A Christmas Knight (13 page)

In response, he wrapped his arms round her and kissed her soundly.

Obviously she looked shocked, because he laughed. ‘Hey. You're standing under some mistletoe.'

‘No, I'm not. We don't do anything more than tinsel and cards in the admin areas and a tree in Reception, and you know it.'

‘Imaginary mistletoe, then. And I should warn you that there's a lot of it about at this time of year. I might have to kiss you in all sorts of places.' His eyes glittered. ‘Thank you. I know it was a big ask.'

‘When is it, so I can let Mum and Dad know?'

‘The Saturday after next.'

‘What?' She stared at him in surprise. ‘Dominic, haven't you left it a bit late? I mean, what about table plans and everything?'

‘That won't be a problem. Two minutes on a computer, that's all.' He paused. ‘Um, and it's not a day thing. It's a weekend.'

‘A whole weekend?' She knew she was sounding like a parrot, but Dominic had left her too stunned to do anything else but repeat what he said. How could a man who was so organised at work be so hopelessly disorganised about his brother's wedding?

‘Dinner with my family on Friday night,' Dominic explained, ‘then the wedding itself on Saturday. And we'll stay over on Saturday night.'

‘In a hotel near your family?'

‘No. We'll stay at the castle.'

‘Castle?'

‘Amberhurst.'

She smiled. ‘What a lovely setting. I didn't realise they held wedding receptions there or that you could book a room to stay there.'

‘You can't.'

She frowned. ‘I'm not with you. You just said your brother's getting married there.'

‘It's a family tradition to marry at the church in the castle grounds and, with Oliver being the eldest son…' He shrugged. ‘I guess it's the obvious place.'

She suddenly realised. ‘You mean your family
owns
Amberhurst Castle?'

‘Yes.'

She sat down, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘Dominic, we went there for the jousting, and you never said a word.'

‘I was going to tell you when we were there. I was going to introduce you and Tyler to Oliver and my parents—but then Ty came off the pony and there just wasn't time.'

She blew out a breath. ‘Dominic, what else aren't you telling me?'

‘Nothing. It's not a big deal.'

‘Isn't it? I feel a bit out of my depth,' she said. ‘Your parents own a castle. So that means this is going to be a society wedding—and, well, you've met my family. We're not posh.'

He looked surprised. ‘Your parents are lovely. And it's not about being posh or any society stuff. It's just a quiet
family wedding, at my family's home. And I can assure you, you'll fit right in. Just as I do with your family.'

He scooped her up, sat down on her chair, and settled her on his lap. ‘The reason I didn't ask you about the wedding earlier was because Ty was still recovering and I didn't want to put any pressure on you, in case he wasn't well enough to come. I didn't want you to feel obliged to go to the wedding because you'd accepted the invitation and then end up spending the whole time worrying yourself sick about him. And you can change your mind about him joining us at any time—even on the morning of the wedding itself. It won't be a problem for anyone.'

He really wanted her there. He wanted to introduce her to his family. As his partner. And he'd included Ty.

‘Come with me,' he said softly. ‘I really want you there with me.'

‘OK. But I need to know the dress code,' she warned. ‘And what colour the bridesmaids are wearing, so I don't clash.'

‘I'll text Oliver and find out,' he said. He rested his forehead against her shoulder. ‘I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I'm not very good at timing.'

‘You're telling me,' she said drily, stroking the hair back from his forehead. ‘And you'd better let me go before someone walks in and catches us in a clinch. We're meant to be concentrating on our patients, Dr Hurst, not snuggling up together at my desk.'

He stole a kiss, then let her wriggle off her lap. ‘I think I need you to keep me on the straight and narrow.'

‘What about the wedding list?'

‘I've already ordered their present. But if you offer to wrap it for me,' he said with a smile, ‘I'll be your slave. I'm hopeless at wrapping.'

‘I can't imagine you being hopeless at anything,' she said drily.

And now she had to find an outfit suitable for a society wedding, and she'd have to go shopping on Saturday—the first Saturday in December, when the shops would be crowded with people brandishing Christmas lists. One of her least favourite chores. Especially as it meant that she'd miss out on spending precious weekend time with Ty.

But her mother came to the rescue. ‘We'll have a look online—then I'll go into town tomorrow armed with your shortlist. You're the same size as me, so I can try them on, and I'll bring you the ones I think will suit you best and take the others back the next day.'

‘You're wonderful. And I owe you a spa day,' Louisa said.

Gillian laughed. ‘I'll hold you to that.'

But what her mother came up with the following day was nothing like the dresses Louisa had chosen with her on the internet. Gillian had picked a violet-coloured dress with a sweetheart neckline and strappy top, with an organza skirt that fell softly from the empire waistline almost to her ankles. There was a lilac pashmina to go with it, and an organza and feather fascinator in a perfect matching colour, and the prettiest underwear Louisa had ever seen—as well as a pair of black strappy shoes that she didn't think she'd be able to walk in, let alone dance in.

Oh, help. She hadn't even thought about dancing.

‘Mum, this looks a bit…'

‘I don't care. Try it on,' Gillian said firmly.

The dress fitted perfectly. The shoes were far more comfortable than they looked. And Louisa stared at herself in the mirror, surprised.

‘You look gorgeous,' Gillian said. ‘Wear your hair up, with a couple of strands down and curled to soften it.' She
produced a box from her handbag. ‘And wear Granny's pearls. They'll set this off beautifully.'

‘Mum—thank you so much. You're wonderful.' Louisa hugged her. ‘And I meant it about that spa day.'

‘I'll look forward to that, darling.' Gillian hugged her back. ‘So does this mean that we can stop pretending that you and Dominic are just good friends now?'

‘We
are
good friends.'

‘You're a bit more than that, love,' Gillian said.

Louisa blinked. ‘How did you know?'

‘Apart from the fact that mothers have a sixth sense about these things,' Gillian said drily, ‘it's obvious in the way you look at each other.' She paused. ‘He's a much, much better man than Jack ever was. He's reliable, he's kind and he adores Ty. I think you're good together. So does your father. And it's about time you had a bit of happiness.'

Tear pricked her eyes. ‘Oh, Mum.'

‘Don't,' Gillian warned, ‘or I'll start crying, too, and then Ty will want to know what's wrong. Come on. Let's go and ask the boys what they think of your glad rags.' She tucked her arm into Louisa's. ‘I'm so proud of you, the woman you've become. And I think Dominic's the right one. He's good enough for my girl.'

O
N THE
Friday evening of the following week, Dominic drove Louisa to Amberhurst for the pre-wedding dinner. He stopped in front of the gates, got out of the car and tapped a code into a discreet panel by the wall. The gates swung open silently and then closed again behind them as he drove through; the castle loomed in front of them.

When he eventually parked the car in front of the castle, Louisa felt as if her stomach was tied in knots. Now she had an idea how Dominic must have felt about meeting her parents. Would she measure up?

‘They'll love you,' Dominic said.

She blinked. ‘Did I just say that out loud?'

‘Uh-huh.' He kissed her swiftly. ‘Give it five minutes, and I promise you'll feel at home. My family's very normal. Well. Normal
ish
,' he amended. ‘I suppose they're a bit eccentric.'

But he loved them. She could see that in his expression. So she was prepared to love them, too.

He insisted on carrying her case as well as his own. He set them down briefly while he tapped in a code into the panel by the front door, then opened the door and toted them inside. Immediately there was a huge amount of barking and four assorted dogs burst into the hallway.

‘It's OK, they won't hurt you. They're more likely to
lick you to death.' He stooped down and allowed them to leap about over him, and she followed his lead.

‘Oh, you horrible lot! Benjy, Cody, Buster and Fudge,
heel
.' An older woman—Louisa recognised her from the photographs in Dominic's flat as his mother—came into the hallway. She was beautifully dressed and perfectly coiffured; Louisa felt a teensy bit daunted. But she had the same smile as Dominic, and her eyes were warm as she assessed the younger woman. She kissed Dominic. ‘Hello, darling.'

He kissed her back. ‘Hello, Ma.'

‘You're just in time.' She smiled at Louisa. ‘And you must be Louisa.'

‘Hello.' Louisa smiled awkwardly. ‘I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I don't know much about etiquette. Do I call you Lady Hurst? And, um, do I curtsey?'

‘You call me Milly, and forget all the other nonsense.' Dominic's mother enveloped her in a hug. ‘Welcome to Amberhurst, Louisa. And I'm sorry about this lot giving you such a noisy welcome.'

‘It's OK. I like dogs.'

‘Even Great Danes?' Milly asked, looking surprised. ‘Fudge,
sit
,' she said in exasperation to the Great Dane, who'd sneaked forward and was busy sniffing Louisa's knees.

Louisa laughed and fondled the dog's ears. ‘My son's desperate for a wolfhound. I've explained that we can't have a dog where we live now, but maybe one day we can have a dog. Something spaniel-sized, maybe.' She knew that Tyler would adore these four, from the little Jack Russell right up to the huge Great Dane.

‘I'm sorry that Tyler wasn't able to come to the wedding,' Milly said. ‘I was looking forward to meeting him. Dominic explained why and I completely understand. I
remember when Andy was little; if there were too many people around it made him uncomfortable, so he'd go and sit with the dogs or the horses—and his parents used to have to go and search for him, worried sick that he'd wandered near the pond or something.' She shivered. ‘Perish the thought. But maybe when it's a little quieter around here he might like to come and visit and play with the dogs.'

‘Thank you. That's very kind of you.'

‘Everyone's in the drawing room. Dinner's almost ready. Dominic, do you want to take the luggage upstairs? Louisa, I'm just going to give these monsters their dinner in the boot room to shut them up, but do come and have a glass of champagne.' Milly raised an eyebrow. ‘Or do you need the bathroom first?'

‘No, I'm fine, thank you.' Louisa couldn't help feeling a little shy, but Dominic had already started upstairs with the cases.

Awkwardly, she handed Milly the posh chocolates she'd bought in her lunch hour. ‘I, um, wanted to bring something to say thank you for having me to stay, but flowers didn't feel right—not the day before a wedding when there are going to be flowers everywhere.'

‘That's so
sweet
of you, but you really didn't have to bring anything. I know I have you to thank for the smile being back behind Dominic's eyes, and that's the best gift any mother can ask for. Her child being happy.'

Just what her own mother had said. And how she knew she'd feel about Tyler's eventual choice of partner, when he grew up.

Milly looked away, but not before Louisa caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. She blinked them away rapidly and cleared her throat. ‘And these are for me?' She peeked at the package and beamed. ‘Oh, I
love
these. I know I'm going to like you, Louisa. A lot. You'll have to forgive me
for being rude and not offering these to everyone else with coffee. These are going in my study.'

‘Would that be in your “secret” chocolate drawer, Ma?' Dominic drawled as he caught them up.

‘Which is kept locked.'

‘And you think that's going to stop anyone?' He laughed. ‘Oliver taught me how to pick that lock when I was nine. And Papa taught
him
.'

Milly rolled her eyes. ‘You're terrible. The three of you. How I put up with you, I really do not know! Dominic, I'm going to give these monsters their dinner before they sneak into the kitchen and start trying to scrounge things from Cook. Take Louisa through to the drawing room.' She shooed the dogs further along the corridor, and they bounced joyfully before her, while Dominic ushered Louisa to the drawing room.

Dominic caught Louisa's hand as they reached the doorway. ‘OK?' he mouthed.

‘Fine,' she mouthed back. She liked Dominic's mother, and she was pretty sure she'd like the rest of his family, too.

The room was full of people. She picked out Dominic's father and brother instantly: they both looked so like him, with the same dark hair and navy-blue eyes, and of course Oliver was the only one in a wheelchair.

Dominic carefully introduced her to everyone, including Oliver's fiancée, Mina, and her parents, plus several great-aunts and great-uncles. Louisa was aware that everyone was watching them as she was introduced to Oliver, wanting to see whether she'd be fazed by the fact that he was in a wheelchair, but she ignored the feeling of being watched and smiled at Dominic's brother before shaking his hand firmly.

Milly reappeared and handed her a glass of champagne
before shepherding everyone into the dining room. The table was enormous, seating eighteen; and all the places were set. It looked exactly like one of the displays in the stately castles Tyler loved visiting, with furniture so highly polished that you could practically see your reflection in it, exquisite porcelain, solid silver cutlery and candelabra, and delicate hand-blown glasses in the deepest blue. There were flowers arranged in what looked to her like priceless antique vases, and the carpet was so thick that you actually sank into it. The walls were covered with paintings and the curtains were rich deep-blue damask. Everything screamed luxury and wealth.

And then she saw the photographs on the mantelpiece. In silver frames. A wedding photograph of Dominic's parents, graduation photographs of the boys, a photograph that was clearly celebrating Oliver and Mina's engagement, and one that looked like a multi-generational family photograph. But the photographs she really loved were the more candid shots of Dominic and Oliver as children, playing in the garden. In one, Dominic had a bucket on his head and a mop in his hand, clearly pretending that he was a knight.

‘That's one of my favourites. Sir Hugo's first outing, when he was five,' Milly said with a smile, seeing what had caught Louisa's eye. ‘And I love the one in his flat of the two of you with Tyler and Pegasus.'

Louisa knew the photograph she meant. The very same photograph that had pride of place in Tyler's bedroom. ‘My mum took that one at the jousting. I'll have a copy made for you, if you like.'

‘Thank you. I'd love that. It's the happiest I've seen Dominic for more than two years.' Milly paused. ‘We had hoped to meet you at the jousting. But then there was the accident. It must have been terrifying for you.'

‘It was. I'm just so lucky Ty's made a complete recovery.'
Then Louisa bit her lip, remembering Oliver—who'd also been involved in a riding accident and would never make a complete recovery. ‘Sorry, that wasn't very tactful.'

‘But it was honest. And Oliver does at least have most of his independence. It could have been an awful lot worse. At least I don't have to cope with an Oliver-shaped hole in my life. That would be a lot, lot harder.' Milly patted her arm.

Louisa discovered that she was seated at the opposite end of the table from Dominic, next to Oliver.

‘Can I help you at all?' she asked as Oliver prepared to transfer himself from his state-of-the-art lightweight wheelchair to the dining chair.

‘Thanks, but I can manage.' He smiled at her, softening the slight abruptness of his tone. ‘It was about time Dominic brought you to meet us. How's your little boy doing?'

‘He's fine, thanks.'

‘Is he back in the saddle yet?'

She took a deep breath. ‘No. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.'

‘Of course, it's your decision,' Oliver said. ‘But he'll miss out on an awful lot.'

How could he say that, when he'd been so badly injured in a fall from a horse?

As if he could read her thoughts, he said softly, ‘Once a horseman, always a horseman. I miss it.' He paused, his eyes growing serious. ‘Dominic said he told you about the accident.'

‘Yes.'

Oliver looked relieved. ‘I'm glad he's talking about it. He refused counselling afterwards, but I think he needed it as much as I did. More than I did, probably. I used to play rugby, and I could've had a bad tackle at any time that
would've left me like this. I wouldn't have held it against the person who tackled me, and I don't hold this against my brother.'

‘He does enough of that for himself,' Louisa agreed.

He gave her a level look. ‘Maybe you're the one who can help him learn to forgive himself. Because it wasn't his fault. It was a stupid accident, and I'm just as much to blame because I wasn't giving the joust my full concentration. I've told him that, but it didn't stop him wearing a hair shirt.' He sighed. ‘I'm half-surprised he didn't decide to train as a surgeon to make up for the fact that I'm not one any more. But it'd be a waste if he did—emergency medicine suits him down to the ground.'

‘He's an excellent doctor. And he said you were a brilliant surgeon.'

‘I was,' Oliver said, with no hint of arrogance—just like Dominic, she thought, Oliver would make enough effort to excel at anything he did. ‘But now I intend to be a brilliant GP. I'm retraining. So I'll still get to make patients better—but I'll get to see my patients over the whole of their treatment rather than simply fixing a valve in their heart and waving them off home to recuperate and having no idea whether their lives really are better after the op. And the hours are more family-friendly, which Mina will appreciate—I can do my fair share of changing nappies.' He shrugged. ‘If life gives you lemons, you'd better learn to make lemonade—or you're going to wallow in misery, and I can tell you from experience that that's a complete waste of time.'

 

Milly made everyone change places between courses, so over the next course Louisa ended up sitting next to Roderick, Dominic and Oliver's father, who was incredibly sweet; and over pudding she was charmed by their
great-uncles, Rupert and Ashton. After dinner, the women all withdrew to the drawing room again, leaving the men to their port; Louisa finally got to chat to Mina, Oliver's fiancée, who turned out to be incredibly sweet-natured. She and Oliver would definitely be happy together, Louisa thought.

When the men joined them again, Dominic sat on the arm of Louisa's chair, resting his hand on the nape of her neck. Although she knew this was all for show and didn't actually mean anything, she still couldn't help the little thrill running through her at his touch.

Finally people started drifting off to bed.

‘Can I help you clear up?' Louisa asked Milly.

‘It's all taken care of,' Milly said with a smile.

Of course. To run a house this size, they'd need staff. And Milly had mentioned a cook, earlier.

‘But bless you for offering.' Milly gave her a hug. ‘We've got a busy day tomorrow. I think we all need to try and get some sleep.'

‘Yes. Goodnight,' Louisa said politely.

‘I'll see you up,' Dominic said.

‘I had a lovely evening,' she said as they walked up the sweeping central staircase. ‘I like your family.'

‘Good. They liked you, too.' He paused outside a door that she assumed led to her room. ‘Um, there's something I need to talk to you about. Can we go inside?'

‘Sure.'

He opened the door and flicked on the light. What she saw was a very masculine room—and her case was standing right next to Dominic's.

He looked awkward. ‘I thought you were going to be in the room next door to mine, but we have the great-aunts staying and there was a burst pipe yesterday that's made two of the bedrooms uninhabitable, which means we're
shorter on space than usual. I'm afraid my mother made a bit of an assumption. She's put us both in my room.'

Meaning that his mother thought they were already sleeping together. Louisa felt the colour shoot into her face. ‘Oh.'

‘Look, I've got a blanket in the back of the car—I'll go and fetch it. I can sleep on the floor.'

‘Dominic.' She placed her hand on his arm before he could open the bedroom door again. ‘I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor. We can share a room.'