Chapter 27
27
IVY
Ivy’s stomach sank to her toes as she drove her Mini up the long snow-covered driveway and saw Hawthorn Castle in the distance. She’d been away for six days in all, staying with her mother – and while their time together had been special and cathartic, Ivy had been dreading coming back. This morning Miriam had messaged first thing, demanding a meeting at nine a.m. sharp, so Ivy was already dressed and ready in her green coat and red boots, determined to get it over with.
The older woman had been irritated when Ivy had asked to take the time off to see her mother, but had still let her go. Either because she’d felt guilty about what had happened with Ross, or because Ivy had been in floods of tears and Miriam hadn’t wanted to deal with all those inconvenient emotions. So Ivy had been allowed to take the break, on the understanding that she’d return in plenty of time to oversee the arrangements for the party on Christmas Eve.
Ivy guessed the event would be used to announce that Simon was about to take on the responsibilities of Laird. She swallowed the flood of guilt, wondering what Ross would be doing now. Would he be hurting? Did he still blame her for what had happened? She definitely blamed herself.
Ivy drew the car to a stop and left her suitcase on the back seat. She’d unpack her clothes and Prickles and Needles later because she only had five minutes to get to Miriam’s office, or she’d be late. She took a quick moment to open her coaching app to see if it would offer any useful nuggets of advice before she entered the lioness’s den. The app was the only thing her mother had insisted Ivy continue with, hoping the messages would remind her to keep her life on a positive trajectory – although Ivy still had no clue where she was going to end up.
‘This is a good day to make the right choice.’
Ivy read. ‘What choice?’ she huffed as she quickly made her way to the portcullis, ignoring the snow as it soaked through her boots.
She pushed open the door, swallowing as she entered and a barrage of memories mobbed her. Memories of Ross accusing her of lying to him, of the look on his face just before he’d stormed down the driveway. She’d hurt him and knew she’d never be able to forgive herself.
‘Only ten days to go,’ Ivy mumbled. After the party on Christmas Eve, Miriam would probably let her leave. Her mother had already offered her a place to stay while she worked out her next steps. The main thing was once she was gone, she wouldn’t be in the Scottish Highlands anymore, being constantly reminded of Ross.
Ivy’s heart hammered wildly as she made her way down the brightly lit corridor towards Miriam’s office, ignoring the festive decorations, which seemed so much more sparkly now, and keeping her attention firmly fixed on her destination.
Ivy’s desk was empty and Miriam’s door was shut. Ivy put her handbag onto her chair and shut her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of her African violet, trying to calm her jittery pulse. You can do this. She repeated the mantra a couple of times before tapping on the door.
‘Come in.’
The voice that called from inside the office was muffled and Ivy wondered if Miriam had caught a cold. She pushed the door and entered, then immediately stopped when she saw Ross sitting behind his grandmother’s desk.
Ivy blinked a couple of times to check she wasn’t dreaming. When Ross smiled, she knew something must be very wrong. She blinked again, then almost tripped over Moose and Snowball as they came bounding towards her – sniffing and purring, nuzzling against her legs.
‘Hang on, what is this?’ she exclaimed.
‘Careful, boys!’ Ross ordered as he stood and walked slowly around the desk, then leaned back onto it, folding his arms and drinking her in.
‘Why are you here?’ Ivy croaked as she glanced around. ‘Did something happen to Miriam? Where’s Simon?’ What had happened while she’d been gone?
Ross shrugged, looking relaxed. ‘Somewhere in the castle I expect.’
‘I have a meeting with your grandmother,’ Ivy squeaked, as her stomach churned. Why was Ross still smiling at her? Was this a trick? Despite her distress, her body responded to him, tingling and heating from the inside out. ‘I’m…I don’t understand.’
‘Miriam booked this meeting for me, so we could talk,’ Ross said simply.
‘Look.’ Ivy’s stomach turned over and she took a step forwards. ‘I feel awful about what happened. I honestly had no idea what your grandmother was planning.’ Tears pricked at the edges of her eyes and Ivy wondered if she’d ever be able to think of Ross without wanting to cry.
‘You turned the job down.’ Ross eased himself away from the desk so he could take a step.
‘What?’ Ivy’s voice scraped the edges of her throat.
‘You turned down the job – Simon told me.’ He raised an eyebrow, looking amused. ‘Grandmother was really annoyed.’
‘I know.’ Ivy gulped. ‘But it wasn’t what I wanted. You showed me that.’
Ross nodded and took a larger stride. Moose and Snowball were now sitting on their haunches between them, their heads shifting back and forth.
‘Ross, I’m so sorry.’ Ivy wrung her hands as she studied him. He looked good, far better than her. Ivy knew she’d lost weight over the last week, knew her skin looked pasty and pale. But until this moment, she hadn’t cared.
Ross held up a palm. ‘You can stop apologising. Because it’s me who should be saying sorry, Ivy,’ he said softly.
‘You?’ Ivy jerked back. ‘Why?’
‘Because I didn’t listen to you, I wouldn’t let you explain and I made you sleep on an argument; I refused to make up.’ He sighed. ‘I should have realised you’d never put a job before someone’s happiness. Not unless it was yours.’ He looked pained. ‘I know Miriam well enough to understand she can be ruthless when she wants something.’ He shrugged. ‘But over the last week, I’ve come to realise, despite that, she does have a heart – it’s just not always easy to see.’
Ivy frowned, trying to process what Ross was telling her. ‘So you’ve made up with your grandmother?’ she checked, sure she must have misunderstood.
Ross pulled a face. ‘Let’s just say we’re working on a new relationship.’
‘And Simon?’ She stepped forwards, her body responding as if she were a flower being drawn towards the sun.
He smiled. ‘We’re good.’
‘So…’ Ivy spread her palms, confused. ‘What’s going to happen? Why are you here?’
‘Simon and I are working together at Hawthorn Castle now,’ Ross explained. ‘He’s going to be the figurehead – the Laird – but aside from that, we’re sharing responsibilities equally. It means I get to stay working part-time at Christmas Resort.’ He gave her a shy smile. ‘Although, I have to admit, I’m going to be a bit stretched.’
Ivy watched silently as he shifted closer and ordered Moose and Snowball to move out of his way. When Ross took her hand, Ivy could only gape as he wrapped both of his around hers.
‘I don’t understand,’ she whispered.
‘I missed you, Ivy.’ Ross gently squeezed her fingers. ‘I wanted to call, I even borrowed Simon’s mobile – but I didn’t know if you’d want to talk to me.’
Ivy released the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. ‘Why did you want to talk to me?’ she asked, hoping she’d already guessed. ‘I tricked you. I mean, I didn’t know it at the time, but…’ She hissed out her frustration because she didn’t know what to say. Instead, she took a step forwards until her red boots were toe to toe with Ross’s shoes. Then she gazed into his whisky-coloured eyes.
‘I wanted to talk to you because I realised I care for you. A lot,’ Ross confessed. ‘That perhaps I didn’t listen to what you were saying because I wasn’t ready to put myself out there yet.’ His forehead creased. ‘I think I was scared that you’d hurt me. Maybe I’ve just spent the last few years expecting to be rejected. As my brother and Grizzle have told me at least fifty times in the last week – I’m a numpty, an eejit and at least a dozen other types of idiot.’ He smiled down at her. ‘Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive me?’
Ivy nodded mutely as the tears she’d been holding in spilled down her cheeks.
Ross frowned and cupped her face in his palms, swiping them away. ‘I’m sorry.’ He winced and his smile dropped. ‘I’m so sorry, Ivy.’
‘No.’ She quickly put her hands over his. ‘These are happy tears. I missed you, Ross. I’m so sorry for my part in getting you to come here, for what happened. And you were right, I need to follow in my dad’s footsteps; it’s the only way I’m going to be happy. And I want to find a way of doing it so I can be close to you. If you want that?’
‘Of course I do.’ Ross grinned again and pressed his forehead to hers. ‘And I just happen to know about a vacancy you might be interested in too.’ He tentatively pressed his lips to hers.
Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched onto her tiptoes so she could kiss him back. Their kiss deepened and she giggled when Ross suddenly picked her up and spun her around. Moose started barking and Snowball began to run in circles around the room.
‘What are you talking about?’ Ivy laughed as he finally put her back on her feet, hugging her close as he continued to press slow kisses onto her cheeks.
‘I need someone to look after the grounds at Christmas Resort,’ he whispered between kisses. ‘I’m still going to run the adventures, but I’ll need to free up time to help Simon here. Are you interested?’
Ivy pulled back, her eyes shining. ‘In the job, or you?’ she asked, her voice rough.
Ross kissed her again, dipping her backwards and making her stomach swoop. Then he eased her up and reluctantly let her go. ‘I’ll take whatever you’re prepared to offer me, Ivy,’ he said seriously. ‘I’ve been stupid and I hope you can forgive me in time. My whole life has changed for the better since you arrived at Christmas Resort. The only thing that would make it perfect is having you by my side.’
‘This is a good day to make the right choice,’ Ivy whispered as she kissed his mouth.
‘What does that mean?’ Ross asked, looking confused.
‘It means I choose you ,’ Ivy said. ‘It means yes, I’ll take the job and stay.’ Then she went up onto her tiptoes and kissed him again.
The Christmas party was in full swing when Ivy and Ross approached the main ballroom at Hawthorn Castle. Ivy stopped just outside of the entrance and adjusted her sparkly red dress before checking the buttons of Ross’s shirt were all done up – then she grinned up at him. She’d been going through some last-minute checks with the caterer half an hour before, when Ross had tugged her into his office so he could kiss her senseless. It had taken all of Ivy’s willpower to make him stop.
‘Are you ready?’ she asked, huskily.
‘Aye.’ Ross beamed down at her. ‘But when this is done, I’m looking forward to picking up where we left off.’ He winked.
Ivy took in a shaky breath and pushed the door open. Then she stopped and took her time admiring the glorious spectacle as her stomach overflowed with a combination of butterflies and excitement. The room was filled with an abundance of decorations that shone, glittered and sparkled – and were interspersed with swathes of holly, poinsettia, fir trees and mistletoe. All of which had been chosen by Ivy. Ross took her hand and led her further into the room, just as the string orchestra began to play ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and a couple of the guests started to wiggle and sing along.
‘Grizzle’s here,’ Ross said quickly, guiding Ivy through the crowd so they could greet him first.
He was wearing a green and black kilt – and standing beside Mairi. As he spotted them, he tugged at the collar of his shirt, looking uncomfortable. They drew closer and Ivy realised he was wearing a pair of glasses she hadn’t seen.
‘A new purchase from eBay?’ she guessed, as she gave him a peck on the cheek.
‘Nae.’ The older man let out a long-suffering groan. ‘Mairi insisted I had my eyes tested at the opticians and I got these.’ He shook his head as he nodded at his partner, who was dressed in a bright pink suit. ‘Not that there was anything wrong with the ones I had,’ he grumbled. ‘They were working perfectly well.’
‘Yet you look so much more handsome in this pair,’ Mairi said. ‘They suit you better than blue sparkles and hearts.’ She leaned in to give him a kiss.
‘Aye, well.’ He cleared his throat as his face went up in pink flames. One of the caterers wandered past and Grizzle grabbed an hors d’?uvre before wincing and washing it down with whisky. ‘Next time you should get Mairi to make the food,’ he advised.
‘If I did that, how would I keep up with feeding you?’ Mairi joked, and selected one of the delicate morsels too.
As she did, Ivy noticed she was wearing a stunning ruby ring.
‘Is that new too – it’s beautiful?’ she gasped.
Mairi flushed pink in response and flapped her hand so Ivy could see the jewellery. The large red stone – which was set inside a cluster of diamonds – caught the light from the chandelier and sparkled. ‘Aye, now the old man has his new glasses, he’s started working on his treasures again,’ she said.
Grizzle cleared his throat. ‘I found the ring in my spare room.’ His forehead crinkled. ‘It must have been there for years. I cleaned it up and—’ He looked embarrassed.
‘He gifted it to me.’ Mairi grinned.
‘Only because she wouldn’t stop nagging me about it,’ he said huskily, before leaning over to give her another light peck. ‘Don’t forget, I’ve got plenty of treasures if you’re ever looking for something special,’ he whispered loudly, winking at Ross.
Ross chuckled and squeezed Ivy’s hand. ‘I’ll probably speak to you about that sometime soon,’ he said gruffly as everything inside her expanded and filled. It was early days in their relationship, but it had bloomed since Ivy had returned to Hawthorn Castle.
‘Speaking of nagging…’ Grizzle changed the subject and pointed across the ballroom to where Bonnibell and Connell were chatting with Edina, Kenzy and Logan. Kenzy spotted them and waved.
‘Shall we join them?’ Ivy asked, collecting herself.
They were about to weave their way across the room when Miriam spotted them.
‘Ross!’ she demanded. She was wearing a black and white dress and her favourite pearls. Her hair was done up in a tight bun and she wore her customary bright red lipstick. Miriam still reminded Ivy of Cruella de Vil – but now her outfit was where the similarity ended. Since Ross had returned to the castle, she had softened so much, and her relationship with both of her grandsons had bloomed.
‘Shall we formally introduce you and Simon to our guests?’ Miriam asked, holding out a hand.
Ross took it and winked at Ivy. ‘Make sure you stay close,’ he whispered as he allowed himself to be guided towards his brother who was waiting beside the large roaring fire at the top of the ballroom. ‘You’re just as much a part of this as me.’
‘I’m exactly where I want to be,’ Ivy said, grinning as she followed, her heart filled with love and excitement. Because she knew, whatever happened from this moment forwards, she was finally on her perfect path.
* * *
Want to read more gorgeous festive fiction from Donna Ashcroft? Get If Every Day Was Christmas now, and fall in love with another addictive Christmas romance.