Inspired by Night: - a sexy new age romance (28 page)

‘Don’t be like that, Ols, it’ll be fun.’

‘What are you wearing to this party, Steven?’ I asked innocently.

‘Well it’s black tie,’ he started, glancing at my face as it filled with annoyance.

‘So what should I wear? My
Batman
T-shirt or my Lego Stormtrooper hoody?’ I punched him on the arm. ‘You should’ve warned me.’ I grumbled.

‘What would you have done? Gone shopping?’ He teased me.

‘I might have,’ I said defensively, ‘or I might at least have given some thought to what I was packing instead of just taking the first things I grabbed out of the dryer and shoving them into my bag.’

Steven stopped outside the fourth door on the right and turned the doorknob.

‘This room is yours. It’s opposite mine so you’ll know where to find me if you need anything in the night.’ We walked into the room and I gasped. It was beautiful. Original oak beams ran across the length of the ceiling. The room contained a large four-poster bed, a heavy oak wardrobe and chest of drawers, a free-standing ornate full length mirror stood next to the wardrobe, and a day bed was positioned under the large window, providing a view across the gardens. In the far corner stood a dressing table and large mirror with an array of lotions and perfumes.

A long red cocktail dress was hanging up in plastic on the front of the wardrobe.

‘I forgot to tell you about the Christmas Eve party on purpose because you wouldn’t have come if I’d told you and I didn’t want you to be alone,’ he explained apologetically, ‘but I did sort out a suitable dress for you. I hope it fits.’

I shrugged. ‘How well do you know me?’ I laughed. ‘A party with a bunch of strangers or a quiet night in?’

‘I know, I know, I’m sorry –’ he held up his hands and grimaced, ‘– but we’re here now and I promise you’ll have a good time.’

‘Will there be many people here tonight?’ I asked cautiously. I really hated social occasions, especially when I didn’t know anyone.

‘We hold this party every year; it’s for the residents on our estate, the farmer and his family, the steward, and all the tenants, and our staff. There’ll be about a hundred people here.’ He paused as my eyes widened in horror. ‘It’s OK, I promise I won’t leave your side for a second.’ He smiled reassuringly. ‘Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.’

He pointed out the bathroom next door to my room. ‘This side is mainly guest rooms, my grandma, my auntie and uncle, and two cousins will join us tomorrow and stay over, they’ll be in the these rooms,’ he indicated the doors closer to the staircase as we made our way back downstairs, ‘I’ll just quickly show you the kitchen, so you know where to come if you get peckish.’ He grinned, ushering me towards a door to the right of the staircase. ‘Help yourself to anything you want in here, feel free to come in anytime.’

He threw his arms around a plump, middle-aged woman. ‘Ols, this is Mrs Reynolds, our cook. She makes the best trifle in the whole world.’

I smiled happily at Mrs Reynolds who beamed at Steven indulgently.

‘Can I get you both something to eat? The family ate earlier but I have some chicken still warm and I can rustle you up something nice.’

‘We stopped off on the way here and had a late lunch. You go and get ready for the party.’

‘Are you sure, Steven?’ she asked, surprised but grateful. We both nodded in agreement and she left us alone in the kitchen.

‘OK, we need to be down in the entrance hall for 6.45, so we should go get ready. Do you need anything?’

‘A hairdresser and a make-up artist would be good,’ I said, rolling my eyes as I followed him back up the stairs to the bedrooms. I paused outside my room and looked at him.

‘Thanks for this, Steven, I’m sorry I’m being so ungrateful, it’s really nice.’

‘No worries, Ols, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’ll see you down there.’ He winked at me and disappeared into his room.

I was nervous about the dress, it looked expensive and I was scared to touch it. Men had a way of underestimating women’s bodies, I had no doubt this dress would be too small. I sat down in front of the mirror and started working on my make-up. I looked at my unruly mass of frizz in the mirror and grimaced. I had no idea what I should do with it.

There was a knock at the door and I frowned in the mirror as the door opened and Steven popped his head into the room.

‘Are you trying to catch me naked or something?’

He blushed and grinned. ‘Sorry, Mum asked if you needed any of this stuff.’ He walked into the room and dumped a box on the bed. It contained a hair dryer, straighteners, curling tongs, a variety of products, jewellery, and make-up. ‘She told me off for not warning you.’

‘Good!’ I smirked, ‘and thanks, I will do my best to look presentable.’ I pulled out an implement and regarded it with interest. I didn’t even know what it was!

I gathered up my hair on top of my head and examined it in the mirror. I liked how it looked but I didn’t know how to keep it up. I rummaged in the box for hairgrips, and tried to open one with my teeth, it pinged out of my fingers and down the back of the dressing table. ‘Shit,’ I hissed, reaching for another. I managed to wedge this one into my hair and tentatively loosened my hand. Keeping my head perfectly still, I reached for another grip and the pile of hair tumbled down the back of my neck.

I growled and breathed heavily out of my nose, my nostrils flaring angrily. I hated doing this stuff. I checked my phone and saw there was no reception. Brilliant. I couldn’t even call Ruth for some advice. I stared angrily at the box and picked up the hair straighteners. How hard could it be to make my hair look presentable?

Chapter Thirty-three

At 6.45, after much swearing, trapped hairs, and near-burn experiences, I made my way down the staircase. I peered over the banister to see the hall below; the lights were twinkling on the huge Christmas tree and carols were playing quietly in the background. Cloth-covered tables had been set up to the left of the hall with beautiful red and gold chairs. There was no one to be seen. I paused at the top of the right-hand staircase. Steven had definitely said to be in the hall for 6.45 but there was no one else there. I started walking slowly down the stairs when I saw the door to the drawing room open and Steven appeared. I stopped as I saw him. He looked so handsome in black tie, somehow making it look comfortable and trendy rather than stiff and formal. His thick hair was spiked forward and he was cleanshaven. My stomach did a somersault when I saw him. Careful, I warned myself. You’re just his boss now, remember?

Steven looked up at me and his mouth dropped open as he stared up at me with open appreciation. My hair was tamed straight, framing my face and falling across my shoulders and down to my chest. The dress was beautiful, I was amazed that it fitted me perfectly, hugging my curves and floating to the floor, the deep red colour complemented my dark hair and pale complexion. The sleeves were wide like butterfly wings that hung from my elbow to my wrist. The dress skimmed the floor, hiding my boots. I was thankful he’d forgotten to get shoes. Ruth would be horrified if she saw these boots with this dress but at least I was in no danger of breaking my neck.

I had also found some jewellery in the box; an ornate necklace and bracelet set with red gemstones. I had barely recognised myself when I finally looked in the mirror. I looked the part but I felt like an idiot.

I continued walking down the stairs, conscious of the length of the dress and paranoid about tripping and landing in a heap at his feet. Steven stood with his hands in his pockets, grinning up at me, the picture of cool.

‘Will I do?’ I grinned as I joined him, looking down at my dress and swishing the fabric from side to side.

‘You look beautiful, Ols.’ He draped an arm across my shoulder turning me toward the fireplace. I felt him kiss the top of my head, pausing to hold me a little longer than necessary before we made our way towards the drawing room to join his family. I felt goosebumps creep up my neck and shivered. He tightened his arm around me interpreting my shiver as cold. I wasn’t cold. I was overwhelmed. I was starting to enjoy being here, feeling like a part of his family, I was enjoying his attention, his familiar touch, his scent. From out of nowhere, the old feelings were resurfacing and I was in danger of being right back where I was before Melissa.

Mr and Mrs Teller met us in the doorway as they were making their way to the hall. They took up a position either side of the main entrance. Steven and I stood next to his father while Rose and Mrs Reynolds both appeared from the side of the stairs and joined Mrs Teller.

‘Seven p.m. Let’s open the doors.’ Steven helped his dad pull open the heavy doors and I gasped when I saw the stone steps leading up to us. Old-fashioned gas lamps lit the edge of the gardens and drive way as far as the eye could see. The lights reflected off the lake in the distance. I sighed. It was a million miles away from my real life – old fashioned, traditional, and romantic, but I had to admit it was beautiful. I felt Steven squeeze me, laughing at my reaction.

‘It’s nice seeing this through your eyes, reminds me how lucky I am.’ He smiled. ‘I’m really glad you like it.’

The party was a lot more fun than I had anticipated. I quickly overcame my nerves and found myself chatting with everyone, drifting from table to table, introducing myself, and hearing stories about Steven as a child. I collected plates of food from the buffet for older guests and fetched drinks from the bar that had been set up at the edge of the hall.

I was scanning the room for any sign of Steven when I noticed Mrs Reynolds beckoning me. I weaved through the tables and sat down next to her.

‘Miss Jones, this is my niece, Caroline, she grew up in the village,’ she said, introducing the girl who sat next to her. I reached out to shake Caroline’s hand and noticed the weak response. I smiled at her, encouragingly but she looked straight past me. Mrs Reynolds smiled apologetically at me.

‘Are you enjoying the party, Mrs Reynolds?’ I asked trying to make light of the situation.

‘Oh yes, Miss Jones, it’s always such a lovely evening.’

‘Please call me Olly. Have you had any food?’ It occurred to me that Mrs Reynolds hadn’t cooked the food for the evening and I wondered how she felt about that.

‘Thank you, Olly, I haven’t eaten yet, but I’ve heard good things about it so far.’

‘I bet it’s not up to the standard Mr and Mrs Teller are used to though, eh, Mrs Reynolds?’

She chuckled and a huge grin spread across her face. I noticed Caroline roll her eyes and scowl. Cheeky bitch, what’s her problem, I wondered.

‘Have you seen Steven? I’ve not seen him since the guests started arriving.’ I asked, glancing around the room again.

‘He has his duties to perform on Christmas Eve. Especially since he left the Manor, catching up with the tenants and villagers. I’m sure he will seek you out for the dance though.’ She explained. My heart fell as I realised I wasn’t going to spend any time with him. Suddenly being in his company was the only thing I wanted in the whole world.

‘The dance?’

‘The last dance of the evening. It’s a Teller family tradition dating back several generations, the whole family take to the dance-floor. Mr and Mrs Teller dance together and their children each honour a guest with a dance, until they are spoken for of course. It’s one of the most talked about things in the village, who will they dance with, could it lead to something more?’ She smiled at me again and I realised why Caroline was so cold towards me.

‘So I guess I’m not the most popular person here among the young ladies?’

‘You have certainly broken a few hearts this evening.’ She agreed.

The whole thing just felt so silly to me. I felt like I was in a time warp. It was 2009, for goodness’ sake; we could send people into space and yet all these girls were breaking their hearts over the young man from the big house. I decided to get some air and slipped away towards the side entrance of the house. The cold air hit me as I stepped outside. In the distance, I could see the lights reflected off the lake and the sky was clear, the moon bright and full, and the stars twinkling against the dark canvas.

I jumped as the door opened. Mrs Teller was grinning at me.

‘Here.’ She held out a champagne flute. ‘You look like you could use this.’

‘Thanks.’ I laughed, taking a sip of the sparkling liquid.

‘Overwhelming, isn’t it?’ She lit a cigarette and took a long drag. I nodded and she continued, ‘I met John at university so I didn’t grow up around here, I still remember my first Christmas, I thought it was so silly.’

‘I just heard about the dance tradition,’

She looked at me thoughtfully. ‘You’re currently the most hated girl in the room. I remember that feeling well.’

‘Brilliant, just the reaction I was going for.’ I laughed.

‘Every girl in there thinks that she will dance with Steven and he’ll suddenly notice her and realise she’s the one for him. If they could just be alone with him for three minutes, in his arms, they would almost certainly become the next Lady Teller of Thornton Manor.’ She giggled at the thought.

‘Do they want him or the title?’

‘Well I would say they want him, but I’m biased, of course, he is my only child, after all. Who wouldn’t want to snap him up?’ She smiled. ‘What do you want?’

‘I just want a nice, relaxing Christmas.’ I laughed.

‘I think you came to the wrong place!’

Steven caught up with me as I was making my way from the bar to an elderly couple called Mr and Mrs Bates.

‘Mrs Bates, Mr Bates, how are you both?’ He shook hands with Mr Bates and bent to kiss Mrs Bates on the cheek. ‘Well, it’s that time already so if you don’t mind I’d like to take this beautiful lady to dance.’ He held out his hand to me, smiling. Mrs Bates clapped her hands together and shooed him away.

‘I am so sorry,’ he said as soon as we were out of earshot of anyone.

‘It’s no problem. I realise you’re the man of the hour. Besides, I’ve been getting all the gossip on young Steven.’ I grinned at his horrified expression and he rolled his eyes.