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

Chapter 13

13

ELLA

When Ella finally emerged from the dressing room, Alex was nowhere to be seen. She glanced out from the stage, hoping to spot him in the crowd of chatting cast members tucking into cake. But he’d clearly been eager to race out of the building. Ella wondered if it was their chemistry that had spooked him – the strength of it had caught her off guard too. When he’d been unpinning her dress, she’d had to force herself not to give in to the impulse to turn and kiss him, to let the heat between them run its course.

Alex kept surprising her, turning her initial opinion of him on its head. Those small acts of kindness earlier – like when he’d been speaking with Hunter and had taken the time to admire his drawing. How, instead of being irritated, he’d indulged Aggie and Blair when they’d teased him about falling for her. The way he’d unpinned her costume, even though it affected him. She knew she hadn’t imagined the way his hand shook – or how her body had trembled in response. She just wasn’t sure what to do about it.

She took a step further into the room and immediately saw that Blair and Aggie had set up a long table beside the Christmas tree to the left of the stage. They were serving refreshments, and a queue of eager cast members stood waiting their turn. Most were dressed in their costumes, their faces shiny with glitter and rouge – she could smell makeup powder and the lingering scent of chocolate cake, and her mouth watered.

‘Where have you been?’ Lucinda approached from Ella’s right wearing a gothic style dress with long, flowing skirts. The costume was crimson, and the matching lipstick made her stepmother’s mouth stand out, drawing attention to the frown aimed in Ella’s direction. ‘No one’s been able to do a thing without you,’ she accused.

‘I was trying on my costume,’ Ella said. ‘I’m here now,’ she added brightly.

Lucinda sighed. ‘I’m sorry, lass, but you need to stop putting yourself first all the time. Clyde and Dane have been waiting to rehearse with you for almost an hour. You know they’ve both been poorly again today?’

‘Aye.’ Ella nodded – she knew because she’d had to cover for them. They’d had a dose of the flu. Something particularly virulent apparently. ‘I’m sorry,’ she added, feeling guilty.

Lucinda’s lips pinched and Ella braced herself for another onslaught. She tried her best, but never seemed to measure up. The only reason she kept trying was because of the promise she’d made to her da.

Inexplicably, her stepmother’s eyes lit and she smiled. Ella smiled back, confused as Lucinda straightened, drawing attention to the curves she worked so diligently to preserve. ‘Prince Charming, I presume?’ she purred at a spot above Ella’s right shoulder.

Ella felt her skin start to tingle as she realised Alex was standing behind her. The slow roil of her stomach signalled her relief that he hadn’t left.

‘Aye,’ he rumbled as he moved until he was beside her.

Lucinda grabbed his hand and squeezed. ‘I’m Ella’s stepmother, Lucinda McNally. I know what you’re going to say, I’m far too young.’ She giggled, fluffing her hair. ‘I’ve heard a lot about our handsome new visitor. Clearly no one’s been exaggerating.’

Alex’s eyes widened. ‘Er. Nice to meet you,’ he said stiffly, claiming back his hand.

‘Ella, perhaps you could get us both a hot drink so Prince Charming and I can get to know each other?’ Lucinda said.

‘I don’t want one,’ Alex said as Ella heard a crash and loud shouts from the other side of the hall.

‘Oh, Clyde,’ Lucinda yelped as she turned and saw her son lying on the ground. As Ella stepped closer, she could see Dane standing over him. He was holding up the skirts of his costume, exposing chunky hairy legs which were half obscured by red and white striped socks. ‘Are you okay?’ Lucinda rushed towards them looking panicked.

‘I’d better—’ Ella turned to Alex and nodded in their direction.

‘Aye,’ he said as she quickly followed her stepmother, weaving her way through the cast members who’d gathered to see what was going on.

By the time Ella arrived, Lucinda was kneeling beside Clyde, stroking his head. His blonde wig had flown off, exposing flyaway brown hair. A couple of chairs lay on the ground, their legs broken in half. ‘Is he okay?’ Ella asked, kneeling too and spotting a long tear in her stepbrother’s costume, which she knew the McBride sisters would be furious about.

‘There’s no blood,’ Hunter, who’d come to check on Ella’s stepbrother, said, sounding disappointed. ‘So it can’t be that bad.’

‘Thank goodness!’ Lucinda exclaimed. ‘What were you doing, Clyde?’

‘We were just messing around, trying to see if the skirts on these dresses worked as parachutes. We got bored,’ Dane said from where he was still standing. He picked up one of the chairs and tried to put it upright, but it immediately toppled.

‘Of course you were. It’s not a surprise when you had to wait so long to rehearse,’ Lucinda said grumpily, making Ella feel awful. ‘Have you got a concussion, darling?’ she asked, gently stroking a hand over her son’s head. ‘I can feel a bump!’ she yelled.

‘I’ve got a headache,’ Clyde groaned.

‘I thought your brothers were supposed to be sick?’ Alex asked as Ella rose to find him standing beside her. ‘Or was that yesterday?’

‘Well.’ Ella sighed, embarrassed. ‘Unfortunately, they were both ill again today.’ She glanced at Dane who was now kicking one of the broken chair legs. ‘Clyde told me he thought they had flu this morning – looks like a twenty-four-hour thing.’ He’d sounded awful, and she’d immediately offered to cover the shifts.

‘Flu,’ Alex snorted as he paused for long enough to take in the scene. ‘More like hypochondria. Don’t you think it’s time you considered that they’re not telling the truth?’

‘They, well…I…’ Ella frowned as she considered his question. If Alex had asked the same thing a few weeks ago, she’d definitely have said they were. But looking at her stepbrothers now…

‘I don’t know,’ she admitted slowly. Had they been lying to her about their ailments? Had Lucinda known? The idea of them tricking her made her blood run cold. Ella shook her head – it wasn’t possible, they wouldn’t and besides, surely she’d have known?

‘How old are they?’ Alex asked more gently.

‘Twenty-two. They’ve both just finished university. They’ve only been working with me for a few months. They’re still finding their routine. They were really keen when they started.’ She watched Dane help Clyde to his feet. Her stepbrother rubbed his head and winced, then began to limp towards the refreshment table as Mae came charging over.

‘What happened?’ She took in the broken furniture.

‘An accident,’ Lucinda soothed. ‘We’ll pay for the chairs of course.’

‘Of course,’ Ella agreed because it was easier, and she had kept her stepbrothers waiting. Besides, what were a few more pounds of debt?

‘Don’t worry, lass,’ Mae said. ‘I’m sure we can get them fixed. There are a couple of carpenters in the cast, after all.’

Lucinda smiled sweetly. ‘You really are our fairy godmother, aren’t you?’ she said, before following her sons.

‘I’m all for taking on responsibilities and stepping up,’ Alex said to Ella as Mae winked and went to speak to someone waving at her. ‘But I wonder if it’s time you faced the fact that your stepbrothers are taking advantage of you.’

‘I know it looks bad, but I don’t think they are…’ Ella sighed. Clyde and Dane knew how hard she worked, they wouldn’t be so cruel. ‘They’ve always been sickly. Even at university they kept missing deadlines because they had to go to the doctor and hospital so much. This isn’t new.’

Alex watched her dismiss his concerns – but when her eyes met his, they were filled with sympathy. He nodded once, before turning on his heels, leaving Ella wondering if he thought she was a fool – and if perhaps he was right.

Four days later, Ella tentatively knocked at Clyde and Dane’s house and pressed her ear to the wooden surface. She’d imagined she could hear music blaring inside when she’d been walking up the narrow pathway from the gate, but by the time she arrived, the house had grown quiet.

The Christmas lights she’d helped Dane string around the facade of the building when Clyde’s back had been bothering him were twinkling so she suspected her stepbrothers were inside. She leaned against the door and took a moment to scour the garden and frowned when she noticed a fresh snowman and some large boot prints leading towards the back of the house.

Confused when no one answered the door, Ella stroked the top of Wyatt’s head and leaned down so she could push a fingertip into the silver letterbox, prising it open so she could see. The hallway was dimly lit, but she could just make out Christmas lights sparkling through the open doorway that led to the sitting room – and flickering shadows which suggested someone was watching TV.

‘Clyde!’ Ella shouted. ‘Dane!’ She pressed her ear to the door, but it remained silent. ‘Lucinda told me you think your flu’s returned?’

Both her brothers had returned to work the day after the incident at the pantomime, although Clyde had complained of a headache since. They’d managed to work for three whole mornings, but today they’d both called in sick. For the first time, Ella had begun to have doubts about their illness.

It wasn’t just because of what Alex had said at the pantomime rehearsal. Her stepbrothers had been skiing yesterday afternoon and it seemed suspicious that they’d both already been struck down again. Ella felt guilty for doubting them, so she’d decided to check on them after her first shift. If for no other reason than to prove herself and Alex wrong.

Ella let out a breath as she pressed her mouth to the letterbox. ‘Your mam asked me to bring you some food because she was worried you’d get hungry.’

According to her stepmother, the lasagne Ella had sacrificed had lasted less than a day. Lucinda had requested that she deliver another, but Ella hadn’t had time to make any – so she’d stopped off at The Snug Tea Room to pick up a couple of pots of Aggie’s famous chicken soup.

‘It’ll help you feel better.’

Ella heard a faint moan from somewhere in the house. ‘Are you there?’ she yelled again, concerned. Were her brothers too sick to make it to the door. She almost shouted again, but then she heard the heavy tread of footsteps and pressed her face to the letterbox. She sighed in relief when she spotted a pair of socked feet heading towards the door.

‘Hello,’ Dane croaked as soon as it opened a crack. His cheeks were ruddy, and his eyes looked tired. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t hear you before, I had a terrible night, so I was trying to catch up on some sleep.’ He yawned, his mouth contorting.

‘Are you okay? You look like you’ve been sweating,’ Ella said as she rose to her feet and stepped closer so she could study him. He wasn’t pale exactly, but his cheeks were an uneven shade of red. The colour reminded her of a blusher the makeup team used at the pantomime which had made her cheeks look more spotty than flushed.

‘Do you have a temperature?’ Feeling even more guilty for doubting her stepbrothers, Ella tried to touch Dane’s forehead. But he shook her hand off and took a step back. ‘You look awful,’ she sympathised.

‘Thanks a lot,’ Dane said dryly.

‘I’m just worried.’ Ella sighed. ‘Can I come in?’

He looked unsure but jerked a shoulder and stepped back when she continued to stare. Wyatt scampered in ahead of Ella and dived for the two pairs of snow boots that had been left in the hallway. They looked wet.

‘I haven’t dried them up from yesterday.’ Dane coughed and shoved the bloodhound away from the boots before tugging his dressing gown tighter around his large frame. It looked odd – a little too bulky, almost like he was wearing clothes underneath. ‘I’ve got a blanket under here,’ he explained, clearly noticing her interest. ‘You and Wyatt shouldn’t get too close,’ he warned gruffly, changing the subject. ‘I don’t want you to catch this too.’

‘I’m sure Wyatt and I will be fine. He’s unlikely to pick up a human bug and I’m not as prone to getting sick as you and Clyde.’ Ella took another couple of steps along the hallway until her brother blocked her path.

Ella heard a loud wheeze from the sitting room and then Clyde appeared from inside, his brawny body wrapped in a thick brown dressing gown. It looked chunkier than usual – was he hiding a blanket under his too?

‘Did I hear you brought lunch?’ Clyde asked, eyeballing the pots Ella had pulled out of her bag. ‘Dane’s right, you mustn’t stay.’ His face looked as flushed as his brother’s – did he have a temperature too? ‘You can’t afford to get sick as well,’ he croaked. ‘There’ll be no one left to cover for us at work if you are.’

‘Aye,’ Ella said as she shut the front door before leaning against it as doubts nagged at her and she fought them. ‘I’ll go in a minute – can I heat up this first and bring it to you in bed?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Dane shot back, glancing at his brother. ‘Don’t worry, we can look after ourselves. We’ve got everything we need, especially now you’ve brought food.’

He put his hand over his mouth and began to cough. Great hacking whoops that took a few minutes to subside. ‘Sorry,’ he rasped once they were under control. ‘I really think you should go. But thanks so much for lunch – and for covering for us again. You really are a lifesaver, sis.’ Ella felt a twinge of guilt at her stepbrother’s kind words.

Clyde nodded and grabbed the pots from her hands before she could stop him. ‘Let me put this in the kitchen and we’ll heat it up later. I’m not very hungry at the moment and I’m beginning to feel really tired.’ He yawned and rubbed a fingertip on his temple. ‘This headache is killing me,’ Clyde complained. ‘I’m guessing you’ve got places to be.’ He disappeared from the hallway into the kitchen.

‘Are you sure?’ Ella asked.

Dane began to cough again and then pointed towards the door. ‘Don’t worry about us. We’re going back to bed now. I’m sure more sleep will do us good. We should be back at work in a few days.’

‘A few days…’ Ella echoed as her temples began to throb. ‘What about the pantomime rehearsals tomorrow?’

‘We’ll definitely try to be there,’ Clyde shouted from the kitchen.

Ella nodded as Dane barged past and opened the door before practically shoving Wyatt onto the porch. Ella followed, but when she turned to say goodbye, the door slammed in her face. Then she heard the click of a lock and slide of a bolt, and frowned all the way back to her van.