Page 4 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
Max ran a weary hand over his face. He was very nearly beaten, and they all knew it. Bested by a six-year-old girl who’d shown him up to be bad-tempered and busy, a small boy, an unruly dog, and an eccentric French mother. Unless he wanted to make them even more miserable than they apparently already were, it looked like Ella might be staying at Halesmere after all.
‘It’s not that simple, Lily.’ Max frowned at his daughter. ‘You don’t just invite a stranger into your home without knowing lots about them.’
‘Then they wouldn’t be a stranger, would they?’ Lily sounded perfectly reasonable. ‘Mamie’s very clever and she wouldn’t ask someone to live with us that she didn’t like, would she? I think Ella will be fun and I want her to stay. We all do, Daddy.’
‘I’m warning you, Lily, go inside.’ There was a chill in Max’s tone that had Lily scampering off this time, Arlo running beside her with Prim leaping merrily, happy now she’d seen Max and made sure he was safely back on the premises. At the door Lily let Prim go and she ran straight back to flop beside Max.
‘So.’ Ella was shocked to find herself noticing that the stubble covering his jaw was more golden than blond, and she forced a level note into her voice. ‘I think we’ve both been taken by surprise by the situation we’re in. Wouldn’t it be better to discuss my job rationally?’
‘What, a proper interview, you mean?’ Max sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Like normal people do before they employ new staff, unlike my interfering mother.’
‘If that would help? And I think she means well.’ Ella always preferred being direct. There wasn’t room for indecision or hesitation in frantic kitchens, and she’d quickly learned to put aside her more natural, nurturing instincts. ‘Is it really worth getting rid of me just to prove to your family that you are the one in control?’
‘Touché.’ He almost smiled at that. ‘But I must warn you I’m yet to be convinced of any real value in the job my mother has offered you, despite what she may have led you to believe about our circumstances. She’s always had her own way of doing things.’
‘Then perhaps I can convince you. I’ve already done some research about the potential for your holiday business and how I might be able to help.’
‘Have you?’ One eyebrow was raised, and she sensed a glimmer of curiosity.
‘Why don’t you give me a month and if you’re still not satisfied, I give you my word I’ll leave by mutual agreement.’ That would see Ella closer to Christmas with her family at least, and she’d have time to make other plans for the New Year. ‘Who knows, I might be the one running for the hills before then.’
‘I think you’ll find you’re surrounded by them.’ He pointed to the darkened landscape beyond the silent house. ‘The hills, I mean.’
Ella blinked, unsure if that was an attempt at humour. She’d become very good at reading people, and she was finding Max difficult. Granted, they’d only met a very short time ago, but he was giving away nothing more than impatience and frustration with those stunning blue eyes.
‘What about my children? What relevant experience do you have?’
‘Some.’ Ella knew honesty was the best policy. ‘I volunteered with a young people’s adventure programme for two years and I have basic first aid and self-defence training.’
Working with young people had been a passion, so much more than a way to fill whatever time she had left over from her career, and she was going to miss her gang at the centre terribly. She’d loved seeing the children flourish as they gained in confidence and the possibility of volunteering up here was one of the reasons why this job had appealed to her so much.
‘So no actual childcare then?’
‘Not regularly, no.’ She thought it couldn’t hurt to throw in a little more detail. ‘I spent my summers in between university terms in Chamonix, taking care of a family of eight, four of whom were children, and their guests. I babysat for them sometimes.’
‘Okay.’ Max seemed to be making an effort to be more pleasant. ‘One month’s trial, subject to a satisfactory interview and all the relevant checks. Nine a.m. tomorrow, in my office. You’ll find it at the entrance to the back of the house in the courtyard.’
‘Thank you.’ She wasn’t expecting the rush of relief at her reprieve. ‘I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret it.’
‘Right. And er, Ella, is it?’
‘Yes.’ She wondered if he really had forgotten.
‘Where are you staying? I suppose it’s too much to expect that my mother hasn’t had a hand in those arrangements as well?’
‘She has, she was kind enough to offer me the use of a flat.’ Ella shook her arms to keep warm, ignoring the lurking anxiety at seeing where she was going to be living for the next month at least. She was dreading the evening ahead, trying to settle in the dark in a strange place so far from everything she knew. It was the one aspect of her new job she’d chosen to ignore. She’d promised to FaceTime her best friend Dylan tonight and he’d be drinking in some packed-out bar in the French Alps if she left it too late.
Max pointed to the arch separating his cottage from the house. ‘There’s only one place she can have meant for you to have. Through there, far side on the left.’
‘You’re not going to show me?’ Ella swallowed worriedly. It was fully dark now and the night was icy, she could feel the cold rising around her feet. Christmas was only a few weeks away and there was nothing bright and cheerful in this place to suggest it was even coming. No lights strung outside the buildings, trees to offer some cheer or a merry plastic Santa on his way down one of the chimneys.
‘Sorry. You’re on your own unless you can find my mother. I have to take care of my children.’ Max removed a bunch of keys from his pocket and separated one, offering it to Ella. She took it, feeling the welcome warmth of his fingers brushing hers. ‘Up the narrow steps, yellow front door. You can’t miss it. Be careful – you’ll see why.’
‘Thank you.’ She heard the frightened whisper that passed for her reply. Noelle had vanished into the night and Ella knew she really was on her own. She had to force herself not to grab his arm and insist that he come with her. But such a thing would be foolish; he’d think she was incapable of caring for his two young children if she couldn’t cross the courtyard alone in the dark.
‘I have to go. Tomorrow, then.’ Max nodded once as he picked up Prim’s lead and turned away.
Ella made a conscious effort to ignore her spiralling alarm as she crossed the deserted courtyard, the key to her new home snug in her hand. She knew from Noelle and a bit more from Google that until a year ago the old stables had been a base for a couple of artists. But now the stables were empty, and Ella was trying not to see leaping shadows with every nervous step she took. Noelle over Zoom had been rather vague on details, suggesting there wasn’t too much Ella needed to know beforehand and that she was more interested in finding someone prepared to get stuck in. This had suited Ella perfectly, keen as ever to make a decision and act on it.
