Newborn Under The Christmas Tree. Sophie Pembroke

      ‘Because everything you do, every day, is what shapes you.’ Alice startled as Liam spoke, and the whole room turned towards him. Men at Thornwood were a rarity these days, for obvious reasons. One or two of the women looked a little anxious. Several more looked appreciative—Alice decided not to speculate if that was because of his advice or his appearance.

      Liam stepped forward into the room, placing his hands on the back of an empty chair as he spoke. ‘Any company worth working for knows that previous experience isn’t the most important thing for a potential employee to have.’

      ‘Then why do they all ask for it?’ Jess, one of the younger women, asked.

      ‘Oh, they’d like it, sure,’ Liam acknowledged. ‘But what they really need is someone who can learn. Someone who can walk into an interview and show them that they’re bright, they’re willing and, most importantly, they’re enthusiastic. If you can make them believe that you’ll work well with their team, listen and learn what you need to know, then go on to make the most of every opportunity they give you—and benefit their company along the way—then they’d be fools not to hire you.’

      ‘So...you’re saying it’s all about the right attitude?’ Jess said, frowning. ‘Not qualifications and stuff?’

      ‘Ninety per cent of the time, yes.’ Liam shrugged. ‘Yes, there are some roles that require specific qualifications, but they’re fewer than you might think. And a lot of companies will train you up and help you get those qualifications, if they like you, and if they believe you’ll make the most of the opportunity.’

      ‘Huh.’ Jess’s frown transformed into a wide smile that lit up her whole face. Alice didn’t think she’d ever seen that expression on Jess’s face before. She rather suspected that it might be hope.

      Suddenly, she felt considerably warmer towards Liam Jenkins. Anyone who could put that expression on the face of someone who’d been through as much as Jess had, well, he had to be worth keeping around.

      Melanie thanked Liam for his input, and Alice hoped her feathers weren’t too ruffled. It was hard enough finding people willing to give up their free time to run the sessions at Thornwood, especially since she could rarely offer them more than lunch as payment.

      ‘Shall we carry on?’ Alice asked, and Liam nodded.

      ‘I hope I didn’t overstep my place there,’ he said as they made their way down the echoing stone corridor.

      Alice gave him a lopsided smile. ‘The whole estate is sort of your place,’ she pointed out. ‘You’d have to step a long way to get over your boundaries.’

      From the stunned look on his face, Alice guessed he hadn’t thought of it like that before. Maybe Liam was going to find this adjustment as odd as the rest of them.

      ‘Well, when you put it like that...’ He shook his head. ‘I guess it’s still sinking in. I never expected to inherit Thornwood. Not in a million years. The idea that I own all this, that it’s all mine, as far as you can see from those replica battlements... That’s going to take some getting used to.’

      ‘Rose never spoke to you about her will?’ Alice asked, surprised.

      Liam shrugged. ‘I hadn’t seen her in fifteen years. And I hadn’t been near Thornwood for a decade before that. And when we did meet...let’s just say there were other things to discuss.’

      What other things? Alice was desperate to know, but the way Liam looked away, his expression closing up, she knew better than to ask. Not yet, anyway. Maybe when she got to know the new lord of the manor a little better she’d feel more confident about such questions.

      Maybe she’d understand what it was about him that made her need to know the answers too.

      Still, for him to not even know he stood to inherit Thornwood...that was strange. Rose had wanted everything settled in the last year or two of her life—that was one of the reasons she’d hired Alice when she did. Everything had been arranged for months before she died. So why wouldn’t she have told him? And even before that...

      ‘But you were her only living relative. You must have known that Thornwood would naturally come to you,’ Alice said, knowing she was pushing but unable to stop herself.

      ‘Why?’ Liam’s voice grew hard. ‘She’d never given me anything else I was entitled to, so the idea of her starting with Thornwood was kind of ludicrous.’

      Alice stumbled slightly as she processed his words and, fast as a shot, Liam’s hand caught her arm, steadying her. ‘Sorry,’ she gasped, trying not to react to the sudden flare of heat that ran through her at his touch. She was absolutely not going to develop anything approaching a crush on this man. That way lay madness, frustration and probably a whole load of embarrassment.

      ‘Uneven floor,’ Liam said, peering down at the stone under their feet. ‘I’ll have to get that fixed before—’ He broke off.

      ‘Before?’ Alice asked, curious. What exactly did he have planned for Thornwood, anyway? Whatever it was, she got the distinct impression it wouldn’t involve knitting groups.

      ‘Before someone hurts themselves more seriously.’ Liam dropped his hand from her arm and kept walking.

      Alice studied him as she followed, rubbing the spot where he’d held her arm. It was a neat enough cover, but Alice had plenty of experience with dishonest men.

      And Liam Jenkins was most definitely hiding something.

      * * *

      ‘So, where’s next?’ Liam asked, changing the subject quickly.

      ‘Um...the kitchens?’

      ‘Sounds great.’ Liam started walking. He wasn’t entirely sure where the kitchens were, but the fantastic scents wafting towards him suggested he was going the right way. And at least if he kept moving Alice would hopefully be distracted enough not to notice his less than smooth cover-up.

      Obviously he’d need to explain his plans to her, and everyone else, eventually—making a big splash and putting the English establishment up in arms was part of the reason he was doing it in the first place—the rest, of course, being money. But he wanted to do it in his own time, and in a way that would have maximum impact. Alice gossiping about it to the locals in the village was definitely not that.

      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,