* * *
With the bouquet of flowers and a Nutella crêpe in her hands, Libby headed back towards the lodge. She was thinking about Jenny and wondered what had changed for her in such a short time to cause her to resign. According to Flynn and Florrie she loved her job there and had worked hard for her promotion. Libby knew it must have been a hell of a task wading through all the wedding competition applications. If she was struggling why hadn’t she approached Flynn? Libby didn’t know much about Jenny’s background but she couldn’t wait to meet her choice of bride and groom and see what had made them stand out from the rest of the applicants. Eating the crêpe as she walked back along the high street towards Starcross Manor, she suspected that her waistline was likely going to expand in the coming weeks as she worked her way through every crêpe concoction possible.
It wasn’t long before she arrived back at Starcross Manor and she was heading up the path towards the lodge when she noticed Guy. He had his back to her as he talked on his phone and his voice was raised, a heated exchange evidently in progress.
‘I’m not going. Please listen to me. I’ve been through enough humiliation as it is.’ Guy’s voice cracked with emotion as he hung up without saying goodbye to whoever was on the other end. Hearing the crunch of Libby’s boots behind him, he spun round. Immediately, Libby noticed he looked drained and visibly upset but as soon as he saw her, his face softened.
‘You okay?’ she asked, watching him slide his phone into his back pocket.
‘Flowers and chocolate. Someone has had a good morning,’ he replied, deflecting the conversation from her question.
‘Chocolate?’ she queried, looking down at the bunch of flowers and the carrier bag of fabric she was holding.
Guy began to grin and tapped his lips then pointed towards hers. Straightaway, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ‘Busted! Nutella crêpe,’ she said, smiling. ‘And it was blooming delicious. You should check out The Heart of the Village. There’s a great flower shop too.’ She held up the bunch of the flowers.
‘Noted for future reference.’
Libby was flattered by his flirtatious smile. He had a wonderful air of confidence about him and a twinkle in his eye.
‘I’ll see you this afternoon,’ he said. ‘Wrap up warm.’
‘You will and I will,’ she replied, juggling the items she held while she rummaged in her bag for the key.
‘Here, let me help.’ He reached out, his hand brushing against hers as he held the flowers, causing tiny shock waves to course through her body. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her and she coyly lowered hers. Surely he must have felt that too? Her heart began to beat a little faster as she opened the front door then took the flowers back from him. ‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘You’re welcome,’ he replied, walking towards his door. They each hesitated on their doorstep and Libby felt herself mirror his contagious smile. She slowly shut the door, kicked off her boots and hung up her coat. Guy was still very much on her mind.
* * *
For the next few hours Libby kept busy. The fire was roaring, the TV was on in the background and she had set up camp in the living room. Julia’s scrapbook was open on the table and dressmaking tools were scattered all over the floor. Libby had calculated how many hand-sewn flowers were needed for the bodice of Julia’s design and had begun to trace them on the paper before sewing the very first flower and sitting back to admire her work. It was perfect—possibly the most delicate work she’d attempted by hand.
At 2pm, Libby wrapped herself up warmly and pulled on her boots. Stepping outside the lodge with a flutter of nervousness in her stomach, she realised how much she was looking forward to the afternoon ahead. She was just about to knock on Guy’s door when it opened to reveal him standing there with a wide smile and a couple of camera bags thrown over his shoulder.
‘Let’s hope we get some good footage.’
‘No Pickle?’ asked Libby, looking past him.
‘She’s asleep in her crate, exhausted after her morning sledging,’ he joked, placing his hand in the small of Libby’s back to guide her towards the path. They took the route that led them to the front of Starcross Manor and then past the frozen lake towards the edge of the field. There wasn’t another soul in sight.
‘We’re heading just up there.’ Guy pointed.
The snowy woodlands were up ahead, the whole place silent and idyllic. The air was crisp and fresh and Libby was thankful for her warm cable-knit jumper and thermal socks as they trekked across the untouched field of snow.
Guy nodded to the left of them. ‘I’m sure I saw a deer, just over there.’
Libby turned in that direction but saw nothing. From the corner of her eye she spotted Guy bending down and she turned around quickly as he cupped snow in his hands and playfully threw it in her direction. She raised her arms to shield herself, and let out a peal of laughter.
‘Stop!’ she cried, pretending to object even though she was secretly enjoying herself. She began to run across the field and Guy hot-footed it after her, both ducking and diving as they continued to launch snowballs at each other. By the time they reached the edge of the field Libby was desperately trying to catch her breath. ‘No more! I have nowhere to run to.’
Guy laughed and held up his hands. ‘Okay! Me neither! You got me good and proper.’
Both were still laughing as they approached the stile. To her surprise, Libby felt comfortable in his company, like she’d known him for years. Guy climbed over and extended his hand towards her. She wobbled as she climbed over too, and he immediately put both hands on her waist and lifted her safely to the ground. For a moment, she was conscious their faces were close and their eye contact was strong.
‘It’s just up there, through those trees,’ Guy said, breaking the contact between them. ‘And can you smell that?’
There was a hint of woodsmoke in the air, which instantly took Libby back to her grandparents’ house. They had lived in the mountains with their faithful Labrador and always had a log fire burning. Her grandfather had loved nature and wildlife and Libby thought that if he were alive today, he would really like Guy; they would have had so much in common.
‘What got you into filming?’ she asked, still thinking about her grandfather.
