Her dark hair tumbled forward over her forehead, curling a little against her cheek, and her grumpy expression somehow served only to make her look more adorable. She looked tired—they were both tired—but beautiful, and suddenly Jasper knew that he couldn’t waste another moment with her working. Not on such a gorgeous winter’s day.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said. She gave him a scandalised look. One thing he’d learned from working closely with Tori for the past few days was that she worked too damn hard, and too long. And he’d thought he was a workaholic. Apparently he had nothing on Tori.
‘It’s less than a week before Christmas,’ he argued reasonably. ‘And a Saturday. I think we’re allowed a little time off for seasonal cheer.’
‘You wanted to present this to your father before Christmas,’ Tori pointed out.
‘And we will. I mean, we’re nearly there with this, right? All we’re really doing now is double-checking the figures and making sure the research holds up.’ Tori had been adamant that every I had to be dotted and every T crossed before they presented their ideas to the earl. There had to be no gaps, no wiggle room, if they wanted to pull this off.
Jasper totally agreed in principle. In practice, he needed fresh air, a break, and maybe even a cup of mulled wine.
‘Come on,’ he wheedled. ‘We could head down to the Christmas market. It might even give us a stunning idea for that finishing touch you’re still hankering for.’
Tori was adamant that there was still something missing from their proposal, something that would set it off perfectly and give them an unbeatable proposal the earl would have to go for.
Right now, Jasper would be happy with just guilting his father into doing the right thing and giving his mother an out. But Tori insisted that it had to be good business sense, too.
Tori considered his suggestion, and Jasper could see in her expression the workaholic warring with the desire for a proper break.
‘I’ll buy you a mulled wine...’ he tempted her, and she broke, tossing her papers down on the desk.
‘Oh, fine. Come on, then. But I want a mince pie, too.’
* * *
‘Have you spoken to your mother yet?’ Tori asked as they strolled out through the hall’s back door and down through the gardens to the market, out by what used to be farm outbuildings. Much of the Flaxstone land was still farmed by tenant farmers, but the structures they used these days were rather more efficient and well equipped than the more historic versions. Still, Tori and his father had found plenty of profitable ways to use the unneeded buildings, just as they had the rest of the estate.
‘I’ve spoken to her about many things,’ Jasper said evasively. ‘Although she still won’t tell me what she wants for Christmas. Apparently I should be able to surprise her.’
He knew that wasn’t really what Tori was asking, but for just ten minutes it would be nice to forget about his family’s issues and enjoy her company. Something he’d found himself doing more and more over the last week, even while deep at work on the Stonebury project. He just liked being with her. Even if she wouldn’t let them take their relationship any further. He wanted her there, with him.
He wasn’t thinking too hard about what that meant.
‘Jasper,’ she said, a warning tone in her voice. ‘You know what I mean. You promised me you’d talk to her about Stonebury before we put this proposal to your father, and you’re running out of time. This isn’t a decision you can make for her. You have to be sure that this is what she wants, too.’
‘I know.’ And he did. Tori was right—something that seemed to happen irritatingly often. ‘I just...haven’t found the right moment yet. I’ll do it soon though. I promise.’
‘And have you spoken to Felix?’ Her tone was softer this time, and she slipped her arm through his as she asked. It was funny—but nice funny—the way that, as they’d grown closer as friends working together, they seemed to have become closer physically, too. These days, they always seemed to be finding reasons to touch each other—for comfort, for support, or just because they both seemed to need it.
Jasper could hardly imagine the closed-off woman he’d explored Stonebury with offering him a comforting touch. But that was before the Moorside. Before they shared their secrets.
Now, he wondered how far this casual contact would go. Would she kiss him again? Or let him kiss her?
The anticipation was so delicious he almost didn’t want to rush it. Although other parts of him were rather more eager to progress...
He felt like a teenager again, or the much younger man who’d been lucky enough to experience Tori’s touch the first time round. He remembered now that curiosity he’d felt towards her, the pull, the fascination he couldn’t shake. The challenge she’d presented, with those stone walls up. The way the excitement he had felt building had eclipsed the realisation of his father’s betrayal, that night she’d let him see behind her mask, just for a while...
Now, the mask was down. He’d discovered the real woman hiding behind the battlements—seen where she came from and discovered her secrets, her loss. And he liked her so much more for it.
A ridiculous amount more, really. Especially considering he’d be leaving again in the new year, and she wouldn’t even kiss him.
‘Jasper?’ Tori’s concerned voice interrupted his consideration of all the other ways he might like her, and he started, jerking his gaze towards her. ‘Felix? You spoke with him?’
‘No. God, no.’ He hadn’t been able to look Felix in the eye before he’d left, and the two emails his ex-best friend had sent afterwards, presumably trying to explain himself, had been deleted unread. ‘What is there to say?’
Tori gave him a long look. ‘Maybe it’s more about listening. Hearing his side of the story at last. Seeing if the two of you can find a way back to being friends again. I mean, I remember how close you used to be. Mrs Rawkins used to despair of the two of you. Even the night we...’ She blushed, and Jasper found himself enchanted all over again. ‘Well, when you came home with me, you had to text Felix to tell him where you’d be first.’
‘That was mostly for bragging rights,’ Jasper said absently. Then, off her eye roll, added, ‘because I was an idiot. Obviously.’
‘Oh, I never doubted that,’ Tori replied. But there was a fondness to her tone that wouldn’t have been there a couple of weeks ago, and it made him smile. ‘Come on, speed up. It’s cold and I want that mulled wine before we have to get back to work.’
She lengthened her stride and he matched it easily, keeping her hand tucked through his arm as they headed across the estate towards the festive strains of sleigh bells and carols.
It had been five long years since Jasper had visited the Flaxstone Christmas market, and it was clear that things had progressed a long way in his absence. When he’d left, the event had been a few small craft stalls, a poorly decorated tree, and the local junior-school choir singing Christmas carols. Now, the whole market wouldn’t have looked out of place somewhere in one of Europe’s capital cities. There was a small group of singers dressed in Victorian outfits performing under the oversized tree, which was strung with delicate, glowing white lights. A vintage-looking carousel took up one corner, with a queue of children and adults waiting to ride, and a full-on hog roast was on offer under one of the wooden shelters. The whole place was packed, and everyone Jasper saw was smiling—bar a small child who seemed to be scared of either Father Christmas, his real-life reindeer, or both.
A lot of that, he suspected, was to do with Tori. As they strolled through the Scandi-style wooden stalls, all stocking handmade decorations, gifts and edibles, many of the stallholders stopped to thank Tori for her assistance and s
upport, and several handed over freebie treats in gratitude.
‘Looks like you’ve been busy while I’ve been gone,’ he observed, as another stallholder called them over and placed a paper bag in Tori’s palm, with gushing thanks.
‘There’s still more I want to do.’ She fished around in the bag and smiled at its contents. ‘Ooh, apple and cranberry mince pies! These are so good. Anyway. Next year, I want to do a light display on the walk through the woods to get to the market, and maybe even look at siting the Santa’s grotto in there too, with extra elves to help families find the way.’
‘When have you had time to be working on the market?’ Jasper asked as Tori handed him a pie from the bag. ‘I mean, we’ve been working flat out on the proposal for days, and before that we were snowbound at the Moorside.’
Tori shrugged, wiping crumbs from around her mouth. ‘Most of this was set up months ago. I always start working on Christmas in summer—and so do these guys. They need to know their plans so they can build stock, plan sales, schedule staff and so on. Christmas starts long before you think it does, you know. Sometimes I think it’s actually an all-year event...’ She trailed off, her eyes suddenly wide.
‘What?’ Jasper asked cautiously. That kind of look made him nervous.
‘I’ve figured out what the proposal needs.’ Tori beamed, and reached up to place her palms on either side of his face. Then, without any more warning, she stretched up on tiptoe and planted a firm kiss against his lips.
Jasper’s body reacted with a jolt, and he forgot all about food and Christmas and Stonebury as he let himself luxuriate in the kiss. Then his brain caught up, and he wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her closer, and deepened their embrace.