Chapter 19
Unfortunately when Rose woke up to the sounds of the twins calling out that Santa had been, she was acutely aware that what had happened the previous evening was not a dream and she now had to deal with the repercussions in front of rather a lot of people. What had happened? Had Alastair been drunk when he kissed her and then quickly realised the error of his ways? She recalled him trying to let her down gently. How embarrassing! She groaned and pulled the duvet over her head at the horror of the memory.
Could she get away with staying in bed? Ideally all day? Okay, that would probably be pushing things too far . . .
There was excited knocking on her door followed by James calling out, “Rose! Hurry! It’s time to open presents!”
As much as she’d have liked to have remained where she was, she didn’t want to upset the children and so Rose heaved herself out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown. It was almost 6 a.m., she supposed it could be worse.
Isla was waiting outside the room when Rose opened the door.
“Merry Christmas!” Isla said, her eyes sparkling.
“Have I got time to get dressed and sort out my hair?” Rose asked.
“Of course not!” Isla laughed. “It’s Christmas Day! We always open up our presents in our pyjamas.” Before Rose could protest, Isla had taken her hand and was leading her down the stairs.
* * *
Fiona and Alastair were making hot drinks for all the bleary-eyed adults in the kitchen.
“Don’t worry, Rose! Coffee is on its way,” called out Fiona.
“Thank goodness for that,” muttered Aunt Helena, coming down the stairs behind Rose and not looking at all impressed by her early morning wake-up call. She did, however, manage to look glamorous even at this time of the day. She wore the most amazing dark green quilted dressing gown and there was a silk turban on her head. She made Rose feel even scruffier and she surreptitiously ran her fingers through her hair to tidy it up a bit. Rose’s heart sank at the thought that she wouldn’t be able to accept Aunt Helena’s job offer after what had happened with Alastair. The realisation almost sent her running back to her room.
The family were gathering in the sitting room. The fire had been lit, there was still plenty of the yule log left as they hadn’t left it burning overnight, and the Christmas tree lights had been turned on. It was the perfect homely Christmas scene.
The twins were sitting as patiently as possible, waiting for everyone to be in the room, their eyes roaming over the piles of presents under the tree, and in particular at the bulging stockings now on the floor in front of the fireplace.
Rose remembered feeling exactly the same way while waiting for her own mother to get a cup of tea and a biscuit on Christmas Day.
“Here we go,” said Fiona, coming in, followed by Alastair carrying a large tray of drinks. “Let’s see what’s inside these stockings.”
Rose averted her eyes from Alastair. She’d get through the day by staying out of his way as much as possible and concentrating on making sure Isla had a wonderful Christmas.
With whoops that made Aunt Helena sigh and close her eyes, the children tore into their stocking presents.
* * *
Twenty minutes later and most of what remained as evidence of all the hours spent wrapping was two bin bags full of discarded paper. Rose was pleased that everyone seemed to like their presents, especially Isla when she opened the hooped earrings for unpierced ears Rose had got her.
The last of the presents were being handed out and Rose was given one by Isla. “This is from me and my dad,” she said.
Rose looked over at Alastair. She’d been steadfastly ignoring him, even when he was opening the socks covered with little pictures of Houdini she’d brought him and which had everyone in stitches. He was staring right back at her and gave a little nod towards the present.
Rose ripped through the paper to uncover a cardboard box. When she opened the lid she found a beautiful angel nestled in a pile of tissue paper. Lifting her out carefully, Rose put the box on the floor and held the angel in both hands. She was beautiful, antique but in immaculate condition with an intricately featured bone china face and gold wings and gown. She ran her fingers along her delicate wings, aware that she was still being watched.
“Thank you,” she said, quietly, looking up to meet Alastair’s eyes. He gave her a little smile.
“She’s gorgeous.” Fiona smiled.
“Do you like her?” asked Isla, excitedly, drawing Rose’s attention to her. “Is she just like the one your mum had on her tree?”
“I love her,” said Rose. “And she’s a little fancier than the one my mum had!” She must have cost a lot, Rose knew.
“Can I put her on top of the tree?” Isla asked.
Rose turned to Alastair to check if this was all right and he gave her a little nod. “Be really careful,” Alastair warned.
“I will be, Dad,” reassured Isla.
“Wait a minute, I’ll get you a step,” Alastair said. Isla gave a not very subtle roll of her eyes but waited until her father returned and placed a step in front of the Christmas tree. Isla climbed up and replaced the star with the angel.
“That looks a lot better,” declared James.
“Agreed,” said Aunt Helena. “Who knew my nephew could be so thoughtful and had such good taste.”
Rose felt herself blushing and wished the ground would just open up to swallow her.
“Who wants some breakfast?” asked Fiona. “I’ll get some bacon on.”
Murmurs of assent were followed by tired grown-ups forcing themselves out of their seats.
“Can I do anything to help?” Rose asked.
“Thank you, but don’t worry. It’s all under control,” Fiona assured. “Why don’t you take half an hour for yourself? I know all of us together can be a little much,” she joked.
“It’s lovely being with you all, but maybe I will go and get dressed and sort my hair out a bit,” Rose said.
“Would you like a chocolate coin, Rose?” offered Isla.
“I would love one, thank you,” Rose said, accepting the chocolate.
“I’m so glad you’re here with us, Rose,” Isla said, spontaneously hugging her. “This is the best Christmas ever.”
Rose’s heart melted as she hugged Isla back. She could put up with a little awkwardness when she was around Alastair if it meant Isla had a good Christmas. How on earth had Isla’s mother managed to desert this wonderful child? Rose was going to find it hard enough going back to London soon and she’d only known Isla for a few weeks. But she’d think about that after Christmas. She had enough to occupy her mind today.
* * *
Rose got dressed, put on some make-up and brushed her hair. It was good to have a few minutes alone to clear her mind and figure out how she was going to get through the day. Of course her mind went straight to the kiss . . . She didn’t think she’d ever been kissed with such ferocity before. It was like he yearned for her, but then . . . She shook her head. What was the point in going over it? Alastair had made his feelings completely clear.
But he’d got her such a thoughtful present. Did that mean anything? No, she told herself firmly. She needed to stop with this. Alastair told her he didn’t date and he’d made it clear he didn’t want her getting close to Isla. Last night had just been a moment of craziness brought on by Christmas and alcohol which he’d obviously regretted immediately.
* * *
She checked herself in the mirror and steeled her resolve before returning back downstairs.
“Perfect timing,” said Fiona when Rose entered the kitchen. The children were already sitting at the island eating their breakfast. Her sous chef, Paul, handed Rose a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast.
“Thank you,” said Rose, as she took a seat next to James. “This looks great.”
The back door opened and Alastair came in with the dogs.
“Do not let them shake mud all over the kitchen,” Fiona warned. Both dogs promptly gave a good shake.
“You’re cleaning that up,” muttered Fiona, handing Alastair a plate of food.
“As soon as I’ve eaten this,” he promised. He glanced at the empty seat next to Rose, but seemed to think better of it, and sat at the table, where he was soon joined by Aunt Helena.
The children left; Isla was going to put on some cartoons for her cousins before taking her new bike out on the driveway.
“What time are Sarah and Lucy arriving?” Fiona asked her brother once the children were out of hearing, making Rose’s ears prick up.
“I said we’d be eating at three but that they should feel free to come earlier if they liked,” Alastair replied.
“I wish you’d spoken to me about inviting them . . .” grumbled Fiona in a way that was most unlike her.
“We’ve got plenty of food for two more, and Isla will love having her friend here.”
Fiona shrugged and tried to catch Rose’s eye.
Rose’s heart sank. She couldn’t believe that today was about to get even harder. How could she sit through yet another session of Sarah flirting with Alastair? But what choice did she have? She could hardly spoil Isla’s Christmas by excusing herself.
* * *
Sarah and Lucy turned up an hour later in bright Christmas jumpers and bearing wine and chocolates.
Rose stayed in the kitchen peeling potatoes for as long as she politely could before heading into the entrance hall to greet them.
“Oh, you’re still here,” Sarah said, spotting Rose.
“I am.” Rose forced a welcoming smile onto her face. “I was very kindly invited to stay for Christmas.”
Sarah’s face fell for a moment but she quickly corrected it. “Isn’t Alastair just the best, taking in us refugees?” She gave Alastair’s arm a squeeze.
“We all invited Rose actually,” said Fiona, loyally. “We decided we couldn’t possibly have Christmas without her.”
“How sweet,” said Sarah, absentmindedly. “Alastair, sweetie? Time for a holiday drinkie?”
“It’s 10 a.m.,” commented Aunt Helena with a fantastically judgmental tone as she came down the stairs.
“Actually,” said Paul, skilfully, “The turkey’s just gone in the oven and we were going to head out for a walk with the dogs. There are plenty of wellies you can borrow if you didn’t bring any with you.”
Sarah’s face sank but Lucy looked thrilled. “Can Houdini come as well?” she asked.
“Of course,” cried Isla. “We wouldn’t leave him out! Come on, we’ll find you and your mum some wellies. You might want to borrow some clothes from me as well because it’s going to be really muddy.”
Everyone dispersed to get ready, Sarah sticking with Alastair.
Rose slipped into the sitting room and set about tidying it up a little bit after the present opening excitement of earlier. She smiled at the tree; it really did look beautiful, and absolutely right for the room. She was so happy that everyone liked it.
“Are you okay?” Fiona asked, coming into the room. The sympathy on her face left Rose in no doubt that Fiona knew she was hiding.
“Yeah,” said Rose, brightly. “Just a headache. I thought I’d just check in here and then have a little lie down while you’re out . . .” Isla had her friend with her now, she wouldn’t notice when Rose didn’t join the group.
“If you’re sure.”
“I am. I’ll feel much brighter by the time you get back.”
“Okay.” Fiona gave Rose a hug. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Do you need me to check on the turkey while you’re out?”
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
Fiona left and Rose continued putting the room straight. She heard everyone reconvene and sighed as the front door closed. An hour or so of peace would help her come up with a plan of action for getting through this day now that Sarah was in the equation. One that didn’t involve the bottles of prosecco chilling in the fridge.
She couldn’t believe she’d got herself into this situation. She should be having an amazing Christmas in this beautiful house with new friends and considering the offer of potentially a really great job, but she just had to mess things up by kissing her boss. The best-looking man she’d ever met. And probably the kindest. And funniest. And sweetest. Especially when he was with Isla.
If it had just been a misjudged, drunken kiss, she’d be better able to deal with it by laughing off and putting it behind them. But that wasn’t what it had felt like, not at all. It felt like there was meaning being that kiss, like they’d been building up to it and were finally able to give in to what they both wanted. Or, at least, that’s how it had felt to her. But, of course, she was wrong. First, he couldn’t get away fast enough and then he invited Sarah for Christmas. He couldn’t have made it clearer that he wasn’t interested in her.
Why did she have to fall in love with her boss? Because, of course, that’s exactly what she’d stupidly gone and done. And who could blame her really? Alastair was, well, perfect.
“There you are,” said Alastair’s voice from behind her, making her jump because she’d been so deep in her thoughts about him. She blushed as she turned to face him, wondering if he suspected what she’d been thinking about.
“I thought you were out walking the dogs with everyone,” she said as lightly as she could manage.
“Fiona said you were staying behind and I wanted to check you’re all right.”
“I’m fine,” said Rose, quickly. “Just a little stomach ache.”
“Fiona said you had a headache . . .”
“Yes . . . a headache . . . that’s what I meant,” said Rose, weakly.
“I wanted to talk to you . . . about last night.” He looked supremely uncomfortable. “I know you said we didn’t need to, but I should apologise . . .”
“Really, it’s fine,” Rose muttered, quickly. She turned to leave, but he stopped her, gently placing a hand on her arm.
“Please can we discuss it?”
“Okay. Well, it was obviously a mistake . . .”
“Was it?” asked Alastair, gently.
“Yes . . . I mean, I never would have . . . if I’d realised that you and Sarah . . .” She was doing everything she could to avoid making eye contact with him, knowing that would be her undoing and would likely lead to her making an even bigger fool of herself than she already had.
“There’s nothing going on between Sarah and I. She’s here today because her oven broke down and they didn’t have anywhere else to go for Christmas dinner. I’m not interested in Sarah. I’d hoped she’d got that message loud and clear by now.”
“Oh, right,” said Rose, “Then . . .”
“I kissed you because I couldn’t stop myself,” continued Alastair. “But, first of all, I’m your boss and I didn’t want you to think I was trying to take advantage of you . . .”
“Technically, you’re not my boss. Not anymore,” pointed out Rose.
“That’s true . . .”
“You didn’t take advantage of me,” said Rose. “But you also don’t date.”
“I don’t,” confirmed Alastair, making her heart sink. “Because I’ve had my heart trampled on and I honestly hadn’t found anyone I trusted enough to want to date . . . until now. But, of course, you don’t date either . . .”
“True. Though I’m perfectly willing to change my mind. For the right person. But you left . . .”
“Isla . . .”
“Right . . .”
“Who actually set me straight on a few things,” Alastair said, gently.
“She did?” Rose looked up and they locked eyes. Damn.
“Yep, she saw me coming out of your room and quizzed me in her inimitable way . . . She was kind of mad that I’d left you . . .”
“Good old Isla.” Rose laughed.
“As soon as I knew she was fine, happy actually, for us to be together, I came back to find you, but . . .”
“I thought you regretted kissing me . . .”
“And you said it was a drunken mistake.”
“I don’t regret kissing you, Rose.”
“And I wasn’t drunk.”
They smiled shyly at each other.
“I wanted to give you your Christmas present,” Alastair said.
“I thought the angel was my present,” Rose said, glancing up at her beautiful gift sitting proudly on top of the Christmas tree.
“I’ve got another present for you, but I didn’t want to give it to you in front of everyone else.” Alastair walked over to a cupboard and took out a large box with a bow on it.
He handed it to Rose who placed it down on the table and lifted the lid. She let out a little gasp as she pulled out the dress she’d worn to the Christmas event.
“You looked so incredibly beautiful wearing it. It’s meant to be yours.”
“But it must have cost a fortune!”
“Let’s just make sure you get plenty of use out of it then,” said Alastair.
“It’s hardly the sort of dress I’d wear around the house.”
“You can if you like,” Alastair said with a grin. “As long as it’s around this house.”
Rose opened her mouth to speak, but Alastair placed a finger lightly on her lips.
“Don’t go back to London,” he said.
“But . . .”
“Stay here. With me. And Isla.”
Rose was too shocked, too delighted, to say anything.
“Aunt Helena told me about the job she’s offered you . . .”
“That was very kind of her,” Rose said.
“You’d be really good at it and I think you’d enjoy it. And it would give you time for your own artwork. Plus, my aunt may not like people very much, but she has a lot of connections in the art world, as does my sister, so they’re useful people to know.”
“Yes, but . . .”
“If it’s staying in this house that’s the problem, I have a cottage on the estate you’d be more than welcome to use if you’d prefer.”
“It’s not the house, I love this house, you know that . . .”
“What is it then?” asked Alastair gently.
Rose took a deep breath before saying, “What about Isla? I know how worried you are about her thinking of me as a mother figure . . .”
“I told you, Isla adores you,” said Alastair. “As do I. And I know you’d never intentionally hurt us. Isla set me straight on that, and she was completely right. I was hurt once and shut myself off, but you are nothing like Marie. If at some point in the future you’d like to be a mother figure to her, I can’t think of anything either of us would love more.”
“Are you sure?” Rose asked, not daring to believe Alastair’s words as she looked up into his green eyes.
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life. You’ve completely bewitched me, and if you’ll have me, I’m yours. I love you, Rose. I think I’ve been a little bit in love with you ever since I handed you back your tiara, and I’m just falling deeper.”
“I love you, too,” whispered Rose. If she was honest with herself, she’d realised that even before they’d kissed.
Alastair took her chin gently in his hand and tilted it up. “Would you look at that? We’re right under the mistletoe . . .”
“How very convenient,” Rose breathed, as Alastair pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“This is the best Christmas ever,” murmured Rose.
“I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about that kiss,” Alastair admitted. “I thought I’d completely messed things up . . . but I couldn’t not tell you how I feel.”
“I’m so glad you did,” said Rose reaching up to touch the side of Alastair’s face.
“Rose! Lucy’s mum fell in a cow poo and had to go home to change,” Isla called out as she came running into the sitting room, closely followed by the rest of the family. “Oh!”
Rose flushed bright red and attempted to hide her face in Alastair’s jumper. He laughed and kissed the top of her head, before gently turning her around to face everyone.
Isla looked absolutely ecstatic.
“I’m hoping this means you’ll be accepting my job offer,” said Aunt Helena looking rather smug.
“If it’s still available,” Rose said.
“It is,” confirmed Aunt Helena.
“Then I’d like to accept it very much and stay here,” said Rose.
Alastair turned to face his aunt. “You’re going to move here?”
“Into the empty cottage by the bothy. I’ll have an architect send you the plans so work can get started,” Aunt Helena replied.
“That all sounds really good to me,” Alastair said, his face breaking into a grin.
“Bahhhhhh!” came an indignant bleat.
“How on earth did you get in here?” asked Rose, grabbing Houdini by the collar before he could eat the Christmas tree.
Houdini went to nibble on Rose’s jeans.
“Oh no, you don’t,” said Alastair, taking over from Rose. “Rose is all mine.”