Nightingales Under the Mistletoe (30 page)

What was the matter with her? Ever since Max's birthday, she had suddenly become very conscious of him. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't even be in the same room as him without blushing like a schoolgirl.

She had never been so disturbed by a man's presence as she was by his. Her awareness of him crept under her skin.

He finished chopping the logs and carried them in armfuls to the woodshed. She heard him come into the kitchen but kept her head down, snipping away at the newspaper feverishly as he closed the back door.

‘I've put the logs away,' he said.

‘Thank you.'

‘It's no problem.' He paused. ‘What are you doing?'

‘Making paper hearts. Mrs Huntley-Osborne wants them strung around the village hall for the dance, as it's Valentine's Day.'

She allowed herself to glance at him, and immediately felt her stomach tighten as she saw him shrugging on his shirt.

‘Are you going to the dance?' he asked.

‘I'll say.' Grace laughed a little too loudly. ‘I'm helping to serve the refreshments.'

He didn't say anything. He was standing close to her, just behind her shoulder. If she breathed in, she could smell the musky male scent of him. She held herself tense as he picked up one of the paper hearts, turning it round and round between his fingers. The air between them seemed to swell, the pressure building.

He cleared his throat. ‘Grace …'

‘I suppose you'll be going to the dance with Daisy?' she broke in desperately. She had the horrible feeling that if she allowed him to speak, something would happen from which there would be no going back.

The door opened and Daisy walked in. Grace almost cried with relief.

‘Max? What are you doing here?'

‘He came to chop some wood for us,' Grace said. ‘Wasn't that kind of him?'

The door hadn't been closed and a sudden gust of wind blew in, picking up the paper hearts in a little whirlwind.

‘Daisy! Shut the door.'

‘Sorry.' Her sister closed it as Grace scrabbled round on the hearth, gathering up the fluttering hearts. One drifted down like a snowflake and landed on the fire. Grace watched it curl up and blacken, consumed by the flames.

A heart, shrivelled to nothing. She knew how it felt.

JESS PRACTICALLY HAD
to drag Effie to the dance. She trailed behind her and Daisy into the village hall with a face like a wet weekend.

‘I wish we hadn't bothered to bring her!' Daisy complained. ‘No one's going to ask us to dance with her hanging around. That face is enough to put anyone off!'

‘Leave her be, she can't help it. You'd be just the same if your boyfriend jilted you.' Poor Effie, she'd been so down in the dumps after all that business with Kit.

In Jess's opinion, she was well rid of the selfish swine. But Effie was pining for him.

Harry came towards them, looking very smart in his Royal Canadian Air Force dress uniform. ‘Hello, ladies,' he greeted them smoothly. ‘You're all looking very beautiful tonight, I must say.'

‘Where's Max?' Daisy asked.

‘He's around somewhere … Oh, there he is. Over at the refreshments table.'

Jess peered through the crowd. ‘Is that your sister with him, Maynard?'

‘Yes, poor thing. Mrs Huntley-Osborne has got her running around as usual. I suppose I'd better rescue Max before Mrs H tries to take him over, too!'

As Daisy slipped through the crowd, Mrs Huntley-Osborne herself appeared, resplendent in a gold brocade get-up.

‘So that's the famous Mrs Huntley-Osborne, is it?' Harry remarked as she swanned past. ‘She doesn't look much like a dragon to me.'

‘You wait until she starts breathing fire in your direction!' Jess said.

‘I'm not sticking around for that.' He grabbed her hand. ‘C'mon, let's dance.'

He started to pull her towards the dance floor, but Jess held back. ‘I'm not really one for dancing. Why don't you dance with Effie instead?' She glanced at her friend, standing sullenly by. But Effie shook her head.

‘Oh, don't mind me. I'm not dancing either.'

‘Come on.' Harry tugged at Jess's hand. ‘Live a little. Life's too short not to have fun.'

Harry was a very good dancer, and he whisked her around the dance floor to the fast music. Jess was glad he'd persuaded her to dance as he swung her round, lifting her until she was breathless with laughter.

Then the music slowed down and he pulled her closer, his arms circling her.

‘I bet you wish you were with Sam right now, don't you?' he whispered.

Jess pulled away from him, staring blankly at his face. ‘What? Why do you say that?'

‘Relax, honey, I didn't mean anything by it.' He grinned. ‘I just meant, I bet you'd rather be dancing with your boyfriend right now than with me?'

Jess blinked back the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes. ‘Yes, I do,' she whispered. ‘More than you could imagine.'

‘I wish you were my Hannah, too.' He pulled her closer, his hands around her waist. ‘Tell you what, why don't we both close our eyes and pretend, just for a minute?'

‘I'd like that.'

So Jess closed her eyes and suddenly she was in Sam's arms, swaying to the music and feeling the heat of his body pressed against her. And for a moment, everything was all right with the world.

Effie watched the dancers whirling around the floor and wished she could be one of them. She had told Jess she wasn't going to dance, but now she was here she realised how much she missed being spun around to a lively tune. And the band was playing all her favourites tonight, much to her annoyance.

Jess had insisted that coming to the dance would cheer her up. But Effie felt even more miserable if that was possible, surrounded by so many happy couples dancing and falling in love around her.

Kit was always such a good dancer, she thought with a longing sigh. So quick and graceful, all the girls wanted to be his partner.

She looked around the crowded village hall. She had half hoped he might be here, but there was no sign of him. Not that she really knew what she would do or say if she saw him.

And in a way, perhaps it was better that he wasn't there. Effie wasn't sure she would be able to face seeing him spinning another girl around the dance floor the way he used to do with her.

‘Look at you, all on your own in the corner like a wallflower!'

She turned around slowly. Just as she'd thought the evening couldn't get any worse, there was Connor Cleary.

At least he was looking smart for once. He'd swapped his old work boots and trousers worn with braces for a suit, and his dark curls had been cropped.

‘What are you doing here?'

‘Same as you, I imagine. Except by the looks of you, I reckon I'm having a better time doing it.
Slainte
.' He raised his glass to her in mocking salute.

Effie glared at him. They had been avoiding each other for the past couple of weeks, which suited her very well. Mrs Flynn and the other women on Allen Ward might miss his constant presence, but Effie didn't.

‘Where's your man this evening?' he asked, looking around.

So news of Kit jilting her hadn't reached him yet, she thought. That was something, at least. Listening to Connor teasing her about Kit would have been like a great big handful of salt rubbed into her wounded heart.

‘He'll be here later,' she lied, not meeting Connor's eye.

‘Liar. He's not coming, is he? You're here all on your own.'

‘As a matter of fact, I'm here with my friends …' She looked around for them. Jess was still on the dance floor, and Daisy had disappeared with Max. ‘Anyway, you're on your own too,' she accused.

‘What do you mean? My dance card happens to be full for the whole evening, I'll have you know. But,' he leaned in confidingly, ‘I could make room for you, since I feel so sorry for you.'

‘Don't bother,' Effie snapped. ‘It'll be a bad day indeed when I'm reduced to dancing with you, Connor Cleary!'

‘Suit yourself.' He shrugged. ‘Go on standing there like a wallflower.'

‘Stop calling me that. I'm not a wallflower!'

Connor made a big show of looking around him. ‘Well, I don't see many fellas queuing up to have a dance with you.' He grinned. ‘Just like being in Kilkenny again, isn't it? Do you remember how none of the lads would dance with you because you were too tall for most of them?'

‘How could I forget?' He had never missed a chance to tease Effie about it.

‘I was the only one who could make you look dainty.' He held out his hand to her. ‘Come on, let's take a turn around the floor for old time's sake, what do you say?'

She hesitated for a moment, then took his hand reluctantly. ‘But you'd better not dance an Irish country jig and embarrass me,' she warned as she followed him.

‘Oh, I think I can do better than that.'

He was a surprisingly good dancer. Not as good as Kit, but better than Effie remembered.

‘Where did you learn to dance?' she asked, as Connor swung her round and dipped her low to the ground.

He gave her an enigmatic look. ‘Oh, I'm full of surprises.'

‘You're better than you were in Kilkenny,' she said.

‘So are you.'

Her mouth twisted. ‘Even for a big spindly wallflower?'

‘Can I tell you a secret? I was actually glad you were so tall, because it meant I was the only one who could dance with you.'

Effie glared at him, bracing herself for the inevitable punchline. Any second now he would laugh in her face, tell her he was joking, make an eejit out of her again. But for once the look in his blue eyes was deadly serious.

Before Effie could take in that revelation, there was a tap on her shoulder and a familiar voice drawled, ‘Excuse me, do you mind if I cut in?'

She looked over her shoulder, following Connor's stony gaze to where Kit was standing.

‘Kit!' He looked so handsome, Effie could feel herself melt at the sight of him.

‘Hello, darling.' He gave her a lazy smile, then turned to Connor. ‘Do you mind, old chap?'

She felt Connor's grip tighten around her for a moment as he and Kit eyeballed each other. Then he released her abruptly.

There was so much Effie wanted to say, so much she knew she should say. She should muster her pride, turn her back on Kit. But she couldn't help herself. She abandoned Connor and slipped straight back where she wanted to be, in Kit's arms.

At the same moment the tempo of the music quickened.

‘I haven't seen you for a while,' she said, over the jaunty sound of the brass.

Kit looked shame-faced. ‘No,' he said. ‘I was angry. I had to calm down for a while.'

‘
You
were angry?' Effie stared at him in disbelief. ‘What about me? You were the one who jilted me, remember?'

‘I know, and I'm sorry.'

She had never heard him apologise with any sincerity before. It came as a big shock.

As if he could read her thoughts, Kit said, ‘That's why I came tonight – to say I'm sorry. As I said to you once before, I never know how much time I've got left. And I didn't want to – you know – without making things right with you, telling you how I feel.'

His expression was so contrite, Effie couldn't stay angry with him. ‘Go on,' she said.

He paused for a moment, then said, ‘I should never have tried to force you. It was very wrong of me, and I bitterly regret it. But I couldn't help it,' he insisted, his expression pleading. ‘I just adore you so much. And when you turned me down, it was as if you were saying – you didn't care.'

‘But I do care,' Effie blurted out before she could stop herself.

‘Do you, darling? Do you really?' His face brightened.

‘Yes,' she said. She knew she probably should have played harder to get, made him work for her forgiveness. But it was so difficult when he was being so lovely and charming to her. Effie had never managed to master the art of being aloof.

‘So will you give me another chance?'

Effie's smile was on her lips before her brain had had a chance to catch up with what Kit was saying. He was giving her another chance to prove how much she loved him. And this time she mustn't let him down.

‘Oh, yes!'

Kit laughed. It was a loud, almost triumphant sound. He picked her up and swung her round, until she couldn't catch her breath. Effie tried to laugh but his movements were quick, nimble and daring; they thrilled her, and made her cling tighter to him.

‘I'm so happy we're back together,' he breathed in her ear as he pulled her close. ‘I was afraid that I'd ruined everything. These past couple of weeks have just been utter misery for me. I've missed you.'

‘I've missed you, too,' Effie said.

‘I never want us to be apart again, even for a second,' Kit said. ‘However long I have on this earth, I want to spend every last second of it with you.'

A little spark of realisation flared in Effie's mind, and she started to tingle from head to toe with anticipation. ‘What – do you mean?' She hardly dared whisper the question.

Kit smiled down at her. ‘I mean I want to marry you, darling – if you'll have me, that is?'

Jess sipped her glass of fruit punch and looked around the hall. It was warm, and the room was bathed in golden light, and all the girls looked so lovely in their pretty dresses, filling the floor with a whirling rainbow of colours.

In the middle of the dance floor, Effie was wrapped around Kit, looking so blissfully happy it was hard to imagine she was the same girl who had trailed in miserably a couple of hours before.

But now it was Daisy's turn to sulk. According to her, Max had barely spoken a word to her all evening, let alone asked her to dance, and she was bored and fed up.