A Surprise Christmas Wedding: from the best selling author of A Perfect Cornish Christmas comes one of the most feel-good winter romance books of 2020

by Phillipa Ashley

  Trevor’s head sank lower onto his paws.

  ‘Of course, I won’t intrude.’ Jay put the box down on the floor. ‘I’ve left the tree outside for now. I’ve trimmed and sawn the bottom ready for the stand.’

  He was clearly taken aback at Connor being in her sitting room in such a cosy manner. Even though Jay was aware they were acquainted, he must wonder what was going on.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, trying to keep things light. ‘That’s a lovely thought. I can’t wait to put the tree up. It’ll brighten the place up.’

  ‘Right …’ He aimed another glance at Connor. ‘I’d better get back to work, then. Give me a call if you want a hand with the tree.’

  Connor picked up the newspaper and started leafing through it again as if Jay didn’t exist. Lottie was furious that Jay was being treated like a servant.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, more firmly. ‘I know how busy you must be.’

  ‘It was no bother, I needed to come down to the offices anyway,’ he said. ‘See you later, then. I’ll let myself out. Come on, Trevor.’

  ‘Bye,’ Connor said, flipping over another page.

  Furious with him, Lottie followed Jay to the back door. ‘Jay. Connor – Mr Moran – just popped round to talk about the wedding. I think he wants to organise a surprise for Keegan.’

  Jay shrugged. ‘I’m sorry Trevor jumped on him.’

  ‘He’ll live. Trevor was only being friendly, but he’s always been wary of dogs.’ Damn, Lottie could have bitten out her tongue. ‘I mean he seems scared of dogs.’

  Jay frowned. ‘Right. Well, I’ll keep Trevor well away from him in future.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll look at my tree as soon as he’s gone.’

  He nodded, and she realised that he’d probably been expecting her to ask him to bring it in and set it up. Which she would have done if Connor hadn’t been there. ‘Jay – I’ve been meaning to say that I’m really pleased you decided to come to the Christmas ball.’

  He nodded. ‘I decided I’d been a hermit too long. Thanks for making me come.’

  Lottie hid a smile at his choice of words. ‘I hope I didn’t make you come.’

  ‘I didn’t mean that. I wanted to come …’

  Wanted to? Past tense? Had seeing Connor in her cottage changed that?

  ‘I really hope you still want to,’ she said, aware that Connor might be listening. ‘You’ll have a great time.’

  ‘I’m sure I will.’

  Jay’s faint smile was at odds with his words, and in a moment, he was gone, walking determinedly up the path towards the woods.

  Lottie shut the door, and leaned against it. It must have looked very off that Connor was in her house, acting as if he owned the place, even if she did know him. Maybe Jay thought she and Connor were closer than they were letting on … It could easily appear like that. She’d slipped up with the dog comment too.

  Fired up with irritation at herself and Connor, she marched back into the lounge.

  Connor had put the box on the coffee table and picked out a sprig. ‘A Christmas tree and mistletoe?’ he said, with a smirk. ‘Wow. And what’s this about a Christmas ball? I heard you talking. Are you seeing this woodsman bloke?’

  So he had been listening at the door? Lottie was fuming. ‘He’s not a woodsman. He’s the estate manager.’

  Connor held up his hands. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a raw nerve.’

  ‘It’s not a raw nerve and no, I’m not seeing him, not that it’s got anything to do with you.’

  ‘OK. Simmer down. I hadn’t meant to pry but I did happen to overhear you saying you were really looking forward to going to this do with him.’

  ‘That doesn’t mean anything! Everyone’s coming. Jay’s a colleague and a friend and … and someone I can trust,’ Lottie exclaimed, mad for him eavesdropping and that she’d let him wind her up. ‘Look, Connor, if you’ve said all you had to, then I think you should leave. Unless there was anything else?’

  ‘Nothing more than I was telling you. These past few weeks have made me realise what I must have put you through. I’d no idea about Steph being ill then. I know that she had cancer …’

  ‘How did you find that out?’ she said, unsure of his motive in bringing up Steph. Was he trying to assuage his guilt at leaving her – or could the unthinkable be happening and he was trying to get closer to her again?

  ‘Alicia told me. One of her riding students has a kid at Steph’s school. She told me when she was diagnosed and all that stuff with her illness must have happened quite soon after we broke up and I wasn’t there to support you.’

  ‘It’s a bit late to feel guilty now. I coped. I had to, and I don’t blame you for not being there. You’d no idea what was going to happen.’

  He swallowed. ‘You’re so strong, Lottie. I’d have fallen to pieces. I was terrified of Mum not making it through and I was ten thousand miles away. Dad wasn’t handling it well.’

  ‘It’s hard when you’re confronted with the prospect that the person you thought would always be there, might not be,’ Lottie said.

  ‘I probably didn’t deserve you,’ Connor murmured. ‘That’s what Mum said when we split up. If she’d known the real truth, she’d have killed me.’

  Lottie’s opinion of Fiona went up another notch, but she was also annoyed. Was Connor only here to ease his guilty conscience?

  ‘What I did to you was unforgivable. I lay awake for weeks after I left, raking the reasons over and over, hardly able to face myself every morning for the damage I did.’

  ‘If you were having doubts, why did you ask me to marry you?’ Lottie cried. ‘Why go for the whole dramatic romantic gesture? All the clichés? The diamond ring, going down on one knee on the beach? Why?’

  ‘If I could answer that … I don’t know. I was in love, and swept along by the moment.’

  ‘A moment? You bought a ring specially and planned the whole proposal.’

  ‘You said “yes”, Lottie. You didn’t have to.’

  Any words deserted her. She was stunned by his comment. Hurt too – and worse, she knew that, in part, he was right. She’d been caught up in the dizzying romance of it all too. Even at the time, whispers of doubt had niggled her. She should have listened to them.

  ‘I don’t want to sound harsh but the moment we walked through the door of the flat home – back to reality – I suppose I panicked.’ He looked at his hands. ‘A lifetime is a long time to commit to one person even if you do love them.’

  Lottie was briefly speechless. Connor didn’t want her. Was it possible that he didn’t want her to have anyone else either? She also thought of Keegan’s fireworks request and how she wanted to surprise Connor. Keegan seemed devoted to him and Lottie didn’t want her to be hurt.

  ‘Connor, I hope you’re very sure this time.’

  He hesitated then nodded. ‘You’re right.’ He picked up his jacket. ‘Never mind, it’ll all be over soon,’ he muttered and walked out.

  She closed the door with a sigh of frustration. She was shocked that, for a moment or two, she’d allowed herself to imagine that the past year hadn’t happened, and let the ‘what-ifs’ creep back into her mind.

  In so many ways, the shadow he’d cast over her life was longer than she’d realised.

  Even Jay had sensed something was going on between them and she’d hate it if she came across as unprofessional to him, or anyone. What’s more, just when she’d had been looking forward to their relationship moving forward, Connor had thrown a spanner in the works. She had to hope Jay hadn’t read too much into the situation, and that the ball would be a fresh stage in their relationship – and not another disaster.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Two weeks to the wedding

  On the evening of the ball, Steph was staying over on the sofa bed at the Bothy while the twins were at a school friend’s sleepover party. While Steph had been getting dressed in the sitting room, Lottie did her make-up in her bedroom.

  S
he was looking forward to her glamorous night off, but was also a little nervous of how things would go with Jay. Since he’d walked in on her with Connor the previous Friday it had definitely put a dampener on some of her excitement and she was sure it had affected Jay’s view of her. Over the past week, her communication with him had been confined to seeing him around the offices from time to time or passing him going in and out of the cottages. She could count the words they’d exchanged on the fingers of one hand.

  They’d no real need to interact on a work basis, either, now the Edwardian evening was over. He’d spent all his time at the forest centre, which was natural considering it was peak tree-buying time. She’d been flat-out with the preparations for the ball, which felt as if it had arrived at lightning speed. Even so, she was sure that he had read something into Connor being in the cottage … though short of confronting him, she had no way of finding out. She really hoped the ball might be a way of rebuilding the bridges between them. Things had been going so well until Connor had landed back at the Bothy.

  She heard the stairs creaking then her sister’s voice at the bedroom door.

  ‘What do you think? Not over the top?’

  She whipped round, mascara wand in her hand. ‘Oh wow! You look amazing. It’s new, isn’t it? I thought you said you were wearing your LBD. Where did you get that from?’

  ‘There was a Christmas fair at school yesterday and one of the mums was running a designer pre-loved stall.’ Steph did a twirl, the sequins on the slinky purple dress shimmering in the lamplight. ‘It still had the price tag on it but she said there’s no way she’d fit into it.’

  Lottie was pleased to see Steph looking brighter, and with a smile on her face glammed up ready for an evening out. Tonight almost felt like it had before Steph had been ill.

  ‘It’s completely fabulous and I love the hair.’

  ‘The salon worked wonders with it,’ Steph said.

  ‘Your dress looks great with those shoes we got in Kendal.’

  Steph lifted the hem to show her silver sandals. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to dance the night away in them but who cares?’

  ‘You will be OK, won’t you?’ Lottie asked. ‘Don’t feel you have to boogie all night because of me. When you’re ready to come home, you will say?’

  ‘Of course I’ll say if I need to but at the moment, I’m raring to go …’ Steph hugged her. ‘I just want some normality for one night, even if at midnight, I’ll be like Cinderella and everything will go back to the way it really is. No matter what the future holds, I want tonight to be like the old days.’

  Lottie felt her eyes prick with tears.

  ‘Do not, repeat, do not cry! You’ve so much mascara on for a start.’

  ‘I know.’ She let Steph go and smiled.

  ‘That’s better. Now is there any chance I can borrow that black furry wrap you used to have?’ she asked. ‘If you still have it.’

  ‘I do have it … or at least I don’t remember getting rid of it when I moved out of Connor’s. It’s somewhere in the cubby hole though. I don’t think I’ve unpacked it since I moved here.’

  ‘I can go and hunt for it, while you get dressed.’

  ‘In that dress?’ Lottie shook her head.

  Steph planted her hands on her hips. ‘God, you do sound like Mum.’

  ‘Yeah and you know I’m right. I’ll go. My make-up and hair are done and I can get changed afterwards. Neither of us want to be poking round a dusty cupboard in our glad rags. I think I know which box it might be in. You wait here.’

  Lottie padded along the landing and opened the cubby hole, which was actually a box room-cum-storage cupboard under the sloping eaves. It wasn’t even big enough for a single bed. The naked bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the cardboard boxes that had stayed largely undisturbed since she’d moved out of the two-bedroom house she’d shared with Connor the previous year.

  Lottie opened the cupboard less and less; really only as the seasons had changed and she’d needed boots and coats.

  There was so much stuff she didn’t use now. Clothes, tennis rackets – Connor had persuaded her to have lessons but she’d loathed it, hitting the ball everywhere except into the court. Two bodyboards leaned against the wall. They’d bought them back from the Cornish holiday. Lottie had really enjoyed catching the waves but Connor had hated being dumped under water so they’d never used them again. Somewhere in the depths there was a yoghurt maker, a canteen of cutlery and a vintage china tea set from his auntie, which Connor had wanted to throw on the dump. Lottie loved the tea set but there wasn’t room in the kitchen and she hadn’t yet hosted any afternoon teas.

  These mundane items were a reminder of a lifestyle she’d left behind. A couple’s life, a life that had been full of cosy plans, some big but many small. Yet wasn’t it the small details that knitted people together so closely and made lives so hard to unpick?

  Lottie couldn’t imagine Keegan bodyboarding even if she was an Aussie … but she could imagine her playing tennis, in a chic dress and pristine white trainers … Maybe this was another reminder that Keegan and Connor were meant for each other, despite Connor’s misgivings.

  It was crazy to think he’d been having second thoughts about the wedding because of Lottie. The ‘tenderness’ he’d shown her before he’d been a git towards Jay must have sprung from guilt. She’d searched her conscience ever since, to see if she’d offered Connor any hint whatsoever that she still had feelings for him. She was sure she hadn’t but in future she resolved to try doubly hard not to encourage him one little bit.

  His wedding to Keegan had to go ahead and it had to be perfect.

  She ducked her head to enter the cupboard. The box with the faux fur stole, of course, was right at the back, but fortunately not underneath any other stuff. Squeezing deeper inside, she opened the lid and saw it on top of the box, along with a black ballgown she’d once worn to a tourism awards ceremony. She’d helped her hotel win a silver hospitality award that night. In fact, she’d first met Shayla at the awards do, which had led to her eventually being offered her current role. Some memories weren’t all bad.

  She went back to her room and handed the wrap to a delighted Steph, who went downstairs to wait for her.

  Lottie could have worn the black ballgown to tonight’s party but this was an evening to look to the future so she’d splashed out on a midnight-blue midi-dress spangled with teeny silver stars. It had a high neck and long sleeves and looked good with some velvet heels that would probably be agony within half an hour. The dress had a Gothic air to it that she felt was in keeping with Firholme, so she’d decided on some marcasite chandelier earrings she rarely had the chance to wear.

  After adding a slick of lip gloss, and a spritz of perfume, she made her way down the narrow staircase, one hand on the bannister for support.

  Steph had been taking a selfie but stopped when she saw Lottie walk in.

  ‘Oh my. You look like a knockout. That dress – the hair. Your eyes. Is this Lottie?’

  Glowing with pleasure – and relief – at Steph’s reaction, Lottie patted her head. She’d spent ages putting up her hair, securing it with grips and a clip and teasing out just the right number of tendrils to frame her face. Steph probably hadn’t noticed when she’d first walked into the bedroom, because she was so caught up in her own finery. Lottie had also been wearing a pink furry dressing gown …

  ‘We scrub up pretty well,’ Steph said. ‘Maybe tonight is the night – with Jay, I mean.’

  ‘Would you mind not matchmaking just yet?’ Lottie peered into the mirror and dabbed at a fleck of mascara that had settled on her cheek.

  ‘Why not? You said your evening out went well and you were very cosy at the Edwardian evening.’

  ‘Cosy? We were working.’

  ‘I saw you snuggled up at the carol concert.’

  ‘There were so many people, we couldn’t help being close and anyway, I’d no idea you were watching!’

  Ste
ph smirked. ‘You’re so easy to wind up.’

  ‘Argh.’ Lottie groaned but laughed too. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘Let’s finish getting ready and grab a few photos.’

  After taking some selfies and pictures to WhatsApp their parents and to show the twins the next morning, Lottie grabbed a tiny bag and a large coat. A few large flakes of snow were falling and the grounds were already white. She was glad she had no need to drive home.

  Many of the staff had decided to share rooms with the live-in workers and she wondered if the others might end up begging for floors to bunk down on or sleeping in the café, if cars and taxis couldn’t make it up the hill to the house. There were worse places to be and the café had squidgy sofas and lots of blankets, so hopefully everyone could be accommodated if need be.

  They had to take their wellies even to reach the doors of the big house, and laughed to see the rows of boots abandoned at the entrance to the vestibule. One of the waiting staff who Lottie had hired from a catering company took their coats and they changed into their party shoes.

  Steph stared at the vestibule, with its grand staircase. Laughter and chatter echoed to the ceiling two floors up, while people mingled in the hall and spilled out of the drawing room, glasses in hand.

  ‘Wow! This is incredible.’

  Lottie agreed, but it wasn’t the grand surroundings that had stunned her but the people. The room was full of folk she saw every day but now hardly recognised. Everyone had taken the glamorous dress code to the max. There were gardeners in tuxes, chefs in ballgowns, maintenance men looking like James Bond. Lottie wondered what the mill owner would have thought of all the ‘workers’ making merry in his home.

  It made her glow with pleasure to see her colleagues and their guests, laughing and gasping in delight as they greeted fellow workers. There was also a lot of fizz being consumed; people were ready to get into the party spirit early and enjoy this particular Christmas to the max. Only one face had eluded her so far.

  Steph took two glasses from a waiter and handed one to Lottie. ‘Is Jay here yet?’ she said, reading Lottie’s mind. ‘We could have walked up here together.’