Page 67 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
‘Righto.’ He shrugged. ‘Reckon I’ll still need you around to keep an eye on me, though.’
‘You think?’ Ella tried to laugh it off. ‘We’ll see.’
Ella was up early on Boxing Day but the black pickup outside the cottage was already gone, and she felt crushed. Even taking her kayak down to the tarn and having the most glorious hour on the water couldn’t quite lift her spirits and she was glad of a long hot bath when she returned. The New Year’s Day swim in aid of the local animal shelter was still attracting lots of attention online and Stan had promised to double his donation in the unlikely event of Max being able to beat Ella in their race. She hadn’t swum once since she’d arrived at Halesmere, and she resolved to fit in a couple of practice swims while he and the children were away.
Noelle invited Ella over to her studio later, for drinks and another opportunity to sit for her. She wasn’t really in the mood as she changed into the rose chiffon gown, but Noelle cheered her up, pouring glass after glass of champagne and abandoning her sketches to tell Ella stories about her modelling days. Noelle was also going away soon, to spend a few days with friends, and Ella felt relieved at the thought of Dylan arriving so she wouldn’t be completely alone at Halesmere overnight. She could feel the effects of the champagne as she returned to the house and Zoomed her parents in New Zealand. They were having a wonderful time and she managed to convince them that she was too, leaving out the bit about the family being away.
Stan was seeing to the chickens and the guinea pigs every day, and Ella was very glad of Prim’s company in the house. Prim stuck close to her side and Ella hated leaving her downstairs when she went to bed at night. But the dog wasn’t allowed in the bedrooms in the cottage and Ella didn’t think it fair to teach her habits she would find hard to break once Max and the children were back home. Stan and Pearl invited her to eat lunch with them and she had a lovely dinner in the pub with Marta and her partner, which also included Sandy, who had popped in to see about using the pub for another church meeting.
Dylan arrived that evening, bringing his usual energy and upbeat attitude, and she was very happy to see him and grateful for his company. They filled the three days with walking, a first practice swim in the tarn and a wonderful drive up to kayak at a glorious lake further north, which was almost deserted and so very different to the bustle of Windermere. High fells to one side, farmland and fields to the other. They ate in the pub a couple of times and flopped in front of Netflix each night. Sandy invited them for supper, delighted that Ella’s mum was thrilled with Ella’s present to her of a vase from her collection of ceramics.
Dylan headed off the day before New Year’s Eve and Ella was sorry to see him go. She was glad to throw herself back into thinking about the first retreat, working out a rough programme of activities and a menu. They could accommodate up to eight guests, a number that would work well as it would probably attract a group of friends or couples. Phil from the pub put her in touch with a woman who ran workshops specialising in eating well, and Ella set up a meeting. Dylan had invited her to Copenhagen soon, and she had promised to visit once her time at Halesmere was over. She was expecting to be busy for her last little while here, settling the artists into their new studios and running the retreat, and hated the thought of taking time away from Max and the children before she had to.
He’d messaged a couple of times while they were away, sending a few images of the children that apparently Lily had wanted to share and casually checking in to make sure Ella was okay. His tone was cool, more business-like, and nothing of what they had shared or how they’d parted on Christmas Day was mentioned. She made sure to offer her own updates on the guinea pigs, chickens and of course Prim, who was missing her family, despite Ella’s company. Every time Prim heard the front door open or a vehicle on the drive, she would leap up expectantly and tilt her head in hope, only to be disappointed.
On New Year’s Eve Ella only realised that Max had returned when she was curled up on the sofa watching an old black and white movie and Prim shot to the door, whining and wagging her tail. At first Ella sighed and ignored her; she’d done this before. But Prim was insistent, and eventually Ella got up to let her out of the room. She charged to the front door and Ella’s heart leapt when she saw the black pickup on the drive. Max wasn’t alone; Ashley had somehow managed to time her own arrival to coincide with his. Ella guessed Ashley must have known when to expect him, which was more than she had.
He was unloading luggage and Ella watched as Prim hurled herself at him in joy. He put a bag down and bent to give her a cuddle as she bounced beside him. When Prim ran inside the cottage and back out, she almost seemed to be asking why Lily and Arlo were not with him, and Max gave her a wry grin and a pat. Ella was still standing in the porch and their eyes met for a long moment as he looked across.
‘Hi. Good trip?’ she called over, clearing her throat to hide her nerves. This evening was supposed to be their date at the black-tie ball and there hadn’t been such distance between them since her first weekend here.
‘Yes thanks. Kids enjoyed it,’ he called back, watching Prim as she hurried over to rejoin Ella. She thought she knew why; there was a fire blazing in the drawing room and if Lily and Arlo weren’t here to keep Prim company, she’d take the fire instead. ‘It was good to spend time with Victoria’s family. They’re all at the hotel now, ready to watch the fireworks.’
‘Sounds lovely. I’m glad you had a great time. Hi Ashley.’
‘Nice to see you, Ella.’ Ashley gave her a smile that didn’t seem quite as warm as her words. ‘I’m sure Max is grateful to you for dog-sitting.’
‘Are you okay? Everything all right?’ Max glanced at Ella before slinging a rucksack over his shoulder and reaching for a couple more bags.
‘I’m fine. No problems.’
‘Who was that gorgeous man you’ve had staying here, Ella?’ Ashley’s laugh was light as she raised beautifully groomed eyebrows. ‘It’s all over the village, you two going everywhere together. Surely it wasn’t the incorrigible ex you were telling me about, the one who offered you a new job? Is he still here? Are you bringing him to the ball?’
‘You had someone here with you?’ Max’s look at Ella was sharp.
‘You know I did, I asked you before he came. Dylan. He’s my best friend.’ Ella’s words were falling over each in other in her rush to explain, certain Ashley was enjoying her discomfort. ‘He left yesterday, he’s moving to Copenhagen for a new job.’
‘Right. My mistake, I’d forgotten. Silly of me to wonder if you were okay on your own.’ Max slammed the boot and Ella jumped. ‘You not going with him? You seem to have had plenty of offers.’
‘Of course not.’ She was crushed; after their stolen moments together with the children around, Max was clearly not looking for more now they were alone – well, alone if Ashley and her smug little smile would just go away. He was obviously distracted and upset, and Ella couldn’t blame him. However excited Lily and Arlo had been to see their grandparents, there must still be all kinds of memories and hurt hovering, for the loss of the young woman who had been responsible for bringing them all together.
‘Max, shall we have that coffee I messaged you about? Some time on our client without the kids haring around would be good.’ Ashley was already heading towards the cottage and Ella stared incredulously. He’d just driven two hundred and fifty miles, after being with his late wife’s parents for the best part of a week, and Ashley wanted to him to think about work?
‘Not now, Ash, sorry.’ Max said, his arms still full of bags as she turned to meet his impassive gaze. ‘The client will have to keep until the New Year.’
‘Of course.’ She offered him a beaming smile. ‘I could make us a late lunch and you can relax before we go dancing.’
‘Dancing?’ He looked blank.
‘The ball, tonight? Surely you haven’t forgotten?’
‘Not exactly.’ He sighed, his glance sliding pointedly to her car. ‘Let’s leave lunch too, Ash. I’m going to have a kip and a shower before anything else if you don’t mind.’
It wasn’t a question and Ella registered the flicker of disappointment on Ashley’s face. ‘Of course not.’ She finally took the hint and made a point of kissing Max and telling him how much she was looking forward to seeing him in black tie later. She and Ella shared a more distant goodbye and then she was finally gone as the car took off down the drive.
‘What time is the taxi picking us up?’ Anything to delay him, anything to discover whether going to the ball together might still mean as much to him as it did to Ella. She’d eventually confessed her feelings for Max to Dylan and he’d been sympathetic, told her to go for it and not wait for the opportunity of love to pass her by. Where might she and Max be tonight, on this very last night of the year? And what might follow for them at the beginning of a new one? Might he ever feel the same, and love her too?
‘Six. That all right for you?’
