A Brambleberry Manor Christmas - Rosie Green Page 0,26

I take a deep breath and force myself to concentrate on tonight’s dinner.

A little later, I’m finishing the dessert when Melanie bounds into the kitchen. Her cheeks are flushed from her walk in the snow with Noah, and she’s still wearing her coat and scarf.

‘Hi, there.’ She beams at us. ‘You look terribly busy. Do you mind if I make a cuppa? It’s freezing outside.’

‘Of course not.’ I flick on the kettle. ‘It’s just boiled.’

She assembles a mug, teabag and spoon. Then she examines the dessert. ‘That looks yummy.’ She smiles. ‘And whatever’s in the oven smells absolutely amazing.’

‘It’s a Spanish lamb dish.’

‘Mm. Lovely. Ooh, what was in that bowl? Was it cake mix? I used to love licking the bowl when Mum was baking.’

‘It was the chocolate cake mix for tomorrow’s yule log dessert.’ I smile and hand her the bowl. ‘Do you want to do the honours?’

Her eyes light up. ‘Ooh, yes please. Are you sure you don’t mind?’

I can’t help laughing at her enthusiasm. ‘Of course not. Enjoy!’ I make her tea, while she finds a spoon and starts scooping the creamy chocolate mixture from the sides.

I wouldn’t normally offer a bowl to be licked by a guest – I wouldn’t dream of saying such a thing to Marjery! But Melanie is such a lovely, warm person, filled with such an enthusiasm for life that handing her the bowl seemed a perfectly natural thing to do.

‘Delicious!’ she announces when it’s scraped clean. ‘Constance is going to love this dessert.’

‘Is it tomorrow she’s arriving?’ asks Flo.

‘Yes. I talked to her earlier on the phone. She’ll be here in time for dinner tomorrow. It’ll be so good to catch up after all this time.’ She places the bowl in the dishwasher then wanders over to the window. ‘Isn’t it a gorgeous day?’ she murmurs. ‘I just love the snow so much.’

‘Did you have a nice walk?’ I ask, and Flo shoots me a look, her eyebrow raised.

‘Yes. We did.’ Melanie sighs. ‘It was really lovely. Except – ’

‘Except?’ I frown, my heart speeding up a little.

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ she murmurs, still staring out, lost in thought. ‘It’s so romantic, all this snow. But telling someone how much they mean to you – especially after you’ve liked them for so long…you need real courage for that.’

I exchange a glance with Flo.

I want to ask her what she means, but before I have a chance, she laughs and turns away from the window. ‘Listen to me, rambling on. It’s Christmas. And I still have gifts to buy.’ She heads for the door. ‘Thank you so much for letting me lick out the bowl, Jenny. That took me right back to my childhood.’

I smile. ‘Good. I’m glad to hear it.’

‘Right. See you later!’ And she’s gone.

‘For all her cheerfulness, she sounded a bit sad underneath,’ murmurs Flo.

I nod. ‘Do you think she’ll tell him? This person she’s in love with?’

Flo looks at me and shrugs. ‘Love’s a bugger. Maybe she’d be better off not telling him at all. Just in case she’s disappointed with his reply.’

‘But what if she confesses and it turns out he feels the same? Perhaps he’s always felt the same but never plucked up the courage to tell her.’

Flo laughs. ‘I still think she shouldn’t tell him. They say love is a form of madness and I’m inclined to believe it. I’d much rather stay the right side of sane, thank you very much.’

We look at each other and laugh, then we get back to work. And I can’t help wondering how much pain Flo must have gone through when Ed let her down. We have quite a lot in common, really…

CHAPTER NINE

I’m more in control tonight, serving the meal.

This time, the lamb has already been plated up when it goes out to the dining room for the main course, so I don’t have to serve it at the table. I whisk around, delivering the plates, as quickly as I can, looking everywhere but at Noah. I’m terrified that if I catch his eye, my composure will be knocked again and I’ll do something stupid, like tripping over a chair or dropping a plate in Marjery’s lap!

After we’ve served dessert, I tell Flo she might as well get home and that I’ll finish clearing up.

I wave away her protests. ‘Honestly, it’s fine. You look shattered. Go home and get a good night’s sleep so you’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning, okay?’

‘If you’re sure,’ she says, caving