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

24. Juliet

“ W ant me to come in with you?” Will offered, pulling up to the curb outside the barber shop where she was mentally preparing to meet her dad. She figured the unexpected location had been chosen to somehow throw her off-balance.

She wished she’d stayed in Yule with the Klaus family. It had been a sad goodbye, but hopefully it wouldn’t be long before she saw them again. At least the bell travel back to the manor to get Will’s car hadn’t made her nauseous; they couldn’t use the bell to drop her at the meeting, in case her father saw them magically appear. She expected he was going to scold her for leaving Beth at the estate – they been in such a hurry that she hadn’t had a chance to tell Beth and Diana they were back. Then again, given how Will had disappeared with her, her dad might be preparing for wedding bells. Either way, the lump in her throat was making it rather hard to breathe.

“No, I’ve got to do this alone. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She leaned across to kiss him. In that split second, she just wanted to get back into the car and tell Will to drive and never stop until they reached the edge of the world, where their names and past didn’t mean a thing. However, as he rested his hand on her cheek, she knew it was time to face reality. “Thank you for dropping me off. Now go have fun with your friends. You need a day or two away from all my drama.”

Will rolled his eyes. “I’m to blame for your drama, and if you need me I’m only meeting Harvey. Mason is joining us tomorrow night, since Harvey won’t go to Yule. Harvey will probably talk about Margot refusing to work with him, and Mason won’t shut up about wedding plans. I’d much rather spend the time with you.”

Juliet felt the same, but she didn’t know how this meeting would go. It wasn’t like her dad to talk about private matters in public, and away from the estate meant he didn’t want anyone there to hear them. “One night won’t kill us. Hopefully the time will fly by. The next time I see you, we can snuggle up. You still haven’t seen The Grinch, which is a sin in my eyes.”

“Because it’s a little too close to home,” Will chuckled. “But I give in. We can watch a movie about a hairy green guy. Whatever gets you going.”

Juliet swatted him playfully as he brushed his stubble against her cheek. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and though the Grinch did nothing for her, she liked Will’s rugged look.

“Go!” She scampered out of the car before she changed her mind.

He rolled down the window as she closed the door. “I’ll have my phone with me; call me if you want me to pick you up. For anything.” His tone had turned serious, reminding her of what she was walking into.

“Yes, sir,” she mocked, and he pulled away from the curb. Even if she was teasing, she kept her phone tucked in her back pocket in case she wanted a quick getaway.

Heading into the shop and down a long, narrow staircase, she eyed the dark green wallpaper lined with images of all the prestigious men who’d patronised the business over the years. The photos spanned from black and white to colour, a reminder to those who entered of how long the men’s-only establishment had been open. Windsor Barbers reeked of expensive cologne and shampoo, and its interior still looked like it belonged in the 1940s, with its worn brown leather chairs and varnished counters. The waiting area sat empty; it wasn’t the type of place patrons were left waiting.

Juliet’s father’s reflection greeted her in the long mirror as the barber finished wiping away the remaining shaving cream from his cutthroat shave. The rest of the chairs were empty, and she guessed he’d bought out the place for this conversation.

“Prompt as always, chickpea. Please take a seat.”

The immaculate barber stepped away from Mr Frost and swivelled the brown leather chair beside him so she could sit facing her dad. She sat down and thanked the elderly barber, who just blanked her.

“I’m surprised you wanted to meet here. I thought there was some kind of emergency.” No point in wasting time on small talk.

“I wouldn’t say ‘emergency’, but there is an urgent matter I wish to discuss,” he said, looking to the moustached barber in the mirror and dismissing him with a curt nod. Without a word, the man disappeared through a door at the end of the row of chairs.

“First, I want to know about what happened between you and my mom,” Juliet said, wanting some answers before he got a chance to distract her.

“Why the sudden interest?” His eyes narrowed, and he crossed his legs. “What exactly do you want to know?”

Juliet didn’t know what to say; she’d expected to be shut down. He never spoke about her mom, and asking usually resulted in a punishment. Suspicion crept up the back of her neck. Why was he letting her ask now?

Her father lifted an expresso cup to his lips and took a sip, leaning back in his chair. His calm demeanour made her sweat. “Did you think I’d be surprised by your questions? I thought this might happen, and it brings me back to my own subject. I was going to ask you, have you met her yet?”

Juliet’s jaw dropped, and her blood ran cold. She should’ve known better than to think anything she’d done recently could’ve escaped his watchful eyes.

“I’ll take your silence as a no.” He sighed. “Maybe I should’ve started with an easier question. How was your trip to the North Pole? Yule is lovely this time of year, or so I hear.” Smugly, he wiped the last trace of shaving cream from his jaw.

Juliet tried to put aside her anger and focus on getting through to the man who’d written her mom such a beautiful love letter. She sat forward in her chair, trying to bridge the gap between them.

“Dad, why did you keep the truth from me? Why not tell me about you and Mom, about where we’re truly from? I would’ve understood how hard it was for you to lose her, and what Grandfather did to separate you,” she said, hoping, wishing they could find some common ground. That the truth might be able to mend their relationship.

Her father sighed. “What your grandfather did was make me see sense. He was right to report us to the Council of Yule. Look at all that I’ve built– what our family has built in spite of our banishment. If I’d given it all up to be with Eloise, who knows where we would have ended up?”

“You can’t mean that.” He acted like their relationship had meant nothing to him, but she’d seen his letter. “You loved Mom, and you wanted to be with her, but Grandfather had you separated.”

He rolled his eyes. “I should be mad at you for breaking into my safe and going through my personal things. However, like my love affair with your mom, I chalk it up to youthful exuberance. Our love was a mistake. I’m sure she’d say the same. Last I heard, she’s Head Guardian.”

Juliet didn’t know how to respond. Hearing that the love which had brought her into the world was a mistake felt like taking a steak knife to the heart. She didn’t know why she’d been expecting another answer. She should’ve known better.

“I couldn’t believe she dared to reach out to my mother in her old age. Your grandmother always had a soft spot for her and our situation, but to smuggle you the Frost chest is a crime far worse than any love affair,” Mr Frost went on, shaking his head, and she realised he’d known about the chest all along.

Has he found the chest? And the bell? No, if he had surely he would’ve used it. “How did you know she reached out to Nana Rose? Did Nana tell you?”

“She didn’t say a word, but do you think I’m a fool? Just because our family was cast out doesn’t mean I’m clueless. I know about legacy laws. The moment you turned twenty-six, I knew your mom might try and contact you. Even back then, she reached out to your grandfather to steal you away from us. She didn’t want me, or to be a family. She only wanted you.”

His bitter words turned the knife, but they also clarified his feelings. He was upset because Eloise had left him, but still wanted Juliet. This explained why he’d never cared for her, because her mom’s love for her was greater than her love for him. She could see how that could turn to bitterness and anger over the decades, even if he had loved and waited for her at first.

“How could you know about the chest?”

“Just because we were cast out long ago doesn’t mean people don’t remember our family. The moment Eloise took that chest, I was informed. I knew there was only one person who would get it to you, your grandmother, and I knew the plan was in motion the moment I saw Will at the gala.” He smiled. “Your boyfriend should’ve known better than to wear the Yule sigil on his cufflinks that night. The way he went after you that night when you said you were unwell – God, the man has it bad. I think our family has a talent for attracting tragic love stories.”

Juliet’s mouth felt like it was full of sand. Her limbs were heavy with anxiety. “You knew my desire for answers would lure me home, and you wanted me to bring you the chest.” If he was having this conversation with her, he hadn’t found her secret hiding place in the floorboards. “Why do you need it? You already have evidence of its existence in your safe.” She raised an eyebrow, and his stoicism wavered at the reminder that the safe’s code was related to her mother, a woman he claimed to no longer love.

“I don’t need evidence, I just want the Frost bell. We wouldn’t have to go through all this if you’d just come to me with the chest in the first place. I didn’t expect you to be clever enough not to bring it home – though it does hurt that you picked a stranger over your own father,” he sneered, oblivious to the fact that if he’d searched hard enough, he’d have discovered it was right beneath his feet. But how was he to know the secrets of her home?

“Is that why you’ve wanted to keep me in the fold for past few years? To keep an eye on me in case the chest turned up? In case Nana went through with her promise to my mom?” she demanded, getting up out of her chair. There was no way in hell he was getting his hands on the chest. She had to get it out of the cottage and back to Yule.

“Enough, Juliet!” His bark froze her. “Bring me the bell, and I won’t report Will and your mother to the council. I’m sure you don’t want to get him in trouble. Beth mentioned how close you’ve become, and how you both disappeared the past few days.”

“Leave Will out of this!” she shot back. “If you try to hurt him in any way, I’ll make sure you never get close to Yule, even if I have to turn myself and the chest in. Lying is pointless. I read your letter to Eloise after your relationship was reported. You begged for her to be with you, but you didn’t have the guts to stand up to your own father.”

They stood face to face, neither backing down.

“I’ll protect Will. Unlike you, who failed to protect Eloise.” Juliet took his letter out of her pocket and crushed it to his chest. Her father’s face fell as he read over the words he’d written twenty-seven years ago. “I wish I could’ve known the man who wrote this letter. He knew how threats can destroy love and families. He’s the father I’d be proud to have, but it’s clear he’s dead.”

His jaw clenched. Juliet turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist painfully.

“Get your hands off me!”

“Bring me the bell, Juliet!” he snarled, balling up the letter in his fist. “By Christmas Eve. I’m giving you plenty of time, so don’t fail me. Or you’ll know exactly how it feels to lose those you love.”

She ripped free of his grasp and headed for the stairs.

“Don’t be stubborn, because it’ll be Will and Eloise who pay,” he called after her.

She couldn’t climb the stairs fast enough. She had until Christmas Eve– that should be plenty of time to return the chest. There was no way she was letting her father get his hands on that bell.