’ She looked up with tears streaming down her face, and Bastion patted her on the shoulder and then put his arms around them both, as everyone gasped.
‘What the hell, you all know what’s going on anyhow,’ he said with a shy grin as he continued to pull both Nomsa and Lily into his tall strong frame.
Everyone began to laugh just as Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues’ ‘Fairy Tale of New York’ started playing on the CD player, and Len came into the room pushing Jack in his wheelchair, followed by Bernie and Ann.
Jess wiped away her tears. It was Christmas and everyone was together, everyone was finally safe and under one roof. She placed a hand on her stomach. ‘You, little one, you are going to be part of one hell of a family, do you know that?’
The whole room began to laugh. Jack caught her eye and she felt the love travel between them. She nodded; she had everything she’d ever wanted, right here.
She stood up. ‘Where’s Poppy?’ she asked, just as an excited four-year-old ran into the room and straight to the tree. ‘Aunty Jess, Aunty Jess, now that Lily’s back can we open our presents?’ She stopped in her tracks. She had no idea what had happened the night before, but had been told as she had been put to bed that Santa would only come once Lily came home. And now she stood there, with her whole face lit up. She held out a hand to Lily. ‘Come on, Lily. Come and look.’ They both knelt down and peered beneath the tree.
Jess smiled. ‘Go on, Lily.’ She pointed to a gift. ‘Take a look at that one, can you read out what it says?’
Lily physically shook with excitement and pulled the gift towards her. ‘To Lily,’ she said. ‘One of the most special little girls in the world. Love Santa x.’
‘Go on, Lily, open it,’ Jess urged her. ‘It’s all yours, you’re allowed.’
Lily pulled open the parcel to reveal a long pale pink dress. Her mouth dropped open and she looked up at Jess. ‘It’s so beautiful, Jess. It’s a fairy princess dress. Are you sure it’s all mine?’
Jess nodded. ‘It sure is, honey. It’s a bridesmaid’s dress. I kind of wondered if you’d be one of my bridesmaids next week at our wedding?’
Chapter Forty-Three
Jess stood before the tall, full-length mirror. She looked herself up and down as she admired her appearance. The long white fitted wedding dress hugged her body perfectly. Its neckline looked high at the front, but as she turned she took note of how the cowl back hung loosely behind her.
‘Oh, Maddie, do I look okay?’ Jess turned to face her sister who sat on the bed leaning against the pillows. Maddie was dressed in a long pink satin bridesmaid’s dress, with sparkling silver shoes that reflected the tears of joy that filled her eyes.
‘Jess, you look more than okay. You look stunning.’ She stood up and walked over to the dressing table, picked up a diamante necklace and went to place it around her sister’s neck, but Jess stopped her. She opened a drawer and took out a long box, which contained the precious necklace that Emily had left her and wanted her to wear on her wedding day and beyond.
‘It was Emily’s,’ was all Jess had to say as Maddie took it and fastened it around her neck.
‘There, now you look perfect.’ Her hands rested on Jess’s shoulders for a few minutes and together they stared into the mirror, just as they’d done so many times before.
‘Come on, or I’ll be a mess. I don’t want to cry and ruin my make-up, not in my state,’ Madeleine whispered as she walked towards the door.
‘In your state? What do you mean?’ Jess’s eyes opened wide. She knew exactly what Maddie meant. The signs were all there, she just needed her to say it.
Madeleine nodded. ‘Looks like we’ll both be mothers together.’
Jess stepped forward and put a hand on Maddie’s stomach, just as Maddie had done to her the week before. ‘Oh, Maddie. This is the perfect gift. Our babies, our children, will grow up together, just as we did.’
Madeleine smiled. ‘They sure will, but right now …’ She took a deep breath. ‘… right now, one of us needs to go and get married.’
Jess stopped in her tracks. ‘Maddie. There’s one more thing.’ She picked up an envelope and held it up in the air. ‘This came and before I get married, I … I just have to know the truth. It’s time for all the secrets to be put to bed and for the truth to come out, once and for all.’ She paused. ‘Do you think I should open it?’
Jess and Madeleine held each other’s gaze, for both knew that whatever was in the envelope would change lives forever. Good or bad, there would be no turning back.
‘Whether Bastion is your father or not, you know that he will be sticking around the Hall, don’t you? He and Nomsa are so in love and Bandit and I have offered him a job. But if you want my opinion, honey, no, I don’t think you should open it. I think you should give it to Bastion and you should open it together.’
Jess gasped. She knew it was a risk, knew it could ruin the day, but Bastion had been so certain that he was her father when he’d come here, and she just felt deep in her heart that he was her daddy and Lily her sister.
Madeleine pulled open the door and held out her hand to Jess, who took it and followed her into the corridor and then slowly down the grand staircase to where the congregation sat waiting, along with a very excited Lily and Poppy who were both dressed in identical bridesmaid’s dresses. They bounced around continually and for a moment Jess wondered if they were both attached to pogo sticks.
But then she looked towards the dining room door, where Nomsa stood, smiling and patting her eyes with a tissue, with Bastion by her side, looking just a little more than nervous.
Jess took the final steps and cuddled into him. ‘I’m so pleased that you’re here. Honestly, I am.’ She held the envelope out to him. ‘This came.’ She looked up at him.
He took the envelope from her.
‘I’m hoping that this … that this envelope holds the news that both of us want.’ She looked at Nomsa. ‘That all of us want.’
He nodded an
d took in a deep breath. ‘Okay, well …’ He looked directly into her eyes. ‘I’m ready if you are, my girl.’
Jess smiled. ‘I sure am and … and Dad, once this is done …’ She placed her hand on his. ‘… would you mind walking me down the aisle to my future husband?’
Bastion wiped a tear from his eye, nodded, and without hesitation tore open the envelope and read its contents. Then he held out his arm. ‘I had no doubt, my girl, no doubt at all. Now …’ He passed her the envelope and allowed her to scan its contents. ‘Now, it’s time for your daddy to do as you asked and walk you down the aisle to your man.’
Jess smiled, her eyes filling with happy tears and she reached up and kissed him on the cheek. She then looked across the room to where Jack sat in his wheelchair beside the Christmas tree. Their eyes locked together and, as the ‘Wedding March’ began, with just a little assistance Jack stood and turned to the minister in front of him.
Jess linked her arm with her father’s and, followed by Madeleine, Poppy and Lily, she walked towards where Jack waited.
‘Are you okay? Should you be standing?’ Jess whispered.
But Jack just laughed while looking her up and down. ‘Oh, Jess, you look amazing. You are so very beautiful. And, no arguments … after the reception, I’m taking you to the farmhouse and like it or not, I’m going to carry you over the threshold of our new home.’ He nodded. ‘You just see if I don’t.’ His eyes sparkled and caught hers and she knew that Jack meant exactly what he said.
Jess let go of her father’s arm, smiled and then stepped towards Jack. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. ‘You have no idea how much I love you, do you? And yes, you can carry me over the threshold, even if I have to sit on your knee in the wheelchair. But … but could you make me a promise …?’ She glanced from Jack to Bastion, and then to Madeleine and Bandit. ‘Do you think next year we could all just have a nice, normal, and really boring Christmas?’
* The End *
We would love to hear how you enjoyed House of Christmas Secrets. Please leave a review on the eBook site where you purchased this novel. Reviews on eBook retailers really do help the author. Thank you!
Thank You
Dear Reader
Thank you so much for reading House of Christmas Secrets, my sequel to House of Secrets.
I really enjoyed writing this book and hope that you enjoyed following Jess’s story. I’m sure you’ll agree that she had quite a journey on her hands before she found her happiness with Jack.
I’d like to think that anyone reading this book would want to go and stay at the beautiful Wrea Head Hall themselves. I can assure you that the trip is worth it for the food alone, where great attention to detail is always paid. I always love to try the different rooms, each one exquisite in its own way and at least once during my stay I hike through the woods to visit the summer house, or on a cold winter’s night I tend to sit by the inglenook looking up at the Christmas tree and listening to Christmas carols while watching the logs burn in the fire.
Like all authors, I’ve been on quite a writing journey and I still find it surreal that I now have three novels published. With that in mind, I’d love to know your thoughts and I’d be delighted if you’d take just a few moments to leave me a review.
Please feel free to contact me anytime. You will find my Twitter, Facebook and website details on my author bio.
Once again, thank you for reading. It was a pleasure to write this novel for you.
With Love, Lynda x
About the Author
Lynda, is a wife, step-mother and grandmother, she grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire.
She is currently the Sales Director of a stationery, office supplies and office furniture company in Doncaster, where she has worked for the past 25 years. Prior to this she’d also been a nurse, a model, an emergency first response instructor and a PADI Scuba Diving Instructor … and yes, she was crazy enough to dive in the sea with sharks, without a cage. Following a car accident in 2008, Lynda was left with limited mobility in her right arm. Unable to dive or teach anymore, she turned to her love of writing, a hobby she’d followed avidly since being a teenager.
Her own life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings.
Lynda joined the Romantic Novelist Association in 2014 under the umbrella of the New Writers Scheme and in 2015, her debut novel House of Secrets won the Choc Lit’s Search for a Star competition.
She lives in a small rural hamlet near Doncaster, with her ‘hero at home husband’, Haydn, whom she’s been happily married to for over 20 years.
House of Christmas Secrets is Lynda’s third novel.
For more information on Lynda visit:
www.twitter.com/LyndaStacey
www.lyndastacey.co.uk
www.facebook.com/Lyndastaceyauthor
More Choc Lit
From Lynda Stacey
House of Secrets
Book 1 – Secrets
A woman on the run, a broken man and a house with a shocking secret …
Madeleine Frost has to get away. Her partner Liam has become increasingly controlling to the point that Maddie fears for her safety, and that of her young daughter Poppy.
Desperation leads Maddie to the hotel owned by her estranged father – the extraordinarily beautiful Wrea Head Hall in Yorkshire. There, she meets Christopher ‘Bandit’ Lawless, an ex-marine and the gamekeeper of the hall, whose brusque manner conceals a painful past.
After discovering a diary belonging to a previous owner, Maddie and Bandit find themselves immersed in the history of the old house, uncovering its secrets, scandals, tragedies – and, all the while, becoming closer.
But Liam still won’t let go, he wants Maddie back, and when Liam wants something he gets it, no matter who he hurts …
Winner of Choc Lit’s 2015 Search for a Star competition and our 2016 Bestseller!
Purchase from your eBook provider or visit www.choc-lit.com for more details.
Tell Me No Secrets
What if you couldn’t escape your guilt?
Every time Kate Duggan looks in a mirror she is confronted by her guilt; a long, red scar reminding her that she was ‘the one to walk away’ from the car accident. Not everyone was so lucky …
On the surface her fiancé Rob is supportive – but the reality is different. He’s controlling, manipulative and, if the phone call Kate overhears is anything to go by, he has a secret. But just how dangerous is that secret?
When Kate begins work at a Yorkshire-based firm of private investigators, she meets Ben Parker. His strong and silent persona is intriguing but it’s also a cover – because something devastating happened to Ben, something he can’t get over.
As Kate and Ben begin their first assignment, they realise they have a lot in common. But what they don’t realise is that they’re about to bring a very dangerous secret home to roost …
Read an extract here.
Purchase from your eBook provider or visit www.choc-lit.com for more details.
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Read a preview of Tell Me No Secrets next …
Preview
Tell Me No Secrets
by Lynda Stacey
CHAPTER ONE
‘How many times do I have to tell you, don’t phone me here.’ Rob’s voice echoed up the stairs, making Kate jump out of bed. He sounded angry and Kate didn’t like it. She crept onto the landing, where she stood and waited, not knowing whether to go down, stay put or go back to bed. ‘Not a chance. I’m not doing it. Now, you stick to your plan, and I’ll stick to mine.’ Kate held her breath as she heard the kitchen door quietly close and the mumbled voice continued.
‘Rob,’ she shouted. She inched her way down the stairs. ‘Rob, is everything okay?’ Her feet were cold and she hopped from foot to foot, wishing for just a moment that she’d thought to put her slippers on as she’d jumped out of bed. ‘Rob?’
The door handle snapped down and the kitchen door jerked open. ‘What?’ he bellowed, making her jump backwards.