Page 42 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
“At least you got out of Hartmead.”
“You didn’t seem stuck for entertainment over at Snob Towers.”
“You’ve been reading too muchHarry Potter. Boarding schools aren’t all sneaking around the halls and midnight adventures.”
Isaac made an agreeing sound that wasn’t convincing.
“And during the holidays I was as stuck as you were, more so because unlike you and my brother, I didn’t have a motorbike.”
“Are we arguing about who was more bored growing up?”
Nory laughed. “I believe we are,” she replied. “But to be honest, when I look back on it now, it wasn’t that bad. And I would defy anyone not to be enthralled by this place in the snow, I mean, look at it.”
“Enthralled?” Isaac drawled. “Who uses that in an ordinary sentence?”
“Someone who owns a bookshop,” said Nory.
“Fair enough.”
They walked on in companionable silence until they reached the Winter Garden. The little solar lights in the beds were making a stellar effort to remain lit, casting a yellowy illumination against the white snow. The heads of the hellebores nodded gently under the weight of the flakes landing on their bell tops, their spiky leaves almost black in the half-light. Once again Nory was drawn to the hybrid flower Isaac had been working on. In this light, the thick stripes at the base of the flower, which petered out to a thin ink line at the tips of the petals, looked blood red.
“What did you say this one was called?” she asked, stopping to bend down for a closer look, this time avoiding the near-invisible wire around the flower beds.
“I didn’t. It’s still a work in progress, so far as registering it goes. I haven’t had the time, what with all the extra work needed on the gardens for the wedding. Then we’ve got to get the tree down to the village square for the ceremonial lighting. And then after that, the gardens are open to the public again up till Christmas. You remember the drill.”
Nory did.
Christmas was always a busy time for both the castle and her family’s business. On Friday, the garden team would drive a giant fir tree—freshly chopped from Robins Wood—down to the village and erect it in the village square. Then that evening the whole village would come out, and Lord Abercrombie, Marquis of Braddon, would turn the lights on, instigating carols and mulled wine and general merrymaking.
In the run-up to the tree lighting, there would be a rush to the nursery to pick up handmade wreaths for front doors all around the village—courtesy of her mum and Shelley—because nobody wanted to disappoint. It wasn’t only about keeping up with the Joneses; lots of visitors would drive though the village to get to the castle, and if the village was picture-perfect, the visitors would stop to eat in the cafés and pubs and pick up last-minute gifts in the little independent shops that dotted the tiny high street. Noel and Son also supplied the garlands and fresh decorations for the castle’s garden shop. Far from winding down, if anything, the nursery got busier as the weather got colder.
“You could call it the ‘Robinwood Castle Hellebore,’ ” Nory suggested. “I’m sure gardeners would want to buy it. It really is lovely.”
“Maybe,” said Isaac. “Or maybe I don’t want the castle to have a claim on it. Once it’s called the ‘Robinwood,’ it won’t be mine anymore. My family have a history of losing things to bigger powers.”
Nory waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t, so she said, “Call it the ‘Isaac Malik,’ then. Then everyone will know it’s yours.”
He didn’t reply.
The snow began to ease up, and Nory couldn’t help feeling a little sad. Snow was such an impractical thing and undoubtedlymade everything more difficult, yet she loved the way it seemed to slow down time. She thought of her shop and wondered if it was snowing in London; the window display would look particularly lovely in the snow.
“Will you be coming down to the tree lighting on Friday?” Isaac asked.
“If I can get out of whatever Jenna has planned, I definitely will. Although by Friday I would imagine she’ll be in full wedding mode, so with any luck I’ll be able to slip away unnoticed. I might see if Ameerah and Dev want to come too.”
“I guess it’s been a while since you’ve been to one.”
“Years,” Nory agreed.
“It’s not changed much.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Some things shouldn’t change. It’s nice to have something solid to cling to. Something dependable.”
“Is that what you’re looking for in life? Something dependable?”
Oh, great! Now I sound super boring. Oh well, better he finds out that I’m a square bear now, to avoid disappointment later.
“Could be. I think fast and loose is overrated. When I first left Hartmead, I was drawn to everything that was its opposite. But it wasn’t so long before I began to yearn for roots.”
