Page 53 of The Christmas Star

‘Really?’ I looked down at my filthy jeans. Giddy at the prospect of having a hot shower and putting on my pyjamas, the last thing I’d looked forward to was a night in the car. ‘You don’t know how happy that makes me.’

‘It gets better.’ Theo’s eyes lit up. ‘He’s putting us in his stable.’

My smile vanished. ‘He’s what?’

‘He doesn’t have room anywhere else. It’s either that or we’re in here.’ He gestured to the car interior.

I scratched behind my ear, struggling to understand the man’s enthusiasm. I didn’t want to be ungrateful, but unlike Theo, neither did I relish the prospect of spending the night in an outbuilding.

‘We’re gonna be like Mary and Joseph on the first ever Christmas Eve. How cool is that?’

That wasn’t quite the descriptive I’d have used. ‘Today is turning out to be quite the day,’ I said.

Theo’s smile turned into a grin. ‘I know. Great, isn’t it?’

We followed Lucas as he turned onto a long sweeping drive and my eyes widened as a huge manor house came into view. ‘Wow!’ Forgetting all about the stable, I couldn’t fail to be impressed. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that.

I took in the smooth pinkish render that covered the house’s façade. Oohed over the countless tall, white-shuttered windows, and aahed at the wide stone steps that led up to a huge front door. At the corner of the building stood a majestic turret. Almost swooning, the estate agent in me was desperate to see inside.

We drove to the back of the house and onto a huge, gravelled courtyard where a wooden pergola connected the main property to a converted outbuilding. It had little wooden shutters to match its little wooden-framed windows through one of which a lamp glowed inside. I crossed my fingers daring to hope. Please let that be the stable.

As Lucas climbed out of his car, a woman around the same age appeared from the house. Unlike me in my mucky supermarket clothes, she looked effortlessly chic. She wore a cream turtleneck under a cashmere cardigan, and burgundy tailored trousers that were teamed with loafers in a similar shade. She wore her hair in a wavy bob that she’d tucked behind one ear. The woman screamed French elegance.

‘Shall we?’ Theo indicated we join our hosts.

Nodding, I wished we’d taken the time to stop at mine so I could properly pack for our trip. If we had, I wouldn’t have felt quite as out of place. I fixed a smile on my face, consoling myself in the knowledge things could’ve been worse. Had Theo not insisted we stop for supplies I’d be introducing myself in Mum’s slacks and anti-slip boots.

‘Bonsoir, madame et monsieur,’ the woman said. Stepping forward, she kissed mine and Theo’s cheeks. ‘Welcome.’

‘This is my wife, Sophia,’ Lucas said.

‘Erin,’ I said, introducing myself. ‘And this is Theo.’

‘You need to go and change,’ Sophia said to her husband. ‘Everyone is arriving soon.’

Lucas turned to Theo and me. ‘I will see you later? Pour le Réveillon de Noël?’

Le Réveillon de Noël was obviously Christmas related and considering it involved guests, the last thing I thought we should do was intrude.

‘Of course,’ Sophia said, before either of us could answer. She shooed her husband away. ‘Now go.’

As Lucas did as instructed, Sophia turned to me, her expression sympathetic. ‘Lucas told me about the tree.’ She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. ‘The internet is impossible around here. One minute it works, in the next it doesn’t.’ Unlike my butchered attempts at French, her English was excellent and her accent adorable. ‘Please, come with me.’

As she indicated the converted outbuilding, I tried to not show my relief. Theo might not have said we were sleeping on hay bales next to a gallop of horses, but considering events of late, I’d thought it a distinct possibility.

‘You have coffee. The fire is lit. Get warm. Relax.’ She checked her watch. ‘But be ready by eight.’

Still not wanting to impose, I again opened my mouth to protest.

‘Non, non, non,’ Sophia said. ‘It is Christmas Eve. You will not spend it alone.’

Her accompanying expression warned me not to argue and as she left us to it, Theo grabbed our luggage from the car. Ready to explore our accommodation, we entered the stable.

Impressed, I scanned in the open-plan living space. ‘This is beautiful.’ Old solid beams traversed the ceiling and wooden parquet spanned the floor. Heat emanated from the blue antique wood burner that nestled in a mantled fireplace, above which hung an ornate gold mirror. A plush cream sofa and a vintage coffee table sat on a patterned Turkish rug. The room had a timeless elegance and noting how its traditional feel contrasted seamlessly with the sleek white units and modern appliances in the kitchen area, I was in real estate heaven.

There were two doors, the first of which opened into the bathroom. ‘Can you believe this?’ I asked.

Theo popped his head in for a look.