Tis The Season for Secrets (Village of Yule #2)

15. Juliet

“ J uliet?” Victor said softly. “We’re here.”

Lifting her head from the black leather backseat, Juliet squinted in the sunlight flooding through the tinted windows. When he’d picked her up outside her apartment building, it had still been dark. The pothole-free streets had made for a smooth ride and her nerves had settled after some sleep, but her body ached from curling up in an uncomfortable position.

It was too quiet this far from the city; the small, exclusive town of Hartdale might only be an hour away from the bustle of New York, but it felt like another world of perfectly manicured trees and litter-free sidewalks. Not even animals dared to make a mess on these streets. The Frost estate was vast, but just one of many in the area. The bigger the estate, the more privacy– not that there was such a thing in a small town of busy-bodies with too much money and time on their hands.

“Stop the car!” she blurted out.

Puzzled, Victor braked, and Juliet scrambled out before he’d come to a full stop outside the large gates of the Frost estate. She nearly slipped on the path up to the gate – trainers and ice were never a good combination. However, all she could focus on was the sigil, half concealed by snowy vines, that she’d never taken the time to notice before in the metal. Like a woman possessed, she ripped away the greenery to reveal delicate iron snowflakes around the central F . Wide-eyed, she clenched her fists to prevent an outburst. The sigil on the chest, the sigil on the gate– they were the same. Her gut twisted at yet another confirmation.

“What are you doing?” Victor snapped, climbing out the car. He grabbed her wrists to make sure she wasn’t injured. “You’re lucky you didn’t cut yourself; that gate is old and rusty!” He sighed, releasing her once he saw that she was unharmed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Juliet said meekly.

He watched her with troubled eyes. “Is there something going on I need to know about? You aren’t yourself, and it’s not like you to come home early for Christmas. Your dad’s not coming home until Monday,” he told her, his brows pulled tight together. She was almost disappointed her dad wouldn’t be home to confront, but him not being home gave her two days to discover what secrets he was hiding in the expensively decorated rooms.

She hated to worry Victor, but as he looked to the sigil and back at her, she suddenly wondered if he knew. He had served the Frost family for as long as she could remember. She took a step back, unsure of who to trust. He’d practically raised her, and somehow the thought of him lying to her hurt far more than her dad’s betrayal.

“I need some air; feeling a little car-sick. I’ll walk up to the house,” she said.

“It’s freezing,” he protested, pointing to the snow-lined driveway. “Please let me drive you the rest of the way.”

Juliet barely heard him as she stared down the long gravel drive. Frost House looked exactly the same: four stories, long draughty windows.

“Some air after the long drive will do me good.” She forced a smile.

Victor didn’t push the issue. He drove ahead with her bags while she admired the old home, crowded with more rooms than anyone could possibly have use for. Then again, they’d been pretty useful when it came to hiding from her grandfather. He had never liked having her in the house, preferring that she kept to the groundskeeper’s cottage, except for dinner or social events, when her attendance had been mandatory. Still, she’d often snuck into his library to hide in the window seat, concealed by the burgundy curtains – she’d learned from a young age to make herself invisible. With his back to the window, Frost Sr. had never even noticed her hiding while he worked at his desk.

Walking up the icy driveway, she struggled not to slip once or twice, but the fresh air helped settle her stomach, and she started to feel like she could face being home. She startled when the perfectly varnished black front door opened before she even knocked.

“Mr Frost said you were coming on Monday! Victor called from the car; this is such a lovely surprise!” Diana beamed. “Beth is so excited to see you.” She hugged Juliet, practically strangling the life out of her.

“Di, I love you, but you’re crushing me,” she grunted, though she didn’t really mind. Diana, who had married Victor when Juliet was eight, was like the mom she’d never had. They’d all lived together until she turned fourteen, when her grandfather had decided they should have the gate lodge, while Juliet remained in the cottage by the gardens, as if he’d rather she live alone than with the ‘help’. Victor oversaw security and the grounds, while Diana was the chef and housekeeper. They’d both been hired by her grandfather. She wondered again if they knew about the Frost secret.

“Come in, come in, what are you thinking standing out there in the cold? Victor already arrived with your bags.” Diana ushered Juliet inside, as the tips of her fingers were as red as Rudolph’s nose. The delicious warmth of the house was a sharp contrast to the crisp air outside. Her bags sat by the staircase, which was decorated with wreaths and fairy lights.

“Just wanted to stretch after the long drive.”

“I’m not surprised – Victor said you slept most of the way. I was going to put a tree up in your cottage and everything!”

“We can get one together! It’s been too long since we did anything together.” Juliet remembered how Diana used to take her to the Christmas tree farm a few miles from the estate, and Victor would cut down the smallest one to fit in her cottage. Christmas was Diana’s favourite season, and the house screamed it as they walked through the hall; even the rug had been changed from her stepmother’s signature beige to a ruby red.

“Beth is in the kitchen making Christmas cookies,” said Diana, explaining the flour-caked apron, her smile deepening the creases around her eyes. Neither of the Frost daughters were gifted in the kitchen, no matter how hard Diana had tried to teach them. Then again, Juliet was sure Gillian didn’t even know how to turn on the oven.

“I didn’t know Beth would be home. I thought Dad mentioned she was skiing with friends for the holidays?” She was glad her lie to Margot had turned out to be true; she hadn’t seen her thirteen-year-old sister in a year.

“The trip was delayed – the resort closed due to severe weather.” Diana glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wouldn’t be overheard before adding, “The lady of the house wasn’t all too pleased, but we’re keeping her busy.” Gillian didn’t like to parent anyone, not even her own child, especially when that child had been a surprise.

“Where is the lady of the manor? Charity brunch or shopping?” Juliet shook away the thought that maybe her sister was better off this way and took the arm of the short, stout woman who had more heart than anyone she’d ever met.

“Neither – volunteering at the library. They have a Santa giving away books, and she’s helping to put together the stockings,” Diana said, smirking at Juliet’s clear shock.

“My stepmother? Mrs Frost? Is stocking-stuffing at the library?” Juliet stopped in her tracks as they reached the open-plan kitchen. “What’s she stuffing them with? She knows children can’t have Xanax and red wine, right?”

“Don’t be unkind; Mrs Frost has been getting into the holiday spirit.” Diana nudged her. “She even let Beth help decorate the tree in the main room.”

Juliet shook her head. “No way! She let someone touch the tree, the focal point of the season?! Have you been putting something in her smoothies?”

Diana tutted. “Mrs Frost is trying; don’t be unkind. She’s missed Beth. Her being away at school can be hard on her.”

Diana had a terrible habit of seeing the best in people. Juliet would never speak ill of her stepmother to Beth, but she had trouble believing that the woman who’d cast a pre-teen out of her home had suddenly found a kind streak.

“What’s the angle?” She narrowed her gaze, not wanting her sister to hear her talking poorly of their ‘mom’.

“No angle. The library in town was struggling. Mrs Frost bought it from the city council and added a bookstore, so you can buy or rent a book, and a small coffeeshop.”

It was a great idea, but books weren’t exactly Gillian’s thing. She used to scold me for always having my nose in a book, and now she’s managing a bookstore? This was almost as strange as learning a magical village existed. Oh well, if her stepmother was out of the house, Juliet had more time and freedom to snoop.

“Look who’s here!” Diana called.

Beth sat cross-legged on the counter, covered in icing sugar, decorating cookies with various shades of green and red icing. Her head snapped up, and Juliet smirked when she saw the gold sprinkles tangled in her dark plaits.

“Excuse me, but have you seen my sister?” she asked, making a show of looking around the kitchen.

“Very funny, J! ” Beth jumped off the counter, and Juliet couldn’t believe how tall she was. There was no way the little girl she’d seen last was now wearing eyeliner and almost the same height as her.

“No, no, you’re far too tall and grown up to be my Beth.” Juliet shook her head and winked at Diana, who was cleaning up some of the mess on the counter while the youngest Frost was distracted.

Beth groaned, wrapping her arms around Juliet. “It’s me! Stop messing, or I won’t give you any cookies.”

“Let me get a good look at you.” Juliet leaned out of her tight embrace, staring into her familiar brown eyes. “We do have the same eyes.”

“I’m not playing this game with you.” Beth released her. “We’re making your favourite gingerbread cookies!”

Juliet wondered if they were edible. “You must be my sister– only she would know my favourite Christmas treat. However, I forbid you from growing anymore. You’ll be taller than me soon,” she teased, regretting how long it’d been.

“That wouldn’t be too hard.” Will Duncan stepped out from the pantry with a bag of icing sugar. “We thought you wouldn’t arrive until Monday.”

He acted like him being here was completely normal. What the hell?

Slack-jawed, Juliet tried to find her words. Even if they’d left each other on good terms, she wasn’t sure how many more surprises her heart could take. Given the snowman apron he was wearing, he’d been here a while. From the flour on his cheek and food colouring stains on his hands, he’d been enlisted as Beth’s assistant in the baking.

Juliet shook away the thought; cookies were the last thing she was concerned about. When had he arrived, and why the hell was he here? How’d he know I’d come here?

“I couldn’t wait to see my sister. Why are you here?” She hadn’t meant to snap, but if he was here, she wouldn’t be able to snoop without his interfering. Is it to stop me from confronting my dad?

Diana frowned as the two stared at each other. “Mr Duncan is our guest for the holidays. Please remember your manners!”

“Sorry, tone delivery problem,” Juliet said. “I just wasn’t expecting him to be here.”

“Mr Frost said you two were already acquainted; he’s staying in the guest wing,” Diana explained, clearly delighted to have a helpful, handsome guest. “He only arrived last night.”

“Yeah, we’ve met… but surely you have your own plans for the holidays?” Arrived last night? Was it his plan to come here all along ? She remembered his questions about her Christmas plans that first night in the hotel.

“I’d say we’re more than acquaintances.” His eyebrow arched playfully. Juliet gritted her teeth at the insinuation. “Mr Frost kindly invited me to stay when I informed him I’d be stuck in the city, working over the holidays.”

Juliet narrowed her eyes. She knew what he was working on over the holidays – her. She was his mission, and that damn chest he’d brought into her life. I can’t believe Dad would welcome a stranger into the house in the hopes of working with him! If he knew who Will truly was, he wouldn’t have got past the gate.

“I should get my bags to the cottage, settle in,” she said, suddenly finding the kitchen suffocating despite it being nearly the size of her entire apartment.

“Let me give you a hand,” Will offered, removing his apron. He clearly didn’t plan on letting her escape.

“Fine.” She wanted to talk to him alone anyway.

“Same!” Beth chimed in, eyeing the pair as though she was enjoying the show.

“You need to help Di clean up this mess. While you finish, I’ll unpack and then we can watch a Christmas movie in the cinema room – your choice,” Juliet suggested. She couldn’t let Beth find out about Yule; she was too young to handle such truths.

“Muppets’ Christmas Carol?” Beth didn’t hesitate. They’d watched it every Christmas they’d spent together, while hiding from the Annual Frost Christmas Eve party.

“Absolutely!” Juliet agreed. Beth hurried back to the counter, picking up the bag of frosting to finish the cookies.

“We aired out the cottage and I’ve lit the fire, but it’ll need time to warm up,” Diana called after her. “Are you sure you don’t need a hand? I can call Victor?”

“We’ll be fine,” Will interjected. Clearly, he wanted to talk too.