Page 12 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
‘It’s my turn to talk to Ella now,’ Lily said firmly, picking up the list her brother had made her drop. ‘Daddy will have to go to work soon, and you’ve had too much time, Arlo.’
‘Yes, all right, Lily.’ Max squeezed her shoulder but she ignored him, consulting her list. ‘I think there’s time for you to ask Ella one question.’
‘Will you excuse me, my darlings, I also must work.’ Noelle stood up. ‘Ella,chérie, I would love for you to see my studio. Why don’t you pop in later?’
‘Oh, I, er, well, I suppose I’ll be…’ Ella was babbling, terrified that Noelle was going to entice her in and refuse to let her out again until she’d captured a reclining and quite possibly naked Ella on canvas for all to see. It certainly wasn’t the right moment to glance at Max and see the smile hovering on his lips before he hastily looked away. ‘I have to go shopping, see the house, and unpack. I’ve got so much to do. Max needs my notes on the business and…’
‘You’ll have plenty of time for all of that,’ Noelle replied crisply. ‘Max, I insist that you show Ella around properly, please do not leave her to find out everything on her own. Ella, I will be in my studio until suppertime. Come and see me this afternoon.’
‘Mmm.’ Ella hoped her fear didn’t show. She resolved to make quite certain that Noelle didn’t try to include life modelling in her new job description as she closed the door behind her.
‘One question,’ Max warned Lily, checking his phone. ‘Then this interview is over. We have things to do, no matter what your grandmother says.’
‘Daddy, that’s not fair. Arlo asked Ella at least three questions.’
‘I wasn’t counting. Right, three questions,’ he said firmly. ‘And be quick about it.’
‘How far can you swim without stopping, Ella?’
She laughed, completely unprepared for Lily’s swift change of subject. She had still been thinking about pizza and whether Max or Noelle had all the ingredients Arlo wanted. If they didn’t, where she was going to find them before tonight without a long drive into town? And when had she mentioned swimming in front of this clever and perceptive child?
‘Hurry, Ella, please.’ Lily shot Max a look and his hand went to her hair, gently smoothing the curls escaping her ponytail. ‘Daddy’s got to leave and I’m only allowed two more questions.’
‘Right.’ Ella thought rapidly. ‘Well, my best stroke was the crawl, and I could swim two hundred metres when I was competing, so I suppose that’s quite far. But I’m out of practice, I couldn’t do it now, especially in open water in winter.’ She dropped that last bit in before Lily had her down at the tarn with a stopwatch and a clipboard.
‘Wow. You must be a really good swimmer.’ Lily was entranced. ‘My second question is, will you come to our school nativity, Ella, please? I’m one of the three wise men and Arlo’s a sheep. He just has to stand there looking stupid so he’s very good at it.’
‘Lily, that’ll do about your brother.’ Max’s voice was stern, but Ella saw the faint smile he was trying to conceal, and her own lips twitched. Thankfully Arlo was on the floor playing with the tractor and hadn’t noticed his sister’s remark.
‘Will you be staying with us for Christmas, Ella? Mamie told us your family live far away.’
Lily’s question seemed to hover between Ella and Max, and twenty-four hours ago she would have been able to say no quite truthfully. But after the conversation with her mum last night, Ella’s plans had been swiftly obliterated, and Christmas was now looking very different and rather unwelcome.
‘I’m probably going to be here, yes.’ Unless Dylan would take her in for a few days. ‘But I don’t think I could come to see your nativity, I’m sorry, Lily. Those things are usually just for friends and family.’
‘That’s three questions, Lily.’ There was a warning note in Max’s voice, and Lily rushed on.
‘Just one more, Daddy, please. Ella, are you married? Or do you have a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?’
‘I’m sorry? Is that one question or three?’ Ella was taken aback yet again, and she grinned, her gaze sliding over to Max and finding his somewhere else entirely.
‘Lily,’ he said sharply, lifting her firmly from the sofa to stand on the floor. ‘That’s private information and absolutely none of our business.’
‘Why, Papa?’ Lily shrugged. ‘You said we needed to know lots about Ella if she’s going to be living with us. I heard you tell Mamie that the flat was barely big enough for one, never mind two, and if Ella thought she was going to be bringing someone else here to live with her then she’d better think again, and Mamie might like to give Ella her flat instead and take the other one seeing as all of this was her fault in the first place.’
Max closed his eyes, a hand going to his brow to cover his face, and Ella bit back a laugh. Lily was going to be keeping everyone on their toes and Ella didn’t mind confirming her current relationship status. It barely ever changed, a dodgy boss being the rare exception.
‘No boyfriend, husband, girlfriend or wife, Lily,’ Ella replied, enjoying Max’s discomfort a bit too much. ‘Just me, so I think the flat will be fine.’
‘That’s good, isn’t it, Daddy?’ Lily was staring at him with an earnest expression. ‘Then Mamie won’t have to give up her flat for Ella and Ella won’t be bringing anyone else here to live with her.’
‘Lily.’ Max’s voice was firm, and it was Ella’s turn to stare at the glorious view from the French doors. ‘Time to go, this minute, and take Arlo with you. Wait for me at Mamie’s studio and then we’ll get you both ready for the party.’
‘Okay.’ Happy now, her questions answered, Lily skipped from the room, Arlo on her heels. ‘Bye Ella, see you later.’
‘Bye guys, great questions. Have fun at the party.’
Prim seemed to be considering whether to go with them but dropped at Max’s feet with a sigh instead. The door clicked shut and he sank back into the sofa. ‘Sorry about that, the personal stuff.’ He took his glasses off and slid them into a messenger bag, along with his wallet. ‘I had no idea what they wanted to know but clearly I ought to have checked.’
