A little hand patted her cheek. ‘Don’t be sad, Mummy.’
Glancing down into a pair of worried green eyes, she smiled. So sensitive, she’d have to take extra care not to let things get on top of him over the next few months. ‘I’m not sad, darling, I was just thinking about what a big boy you’re getting.’
‘I’m a brave man,’ he told her in a solemn voice. ‘Tristan said so.’
‘Did he? Well, he’s right. You are very brave, and very good, and Isaac is lucky to have such a special big brother. Will you help him feel at home here?’
‘Yes.’ He paused then, his nose scrunched up in what Steve always called his thinking expression. Oh, hell. She’d forgotten to text him to say they’d got there okay. And her parents, too.
‘Come on, brave man, let’s get you in that bath.’
She hurried across the playroom towards the bathroom, pausing on the threshold when Elijah said ‘Mummy.’
Crouching to set him down, she remained at his level. ‘Yes, darling?’
‘If I do a bad thing, will you still love me?’
Shocked and stunned that such a thought would even enter his head, Jess gathered him into her lap. ‘I’m always going to love you, no matter what. And Isaac too. Always.’
‘But you don’t love Daddy anymore. Did he do a bad thing?’ His words came out on a shaky little breath.
Oh hell, and she and Steve thought they’d handled everything with the boys so well. ‘Daddy didn’t do anything wrong, not one thing, and neither did I. We’re still friends, we just don’t want to be together in the way mummies and daddies are.’ She hugged him close. ‘Shall I send him a text and see if you can have a chat later when I put Isaac to bed?’
‘Yes, please.’
‘All right, then.’ She kissed his cheek, then gave him a sniff. ‘Cor, I know a smelly boy that needs a bath.’ She tickled him as she said it, earning a squirming giggle.
Hoisting him onto her hip, she carried him into the bathroom where he proudly informed Mrs W that he was indeed a smelly boy.
‘Well, get yourself in here and get clean, young man!’ responded the housekeeper, swirling a hand in the bubbly water. ‘Your brother was a bit smelly too, but now he’s all clean.’
‘Smell!’ Isaac declared, proudly, holding his hands up towards Jess.
‘Oh dear, what have I started?’ Jess tugged down a towel from the rail then bent over the bath to gather Isaac up into it. ‘I hope you are going to behave yourself when we go back downstairs.’
‘Smell!’ he said again.
‘Smell!’ yelled Elijah from the bath before collapsing into giggles. Oh, dear God, perhaps she should’ve accepted Maxwell’s offer to bring their meal upstairs after all.
Chapter 6
As he’d predicted, the rest of the family had no issue when Jess reappeared in the family room with Isaac dressed in a onesie emblazoned with a picture of Thomas the Tank Engine on the chest, and Elijah in a pair of pyjamas covered in smiling cartoon dinosaurs. Lancelot rose to greet Isaac, and the toddler was soon ensconced on his lap, the pair of them having already formed a mutual appreciation society. So many memories came to Tristan’s mind of similar evenings he’d spent as a child safe and content in his uncle’s arms. He’d adored their kind, loving father to bits, but Lancelot had always been his hero.
Feeling a bit choked, he turned away from the scene to see Jess frowning over her phone. Edging around the room until he reached her side, he nudged her arm. ‘Problem?’
‘What? Oh, no, just my mother being her usual self.’ She pulled a face. ‘In all the fuss of our arrival, I forgot to message them to say we’d got here. I was already in the doghouse, but now I’m in Battersea and up for adoption.’ She tilted the screen towards him to show him a message.
Your father’s pleased to know you’re not all dead in a ditch at least.
‘Yikes.’ He could sense the frostiness and he’d never met the woman. While he could understand her being worried – God knows he’d been close to panicking when they hadn’t arrived on time – given everything Jess was going through, he might have expected a bit more sympathy from the woman. Then again when it came to mothers and their antics, his could probably top anything Jess’s tried.
‘Indeed,’ she agreed in a wry voice. ‘Oh well, she’ll get over it in another twenty or so years.’ She took the phone back. ‘Hey, would it be okay to get the code for your Wi-Fi? I’ve promised Eli he can Skype his dad before bedtime.’
At least that sounded like Steve wasn’t giving her a hard time. ‘Sure. The router’s in Arthur’s study and the code’s written underneath it. Give me two secs.’
‘I didn’t mean you had to do it now,’ she protested.
‘It’s no problem.’
He found a scrap of paper in the top of Arthur’s desk and scribbled down the code. They had a public Wi-Fi system set up for visitors, but it was an open network and Jess would want the security of the secured family system – even if there weren’t currently any visitors to connect to the other one. Returning to her side, he handed her the paper, much to the curiosity of Elijah.
‘What’s that?’ he asked, in that direct way all small children seemed to have.
‘It’s for the Wi-Fi, so you can talk to your dad later. You’ll have lots and lots to tell him about your day, won’t you?’
Elijah nodded. ‘He’s an arkologist. He likes old things.’
‘I see.’ The last he’d heard, Jess’s ex had been doing something in the city.
‘He’s not an archaeologist yet,’ Jess enunciated the word carefully to her son. ‘That’s why he’s gone back to school.’ She turned to Tristan. ‘He drove down last night, and registration started today.’
‘A lot of change for all of you.’ He wasn’t sure what else to say. Clearly whatever had happened between the two of them they were still on speaking terms. Part of him wanted to push for information, but again he questioned the motivation behind that. It shouldn’t make any difference to him what was behind their split, nor how long it had been in the pipeline. Jess was a friend who needed a break to get her life back on track. He was not going to do anything to try and influence the direction she chose, no matter how much he might want to.
‘It sure is.’ Jess lifted Elijah onto her lap for a cuddle. ‘Your daddy isn’t the only one starting school. The first job on my list tomorrow is to go into the village and see what we can do about getting you registered. Won’t that be exciting?’
Elijah nodded, but Tristan could tell he wasn’t too sure about it. Sitting on the arm of the chair, he slung one arm along the back to support himself as he leaned back far enough to catch Elijah’s eye. ‘We went to the village school when we were your age. Mrs Winters was our teacher. She’s the Head now, so she looks after everyone at the school.’
‘Is she nice?’
Tristan smiled. ‘Yes. She’s very nice. You’ll get to do lots of fun things there, and you’ll also be able to spend some time with your class up here at the castle. We’re just starting a new gardening project with the school, so you’ll learn all about how to plant things and where your food comes from.’
‘That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?’ Jess prompted. She glanced up at Tristan. ‘It’s a new project?’
He nodded. ‘Iggy and Will came up with the idea. They created an interactive area of the grounds for children who come to visit and then it grew from there. We’ve set aside a plot of land for the school to use as a green space. As well as room to plant a vegetable plot, there’s enough room for them to do sports activities. There’s only a concrete playground area on the grounds of the school itself.’
‘It sounds great, and some positive PR for you when you’re promoting the castle.’
‘I hadn’t really thought about it, I don’t want it to seem like I’m exploiting them.’
Jess shrugged. ‘Well, you’d have to get permission from the parents for any photos you take and publish, but if they’re all in agreement then i
t’d make a nice feature for your blog and you can tie it in with the fact there’s a general children’s area in the gardens as well. Healthy eating and dietary awareness is all the rage.’
‘I’ll talk to Mrs Winters about it. Do you want me to come down with you tomorrow? I can do the introductions and then take the boys exploring while you talk to her.’
Before she could answer, Maxwell entered the room to announce dinner and there was the usual hubbub as everyone made their way across the great hall and down the corridor to the dining room. Leaving Jess in Lucie and Arthur’s care, Tristan went to offer his arm to Morgana. Trim and fit, she didn’t need any assistance, but one of the base standards in the Ludworth household was a lady did not walk unescorted into the evening meal.
‘Well, my boy, you’ve certainly livened things up around here.’
Though her tone was dry, he could see a spark of mischief in his aunt’s eye. ‘You know me, I like to shake things up now and again.’
‘Hmm.’
They entered the dining room to find Maxwell had magicked up a highchair for Isaac from somewhere. Really, there was no end to the man’s resourcefulness. As he watched Jess swing the toddler into the chair and strap him into the harness without any sign of hesitation, he realised it must be one she’d brought with her. Pulling out a seat for his aunt in her usual spot at Arthur’s right hand he bent forward to whisper in her ear as she settled into it. ‘Just you wait and see what she can do. Even you’ll be impressed once Jess finds her feet and gets to work.’
‘Even me?’
Tristan brushed a quick kiss on her cheek, ‘Even you.’
Dinner was a noisy, happy affair, and Tristan was impressed once again with how well the two little boys seemed to be adapting to this new, strange environment. The roast chicken went down a storm, especially with Isaac who kept offering his open mouth to Jess like a baby bird every time she wasn’t quick with the next forkful of mashed up meat, vegetables and gravy. Elijah managed very well, with a little bit of assistance from Constance cutting things up for him, and a large dollop of ketchup to dip his meat into.
By the time Maxwell returned to clear the table and see if anyone required dessert, Isaac was all but asleep, his head doing that nodding and jerking thing as he kept dropping off and waking himself up again. ‘I think that’s my cue.’ Jess unstrapped the toddler and lifted him out of the chair. ‘Come on Eli, bed for you too.’
‘But I’m not tired,’ Elijah protested moments before he yawned so wide he set the adults laughing.
Faking a yawn, Tristan stretched then stood. ‘I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m almost ready for bed.’ The murmurs of assent might not have fooled an older child, but it was enough to get Elijah moving once he believed there was nothing he’d be missing out on by going to bed. As he waited for them at the door, Tristan returned Jess’s grateful smile with a wink that went over Elijah’s head, then followed them out. The climb to the nursery was a slow one, but Tristan kept pace behind Elijah to make sure his tired legs didn’t stumble. He waited a couple of steps below the landing to the upper floor, waiting until Jess turned back to him. ‘So, did you want me to come down to the village with you tomorrow?’
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. ‘If you don’t mind. I don’t want to keep you from your own work.’
‘It’s not a problem, besides the sooner we get you all sorted, the sooner you can start work and then I’ll be able to sit around with my feet up while you do everything.’
The laugh she gave held more than a hint of her own exhaustion. ‘If that’s what you think is going to happen, you’re going to be very disappointed.’
‘I don’t think you could ever disappoint me.’ The words were out before he knew what he was saying.
Flushing to the dark roots of her hair, Jess glanced away then back. ‘Yes, well, I’ll see you in the morning.’
He tucked his hands in his pockets in an effort to look casual and not like a bloke who’d just tossed his foolish, unwanted heart at her feet. ‘Sure. Shall we aim for about eight o’clock? Arthur will be up and about by then as well and we can get your stuff unloaded while you give the boys their breakfast.’ When she opened her mouth, he shook his head. ‘No arguments, you can’t lug it all up here by yourself now, can you?’
‘True, but you don’t have to do everything.’
‘I’ll let you unpack it all, don’t worry!’ That earned him another tired smile and gave him some hope that he’d managed to steer the conversation away from his embarrassing outburst. ‘Well, I shall see you in the morning.’ He tugged a hand from his pocket to give the sleepy-looking boy next to her a wave. ‘Night, night, Elijah.’
‘Night, Tris’an.’
As he trudged back downstairs, he gave himself a stern talking to. Jess was not an option, and the sooner he got that idea out of his head the better. Pining around after her was pathetic and it was time he put himself out there and started looking for an eligible girlfriend. Rather than return to the rest of the family who were no doubt settled once more in their usual spots in the family room, he veered left towards his bedroom and settled on the comfy old chair beside the window. Staring out into the stormy night, he considered his options. He’d never had to look for a girlfriend before, they’d always just come along in his life through social interactions, or via introductions from mutual friends. Neither of those were a viable option currently, so he’d have to do what everyone else seemed to be doing these days and resort to his phone. After all, they had an app for everything these days …
With Arthur only too happy to help, the two of them made short work of the stack of boxes, cases and sundry odds and ends packed into the back of the trailer. Maxwell and Lancelot soon stepped in to assist, and they formed something of a human chain with he and Arthur lugging everything up the main staircase and the two older men ferrying it along the corridor and up the shorter flight to the nursery with the aid of a flat-bed trolley Maxwell kept for moving heavier items. They left a few things downstairs, including a folded down buggy, a bright red scooter and a child-sized pushbike with stabilisers. Neither the scooter nor the bike would be much good on the gravel drive, but there was plenty of hard standing down by the stables where Elijah would be able to practice. But that could wait for another day.
He’d just finished stowing them in the side of the huge porch which framed the door when a yap from Pippin alerted him to the sight of Jess coming down the stairs with the boys, each clad in a padded coat which made them look like squishy little barrels. Jess had belted a bright red raincoat over jeans and a thin sweater, and he was pleased to note they all had sensible trainers on their feet. There was a proper path down to the village, but it would be a steep climb back.
He was just shrugging on his wax jacket when Mrs W entered the great hall, her low heels clicking on the stone floor as she hurried over to him. ‘Oh good, I caught you before you left. Betsy needs a few bits from the shop and the main delivery isn’t due until tomorrow, do you mind?’
Tristan scanned a quick glance over the list she handed him. ‘Shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘You’re a good boy,’ she said, patting his cheek just the way she used to do when he’d been no bigger than Elijah was now.
‘Despite what everyone else says, right?’
Laughing at his quip, she paused briefly to greet Jess and the boys before heading off to one of the myriad things she did to keep the place running as smooth as clockwork. Some might think they were overfamiliar with the staff, but to Tristan they were a part of his family. He knew Arthur and Iggy both felt the same way.
Grabbing a rucksack from one of the hooks in the boot room he shrugged it onto his back then turned to Jess. ‘All set?’
‘I think so.’ She glanced around, then spotted the folded-up buggy. ‘Oh, thank goodness. I thought for an awful moment we’d forgotten to pack it.’ Setting Isaac down, she flipped a couple of clips and the buggy unfolded. It was larger than he’d expected,
with a single wheel at the front giving it a streamlined shape, and a thick rubber platform stretching between the back wheels.
Tristan held open the door so she could manoeuvre it out and was ready to give her a hand to lift it down the steps but Jess was already walking it backwards. Elijah, he noted, had taken his little brother’s hand to keep him from trying to follow her and he was impressed with the way he looked out for Isaac without having to be asked. Pippin came up to them just as Jess returned to collect Isaac and she gave him a quick pet before helping the boys down the steps. ‘No, not this time.’ Tristan told the terrier, trying to keep him inside as he began to pull the door closed.’
‘Can we take Pip for a walk?’ Elijah asked, giving the dog the perfect excuse to wriggle through the gap in the door and bound down the steps.
It was on the tip of his tongue to refuse, juggling two children, a buggy and a rucksack full of shopping back up the hill was going to be enough work without Pippin getting in everyone’s way, but the look of hope on Elijah’s face was too much to resist. ‘If we take him outside the grounds, he has to wear his harness.’ He fetched it from the boot room, ignoring Pippin’s soft growl when he spotted the hated thing. ‘Behave,’ he admonished, closing a gentle hand around the terrier’s muzzle until he quietened and consented to being strapped into the harness.
‘Would you like to walk with him to the gate?’ When Elijah nodded, Tristan showed him how to hold the lead. ‘You don’t need to yank on it, because he’s only little, just keep walking in the direction you want and he’ll get the hint. I’ve given him lots of extra lead for now, but we’ll have to tighten it up when we get on the street because we don’t want him to get into the road.’
‘Make sure you stop before the gate, Eli,’ Jess called out as boy and dog began to trot along the gravel driveway.
‘Yes, Mummy.’
They watched for a few moments and it was all Tristan could do not to laugh because it was already pretty clear that Elijah was happy to let Pippin lead him all over the place. ‘If they do a tour of all Pip’s favourite spots, they won’t reach the gate before lunchtime.’ He watched as Jess gave the buggy a shove to get it going on the stony surface. ‘Can you manage that okay?’
The Bluebell Castle Collection Page 55