Barbara McMahon - For Christmas, Forever - The Yuletide Engagement / The Doctor's Christmas Bride / Snowbound Reunion

Ellie would hate to lose him too; she hadn’t recognised a single face in the room so far, apart from George and Mary Delacorte where they stood over by the huge fireplace, chatting to another middle-aged couple.

It was undoubtedly a large room, seeming to run the entire width of the house, with a huge bay window at one end and doors out into the garden at the other, but with fifty or so people in it there was barely room to move.

‘We have a large family,’ Patrick told Ellie ruefully as he managed to push his way through in the direction of the fireplace.

Ellie and Toby had several aunts, uncles and cousins too, but they would be hard pushed to fill even their small sitting room with the dozen or so that made up their family.

It didn’t help her nervousness when she instantly saw the likeness between Mary Delacorte and the tall darkhaired man who made up half of the other couple the Delacortes were chatting to. She knew she was right in the conclusion she had come to as the man gave a light laugh; his likeness to Patrick was unmistakeable.

Saying good evening to George and Mary was one thing, meeting Patrick’s parents was something else entirely!

Ellie came to an abrupt halt before they reached the foursome, giving Patrick an accusing glare when he looked down at her questioningly. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Patrick,’ she bit out tautly.

He gave her a considering look. ‘Ellie, introducing you to my parents is not tantamount to making a declaration about our relationship,’ he finally drawled teasingly.

‘No, Patrick.’ She gave a firm shake of her head. ‘Helping out with this situation concerning Gareth is one thing, but I won’t complicate things by meeting your parents.’ She determinedly released her hand from his. ‘You go and say hello to them. I’ll go and find the ladies’ room.’

He frowned darkly. ‘But—’

‘I said no, Patrick.’ Her gaze met his unwaveringly. ‘I’ll be standing over by the bay window when you’ve finished talking to them.’

‘Wearing a pink carnation in your lapel?’ he returned, with obvious impatience at her determination.

She gave the ghost of a smile. ‘I don’t have a lapel.’

Patrick shook his head as he looked down at her frustratedly. ‘You are undoubtedly the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met!’

Her smile was more genuine this time. ‘Nice to know I have the distinction of being something,’ she returned unconcernedly.

His expression lightened. ‘Oh, you’re a lot more than that, Ellie,’ he assured her dryly, before sighing resignedly. ‘Okay, no introduction to my parents. But try not to get lost, hmm?’ he encouraged.

As it happened, despite directions from the busy maid in the hallway, she did get lost—several times—and it was almost fifteen minutes later when she came back down the stairs. Only to walk straight into Gareth—literally—as he began walking up them.

The words of apology died on his lips as he looked up and recognised her. The boyish smile turned to one of derision. ‘I thought you had decided not to come to the party after all when I saw your boyfriend was in there alone,’ he bit out caustically.

Ellie straightened her shoulders, her hand tightly gripping her evening bag; Gareth was the last person she’d wanted to find herself alone with! ‘Obviously you thought wrong,’ she returned, non-committal—about the ‘boyfriend’ or the fact that she was there!

‘Obviously,’ Gareth acknowledged hardly. ‘I don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve by all this, Ellie, but—’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ she interrupted firmly, glancing over his shoulder in the hope that Patrick or Toby might see her predicament and come to her rescue; neither of them was in sight.

He grimaced. ‘I realise that you’re in love with me, Ellie, but—’

‘You realise no such thing!’ Ellie interrupted heatedly, knowing that briefly she might have thought herself in love with this man. But it had only been briefly. She was most certainly over whatever she had once felt for him! ‘If I’m in love with anyone, it most certainly isn’t you,’ she added scathingly.

Gareth’s gaze narrowed. ‘McGrath?’

She didn’t know what she felt for Patrick—had spent most of the last twenty-four hours determinedly not giving herself time to even think along those lines.

Her chin rose challengingly. ‘And what if it is?’

He gave a pitying shake of his head. ‘Then you’re wasting your time there more than you were with me,’ he scorned. ‘Delusions of grandeur!’ he added nastily.

‘And what about you?’ Ellie flushed angrily—more so because she knew what he said was true. ‘Isn’t Sarah Delacorte just as much out of your league as Patrick is out of mine?’

‘Ah, but I’ve already succeeded with Sarah,’ he reminded her confidently.

‘Not for long, if I have my way,’ Ellie snapped furiously. ‘You—Let go of my arm, Gareth!’ she gasped as he grasped her painfully on exactly the same spot he had the previous evening. And she had the bruises to prove it!

He ignored her, maintaining his grip, his face very close to hers now, his eyes glittering angrily. ‘Don’t try and mess this up for me, Ellie,’ he warned softly. ‘Because if you do—’

‘Everything all right, Ellie?’

It was Toby who came to Ellie’s rescue this time. Gareth released her in time for her to turn and see her brother strolling across the hallway to join them.

‘Davies,’ he greeted the other man coolly before turning to look at Ellie concernedly.

Ellie had a good idea what he would see too; she was both shocked and dismayed by Gareth’s verbal attack on her, and the bruises on her arm were hurting.

‘Ellie, Patrick was looking for you so that you can go into the buffet together,’ Toby said softly. ‘I think you should go and join him,’ he added firmly.

She didn’t want to rejoin Patrick; she just wanted to leave, to go home and lick her wounds—literally. Her arm really was throbbing, adding to the discomfort of the bruises already there.

‘I’ll just stay here and have a few quiet words with Gareth,’ Toby continued lightly, before turning to the other man. ‘I don’t think I’ve congratulated you on your engagement yet, have I?’

Ellie left them to it. These confrontations with Gareth were unpleasant as well as nerve-shattering. Although Patrick seemed to be right in his surmise that she only needed to appear in order to upset Gareth’s selfconfidence. She just wasn’t sure she was up to the effect these meetings were having on her own self-confidence!

Patrick was frowning darkly as she joined him by the window. ‘Where on earth have you been?’ he snapped. ‘I finished talking to my parents long ago. I—What is it?’ he probed concernedly when Ellie’s eyes misted over with tears. ‘Ellie…?’ He lightly clasped her arm.

Ellie gasped at this added pressure on a spot that already felt black and blue, biting her bottom lip as her tears became tears of pain.

Patrick instantly released her when he realised he was hurting her. ‘Ellie, where have you been?’ he asked slowly. ‘And why does your arm hurt?’

She shook her head, desperately blinking back the tears; she didn’t want to make a complete fool of herself—and Patrick—in front of his family. ‘I bumped into Gareth in the hallway—’

‘That’s how you hurt your arm?’ he ground out suspiciously, eyes narrowed to steely slits.

‘Not exactly,’ she conceded awkwardly. ‘You see, I still have bruises there from last night, when he grabbed me, and—’

‘Davies hurt you?’ Patrick bit out, dangerously soft.

‘I don’t suppose he meant to,’ she lied—knowing from the expression on Gareth’s face earlier that he would greatly enjoy strangling her for what he saw as her interference! ‘You see—’