A Surprise Christmas Wedding - Phillipa Ashley Page 0,65

walked into the bedroom, because she was so caught up in her own finery. Lottie had also been wearing a pink furry dressing gown …

‘We scrub up pretty well,’ Steph said. ‘Maybe tonight is the night – with Jay, I mean.’

‘Would you mind not matchmaking just yet?’ Lottie peered into the mirror and dabbed at a fleck of mascara that had settled on her cheek.

‘Why not? You said your evening out went well and you were very cosy at the Edwardian evening.’

‘Cosy? We were working.’

‘I saw you snuggled up at the carol concert.’

‘There were so many people, we couldn’t help being close and anyway, I’d no idea you were watching!’

Steph smirked. ‘You’re so easy to wind up.’

‘Argh.’ Lottie groaned but laughed too. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘Let’s finish getting ready and grab a few photos.’

After taking some selfies and pictures to WhatsApp their parents and to show the twins the next morning, Lottie grabbed a tiny bag and a large coat. A few large flakes of snow were falling and the grounds were already white. She was glad she had no need to drive home.

Many of the staff had decided to share rooms with the live-in workers and she wondered if the others might end up begging for floors to bunk down on or sleeping in the café, if cars and taxis couldn’t make it up the hill to the house. There were worse places to be and the café had squidgy sofas and lots of blankets, so hopefully everyone could be accommodated if need be.

They had to take their wellies even to reach the doors of the big house, and laughed to see the rows of boots abandoned at the entrance to the vestibule. One of the waiting staff who Lottie had hired from a catering company took their coats and they changed into their party shoes.

Steph stared at the vestibule, with its grand staircase. Laughter and chatter echoed to the ceiling two floors up, while people mingled in the hall and spilled out of the drawing room, glasses in hand.

‘Wow! This is incredible.’

Lottie agreed, but it wasn’t the grand surroundings that had stunned her but the people. The room was full of folk she saw every day but now hardly recognised. Everyone had taken the glamorous dress code to the max. There were gardeners in tuxes, chefs in ballgowns, maintenance men looking like James Bond. Lottie wondered what the mill owner would have thought of all the ‘workers’ making merry in his home.

It made her glow with pleasure to see her colleagues and their guests, laughing and gasping in delight as they greeted fellow workers. There was also a lot of fizz being consumed; people were ready to get into the party spirit early and enjoy this particular Christmas to the max. Only one face had eluded her so far.

Steph took two glasses from a waiter and handed one to Lottie. ‘Is Jay here yet?’ she said, reading Lottie’s mind. ‘We could have walked up here together.’

‘I did think of calling for him but … I didn’t want to add to the pressure.’ Lottie did fear he might have had second thoughts at the last minute. If he did, she hoped it wouldn’t be anything to do with Connor’s appearance at the cottage. ‘He could be here already. There are so many people around, it’s hard to tell.’

‘Let’s see if we can find him. then. Come on, it’s party time!’

The ballroom was spectacular, with the round tables laid out for Christmas dinner for the sixty-odd staff and guests, with the tree bedecked in jewel-like finery.

There was still no sign of Jay but Shayla swept up, looking amazing in a full-length silver dress. ‘Wow. Fabulous, darlings!’ she said. ‘You look wonderful, Steph. I’m so glad you’re here.’

Steph grinned. ‘Not as glad as I am.’

‘Oh yes, I see what you mean,’ Shayla said, and hugged her.

Lottie smiled. ‘You look fantastic too, Shayla.’

She swished her hem. ‘Yes, I think I do.’

They all burst out laughing.

‘Must circulate! Have a wonderful time. You’ve both earned it.’

‘Oh, he’s here.’

Over the rim of her glass, Lottie spotted Jay’s curly head above the throng. He was standing by the window, chatting to the head gardener, Thomasina aka Tommy. She’d moved aside to greet someone and Jay was suddenly revealed. With Tommy’s attention diverted elsewhere, Jay was temporarily cast adrift. He glanced around him and seemed nervous, sipping at a glass of fizz, one hand in his pocket.

He was positively edible in a dark green velvet jacket