Sophie Pembroke - Newborn Under The Christmas Tree

He frowned as Alice caught him up and said, ‘This way,’ as she took a sharp left turn. She didn’t seem like the gossipy sort, he had to admit. In fact, she seemed like the sort of woman who could keep others’ secrets as well as her own—and, even on an hour or two’s acquaintance, Liam was sure she had plenty of those. But then, so did he. And if he wasn’t planning on sharing, there was no reason she should.

If he handled this right, Alice wouldn’t be around long enough for him to worry about her secrets, anyway.

‘Here we are.’ Alice stopped in front of a giant wooden door, arched at the top, and reached for the huge iron ring that served as a doorknob. As she turned it and pushed open the door, the wonderful aromas Liam had been enjoying hit him at full strength, along with a heat that was sorely absent from the rest of the castle. Roasting meat and onions and deep savoury smells that made his stomach growl with hunger. He half expected to see a roast pig on a spit over a roaring fire.

But when he looked past Alice, instead of the rustic brick and wood kitchen he was expecting, Liam found a shining modern one, complete with range cooker and a very efficient-looking woman in an apron. In fact, it looked set up to cater for the masses.

‘Liam, this is Maud,’ Alice said, motioning towards the cook. ‘She was Rose’s cook and housekeeper for twenty years, and she’s very kindly stayed on to help us keep the place up and running. Maud, this is the new owner of Thornwood, Liam Jenkins.’

Maud wiped her hand on her apron before holding it out for him to shake. ‘Pleasure, I’m sure.’ Something in her tone told him that she wasn’t at all sure, actually, but he appreciated the attempt at civility all the same. She turned away again, back to the pot on her hob.

‘This is an impressive kitchen,’ he said appreciatively. It was always good to get in with the person who was in charge of the food, he’d found.

‘It’s functional,’ Maud said without looking at him. ‘But to be honest, I prefer the Old Kitchen.’

‘Old Kitchen?’ Liam asked. ‘I know this place is huge, but how many kitchens does it really need? This one looks like it could cater for pretty much any function you wanted to hold here.’

Alice laughed, the sound high and bright—but nervous, somehow. ‘The Old Kitchen is really old. Like a period piece. We use it when we do family days, to show the kids how they used to make different food and drinks here in the past. We’ve done medieval days, Victorian days, all sorts. It’s much more atmospheric than using the new kitchen, but this is better for when we have lots of people to feed.’

‘Which seems like most of the time,’ he observed.

‘The Old Kitchen wouldn’t be any good for all those fiddly canapés and such you like for your fundraisers, anyway,’ Maud grumbled as she placed two plates of food on the counter before them. ‘I’m going to be wrapping Parma ham around asparagus for days, I know it, to be ready for next Thursday.’

Beside him, Liam saw Alice wince. ‘Next Thursday?’

‘I was...going to mention that. We had planned a fundraiser for next week. It’s been in everyone’s diaries for months, long before we knew Rose wouldn’t be here to host it. We have some great pledges of support already. It would be such a shame to cancel it now...’

The question she wasn’t asking hung in the heavily scented air between them. Would the fundraiser still be able to go ahead, now he was in charge?

Liam considered. On the one hand, what was the point? Things were going to change around here, and he might as well start now. On the other, for his first act as the new owner of Thornwood to be cancelling a fundraiser for local women and children in need... That didn’t send a great message.

‘Fine. You can have your fundraiser,’ he said, and Alice clapped her hands and grinned.

‘Fantastic! I just know you’ll be a great host. You did bring your dinner jacket, right?’

Wait. What? Liam had a sinking feeling that he’d just signed up for far more than he’d intended to—and that getting Alice Walters out of his castle might not be as easy as he’d hoped.

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