Chapter 16
When Rose woke up the next morning she was still smiling, remembering the lovely evening she’d spent with Alastair and his family the day before.
Everyone had agreed that the choice of movie should be down to her, so she decided on The Polar Express , a favourite of hers made even more special now she’d watched the twins experience the magic of it for the first time.
She was so busy going over the wonderful time she’d had that it took a couple of minutes before she remembered that today was the day of the Christmas party for all Alastair’s business associates — the big party that absolutely had to go perfectly, and all the contractors she’d employed to decorate and put the final touches to the marquee would be at the house in under an hour she realised checking the time on her phone.
Rose got up and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower. Even the fact that the water wasn’t quite as hot as she’d like couldn’t put her in a bad mood this morning. There was something charming about the house’s old plumbing being more than a little temperamental.
She layered up her clothes. It was going to be a cold day and she crossed her fingers that the marquee was going to be warm enough. The marquee company had assured her it would be nice and toasty so she just had to trust them, she supposed, but that aspect of the preparations was probably what was worrying her the most. Closely followed by the toilets not working or people getting food poisoning . . .
Isla was having her breakfast in the kitchen when Rose came downstairs.
“Where’s everyone else?” Rose asked, putting the kettle on.
“Aunt Helena will still be asleep as she’s hardly ever up before ten. The twins woke up early so Aunt Fiona and Uncle Paul took them out with the dogs for a walk. And I think Dad has gone for a run.”
As if he knew he was being spoken about, Alastair came through the back door kitted out in that running gear of his.
“Good morning,” he said cheerfully.
“Morning, Dad.” Isla didn’t move her eyes from the back of the cereal packet she was reading.
“Good morning,” said Rose. “Mrs Reed said she’s hung your suit for tonight up in your wardrobe.”
“Great, thanks. What time are all the suppliers coming to get things set up?”
“In about twenty minutes,” Rose said.
“I shall make myself scarce then,” he said, making Rose smile at the thought of how much he hated people in and around his house.
The day seemed to pass by in a blur as soon as the contractors started work. Rose had made sure that as little as possible would be happening inside the house, which led to a lot of time spent outside talking to the workers.
Isla was fascinated by what was going on and was happy to be kept busy bringing drinks and snacks out to everyone. Naturally, Houdini also wanted in on the fun which led to some mayhem and stolen biscuits before it was agreed that he had to be on a lead if he came round the front of the house.
By 3 p.m. the florist had finished work decorating the tables with gorgeous centrepieces. The lights were also done and the marquee was as toasty-warm as the company had promised. The caterers had arrived and were busy cooking and the swing band Rose had managed to book thanks to a cancelled wedding would be arriving soon. Rose had tried to feel sorry for the couple involved, but she was very glad she’d been able to get hold of some live music.
She was on her way inside the house to get a cup of tea when Alastair came out of the front door. “Just the woman I was looking for!” he said.
Rose smiled. “What can I do for you?”
“We’ve had a couple of people drop out for tonight and I was wondering if you’d like to take one of the places? I know you’re working but everything looks like it’s coming together really well and you’ll still be on site and available if anyone needs you. Plus this way you get to eat the food, which smells delicious by the way.”
“Oh, um . . .”
“It seems a shame to let the food go to waste,” wheedled Alastair.
“No, it’s really nice of you, and I’d love to,” explained Rose. “It’s just that I haven’t got anything to wear for it. I didn’t bring anything black tie worthy with me . . .”
“I don’t mind what you wear to it . . .”
“But I do,” insisted Rose. “I was going to change into a black shirt and trousers tonight so I’d just blend into the background.”
“You could never just blend into the background, Rose.” Alastair’s cheeks flushed and their gazes locked. He cleared his throat. “Um . . . could you maybe borrow something from Fiona?”
“Fiona’s almost a foot taller than me,” said Rose, laughing. “I doubt she’d have anything that would fit me.”
“Okay, well it was worth a try. If you change your mind, there’s a spot for you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the invite.”
She watched Alastair go back inside. She so wished she was accompanying him tonight . . .
* * *
Rose checked her watch. It was almost 6 p.m. and everything was going according to plan. The marquee people had left, and the serving staff were setting the tables inside the marquee. The band had arrived and was setting up on the stage which had been erected for them and guests were due in an hour for the five-course dinner, followed by dancing.
It was a good time for her to go inside and get changed into her uniform for the evening. She let everyone know where she’d be and was about to head to her room when a white car drove up the driveway and stopped outside the house. Had a guest got the wrong time and arrived early? Rose didn’t think anyone else was due. What would she do if they had? she wondered quickly. Could someone entertain them in the drawing room until the other guests turned up?
The car door opened and a woman in a beautifully cut shift dress stepped out. She looked lovely but she wasn’t dressed for a black-tie event, so Rose didn’t think she could be a guest.
Rose walked over to the car to greet her.
“Hi, can I help you?” she asked the woman.
“I’ve got a delivery for . . . Rose?” the woman replied, checking a piece of paper in her hand.
“That’s me,” said Rose, puzzled.
“Oh, great!” The woman opened the back door of the car, pulled out a garment carrier and handed it to Rose. “This is for you then.”
“Are you . . . sure?”
“I’m sure!” said the woman getting back in the driver’s seat. “It needs to be returned by Tuesday.” She started the car and drove back down the driveway.
Rose took the garment carrier upstairs to her bedroom. She lay it on the bed and slowly opened it. Inside was a pale blue full-length dress and another bag containing a pair of low-heeled court shoes. The dress was strapless and the skirt was made up of layer upon layer of thin layers of fabric. It was beautiful. Rose stared at it, both puzzled and delighted, and held it up in front of her.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Rose called without taking her eyes off the dress.
“Hi,” said Fiona as she came into the room. “Do you like it?”
“You ordered this for me?” Rose asked.
“No, my brother did, but he asked me to check the size and that he hadn’t chosen something completely horrible. He really wants you to come tonight,” Fiona said with a smile on her face.
Rose didn’t know what to say.
“Do you like it?” Fiona repeated.
“Of course, it’s beautiful,” said Rose, “But . . .”
“Don’t overthink it,” said Fiona. “It would be a shame for the food to go to waste and it looks and sounds like you’ve organised an amazing night. You should be part of it.”
“But the point is that because I’m in charge of everything running smoothly tonight, I need to oversee it.”
“You still can. You’ll be right there.”
“I guess . . .”
“Why don’t you try on the dress and decide then?” Fiona suggested, very cunningly Rose thought.
Rose raised an eyebrow. “You know that if this fits, I’m not going to want to take it off.”
Fiona winked. “We’ll see. I’m going to get dressed myself. Paul’s giving the boys their dinner. It must be so nice to be a guy and take five minutes to get ready for something like this . . .”
Fiona left and Rose unzipped the dress and stepped into it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realised it fitted. The dress was pleasantly heavy, making her feel like Scarlett O’Hara. She looked at herself in the wardrobe’s full-length mirror. She had never worn anything like this before, and most likely never would again. How had Alastair even managed to hire it at such short notice?
It was so thoughtful of him. It must have cost a lot to hire something like this, and it would be rude of her not to wear it . . . And it would be a lot of fun to join in the party. And, yes, being that much closer to Alastair during the night was a large part of the appeal. She wasn’t going to even attempt to deny that.
She sat down at the dressing table and began to apply some make-up, wishing she’d thought to do it before trying the dress on as now she was worried she’d get something on the fabric. She supposed she could just take it off but she couldn’t bear to somehow.
She’d just finished when there was another knock on the door, “It’s me again,” said Fiona. “Can I come in?”
“Yes,” called out Rose.
Fiona entered, wearing a full-length black dress with a slit up the side. Her smoky eye make-up and slick up-do completed the look.
“You look amazing! How did you manage to get ready so quickly?”
“Practice,” replied Fiona with a laugh. “I wondered if you’d like a hand with your hair.”
“I really should be getting back outside . . .”
“Don’t worry, Aunt Helena is reading to the twins and I sent Paul down a few minutes ago to check that everything was running smoothly and he says it’s all fine. It will only take me a few minutes to do your hair . . .”
“Okay then, thank you,” said Rose.
* * *
When Rose walked down the stairs, clipboard with her to-do list in one hand and holding her dress up with the other, she couldn’t help feeling self-conscious. Her hand kept creeping up to check on the messy chignon Fiona had put her hair in. She wasn’t used to being this fancy.
The huge marquee was divided in two so that there was an eating and bar area and a dance floor. The plan was for guests to be welcomed into the bar area to mingle and then find their seats in the dining area when the caterers and waiting staff were ready to serve the first course. The marquee company had done a fantastic job, it was lovely and warm and looked great with white fairy lights and lanterns illuminating the space and crisp linen and sparkling glasses on the tables.
“Rose. You look amazing,” came Alastair’s voice from behind her.
She turned and looked up at him, so tall and handsome in his dinner jacket, and smiled as she picked up the subtle clues she now knew meant that he was uncomfortable and would much rather be in the house preparing to spend an evening playing board games with his daughter than being polite and making business chat.
“You don’t scrub up so badly yourself,” she said. The grin she received in return made her tummy flip. “Thank you so much for the dress, it’s beautiful,” she managed to say, focusing on the list in her hands. “And you knew my dress and my shoe size.”
“Thanks to Isla and Fiona. And it’s nothing,” said Alastair. “You’ve done a fantastic job and I’m glad you can be at the party.”
“Me too.”
“You do realise that this dress is the same colour as the one I wore as Elsa in the Christmas shop?”
Alastair blushed. “I knew the colour suited you,” he mumbled, before changing the subject by commenting, “This all seems very under control.”
“Fingers crossed!” she said.
“You don’t need luck.”
“Hi, Dad, hi Rose! What do you think?” Isla ran over to join them. She wore a silver, knee-length dress with spaghetti straps which Rose had helped her to choose and she looked lovely. She was thrilled that she was allowed to attend until supper was served and then was going to head into the house. Thankfully Aunt Helena thought there was nothing worse than spending an evening with a load of business people and had offered to stay in the house and spend the evening with Isla, keeping an ear out in case the twins woke up.
“You look lovely,” said Alastair to his daughter, giving her a kiss on the head.
“Aunt Fiona did my hair,” she said, turning round to show them the part up-do her aunt had done for her.
“She did a great job,” said Rose. “She did mine too.”
“And you look fantastic, Rose!” said Isla. “Like a duchess or something.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Rose tried not to blush as she felt Alastair’s eyes on her again.
A car drove up the driveway and the hired parking attendant went into action, showing the driver the area that had been set aside for parking.
“I guess the show’s about to begin,” said Rose. “Let’s get into position.”
* * *
As the evening progressed, Rose realised she was really enjoying herself even though she was very much in work mode. Everyone was dressed in their finest, with several of the men in kilts. It all felt very glamorous.
Guests had arrived to a welcoming glass of champagne or freshly squeezed orange juice, and then mingled, enjoying their drinks and company while canapés were brought around and classical music played gently in the background. When it was time for the first course to be served, Rose observed the waiting staff help everyone to find their seats.
As luck would have it, Rose was at the same table as Fiona and Paul ― enjoying a child-free night. Sarah, Lucy’s mum, had been seated at the table furthest from Alastair thanks to a little bit of strategic planning on Rose’s part.
Rose kept looking around to make sure everyone attending seemed happy and that nothing appeared to be going awry with the event. She checked that Alastair was all right; he sat on a table with his most important business contacts and didn’t seem too pained at making polite conversation. Keeping half an eye on Sarah, Rose observed how she spent most of her time watching Alastair. She certainly didn’t seem very interested in anyone she was seated with.
The swing band set up as the panna cotta dessert was served and it began playing as people finished their coffees. Rose had been worried that no one would want to dance, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. As soon as the band started playing, people got up and made their way through to the dance floor.
Some of the people from Alastair’s table had gotten up to dance, but Alastair remained seated, talking to a man and a woman.
Rose went around the marquee, checking in with the staff to ensure things were running smoothly before heading outside to the catering vans to see that everything was good there as well. The December night air was freezing and Rose returned to the marquee as quickly as she could.
She stood watching the band, absentmindedly tapping a foot to the music and enjoying the feeling of warming up now that she was back inside.
“Would you like to dance?” She turned and found Alastair standing next to her, holding out a hand.
“I’m supposed to be working and I don’t want my boss to think I’m slacking off,” she replied, acutely aware of how close he was.
“Don’t worry.” He took her hand in his. “I’ll let you know if I see him coming.”
Rose allowed herself to be led onto the dance floor and before she could worry about it being awkward to dance with him, Alastair spun her around and she couldn’t help but laugh. She could feel Alastair relax as they danced and they grinned at each other. The rest of the world seemed to fall away until it was just them and the music.
The song finished and they stopped, still holding hands, caught in a private world. Then Rose felt a tap on her shoulder. It was one of the caterers.
“Hi, Rose, we’re all done.”
“Oh, brilliant.” She let go of Alastair’s hands. “Let me come outside and thank everyone.” She smiled at Alastair. “Thank you for the dance.”
“My pleasure.”
She turned to go.
“Wait,” said Alastair. “Take this.” He took off his jacket and placed it round her shoulders. “It’s cold out there.”
“Thanks,” she said, so incredibly touched by the gesture. She held his gaze for a moment longer, before turning to follow the caterers.
* * *
As the caterers drove off, Rose stood for a moment staring up at the stars with Alastair’s jacket wrapped tightly around her. He didn’t wear aftershave, but the smell of presumably his shampoo and well, him, made her smile. However, although his jacket did help, it was nowhere near warm enough to keep out the cold. She headed back into the marquee, anxious to return to Alastair.
But when she entered the space, he wasn’t back at his table. Glancing around she caught sight of him on the dance floor. Laughing and dancing with Sarah. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as they moved together.
Rose’s stomach sank and she felt tears pricking her eyes. She quickly turned away, blinking furiously, and almost bumped into Fiona.
“Oh! Hi, Rose!” Fiona said. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine!” Rose’s voice was a little too high.
Fiona looked over Rose’s shoulder. “Oh,” she said.
Fiona opened her mouth to say something more, but Rose interrupted her. “Alastair very kindly lent me his jacket. Would you be able to give it back to him for me? I really must check on the bar staff.” She handed Fiona her brother’s jacket.
“I’m sure he’s just being polite,” Fiona said, quietly.
Rose waved her hand. “Whatever. As long as everyone’s enjoying the evening.” Rose walked quickly over to the bar area where she tried to make herself look as busy as possible.