Page 14 of All We Want for Christmas
‘Yeah. My mum’s parents lived in Whitehaven. Sadly, they’ve both passed away. I have a mate who lives near Keswick too – he’s the one I stayed over with the night before I arrived here to start the job.’ He broke off when his phone buzzed with a message. ‘It’s Carlos. He needs me to OK a decision on something that I know he’s been managing perfectly well up until now.’
‘Like I said, he can be tricky to deal with at the best of times, let alone now that his mentor has quit and a strange southern bloke they’re in awe of is in charge.’
‘You’re not in awe of me,’ he said with a grin.
‘Ah, but I know you better than them.’
There was a teasing gleam in her eyes that made Flynn’s pulse flutter. Her eyes reminded him of the sea in a Cornish cove on a perfect summer’s day.
‘Do you?’ he asked, revelling in the pleasure of being able to look directly into her gaze, which held a hint of mischief – maybe desire, if he were being fanciful. ‘Even though, technically, we’ve barely got to know each other?’
‘Perhaps. It just feels like much longer,’ she said, then glanced away, speaking briskly as if she regretted their flirtatious moment. ‘So Fiona’s home and getting some sleep, but she’s going back to the hospital when Henry has more tests, and Belle is coming over tomorrow morning while they’re out.’
‘That’s good to hear. Let’s hope she can help.’
She nodded – with very little enthusiasm, Flynn thought.
He switched to a topic he guessed she would be more comfortable with. ‘By the way, Carlos was persuaded to walk the light trail with me earlier and we’re doing the snagging now. I thought we’d have a dummy run at dusk after Belle has gone and wondered if you’d like to join me later to make sure you’re happy with everything before we go live? We could meet here at the maintenance office. How does four-thirty sound?’
‘That’s good for me,’ Lara said, and sighed. ‘It’ll be a relief to see something going well for the castle after the past few days.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘Belle. Am I glad to see you.’
Lara inched open the door like a traitor letting an enemy into the castle. She’d asked her friend to park in the staff car park and use a rear door that led into a utility corridor that had once housed the butler’s pantry and boot room.
Belle smiled and whispered. ‘I take it no one knows I’m here.’
‘Well, I haven’t broadcast it, but if anyone asks why you were in the treasury, I can legitimately say you’re here to take a look at that twelfth-century beaker. Thanks so much for coming at short notice.’ Lara was so lucky that Belle had been available. It had only been a couple of days since she’d damaged the chalice, though it already felt like months.
Lara led her up the stairs and into the treasury. Her fingers weren’t steady as she opened the safe. Part of her longed for a miracle: to see the chalice as pristine as the day it was presented to the castle by the king.
While Lara laid the case on the oak table, Belle unwound an impossibly long scarf and took off a tweed trench coat that made her look like a female version of Sherlock Holmes.
They’d studied History together at Birmingham Universityand shared a student house together in their final year, keeping in touch ever since.
Lara stood by silently – although she could almost hear the beating of her own heart – as Belle examined the glass, occasionally frowning or huffing meaningfully.
None of these noises or gestures gave Lara any confidence and her sense of foreboding grew until she was almost ready to snap with the tension. She certainly felt as if she hadn’t taken a proper breath the whole time Belle had been examining the chalice.
Eventually, Belle laid the chalice in its case and looked up at Lara.
‘Is it bad?’
‘Bad?’ She frowned. ‘In what way?’
‘The damage?’
‘Um. It’s not irreparable, no.’
‘But? I can tell from your face that there’s something wrong.’
‘Hmm.’ Belle gave a small, sad smile and spoke softly. ‘I’m sorry, Lara. You know that, in the words of the late great Meatloaf, I’d do anything for you, but I don’t think I can do this …’ she said. ‘Or, more accurately, I don’t think Ishould.’
Lara hesitated. Part of her felt like screaming in frustration but another part felt relief. ‘I thought you’d say that. And, actually, I agree with you.’
Belle’s eyes widened. ‘You do?’
