‘Can she?’ asked Ross, his mouth turning downwards and it was obvious he was thinking of something else.
Meanwhile, Xanthe, who wasn’t the least bit embarrassed by the man’s display, had smiled prettily down at her suitor, helped him to his feet and accepted his offer to dance with absolute delight. Izzy turned to Ross to say, ‘see’, but he’d disappeared and she caught sight of him shouldering his way through the fire exit and out of the hall.
Izzy stared after him, tempted to follow, but something about the expression in his eyes suggested that he wouldn’t welcome company right now.
Not long after that, the final dance was called. When Izzy returned to the car, having rounded up Duncan and Xanthe, she found Ross already sitting in the driver’s seat. Xanthe, who was slightly tipsy, insisted on sitting up front with him so Izzy climbed into the back with Duncan who promptly fell asleep. Meanwhile, Xanthe prattled on about the evening for the whole ride home, reminding Izzy horribly of a post-ball Mrs Bennet. When they arrived back at the castle, Ross dropped them outside the front door before taking the car round the back. By the time Izzy had helped her mother up the stairs, listened to her giggling observations on all the attendees, urged her to bed and then returned downstairs, Ross had retired for the night. She sighed as she switched out the lights, feeling a little bit like a Cinderella who’d been to the ball but struck out big time.
December
Chapter Nine
‘You look very fierce. Everything okay?’
Izzy jumped and almost toppled off her ladder, where she was cleaning the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. She pulled out her earphones. ‘Ross. Hi. Just trying to work out how I’m going to get everything done in time for Christmas.’ She’d barely seen him the last two weeks since the ceilidh.
He grabbed the ladder to steady it and stood there looking up at her, his dark blue eyes dancing with amusement. ‘And here I thought those cobwebs had upset you somehow.’
‘I don’t think anyone’s been up here in years.’ She sighed.
‘Where do you want me to put this?’ He held yet another large box. ‘I found Xanthe wrestling with it, trying to get it down the stairs. I was worried she might break her neck.’
‘Oh god,’ said Izzy. ‘She’s got the bit between her teeth. Can you put it down over there? It feels like no sooner do I empty the room, she brings more stuff down.’ There was no stopping her mother; it would be easier to a halt a stampede of rhinos.
‘Mmm, she was being a bit ambitious.’ He hefted the box. ‘Although the minute she offloaded this she skipped back upstairs. She’s been making quite a racket up there but I needed a break.’ He rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders and looked around the bedroom. ‘Looks like a big project.’
‘It is,’ said Izzy, a touch glumly. ‘But Xanthe wants to get it all done yesterday. She’s filling the place up with antiques and finishing touches before I’ve completed the painting.’
‘She’s very, er … enthusiastic.’
‘Except when it comes to the hard physical labour,’ replied Izzy. This was the third bedroom she’d painted this week. Even with Jim and Jeanette’s help, it was a race against time as they now had just a few weeks to get everything prepared. The amount of work felt never ending.
‘I could help with some of the painting if you’d like. I’ve got a spare half hour.’
Izzy looked at him. ‘Are you sure? I thought you were really busy.’
One shoulder lifted in a laconic shrug. ‘I am but I can’t get much done at the moment as my agent keeps plaguing me about publicity stuff. Mindless work like painting helps me pl… Helps my thought process. Gives my brain a rest. Besides, there’s so much noise today, it’s difficult to concentrate.’
‘Sorry, I know you wanted peace and quiet. Jim’s had to get the work done in the bathroom next door to you but he’ll be finishing this week.’
‘It’s all right. If I’m honest I find the view is inspiring, it’s sent my thoughts in a different direction and funnily enough so is being around people,’ he paused, ‘as long as no one specifically interrupts me when I am working.’
‘Jim will be done soon, I promise. All he has to do is take the tiles off the walls and instal a new shower and he’ll be done in that room.’
‘He’s quite the handyman.’
‘He certainly is.’
‘You got a spare paint brush, then?’ he asked.
Realising he was serious, she grinned at him. ‘Over there. Thanks, I’m not going to turn down free labour.’
‘You haven’t seen my painting yet.’
‘It’s not me you have to answer to, it’ll be Jim— No, it will likely be Xanthe who’ll have final say and she’s quite fussy.’ And she wasn’t the sort of person to hold back if she didn’t like something. This had made Izzy a lot more circumspect and less inclined to welcome intense emotion.
It was probably the reason why she’d let Philip get away with being so reticent with her for so long. Having become used to Xanthe’s effusive heart-on-sleeve attitude, which could sometimes be quite wearing, she’d mistaken his reserve for deep emotion. He’d even used the words ‘let’s not rush into anything’ and from that she’d taken it to read that he was more measured and was taking things seriously. She wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
‘Nice colour,’ said Ross, breaking into her thoughts.
