Christmas at Wynter House

by Emily Harvale

  'And I'm not suggesting we take on the big repairs. I don't mean to be rude about your gorgeous home but I know what old houses are like. There's always something that needs replacing, repairing or rebuilding.'

  Rafe had told Neva the very same thing, so he could hardly take offence, and fortunately he didn't because he smiled.

  'Constantly,' he said, and he even gave a little laugh. 'That means a great deal to me, Dennis. You and your family are so kind. Gavin and myself do what we can, as does Adam, when he's here, but we're no experts, and good, reliable builders are a rarer find than a golden goose these days. I'd appreciate your advice on a couple of matters that need some attention.'

  'Perfect. After breakfast we'll move the tables and chairs and then we'll give you a shout and you can tell us what you need.'

  Rafe looked genuinely pleased, but Neva wasn't so sure Rowan would be and she held her breath when Sasha, followed by her parents, came stomping in looking as if she'd just been told off.

  'Thank heavens for that.' Rowan rolled her eyes when Dennis broke the news to his daughter and Nigel. 'We weren't here for more than ten minutes before Nigel was pointing out that this needed doing and that needed doing. And how he'd love to get his hands on the damaged section of wood panelling in the grand hall because he knew exactly how to make it look as good as new. And by that of course I mean, centuries old but no longer damaged. It'll be lovely to get a bit of peace and quiet.'

  She glared at Sasha. Something had clearly happened.

  Nigel frowned and gave Rafe an apologetic smile. 'I wasn't criticising or anything. It's just that I can't stop myself from noticing these things.'

  'No need to explain. I understand completely. I sincerely appreciate your kind offer of help and I welcome your thoughts and comments.'

  Neva laughed. 'You may regret saying that, Rafe.'

  He smiled at her but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. 'I may regret a few things over the last few days, Neva. But I don't think this will be one of them. If you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Archie, but I'll come and find you later, Dennis and Nigel, if that's OK.'

  'Absolutely.'

  'Why did Rafe look sad?' Sasha asked, as he walked away.

  'Did he?' Dennis said. 'I thought he looked rather pleased.'

  'Not when he looked at Neva, he didn't. Have you been naughty too, Neva?'

  'Not that I'm aware, sweetie, but sometimes we can do things without realising the effect they may have on other people.'

  Rowan tutted and did the eye-roll. 'You're eight, Sasha. And sometimes you talk a lot of nonsense. Come and have some breakfast and then we'll have to find something to keep you out of mischief today. Neva's going to be busy doing everyone's hair and Granny and I are helping in the kitchen. If your Daddy's going to be working, we need to find someone to look after you. I wonder if George is free again today?'

  'He did look sad.' Sasha crossed her arms and pouted. 'And I'm eight. I don't need looking after.'

  'As you've been demonstrating so clearly since we arrived. Let me see. You got yourself locked in the secret passage and Rafe had to organise a search party, wasting hours of everyone's day. Last night you disappeared into the attic because you were convinced you saw a ghost head in that direction. You scared poor Judith half to death when you jumped out at her. You're lucky she brought you back to us and didn't shut you away in that attic. And you excelled yourself this morning with your stunt on poor Carruthers and that hand. You should be grounded, and when we get home, you will be. And don't laugh, Neva, because that just encourages her.'

  Neva bit her lower lip but it didn't stop the spurt of laughter.

  'Did you really jump out at Judith? And what's this about Carruthers and a hand? Oh come on, Rowan. You have to tell me.'

  Nigel shook his head. 'Sasha bought some things with her pocket money in one of the shops in Merriment Bay, and one of those things was a life-like, child's hand. This morning she came downstairs long before we even got up and she asked Carruthers to show her where the library was. Being the butler that he is, he did, and she put her hand in his, only it wasn't her hand, of course. Then she pulled him, and the hand came off in his.'

  Sasha giggled. 'It was soooo funny, Neva.'

  Neva could imagine his face. Those eyebrows of his must have done a bit of a dance at the very least.

  'It wasn't,' Rowan snapped. 'The poor man almost had a heart attack.'

  Neva was still laughing when she asked, 'How do you know? You said you weren't up.'

  'But Ethel was. She saw the whole thing and told us all about it.' Rowan slapped butter on her toast as if she were smacking the bread with her knife.

  'I didn't have Ethel down as a tell-tale or a spoilsport.'

  'Spoilsport? Oh, she thought it was even funnier than you do. She told us because she thought we'd find it hysterical too. We didn't. She said she thought he was going to die of shock when Sasha 'held' his hand, and then when it came off in his, Ethel said he looked as if his brain had exploded and he would drop dead on the spot. He let out a strangled yelp, and stumbled backwards, as if he thought he'd actually pulled Sasha's hand off.'

  Sasha giggled louder and clamped her little hands over her mouth to try to hide her amusement.

  'Sorry, Rowan,' Neva said, 'but I'd have given anything to see his face.'

  'You might not feel that way if he tells Rafe and Rafe decides we've caused nothing but trouble and it's time we left. It's just as well Dad and Nigel have offered to help. That might at least make him think twice.'

  'I don't think Rafe would throw us out over a little practical joke, sis. Besides, he's already told us we can stay for the New Year too.'

  'Yippee!' Sasha bounced up and down on her seat. 'I'll be able to find all the ghosts and I've got lots more jokes to play on ...' She let her voice trail off, took a large mouthful of toast, and beamed at Neva.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Neva couldn't help herself. The moment she saw Carruthers in the hall shortly after breakfast, she gave him a cheerful smile and asked if he could give her a hand.

  He actually made a little gasp. Just a tiny one but she definitely heard it. Then he did his thing with his eyebrows, cleared his throat, pushed his shoulders back a fraction more than they already were and said, 'Of course, Miss Grey. I do beg your pardon. Neva. How may I assist you?'

  Without thinking, she gave him a playful slap on his arm and smiled.

  'I'm sorry, Carruthers. I don't need any help. I was only teasing.'

  Again, the eyebrow thing and another little gasp but he composed himself admirably and added a small bow.

  'If you'd like a haircut, I'll be in the old washroom downstairs. Have a good day. And happy Christmas Eve.'

  'Thank you. And to you, M-Neva.'

  Neva watched him stride across the hall as a voice to the side of her made her jump. She looked round and saw Rafe, but not right away. He was leaning against the door frame of the library, and had been partially obscured from her view by the wide branches of the Christmas tree in the hall and where she was standing. There was a sardonic smile on his face and his arms were loosely crossed. It was the first time she'd seen him look a little laid back. It suited him. So did the light grey jumper he was wearing with his jeans. It brought out the blue in his eyes.

  'You do know you've just destroyed his equilibrium for the day, don't you?'

  'You've heard about Sasha's little trick then?'

  His eyes twinkled and it looked as if he was trying not to laugh. 'I have. Ethel told me. But that wasn't what I meant. I was referring to your offer of a haircut.'

  'Oh? Why would that destroy his equilibrium? Doesn't he like having his hair cut? He always looks so immaculate.'

  'Exactly. And that's the point. He'll now spend all morning worrying whether he looks as if he needs to have his hair cut. For a man like Archie, that's a very serious matter.'

  Neva grinned. 'I see. Then next time I bump into him I'll tell him he doesn't.'


  'Thank you.'

  He smiled at her as he eased himself away from the frame and his arms relaxed at his sides. He walked out into the hall and towards the front door.

  'What about you, Rafe?'

  He turned. 'What about me?'

  'Would you like a haircut?'

  He grinned at her. 'Are you saying I need a haircut? Or are you also trying to destroy my equilibrium? More than you have already.'

  'More? How have I done that? Oh. By us all being here, you mean?'

  'No, Neva. That's not what I mean.'

  'You're talking about last night then, aren't you? I'm sorry.'

  'Not just about last night. I was thrown off balance the moment we met. And I think you're well aware of that.'

  'Neva?' Rowan came rushing into the hall. 'Oh, Rafe. You're here too. Have either of you seen Sasha? She's disappeared again. One minute she was standing beside me, the next she was gone.'

  'She's on the front lawn with George,' Rafe said. 'I saw them from the library window. They're taking the dogs for a walk. Although in these conditions, I think it's more of a tumble than a walk. She's perfectly safe with him.'

  Rowan breathed a sigh of relief and slapped her hand against her chest.

  'Yes. He's a lovely man. That girl will be the death of me. I'm telling the pair of you right now, don't even think about having kids. They'll give you nothing but worry and sleepless nights. Oh. I didn't mean together, of course.' She gave a burst of laughter and hurried back the way she came.

  Rafe was giving Neva the strangest look and a crimson flush rushed over her.

  'My family can be so embarrassing at times. I'm sorry. I don't know why she said that.'

  'As it happens, I've been thinking about very little else, and worry and sleepless nights are things I'm clearly going to have to get used to.'

  What did he mean by that? Was he saying he had been thinking about having kids? Or that he'd been thinking about how embarrassing her family could be?

  'You've had worries and sleepless nights for most of your life, haven't you? I mean, about this place. Looking after this house. You know what I mean.'

  'I have. But I'm accustomed to those concerns. Lately, I've found myself thinking about things that have taken me completely by surprise. And I'm not quite sure what to do about them.'

  'Oh? What sort of things?'

  Was he saying what she thought he was? If he liked her - really liked her - why couldn't he just say it?

  A crease formed between his brows. 'Are you saying you don't know?'

  She slowly shook her head and took a deep breath. As far as she was concerned, the chemistry between them right now made the Big Bang look like a firework fizzling out.

  'Rafe. I know I told you the other day that I'm not completely stupid, but to be quite honest, sometimes I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you saying you like me? Or have I totally misunderstood the looks and the smiles? I know I said you were pretty crap at this but I'm not very good at it either. If you do like me, please just say so and save us both a lot of time and doubt. Because ... although God knows why, I think I may like you.'

  He didn't really get a chance to say anything. Sean shoved open the front door and burst into the hall, shouting for Rafe at the top of his voice.

  'I ... I have to go, Neva. But we'll resume this conversation later.'

  'Bloody hell, Rafe. Why do you always have to be so prim and proper? Fine.'

  She turned and stormed off along the hall, ignoring Sean's apology for the interruption, and the fact that Rafe called her name twice.

  Why couldn't the silly sod just come after her? Was that really too much to ask?

  Especially after he'd given her a look that was so full of passion, she wanted to rip off their clothes and have sex right there in the hall.

  But she mustn't think about that. She had people's hair to cut and style.

  Besides she could hardly have passionate sex with Rafe in the hall of Wynter House.

  She couldn't even begin to imagine how Carruthers would react to that.

  And neither could Jo, when Neva called her to have a good moan.

  'Perhaps he'd stand there, all straight-backed and wait until you'd finished, then ask if there was anything sir or madam required. But you can bet those eyebrows would be going like the clappers.'

  'Yeah. I wish I knew what was going on in Rafe's head though. I'm absolutely convinced he really likes me. Most of the time. Sometimes I think he wishes we'd never met. But he hasn't said anything about liking me or, possibly being in danger of falling in love with me, or anything really, since our conversation in the library. And because I've never dated anyone from his sort of background, I don't know what to do. Is he always going to be so stiff upper-lipped?'

  'It's not his upper lip you need to worry about,' Jo joked. 'So you've decided he's the one you like after all, have you? I thought you might. Why don't you just do the mistletoe thing like I suggested?'

  'Because there's never any about when we're together. And yeah. I like him. I think I like him a lot. Which is actually really annoying.'

  Jo laughed. 'I can imagine. You could always carry some mistletoe around with you. Or just grab him by the collar and give the man the most passionate kiss possible. Not even Rafe could resist that. I told you. Do it tonight at the party. If you don't, I'll come down there and damn well do it for you.'

  'Rob would love that. Speaking of which. How are things going?'

  'Not brilliantly. I tried to have a word with him about the jumpers, the whole Charmaine thing and the rows with his sister, oh, and about him suddenly not wanting to get off his arse, and he told me I was being unreasonable. That it was Christmas and he was on holiday. That he and his sister often rowed but it didn't mean anything, and that his mum had gone out of her way to make me feel part of the family. I don't know if it's me or him. But I do know that this isn't going as I hoped. I'll see how it goes and give it until the New Year.'

  'And what then? What if nothing changes?'

  'Then it's not meant to be and I'll have to end it.'

  'Seriously? Four years is a long time and you've just got engaged. Everyone goes a bit crazy over Christmas. Things might settle down again once life's back to normal.'

  'I hope so. But if it doesn't, I'll be looking for a new job and a place to live.'

  'Oh Jo. I'm so sorry. I hope it does work out. Um. But if it doesn't. I do happen to know where there may be a job going for such a talented hairdresser like you. It even comes with a room in a flat overlooking the sea. Of course, you would have to share with someone, but I believe she's a lovely girl and very easy to get on with.'

  'Really? I heard she was a bit of a weirdo. And a silly tart who won't kiss the man she's crazy about. But I hope you mean it, Neva. Because ever since you told me about that salon, the flat and Merriment Bay, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. And you know what. I think that's the problem. I'd rather be there with you than be here with Rob and his family. Which tells us both all we need to know about my relationship, I think.'

  'Are you serious?'

  'I think so. But it's hard. As you say, it's been four years. I want to make sure before I throw it all away. The truth is though, the whole proposal thing was a bit of a wake-up call. I was more excited about getting the new job than I was about getting the ring. You know that. And if getting engaged didn't really thrill me, should I honestly be living here and thinking about getting married?'

  'Oh, Jo. Are you sure it's not just because it's Christmas? And because of what's been happening, you've been thinking about your parents? It is true though. You were nowhere near as excited about the engagement as I'd thought you'd be.'

  Jo sighed. 'If the silly sod hadn't got down on one knee in the middle of the dining room at The Ritz, I think I might have said no. But all I could think about was how embarrassed he would be. And how much the whole evening had probably cost him. And I did love him. I do love him. I'm just not sure I love him enough
. These last few days have made me realise that. If I did, even Charmaine wouldn't bother me. Unless there's some sort of miracle between now and the New Year, I really think this is over.'

  'I'm so sorry, Jo. Is there anything I can do?'

  'You can kiss that bloody Rafe Wynter. Someone should be having fun this Christmas. And I promise, if I do come down, I won't get in the way of you and Mr Prim and Proper. Oh. But as you've decided it's Rafe you want and not Adam, the brother's going spare, right?'

  Jo was clearly hurting but she wasn't the type to wallow in self-pity. Making jokes was her way of dealing with any problems she may have.

  Neva laughed. 'Yes. But I don't think Adam's your type. Although wouldn't that be great? We're getting ahead of ourselves though. Let's not forget Rafe hasn't even said he likes me yet, let alone that he wants to have a relationship with me. And even if he does say he likes me, it could just be lust and all he wants is a quick fling. Why does this stuff have to be so confusing?'

  'He does like you and I think he wants a relationship. He doesn't sound like a man who just wants a fling. Not from the things you've told me. And it doesn't matter about Adam. There's bound to be someone in Merriment Bay I fancy.'

  It sounded as if Jo had already made up her mind, and Neva felt a little sorry for Rob. Come the New Year - or possibly even before, Rob Ashford was going to be history as far as Jo was concerned.

  But she couldn't help but feel happy at the prospect of being reunited with her best friend. She and Jo would be moving out of their flat in London in January, and moving into their flat in Merriment Bay, not long after that. Until then, they could stay at her parents' new house.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Other than a quick lunch break, Neva didn't stop and she was on her feet from the moment she sat Ethel down and washed and curled her hair, until the minute she brushed the cuttings from George's shoulders. There was a steady procession of people throughout the day and, other than the fact that she was in an old washroom in the downstairs corridors of a stately home, the comings and goings, gossip and laughs, were just as they would be in any other hairdressing salon.