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Millie felt warmth surge into her cheeks as at last her eyes landed on Zach, who had just that moment walked through the door. When he met her gaze, the corners of his lips turned into a smile, and her whole body tingled with anticipation. Blake released her swiftly from his hug and shot over to Zach, enveloping him too, before giving Millie a cheeky wink of encouragement, linking his arm through Kate’s and escorting her towards the library.
‘You look stunning!’ Zach reached for her hand and wove his fingers through hers. ‘Come on.’
With her heart fluttering against her ribcage, she floated at his side. However, Zach didn’t lead her towards the melee in the library but to the boot room where he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, slowly, gently, tentatively at first, then with growing urgency until a crescendo of desire whipped around her body. She kissed him back, relishing the sensations zinging through her body, not wanting their embrace to end.
‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to do that!’
‘Me too,’ she laughed.
Zach held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity, and she melted once again into his arms, marvelling at the way her body fit perfectly against his. An avalanche of emotion surged from her stomach to her chest, and she had never been more certain of anything in her life. Her feelings for Zach had ballooned into something wonderful and she wanted him to know.
‘Zach, I—’
‘Hey, so this is where you two are hiding,’ Rupert chuckled, totally oblivious to what he was interrupting. ‘Thought you might like to know that our hostess is about to make her entrance.’
Millie giggled at the expression on Zach’s handsome face. For a moment she thought he was going to refuse to leave the shadowy confines of the boot room, but of course he didn’t. He hooked his arm around her waist and together they made their way to the bottom of the stairs where all the guests had congregated to await the arrival of Claudia.
A gasp of appreciation echoed around the entrance hall and Millie’s spirits soared when her friend appeared at the top of the staircase looking every inch the celebrated chef she was. Claudia radiated happiness and appeared to have conquered her previous battle with exhaustion. As she lingered beneath the chandelier, her gem-encrusted gown shone like a Fabergé creation, and she looked like a movie star about to accept an Oscar. Her gold-streaked hair had been professionally coiffed into a smooth glossy bob and she wore a pair of long diamanté earrings that almost brushed her naked shoulders.
Tim skipped up the steps to accompany his wife down the stairs to greet her guests – except they unexpectedly paused on the last step and waited until everyone was quiet. Millie glanced at Zach, a question in her eyes. Zach shook his head, his brow knitted slightly as he pulled her closer and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
‘Ladies and gentlemen. Claudia and I would like to thank you all for joining us this evening for the annual celebration of the end of theFestive Feastcookery course. We want you to know that we appreciate everything each and every one of you has done to support us at Stonelea Manor and at the cookery school throughout the year and this is our chance to say a huge, heartfelt thank you. As some of you know, this year has presented a number of challenges and we could not have weathered the storm without the knowledge that our Berryford family was cheering us along from the side-lines. So, before we indulge in a few glasses of Mitch’s excellent Christmas punch and we forget our names – taxis will be available at midnight by the way – I’d like to make a couple of announcements.’
The ripple of laughter that had reverberated around the oak-panelled hallway at the mention of Mitch’s lethal punch and cocktails ceased and everyone fell silent, eager to hear what Tim was about to say.
‘First of all, a piece of news that I know many of you will enjoy. We have this year’s winners of theFestive Feastdessert recipes competition with us tonight, so I wanted to announce that these wonderful traditional family recipes will form part of a hand-illustrated cookery book that will be published next year in time for Christmas.’
A whoop of celebration burst from the audience and high-pitched chatter filled the room until Zach noticed that Tim and Claudia had remained standing on the bottom step, waiting to continue, happiness shining from their faces as they smiled at each other with affection.
‘Hang on, everyone. Let Tim finish.’
The crowd quietened, and Millie felt Zach squeeze her hand as she scrutinised Claudia’s expression for an idea of what they were about to reveal.
‘As you all know, the Claudia Croft Cookery School means a great deal to us both. It’s an integral part of our family and of village life, and we were devastated when we thought we would have to close its doors. However, I’m delighted to reassure you that the school will continue for the foreseeable future. In fact, Claudia has a swathe of new ideas for even more exciting and exotic courses, and possibly even starting one for children during the school holidays.’
Millie saw the excitement for the school’s expansion reflected in Claudia’s expression. But then a thought occurred to her. If Claudia had numerous new plans for the cookery school in the Cotswolds what did that mean for the Paradise Cookery School?
Oh my God! she thought, as a painfulthunkof alarm slammed into her chest. Claudia wasn’t thinking of closing it down and selling the villa, was she? That would be just too awful to contemplate. When she met Claudia’s gaze, craving an immediate answer, she saw she was staring at her with an indecipherable look in her eyes, then her friend squeezed Tim’s hand and stepped onto a higher step so that she could speak to her guests more easily.
‘I’m so pleased everyone is here tonight to share in our celebrations. I want you to know that Tim and I are no longer relocating to the Caribbean as we intended but staying here in Berryford.’
A whoop of delight erupted, and a couple of Tim’s friends surged forward to offer him their palms. Kate and Blake hugged Claudia, with Blake wiping away an errant tear with the back of his pinky finger, laughing at Mitch’s eyeroll. However, Millie’s stomach lurched like an out-of-control rollercoaster and her spirits crashed.
No!
Tears sprang to her eyes. She turned to look up at Zach, but saw he was still watching Claudia and Tim, waiting for an explanation. Millie was happy for Zach, of course, because their decision meant that his job as estate manager was secure for the foreseeable future, which in turn meant that she could see him regularly and they could build on their fledgling relationship. She was ecstatic at the thought, but she couldn’t shift the nugget of sadness that was lodged in her gut about the demise of the Paradise Cookery School, a place she loved and somewhere that held a special place in her heart.
She thought of Ella, who had been overjoyed at being able to at last achieve her dream of becoming a cookery presenter, revelling in the opportunity to showcase her Caribbean recipes to a whole new audience. She thought of Lottie and Dylan, of Henri and Travis and Anisha, and the fact that she would probably never see them again, and her heart shrivelled a little.
It was a few seconds before she realised that Claudia was speaking again.
‘…So, Tim and I are overwhelmed with gratitude that eventually, after ten years of trying, we are to become parents!’
The whole room exploded into shrieks of pleasure and well wishes. Zach released her grasp and strode towards Tim, shaking his hand before embracing Claudia. For the next few minutes, the couple were engulfed in congratulatory hugs, and it was a while before Millie could reach Claudia.
‘Claudia, I’m so pleased for you. Congratulations, you must be so happy.’
‘More than happy, Millie. We’re over the moon. I confess that I never thought this day would come, but now it’s here I can’t stop myself from grinning like a five-year-old on Christmas morning. This is the best present I could ever have wished for.’
