Page 39 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“Nana Rose loved to find ridiculous Christmas trinkets. We used to collect them from thrift stores during the holidays,” Juliet said, taking a reindeer driving a Santa sleigh from his hand.
For a moment, only the sound of the boiling kettle filled the space. Will turned to her, and she considered taking a step back, but his gaze held her still.
“I couldn’t imagine being forced to live on the grounds when there are plenty of rooms in the house.”
It wasn’t what she had expected him to say, and the concern in those dark eyes melted her insides. Still, she changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the past. “If you’re here because you’re worried, I’m not going to tell anyone about Yule, you don’t have to be. Anyway, even if I told someone about a village in the North Pole, they wouldn’t believe me,” she said, leaving his side to go to her bedroom. She wanted to hide the chest in the secret compartment in her floorboards she’d made in her teens. She’d considered leaving it in the apartment, but then Margot might find it.
Lifting out the jumpers and putting them on the bed, she removed the chest from the suitcase and was about to lift the floorboards when she heard footsteps. She froze when she saw Will in the doorway.
“That can’t be here! Are you insane? Do you have any idea what your father would do if he got access to that or the bell?!”
“If you’re so worried about the contents, why would you help my mom get it to me?” Was he going to take it back? She wasn’t going to let that happen until she had answers. “I’m not going to let you take it.” She stepped back towards it, protectively.
The shock on his face told her she was wrong. “Why are you so determined to think I’m the enemy? After all the trouble I went to get it to you, I’m not going to take it from you. As a guardian, it’s my job to make the learning process easier for you. Learning about Yule can be overwhelming. Given your family’s history, I don’t want you to be alone in this, regardless of my personal feelings for you.”
His admission made her heart pound. Why did her body respond to his words, when her mind told her it could only end in heartbreak? He was from Yule, the very place her family had been banished from. She couldn’t help but wonder what her life would’ve been like if her mom hadn’t given her up, if she’d grown up in Yule. Sadness washed over her. She could have been raised by two parents who loved each other enough to break laws. Part of her resented Yule for ruining the family she might have had.
“What do you mean by trouble? How did you get it?” she asked.
“Your mum got the Frost chest from Yule’s ancestral vault, a crime punishable by banishment. I got it out of Yule and passed it on to your grandmother, another crime punishable by banishment,” he explained. “If your father found the chest, hecould use it to get to Yule, and the council would know someone got the chest out.”
Well, that explained why he was so determined to protect it. He’d risk losing his home to help her?
“Put that away and let’s sit down. You don’t look so good.” Will reached for her as she swayed. She’d never been a fainter in the past, but now was as good a time as any to start. He helped her lift the floorboard and secure the chest inside before covering it again, then led her to the couch in the sitting room and sat down.
“There was a letter from my grandfather to my mom. He mentioned that she was a guardian who broke her vows,” she said quietly. “That her relationship with my father was forbidden – it’s why she had to give me up. I came home to find answers. There were other letters where she tried to end things, and Dad wouldn’t let her. I want to see if I can find out more.”
“That’s why I got here first. In case you got the overwhelming desire to confront your dad,” he said, sitting down beside her on the couch.
“I don’t want to confront him. I need to find the letter my mom sent Reginald about petitioning the council.”
“The council of Yule will do anything to keep our secret and return that chest to its rightful place if they discover it’s missing. Your father can’t find out you have the chest; he can’t get his hands on the bell.”
“Because he could use it to prove Yule exists?”
He nodded. “And that can’t happen.”
“One more question. If guardians aren’t allowed to get involved with their charges, like it said in Reginald’s letter, why did you approach me in the hotel but let me believe you were just a stranger?”
“Selfishly, I wanted you. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my distance.” He tipped her chin up to him, and she blushed.“The moment I saw your photo in the file, I couldn’t imagine anyone else by your side through this, even if it’s mostly my job to protect the chest, and Yule. I couldn’t stop myself from approaching you, but I’m also not sorry for the time we’ve spent together,” he admitted. Conflict raged inside her.How can I repeat the same mistake as my parents?She wanted to be angry at him for putting them in this complicated and potentially heartbreaking situation, but it didn’t matter how much she rationalised, because her heart skipped a beat as he rested his hand on her thigh. His head dipped towards her, and all she could think was how safe she felt beside him.
A door slammed open, making them both jump, and Beth rushed into the room and leaned on the back of the couch. “Sorry to interrupt the flirting, but the cookies are ready, and I set up the movie.”
“Did you clean the kitchen?” Juliet asked, thankful to her sister for breaking the tension before they got carried away. Her cheeks were hot with embarrassment.
Beth nodded furiously. “Did you have time to hide my presents?”
“Stop thinking about presents – do you want to watch the movie or not?” She got up to playfully shove her sister towards the door.
Beth looked so like their father with her dark hair and eyebrows, the narrow cheekbones. Juliet couldn’t help but wonder if when her father looked ather, he saw only her mom, the woman he’d shared a forbidden love with. Perhaps that explained their tumultuous relationship, one she was glad her sister didn’t have to experience.
“Are you going to join us?” Beth asked Will. “There are plenty of cookies, and I don’t want you to feel left out. Dad wouldn’t like for us to leave out a guest.”
“I’m sure Will has far more important things to do. We shouldn’t keep him to ourselves.” Juliet smiled at him, hoping he’d reject the offer so she wouldn’t have to sit in a dark room in such a proximity with him for hours. “Right, Will? Places to go, people to visit.”
“But he just got here.” Beth’s frown melted her resolve.
“And I’ve nowhere else I’d rather be. It’d be rude of me to reject such a kind offer,” Will said with a grin, rising from the couch.
