Christmas at Wynter House

by Emily Harvale

  Neva beamed at him and put her hand in his. 'I'm not sure exactly what you're asking me, Rafe, but whatever it is, the answer is yes. Absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt.'

  Chapter Thirty

  Neva woke up and stretched. It was Christmas Day. And last night, her Christmas wish had come true. No. All her Christmas wishes ever, had come true. She turned over onto her side and ran a finger down the length of Rafe's cheek.

  'Are you awake, Rafe?' she whispered.

  A satisfied smile crept onto his lips and he wrapped one arm around her, pulling her closer. 'I don't think we ever went to sleep, did we?' He slowly opened one eye and then the other, the smile getting bigger and sexier all the while.

  'Who needs sleep?' she said, running her finger further downwards beneath the covers of Rafe's four-poster bed.

  'I do, if you expect me to keep up with your insatiable demands.'

  'Oi,' she gave him a playful slap. 'If anyone was insatiable last night, it was you.'

  He reached out a hand and stroked her cheek, taking her chin between his finger and thumb and easing her towards him as he lifted his head to hers, kissing her on the lips as if he would never let her go.

  Finally they eased apart. 'It's Christmas Day,' he said. 'Merry Christmas, Neva.'

  'Merry Christmas to you, too, Rafe. And thank you for my present.'

  He looked confused. 'I haven't given you your present yet. Or was that sarcasm?'

  She shook her head. 'No sarcasm. If last night wasn't my present then I've clearly been a very good girl all year because believe me, being with you and waking up in your bed is the best present you could give me.'

  He smiled and his eyes were filled with love. 'The same goes for me. I must've been a very, very good boy. Although last night, you were a very bad girl, Neva, but in a very good way.'

  'Look who's talking! I was worried you'd be all prim and proper, but there was nothing very prim about the wonderful things you did last night, although they were all very proper. Very well done, that is. We could go on like this all morning. But you know what, Rafe. Actions speak louder than words. And it's still very early, so we've got plenty of time before breakfast.'

  He pulled her close again and looked into her eyes. 'I've never felt like this about anyone before, Neva. Not even Pippa. I'm ecstatic but I'm also a little bit terrified. Scared I'll do something to mess this up. I know you and I have only just met and I know some people will think this is crazy, but I'm in love and I don't care. I want you to see what's in the old barn. I don't want to keep any secrets from you. That's why I had to tell Olivia about it last night because in all good conscience, she had to know before I told you. You'll understand why later.'

  'I understand anyway, Rafe. She's your grandmother. Your family. And I've only just come into your life. Whatever it is you're doing in there, at this moment in time, it's only right that Olivia knows first. But I think you should know. You'd have to do something unbelievably bad to screw this up. Because something that feels this right can't possibly go wrong. And just in case you're in any doubt, I'm in love too, and I don't care what anyone thinks either.'

  He beamed at her. 'Weren't you saying something about actions speaking louder than words? The old barn can wait. It's been there for centuries; it's not going anywhere.'

  He kissed her again and it was some considerable time until Neva got to see what was in the old barn, but when she did, she laughed with joy.

  'Gin! You're distilling gin? To an old family recipe?'

  Rafe nodded. 'One of the Wynters, from generations ago, was a distiller but he was also a gambler and he lost the whole thing on the turn of a card. My grandfather, Sebastian, Olivia's husband, found copies of the recipes that distillery used. He bought this 300-litre copper pot still shortly after he met Olivia. Traditionally, they're all given names by every distiller. This copper pot still is called Olivia. Don't laugh. Grandfather did that as a compliment. He adored her. They adored one another, so everyone says. Not just Olivia.'

  'I know. Ethel and Queenie said the same. But why would you keep this a secret? It's perfectly legal to have a gin distillery, isn't it?'

  'Yes. Anyone can have one, within reason. But there's an awful lot of red tape, licences, regulations and such, so it takes a lot of time and patience just to get the go ahead. We had to wait almost eighteen months to get our licence. And that's before you even begin distilling. Then comes all the tests and trials to find the best recipe, the perfect blend, the exceptional flavour. That's what all these cartons are. They're filled with hops and herbs, berries, seeds, roots and fruits. Juniper of course, that has to be used to classify it as a gin, but we use lavender for example, not to add flavour as you might expect, but to add a creaminess to the blend. We've got blackberries, strawberries, cloves, samphire, elderberry, citrus fruits. It's all a matter of testing and trying to get it right. And those huge glass jars, which are called carboys, contain several ingredients in liquid form. Sebastian's recipe was good, but today's palates demand more intricate flavours. More depth. That's what we've been working on. When Sean interrupted our conversation, it was to tell me he was certain we'd got the perfect blend. It was one we've been working on for a while and it was finally ready. He was far too excited to wait to try it. We'll have other flavours too, but this one's the one we both felt the most passionate about.'

  'I understand. So what happens now? Now that you've perfected that one?'

  'We bottle it and hopefully sell it and then make more blends. Let me show you the label for this first one.' He took her to a laptop on a table in one corner and brought up a picture on a screen. It was a white background with Wynter House at the top, looking exactly as it does, but in an illustrated form, and Wyntersleap Falls and River Wynter below it in shades of blue and white, looking just as magnificent as they did in reality, with what looked like splashes of water on the label and etched into the pale grey-blue bottle.

  'Wyntersleap Gin. Distinctively dry gin from the waters of River Wynter.' Neva read the label. 'Is that true? Do you use the water from the river? Is that allowed?'

  He nodded. 'We use the water from a natural spring that's a tributary of River Wynter, so yes.'

  'So why the secrecy? You didn't say. And I think this is fantastic!'

  'Because when Grandfather died, Olivia boarded this place up and said it was strictly forbidden for anyone to come in here again or to touch anything here. I decided to go against her wishes, nearly two years ago now. And I didn't want her to know because if Sean and I failed, we'd have upset her for no good reason. But Grandfather had a real passion for gin, Neva, and it made no sense to leave this sitting here doing nothing when there was a chance it could actually be making us some money. Gin is big business these days, and although fads come and go, it's been around for centuries and it'll be around for centuries after I'm dead and gone. Oliver rarely ventures outside these days, and she never comes to this barn, but we didn't want her to get word of it from anyone else. The staff know, and Ethel and Queenie, too, but they're all sworn to secrecy and would never betray my trust.'

  'I'm astonished. Impressed. Thrilled it's nothing illegal.' She grinned at him and he pulled her into his arms. 'There's only one problem. I don't like gin. Only joking. I love gin. So are you going to let me try some?'

  'Absolutely. And if this business takes off, I'll buy another copper pot still, and I'll name it, Neva.'

  She gave a little gasp. 'Are you saying you adore me, Rafe?'

  He tilted his head to one side and looked deep into her eyes.

  'Do you really need to ask? Because if you do, you're right. I really must be crap at showing how I feel.'

  He kissed her and she had no doubt.

  'You're far from crap at it, Rafe,' she said, her voice husky from the kiss and her heart beating wildly as she looked into his eyes. 'I assume the barn door also locks from the inside, doesn't it? Because I'm going to show you how I feel, and I don't want anyone bursting in until I'm certain you have ab
solutely no doubt about that at all.'

  He took her hand and, beaming at her, they went to lock the barn door. After that, she led him to the sofa in one corner.

  'Merry Christmas, Rafe,' she said.

  'Merry Christmas, Neva. I'm thanking my lucky stars that you came to spend Christmas at Wynter House, and I'm praying you'll want to spend every Christmas here from now on.'

  'Try and stop me, Rafe. Come hell or high water, rain, power cuts or floods, I'll be spending every Christmas at Wynter House. And I'll be loving every minute of it, because I'll be here with you.'

  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  Coming soon

  Merriment Bay series

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay

  Part One: A Reunion

  This is a delightfully heartwarming novel told in four parts. This is Part One.

  Available now

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay

  Part One: A Reunion

  After eighteen years apart, reclusive Cat Devon still recognises her mum's handwriting. Plucking up the courage to open the letter, its contents send Cat and her teenage daughter, Kyra racing to Merriment Bay, the seaside village where Cat grew up.

  But Cat is shocked to find the situation is worse than expected. Despite everything, Cat considers herself to be an optimist at heart and Kyra takes after her. Looking on the bright side may not improve things, but it definitely can't make them worse.

  Clearing out the house that, even now, Cat fondly thinks of as home, she stumbles upon more than just memories in the battered leather trunk in Granny Viola's bedroom. She discovers a faded photo of an RAF pilot, a pile of unopened letters, and a mystery waiting to be solved.

  Who is the man in the - clearly treasured - photo? Cat and Kyra are intent on finding out. But that's not all Cat's determined to do. It's time she came to terms with her past and made peace with her mum and her gran. All the while avoiding bumping into the one man she never quite got over ... and keeping a few secrets of her own.

  This is a delightfully heartwarming novel told in four parts. This is Part One.

  The Merriment Bay series and the Wyntersleap series are interconnected with several characters appearing in both. However, each series can be read alone.

  A Note from Emily

  Thank you for reading this book. A little piece of my heart goes into all of my books and when I send them on their way, I really hope they bring a smile to someone's face. If this book made you smile, or gave you a few pleasant hours of relaxation, I'd love it if you would tell your friends.

  I'd be really happy if you have a minute or two to post a review. Just a line will do, and a kind review makes such a difference to my day - to any author's day. Huge thanks to those of you who do so, and for your lovely comments and support on social media. Thank you.

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  You might like to join my Readers' Club by signing up for my newsletter. It's absolutely free, your email address is safe and won't be shared and I won't bombard you, I promise. You can enter competitions and enjoy some giveaways. In addition to that, there's my author page on Facebook and there's also a Facebook group. You can chat with me and with other fans and get access to my book news, snippets from my daily life, early extracts from my books and lots more. Details are on the 'For You' page of my website. You'll find all my contact links in the Contact section following this.

  I'm working on my next book right now. Let's see where my characters take us this time. Hope to chat with you soon.

  To see details of my other books, please go to the books page on my website, or scan or tap the QR code below to see all my books on Amazon.

  Contact

  If you want to be one of the first to hear Emily's news, find out about book releases, see covers, and enter free competitions, then sign up to her Readers' Club by going to: www.emilyharvale.com and subscribing to her newsletter via the 'Sign me up' box. If you love Emily's books and want to chat with her and other fans, ask to join the exclusive Emily Harvale's Readers' Club Facebook group.

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  Also by Emily Harvale

  Highland Fling

  Lizzie Marshall's Wedding

  The Golf Widows' Club

  Sailing Solo

  Carole Singer's Christmas

  Christmas Wishes

  A Slippery Slope

  The Perfect Christmas Plan

  Be Mine

  It Takes Two

  Bells and Bows on Mistletoe Row

  The Goldebury Bay series:

  Ninety Days of Summer - book 1

  Ninety Steps to Summerhill - book 2

  Ninety Days to Christmas - book 3

  The Hideaway Down series:

  A Christmas Hideaway - book 1

  Catch A Falling Star - book 2

  Walking on Sunshine - book 3

  Dancing in the Rain - book 4

  Hall's Cross series

  Deck the Halls - book 1

  The Starlight Ball - book 2

  Michaelmas Bay series

  Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove - book 1

  Blame it on the Moonlight - book 2

  Lily Pond Lane series

  The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane - four-part serial

  Part One - New beginnings

  Part Two - Summer secrets

  Part Three - Autumn leaves

  Part Four - Trick or treat

  Christmas on Lily Pond Lane

  Return to Lily Pond Lane

  A Wedding on Lily Pond Lane

  Secret Wishes and Summer Kisses on Lily Pond Lane

  Acknowledgements

  My grateful thanks go to the following:

  Christina Harkness for her patience and care in editing this book.

  My webmaster, David Cleworth who does so much more than website stuff.

  My cover design team, JR.

  Luke Brabants. Luke is a talented artist and can be found at: www.lukebrabants.com

  My wonderful friends for their friendship and love. You know I love you all.

  All the fabulous members of my Readers' Club. You help and support me in so many ways and I am truly grateful for your ongoing friendship. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.

  My Twitter and Facebook friends, and fans of my Facebook author page. It's great to chat with you. You help to keep me (relatively) sane!

  Thank you for buying this book.