Chapter 4
CLARA
‘Why don’t you sit while I introduce you to everyone?
’ Eleanor suggested, tugging Clara across the long festive room towards an oak table where a dozen faces were currently turned in her direction.
‘This is the Hollythorpe village Christmas fayre committee,’ she said grandly.
‘I won’t confuse you by introducing everyone immediately.
But team, this is Clara Frost, my goddaughter. ’ She waved a hand, beaming proudly.
‘What?’ A woman sitting on the opposite side of the long table glanced up from the slice of chocolate cake she was currently demolishing to scour Clara with a frown.
‘My goddaughter,’ Eleanor said loudly, shaking her head.
‘That’s Nora Jones,’ she told Clara in a low voice.
‘She runs the Santa Paws Pet Shop in the high street. She can’t hear a word we’re saying.
’ Her warm voice was indulgent. ‘Nora’s got a very powerful hearing aid, but it’s switched off most of the time.
Don’t take it personally if she doesn’t respond. ’
‘Not today, dear – I put it on especially for this meeting,’ the woman yelled equally loudly, giving Clara a wide smile, her bright blue eyes twinkling girlishly in contrast to a face that was somewhere in its seventh decade.
‘I don’t like people as a rule,’ she explained seriously.
‘Cats are better company because they don’t want to have a conversation – and best of all you don’t need to wash their underwear, they take care of that for themselves. ’ She took another bite of cake.
Clara nodded automatically – her manners getting the better of her – as Figgy let out an insulted bark.
‘Apologies, young man. Of course, I adore dogs too. They’re a lot less trouble than humans – which we’re discovering today,’ Nora boomed as Liam pulled a chair out and indicated that Clara should take it.
She sagged down, feeling weary as the sea of faces continued to study her every move.
Feeling self-conscious, Clara slipped off her damp coat and Figgy came racing across the room to sniff excitedly at the sleeve of her blouse.
‘Silk. Now you’ve gone and done it.’ Liam sighed. ‘Down, boy,’ he muttered, grabbing Figgy’s collar and clipping on the lead. ‘What do you mean when you say trouble, Nora?’ He turned to the group, tugging the dog closer to his side. ‘Sorry I was so late.’
Liam didn’t tell them his faulty timekeeping was because he’d stopped to speak to Clara – or that she’d refused to get into his car – which she appreciated.
Hudson would often blame his lack of punctuality on her.
Then again, as head of the company it was important he kept his faults to a minimum, while a member of his team could have as many as they liked.
Which was fortunate because she had a plethora of them.
‘We’ve got a bit of a disaster on our hands,’ a tall, lanky man with a handsome face, greying hair and a fuzzy dark beard peppered with white reported – his voice as dry as parched soil.
He was sitting at the other side of the table with his long legs crossed at the knee.
His chair was pushed back, away from the rest of the group, as if he wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to be associated with them and had simply been dragged along against his will.
‘Before Ebenezer, as I like to call him, shares today’s trauma, would you like a drink or something to eat?’ Eleanor asked sweetly, giving the man a look filled with challenge and humour.
‘My actual name is Ezra Bell, I run The Reading Room Bookshop on the high street.’ The man offered Eleanor a tight smile as he peered over the top of a set of wire-rimmed spectacles, his full lips twitching.
‘Please pop in anytime. It would be nice to find out if at least one member of Eleanor’s extended family could read. ’
Her godmother snorted delightedly. ‘As I was saying, if we’re going to subject Clara to our latest drama, we ought to make sure she’s comfortable first.’ Eleanor eyed Clara, her attractive round face sympathetic. ‘I’m assuming you just flew in from New York, so I’m guessing you’re hungry?’
Clara shrugged. Her brain wasn’t processing very well, so she had no idea how her godmother had worked that out.
‘Yes.’ She stifled a yawn. ‘Well, no.’ She eyed the remainder of the chocolate cake in the centre of the table and her stomach grumbled.
‘I’m not hungry, actually,’ she lied because she shouldn’t eat sugar before she went to bed.
She wouldn’t sleep. ‘But a drink might be a good idea.’ Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t drunk anything since she was on the flight and she was thirsty.
Which might explain why her brain was finding it so much more difficult to connect her thoughts.
‘There’s tea, coffee – both heavily caffeinated which you can blame your godmother for, because it was her turn to provide refreshments and she hasn’t heard of decaffeinated beverages, apparently,’ Nora said sharply.
‘Drinking decaf is like going to the cinema and watching a blank screen,’ her godmother murmured.
Nora ignored her. ‘So if you actually want to sleep tonight, I’d recommend a shot of mulled wine and you’re in luck because I brought some with me just in case.’ She reached down and dragged a small silver flask from her bag before jiggling it. ‘There’s plenty left.’
Liam tipped his chair so he could lean closer to Clara.
‘As a voice of experience I’d recommend you turn that down,’ he whispered as his warm breath sent a shiver down her spine.
‘Unless you want to spend your first day in Hollythorpe with a monumental hangover. Nora’s idea of a dash of brandy is more of a waterfall. ’
Clara nodded discreetly. ‘Um, you know what, thank you, but I think I’ll stick with water because I’m getting a bit of a headache. Do you have any?’
‘There’s plenty in the tap,’ Nora muttered, looking disappointed as she put the flask away.
‘I’ll get you some,’ Liam said, rising and heading for a doorway to the right of them, taking Figgy with him.
He returned moments later with a full glass and set it on the table in front of Clara.
As he sat, she saw him check his watch, before worry flickered across his face.
‘I’m so sorry but we probably need to get started.
I’ve got to—’ He paused. ‘Be somewhere by ten and I’d rather not be late.
’ She heard the buzz of a mobile and saw him check the screen and frown.
For a nanosecond Clara wondered where Liam had to be before she shook the thought away. It was none of her business.
‘Of course,’ Eleanor said. ‘So the bad news is—’
A man wearing a top hat who hadn’t spoken yet sat up and tapped a long black stick on the table.
‘We’ve lost Mrs Christmas,’ he said dramatically before turning to Clara.
‘I’m Joe Abbot, I run The Mistletoe Magic Shop on the high street.
If you ever want to make someone disappear, come and see me.
I’ve got a dozen options suitable for every budget. ’ His long, grey face lit.
‘Nice to meet you, Joe, and, um, thank you I think,’ Clara said politely. There was no way she’d be able to keep up with all of these names. Hopefully, Eleanor would remind her of them tomorrow when she wasn’t so tired.
‘What do you mean lost?’ Liam piped up from beside her.
He frowned and sat straighter before looking around the table.
‘I thought Tabitha was going to be back in Hollythorpe and available from tomorrow – we’re supposed to be getting new promotional photos taken.
Is she okay?’ He turned to Clara looking worried.
‘Tabitha Mews, she’s played Mrs Christmas for the last two years,’ he told her.
‘Mrs Christmas,’ Clara repeated, trying to keep up.
‘Her jury service has just been extended,’ Nora explained, looking unhappy. ‘There’s new evidence to present and the whole thing could go on into the new year.’
‘So…’ Liam drew out the word. ‘What are we going to do?’ He looked around the table. ‘Tabitha was supposed to be appearing in Sugarplum Cakes her eyes were gleaming and she’d started to wriggle in her chair.
‘I haven’t exactly decided. I mean, I need to be back by the twenty-eighth,’ Clara said. Everything had been booked for the investor party – caterers, servers and the venue – and she needed to be there…
She didn’t need to check her mobile again to know Hudson hadn’t tried to contact her yet because it hadn’t buzzed since she’d left the airport.
But when he did, when he realised she’d left New York, he would – and she was going to need an excuse not to cave in too early when he asked her to return.
It was imperative that she didn’t immediately forgive him and jump on a plane.
He had to understand how much he’d hurt her.
He had to know that he couldn’t behave like that.
‘I could stay until Christmas day, actually,’ Clara said slowly after another few beats.
Hudson wasn’t into the festive season and usually worked right up to Christmas day anyway.
He allowed himself that one day off to visit family – although Clara hadn’t been invited last year because his mother had been sick and hadn’t been up to having strangers in the house.
The whole office had been back in on Boxing Day and it had ended up feeling like she hadn’t had a Christmas at all.
It would be nice to be around people this year – and better still, her fiancé would get plenty of time to notice what life was like if she wasn’t there…
time when he’d realise that he missed her.
That he’d made a terrible mistake. At least she hoped he would, even if a part of her was afraid he’d find it easy to walk away.
‘Then it’s decided!’ Nora jumped in.
‘What’s decided?’ Clara asked, realising she’d missed something important when the older woman’s face gleamed.
‘They want you to play Mrs Christmas,’ Ezra said dryly. ‘I’m sorry but you walked right into that one.’ His dark eyes twinkled warmly.
‘Do you mind? If you don’t want to, then it’s fine if you say no. I know you were just coming to visit me and we haven’t even had a chance to talk.’ Eleanor’s voice raced. ‘There’s no pressure at all.’
‘There’s plenty of pressure,’ Nora said grimly. ‘We need a Mrs Christmas, your goddaughter is here and she can stay until Christmas.’ She eyed Clara critically. ‘She’s pretty enough so she won’t scare the children. I’m guessing she’ll even fit into the costume. Plus, she’s free.’
‘And there’s no one else who can do it,’ Ezra said seriously.
‘But do you want to do it?’ Eleanor asked as all of the faces at the table turned back to Clara.
‘Well.’ She felt her cheeks flush and her whole body tingle with dread. The thought of being paraded around the village, of having all that attention focused just on her was a little overwhelming. She’d probably hate every minute. She sighed. ‘Of course I will…’
‘Well, that’s settled then,’ Nora said as everyone at the table visibly relaxed. ‘Okay with you, Liam?’
The man beside her cleared his throat. ‘Of course it is,’ he said, although there was something odd in his voice. When Clara turned to look at him, she realised everyone was staring at them both. Why?
‘Have I missed something?’ she asked, feeling a ripple of heat travel up her spine.
Liam shook his head. ‘Not at all, but I suppose I should formally introduce myself again.’ He held out a hand and Clara gazed at it feeling dumb. ‘It’s lovely to make your acquaintance. I’m Mr Christmas, your festive husband for the month…’