‘It would be nice to share. If it wouldn’t be keeping you from something more important.’
She smiled. ‘Now what could be more important than tending to my guest?’
She was back upstairs with another cup and saucer within minutes and the coffee poured.
‘You need to be honest with me, Romily,’ he said, biting hungrily on a triangle of toast. ‘It’s Christmas Eve and if I’m gatecrashing your perfectly orchestrated holiday, you must say so.’
‘I assure you, you’re not. And the arrangements I had in place for Christmas are already in tatters. My cook telephoned earlier to say she is snowbound and with reports on the wireless that there’s more snow on the way, who knows who will make it for lunch tomorrow. If anybody.’
‘Does that mean we might be snowed in together? I can’t think of anything I’d like more.’
She laughed. ‘It may come to that.’
‘But seriously, if you need me to get out of Dodge, just say the word, I won’t be offended.’
‘I told you last night, you’re welcome to stay, and in any case, just like in Bethlehem, there’ll be no room at the inn around these parts. The only house guest I’m expecting, that’s if she makes it up from London this afternoon, is Isabella. Everyone else is local.’
‘If I stay, you must let me help you in the kitchen.’
‘Offer of help accepted,’ she said with alacrity. ‘But before that happens, I need to go to the village to collect the turkey and the rest of the shopping.’
‘Won’t the shops deliver?’
‘I suspect the roads will make that extremely difficult. Much easier, and more fun, if I go on foot.’
He took a sip of his coffee. It was good and strong, just how he liked it. ‘Do you have a sledge?’ he asked.
‘Of course. Several in fact.’
‘Then our problems are over. We can pile the shopping onto one and Bob will be our Uncle St Nicholas!’ He saw her gaze flicker towards the lower part of his leg. ‘Don’t give it another thought,’ he said. ‘I can handle snow all right. I’m a pretty good skier, and not a bad skater, even if I say so myself.’
‘I should have known,’ she replied with a smile.
He shook his head and tutted. ‘Do you mind not doing that?’
‘Doing what precisely?’
‘Smiling. I need to stay focused.’
‘On anything in particular?’
‘On behaving myself.’
‘Please don’t feel you have to.’
‘Are you giving me permission to take liberties with you?’
She gave him one of her penetrating stares. The type that left him feeling thoroughly exposed. How the hell did she do it? For good measure the cup wobbled precariously on the saucer in his hand.
‘I think we’ve danced around that particular question long enough, haven’t we?’ she said.
The cup wobbled some more and before it jumped clean out of his hand, he put it down on the table. He stood up and holding out his hands to Romily, he pulled her to her feet. He had her in his arms, his mouth hovering just a tantalising inch from hers, when there was an explosion of sound coming from downstairs.
‘Whoever that is giving your doorbell hell, their timing is appalling.’
‘I couldn’t agree more.’
‘Shall we pretend there’s no one at home?’
