A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands (Scottish Highlands #6)

Chapter 9

9

ELLA

‘You’re late,’ Henry said gruffly as Ella and Wyatt finally made their way into the attic studio at Pinecone Manor three hours later. Ella was so tired that her feet were scuffing the floor, and she wasn’t entirely sure how long she was going to be able to remain upright. She’d walked the dog before charging around the west wing of the large house, cleaning as many of the bathrooms and bedrooms as she could, but even with Aggie helping she hadn’t been able to finish them all. She knew she’d have to clean the rest once the lesson was over – hopefully by which point she’d have enough energy to drag herself there.

‘I’m sorry, I got held up.’ Her stomach growled and Alex – who’d been staring glumly at the blank canvas on his easel – glanced over at her and narrowed his eyes. He wore a pair of expensive-looking jeans, which drew attention to his muscular frame, and a casual-looking powder blue shirt that made his brown eyes pop. His gaze had Ella’s long-dead hormones reanimating as if he’d just performed telekinetic CPR.

Ella’s insides pitched as their eyes met and she forced herself to look away, surprised by the power of her response. She’d been so busy working over the last year, trying to keep the family business afloat, that she’d barely had time to notice a man, let alone respond to one. Perhaps that’s why her reactions to him were so extreme? The fact that she found Alex attractive despite his obvious disapproval of her was baffling.

‘Didn’t you have enough time to eat again, lass?’ Henry asked as Ella’s stomach grumbled again, louder this time. ‘How are any of us supposed to concentrate if you’re making a racket like that?’

‘I’m fine,’ Ella said as her tummy let out another loud protest and she pressed her hands flat on her belly trying to pacify it. ‘I’m sorry. It’s been a busy morning.’ She sighed, too weary to make a better excuse. She should have eaten, but just hadn’t had the time.

‘Did you spend it with Mae?’ the older man asked, his eyes brightening.

‘No, I was working. I think she’s in the art gallery today.’ Henry’s expression dimmed. ‘Shall I say hello from you the next time we talk?’ she offered, taking pity on him.

‘Nae.’ He shook his head. ‘She doesn’t want to hear what I’ve got to say.’ He nodded curtly and pointed to the top of the stairs. ‘I’ll go and ask Aggie to heat you some soup.’ His tone brightened again. ‘She made some kind of carrot concoction, and you’ll be doing me a favour if you can finish it up. Carrots –’ His large frame shuddered. ‘– are my least favourite vegetable, and that’s saying something.’ He sniffed. ‘Sprout, are you coming, lad?’

Henry bent to peer into his dog’s face. The terrier – who was wearing a Christmas tree-shaped hat – was lying at Alex’s feet gazing up at him, his expression adoring. He whined before rising slowly and reluctantly followed Henry down the stairs, giving the younger man more longing looks as he left.

Wyatt, who’d been glaring at Alex since they’d arrived in the studio, took the opportunity to slowly meander across the room so he could take Sprout’s spot – his usual amiable expression morphing into something more sinister. Ella saw Alex stiffen, but he didn’t look at the bloodhound. Instead, he glanced over at Ella again, his gorgeous face a picture of annoyance.

‘Do you actually own a watch?’ he asked stiffly. ‘We’ve been waiting for over an hour. Henry might not want to say anything, but do you realise he refused to begin our lesson until you arrived?’

Ella shook her head, feeling guilty.

‘Some of us have better things to do than wait around.’ Alex waved a hand towards his blank canvas. ‘I’ve got limited time here and a lot I need to achieve.’

Ella exhaled as she slumped into one of the wooden chairs. ‘I’m sorry, I had—’ She hesitated. Did she really need to explain herself to him?

‘You didn’t even eat. Which means Henry’s now got to waste even more time making sure you’ve got lunch. It’s simply not good enough,’ Alex continued – his usually cold expression animated. ‘What could possibly be more important to you than studying with one of the country’s foremost landscape artists?’

‘I…I had a lot of things to do,’ Ella muttered.

Alex put his hands on his hips as his glittering eyes bored into hers. ‘You do understand what a great honour it is for us to be in this studio?’

Alex stared at Ella for a long beat, and she wondered why he seemed so angry. Sure, there had been a delay in their lesson, but did it really warrant this much emotion? Was something else bothering him – what in the world had got him so riled up?

‘I was working,’ she said, trying to inject a little warmth into her tone. He’d understand if she told him why she was late. She wasn’t looking to fall out, Wyatt was harbouring enough resentment towards Alex for the both of them. Besides, her life was difficult enough at present without painting – and performing – alongside an adversary so she wasn’t looking to stir things up more. Everyone had problems, perhaps Alex did too?

‘I—’ Ella hesitated, trying to work out how best to explain things without making her stepmother or stepbrothers look bad. She scratched a hand through her hair attempting to untangle it – perhaps if she did, her mind would start to function properly again? ‘My family own a cleaning business,’ she began because that seemed like the best place to start. ‘And?—’

‘Henry told me that already.’ Alex’s eyebrows furrowed and he waved her words away impatiently as he twisted to face her, ignoring Wyatt as he let out a warning growl. ‘We all have day jobs which we manage to work around. I had to attend a meeting with Tokyo this morning. It started at five am and I wasn’t late – after that I had to deal with a tranche of important emails, but I still managed to turn up to this lesson on time.’

‘Well…’ Ella was taken aback by this information, and she wasn’t sure whether to commiserate or apologise.

‘I’m just asking you to do the same.’ Alex’s perfect mouth pinched. ‘Isn’t it possible for you to schedule your day more efficiently?’ He tapped his Rolex which Ella realised wearily was probably pure gold and would pay off the company debts three times over. ‘Perhaps you should consider getting up an hour earlier? I’m sure if you did, you’d find the time to take a lunch break too.’

Ella felt her temper stir as his mansplaining and unwillingness to hear her out got the better of her. Not only had she had to work additional shifts yesterday and today to cover for her stepbrothers – she was now being lectured by someone who knew absolutely nothing about her circumstances.

She stared at him, ignoring the traitorous wave of tingles as they journeyed up and down her spine. This man was obviously so privileged that he had no idea how the real world worked. He might have answered a few emails this morning, but what did he know about the pull of family obligations, or working until his fingers bled?

Ella had met a lot of people like him over the years. She doubted Alex Forbes-Charming could switch on a vacuum cleaner if his life depended on it, let alone manage back-to-back shifts like her. He was here, wasn’t he? How many people could afford to take a month away from the office just to follow a dream?

The sudden longing at the idea engulfed her and she felt momentarily overwhelmed. ‘I take my art lessons very seriously,’ she said, swallowing; at least she would once her stepbrothers were both well. ‘We’ve had some…issues with staff at work. Sickness. It happens.’ She pursed her lips. ‘When it does, I need to muck in.’

‘Meaning what?’ Alex shot back, his voice as tense as a rubber band.

Ella sighed. ‘I’ve had to cover a lot of extra shifts over the last few days because my stepbrothers – Clyde and Dane – have both been unwell,’ she said, wondering why she was explaining herself. It was doubtful he’d either care or understand.

‘Weren’t they both at the pantomime rehearsal last night? They looked fine to me,’ Alex asked, and Ella stiffened.

‘They weren’t well during the day,’ she insisted. ‘But they were feeling a lot better by the evening. That happens too.’ She knew the justification sounded weak, but when he raised an eyebrow, she had to fight a flood of irritation.

‘Yet, despite that, they’re off sick again today?’ Alex checked, his tone dry.

‘Clyde’s fine,’ Ella snapped. ‘But unfortunately, Dane—’ She winced. ‘He gets a bad back from time to time.’

‘He’s got backache?’ Alex’s tone signalled what he thought about that. ‘And that’s why you’re late? Surely there must be someone else who can cover these emergencies when you have important plans?’

‘It’s a family business.’ Ella bristled. ‘Which is made up of a very small team.’

Alex let out a long sigh. ‘I see.’ His tone indicated that he wasn’t impressed with her excuses and for a moment, Ella wasn’t either.

But she banked the flash of guilt and rose from her chair. ‘You don’t know me and you don’t know my family,’ she said quietly. ‘I know I’ve been late a couple of times, but working with Henry is important to me.’ She paused, hoping Alex would see she was telling the truth. ‘It’s just…sometimes it’s impossible to be in two places at once. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be, or that I’m not trying my best.’ She slumped wearily back into her seat, exhausted.

‘Okay,’ Alex said, his tone more contrite as he studied her.

Ella puffed out a breath, determined to meet him halfway. ‘I’m sorry my disrupted schedule has had an impact on your lessons.’ She looked down at her hands and frowned. ‘I can’t promise anything, but I’ll have a word with my stepbrothers about trying not to take any more time off.’ Or perhaps she’d ask Lucinda to speak to them instead?

‘That would be…great,’ Alex said stiffly. ‘Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll be able to start our lesson promptly.’ He paused, perhaps realising his response was less than polite. ‘I appreciate you trying.’ He looked awkward.

Henry suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a large blue flask and spoon. ‘Aggie’s gone to pick up Hunter from school, but I found the soup. You look hungry, lass, so I heated the rest up. Try to finish it,’ he said eagerly. ‘I don’t want any leftovers. Here’s something to help mop up the taste.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag filled with chunks of bread, then put the food on a small wooden art table cluttered with paintbrushes, charcoal and pots of paint. He watched Ella as she opened the flask and dug in a spoon. She ate a mouthful, and her stomach let out a grateful growl.

Henry glanced at Alex. ‘Is everything okay, I thought I heard raised voices when I was passing through the sitting room?’

‘It’s fine,’ the younger man said flatly, his cheeks flushing.

The artist pursed his lips as he glanced between them. ‘From what I heard, things aren’t fine at all. I wonder if you’re both just in need of some fresh air. Why don’t you take a walk together after Ella finishes her food?’

‘I don’t think—’ Alex started.

‘On the contrary.’ The older man’s voice hardened. ‘I’m not going to get the best work from either of you if you’re not getting on.’ He regarded them both with a sombre expression. ‘Take a stroll around the grounds with the dogs. Get to know each other. I’ll warrant there’s at least one thing you’ll find to like. What is the world coming to when Cinderella and Prince Charming can’t get on?’ He grinned, amused by his own joke.

When Alex opened his mouth to argue, Henry put up a palm. ‘Besides, I’d like some time in my studio by myself. I have a germ of an idea which I’d like to think about.’ He narrowed his eyes at Alex. ‘Perhaps while you’re walking and talking with Ella, you’ll find a way to access more of those elusive feelings of yours? You certainly appear to have plenty of them when it comes to the promptness of my lessons – and from what I overheard, you don’t have a problem with sharing those.’

When the younger man frowned, the artist snorted. ‘I’ve always appreciated the power of a good argument. It gets the juices flowing.’ He hesitated. ‘Not that everyone feels the same way.’ Henry looked unhappy and Ella wondered if he was thinking about Mae.

‘But I do agree with you, Alex,’ Henry continued. ‘Ella could definitely do with sharing her workload and responsibilities. But she’s got to come to that conclusion by herself. Now finish your soup so you can take that walk.’

Ella winced. No matter how long she and Alex would be out together, it was unlikely they’d find any common ground. Despite his obvious love of art and the fact that they were starring together in the pantomime, they were as different as two people could get – and from the look on his face, Alex felt the same way.