Wickham Hall: Part Four - White Christmas (11 page)

‘Please excuse me,' I said to the accountant, without breaking eye contact with Ben. ‘I think I'm wanted.'

Ben crossed the room heading my way and I edged closer towards him, the pair of us grinning wildly. I had missed so many opportunities to get closer to Ben this year, I realized: in the gardens at the Summer Festival, the times when I'd turned down a second date after the exhibition opening, and then under the stars on Bonfire Night. But he was here now and I had no intention of letting him leave again for a very long time.

Ben smiled me a smile that lit up his face like sunshine and stole my breath for a moment.

‘Hi,' I whispered, ‘I've missed you.'

‘And I've missed you,' he said gruffly. He took both of my hands and stepped closer. ‘You look like a Christmas angel in that dress, all golden and radiant.'

‘Thank you. You don't look too shabby yourself.'

‘Although I must admit to being a bit disappointed you aren't still in the elf outfit. That was sexy. In a green way. But you still look sexy,' he added hastily.

He waggled his eyebrows and gave me the twinkly smile that I adored. The one that hinted that if we could only find a quiet corner he'd show me exactly how sexy. I found myself glancing at the doorway and wondered whether we dared creep off. But before I could speak again he leaned forward so I thrust my cheek towards him, expecting a chaste peck. But instead he tilted my chin and pressed his lips to mine. My heart stopped for a fraction of a second, I closed my eyes and breathed him in, savouring his familiar citrus aftershave.

‘Ben!' I murmured. ‘What if—'

‘Darling, there you are!' Lady Fortescue shoved her head between the two of us, forcing us to step apart.

She beamed at Ben and then at me and then gave a sort of general smile to the people around us.

‘Mum,' said Ben, planting a kiss on the side of her head, ‘looking as lovely as ever.'

‘Benedict, can I borrow you for a moment?' She tucked her arm through his as he nodded his consent.

‘You too,' she said to me, flashing me an icy look that brought me out in instant goosebumps.

‘Of course, Lady Fortescue.'

My heart thudded as I followed them numbly out of the sitting room and into a small room where the guests' coats had been hung. Lady Fortescue shut the door behind us and folded her arms.

‘Benedict, I saw that. In fact, I think everyone in the room probably saw it. Kissing a member of staff . . . What do you think you are playing at?' she said.

‘I apologize if I've caused you any embarrassment, Lady—' I began.

‘Holly, there's no need to apologize,' said Ben firmly. ‘It was hardly obscene.'

Lady Fortescue drew herself up tall. ‘Nonetheless, there is such a thing as propriety, Benedict. And as the next Lord Fortescue, I advise you to behave accordingly.'

He flashed me a look of resignation and then, impervious – or perhaps immune – to his mother's outburst, took hold of my hand. ‘I've invited Holly to the dinner party, Mum. As my date. That's all right, isn't it? Room for a little one?'

He squeezed my fingers and gave me an encouraging smile; I tried to relax against him, but Lady Fortescue's glare made relaxing very difficult.

‘I'd have invited someone suitable for you if I'd known,' she fretted, running a finger along the beads at her neck again. ‘That nice girl who came up for the fireworks, for instance – she was very disappointed not to have met you.'

Suitable
. Meaning that I wasn't. I felt my hackles rise and had to bite my tongue at that. Not ten minutes ago, I'd been agreeing with Esme that the Fortescues were just people like us. Clearly Her Ladyship didn't feel the same.

Ben pressed a hand briefly to his face. ‘Mum, how many times? I don't need or want your help in choosing me a girlfriend.'

‘Oh, I think you do,' she said forcefully and then cast me a steely look. ‘And you, Holly. I've warned you about your behaviour before, but it seems my warnings have gone unheeded. It's most unprofessional, and I must say it raises doubts about your commitment to Wickham Hall. This is the final straw.'

‘I agree,' I declared, unable to keep silent for another second.

‘Holly—' Ben interjected.

‘I agree; it
is
the final straw.' I stared defiantly at her. I accepted that I wasn't upper class like the girls that she so obviously wanted her son to meet. I understood that, even if I didn't like it. But criticizing my work was quite another matter. ‘I think you're being unfair. I work hard and I am very committed. My job at Wickham Hall means the world to me.'

‘Well said,' Ben added. ‘And, Mum, I kissed her because not only is she brilliant at her job, but she's a very special friend to me. She's coming to the dinner party because I invited her and as a member of this family, I get a say.'

My heart swelled with joy and I smiled up at him, my eyes stinging with tears. ‘Thank you,' I whispered, squeezing his hand.

‘Very well.' The colour had drained from Lady Fortescue's face as she reached for the door handle. She jutted her chin out and, ignoring Ben, addressed her final comment to me. ‘
Friend
or not, I really think Lord Fortescue and I are going to have to reconsider your position here. And until Benedict decides whether he will or won't take over at Wickham Hall, he doesn't have
a say
about that.'

She swept out of the room, leaving my heart racing and Benedict momentarily speechless.

I turned to him and took hold of his other hand. ‘I'm so sorry, Ben. I shouldn't have said what I did. I've made a mess of everything.'

‘Not at all, I'm proud of you for standing up to her.' He looked at me, totally bewildered. ‘I don't understand what she's got against you. But one thing is for certain: there's no way I'm going to spend the next five years here doing a handover before they retire. I will come back and run the estate, but on my terms and to my timescale. Right now, the sooner I can get back to London and move into my new studio the better. Wickham Hall can wait for the time being.'

My stomach lurched; if Ben left now, Lady Fortescue would never forgive me and besides, was that really what he wanted, I asked myself, or was he just being stubborn? Today when he first arrived, he'd admitted how good it was to be home. I was sure that deep down, Wickham Hall was where his heart truly lay.

‘You're just angry,' I soothed, reaching my arms round his neck. ‘Don't make any hasty decisions.'

‘Sshh.' He traced a fingertip along my top lip. ‘I'm not letting her have the last word. Don't worry. It doesn't change anything between us. And I'll make sure you get your job back.'

He pressed a kiss to my lips, flung the door open and strode after Lady Fortescue.

I sank down onto a chair and exhaled. How could Ben say it didn't change anything? I'd inadvertently already changed
everything
.

‘Holster!' A hoarse whisper from the doorway made me lift my head to see Esme sneaking in.

‘I eavesdropped. Couldn't help myself, soz.' She grinned cheekily, but her eyes were full of concern.

‘Oh, Es,' I groaned. ‘I've ruined the party, lost my job and inadvertently sent Ben back to London.'

She perched on the arm of my chair and slung an arm round my shoulders. ‘Hmm, that is bad. What we need is a rescue plan.'

‘I don't know how to sort things out, Es. What do I do?' I stared at her, blinking away my tears. ‘What would Coco advise?'

Esme rolled her eyes. ‘Isn't it about time you got your own guru? OK, how about this? Er . . . “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”'

I stared at her, nodding thoughtfully, while I absorbed Coco Chanel's advice. There was something I could say, something I'd only just realized. It might work. It might also backfire spectacularly, but at least I'd know I'd done everything I could to save the day . . .

‘Esme, we might need to make a quick getaway after this; there's something I need to say to the Fortescues.'

She grinned at me and punched my arm. ‘You go, girl.'

I took a deep breath, tucked my clutch bag under my arm and marched back to the Red Sitting Room.

I stood in the doorway for a second, planning my next move. Lady Fortescue had stationed herself in the centre of the room and was attempting to pour herself a glass of mulled wine. She looked upset and her hand was shaking so Ben took over and handed her a glass.

Their voices were slightly raised and were attracting attention and Sheila was standing next to the small brass gong and wringing her hands anxiously. Lord Fortescue was further away, talking to the man from the tourism office and, being hard of hearing, was probably unaware of the muted row going on between his wife and son.

Ben folded his arms and stared at the carpet. ‘. . . humiliated Holly and me. It's never going to work, Mum, not when you still treat me like a child.'

Lady Fortescue sipped at her mulled wine and looked over her shoulder, refusing to look at him. ‘Don't you care that you've broken your mother's heart?'

‘You've got to take some responsibility for that, Mum. And anyway, it's for the best.'

‘How can you say that? I feel less than festive now, thanks to you . . .'

I straightened my spine and threaded my way through the crowd towards them and tapped him on the shoulder.

‘Ben, there's something I want to say.'

He whirled round to face me and his eyes softened. Lady Fortescue, on the other hand, pursed her lips sourly.

At that very moment Sheila sounded the gong, signalling the end of the Christmas at Home party and a silence descended on the room. I glanced around me and could hardly believe what I saw; maybe the body language between the three of us indicated that something was amiss because fifty pairs of eyes were staring at us.

Now what? Everyone was listening. Do I pretend I was going to say something trivial, like ‘I'll be off then', and lose the moment, or do I go for it?

My body was humming with the attention of the entire room upon me.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Esme sneak into the room and stick her two thumbs up above the heads of the guests.

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud . . .

I took a fortifying breath and looked him in the eye. ‘Ben, I think I have loved you since I caught you in the churchyard with your trousers down.'

I heard a snort of laughter and noticed Zara join Esme in the doorway, eyes wide with hands over their mouths. There were a few other titters too and David the young reporter from the local radio station took his iPhone out of his pocket and held it up.

Ben was staring at me, his eyes soft and full of an emotion that I didn't dare name, but I liked it and it filled me with encouragement to press on. I took his hand.

‘I love you for your heart, for your generosity and for the way you light up the room as soon as you enter. I love that you give yourself completely to things you care about. I love you for your passion for all the things that matter to you like your art and Wickham Hall and, of course, your family.'

Ben reached out and pushed a stray hair off my face. ‘And you, Holly, you matter to me too.'

My heart swelled with love as he kissed my forehead and a chorus of gentle ‘ahhs' echoed around the room, reminding me that I had an audience.

I can do this, I can say this in front of all these people. I need to do it . . .

‘Ben, from you I've learned not to plan everything in my life and to live in the moment.' I swallowed. ‘Because that's when the magic happens.'

‘Lovely sentiment,' said Lady Fortescue crisply, ‘but the party's over now so . . .'

Lord Fortescue appeared at his wife's side and regarded the three of us suspiciously. ‘What's going on?'

‘Nothing important, Hugo. Holly is just leaving, as are our other guests.' She patted his arm appeasingly.

People began to shuffle towards the door then but I cleared my throat and they all paused.

‘Actually, I still have something to say,' I said, squeezing Ben's hand for courage. ‘Ben, I'm afraid I'm going to get a bit bossy now: I think you're making a big mistake leaving Wickham Hall.'

‘Ben?' Lord Fortescue frowned.

‘Hold on, Dad,' Ben's lips twitched. ‘Go on, Holly, I love it when you're bossy.'

I smiled back and turned to Lady Fortescue; her eyes were stretched wide in surprise.

‘Lady Fortescue, on the first day I met you, you declared that you thought that you and I would get along splendidly. And for the most part we have. Do you know why that is?'

A look of discomfort crossed her face. ‘Um?'

‘We get along because we want the same things. We both love Wickham Hall; we love every red brick, chimney pot, creaking floorboard, moss-covered balustrade, every Himalayan poppy and every tiny pane of leaded glass. And most of all, we care about what happens to the hall in the future. And,' I paused to slip my arm around Ben's waist, ‘we both love this man.'

I gave her a challenging look but she simply stared down at her hands and said nothing.

‘And Holly's leaving too?' Lord Fortescue grunted. ‘I didn't know that.'

‘Mum threatened to sack her,' Ben informed him with a wry smile. ‘I'm assuming you don't agree with her unilateral decision?'

‘Ben, please. This isn't about me. The thing is that you could find a new events organizer. I am easily replaceable; Lady Fortescue could advertise my job and you'll be inundated with applicants. But Benedict isn't.'

I tilted my face to meet his eyes. ‘You are simply not replaceable. You are special. You are the right – the only – person who can continue the amazing work that your parents have done for thirty years. Because you are born for this. You are a leader, Benedict, a good one, and you are more than capable of filling your father's shoes. Wickham Hall just wouldn't be the same without you.'