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

26. Will

W ill hadn’t heard from Juliet since he’d dropped her off outside the barber’s yesterday afternoon. Despite having enjoyed his night with Harvey, he couldn’t stop himself from stressing about Juliet when he didn’t hear from her. He’d tried her phone a couple of times and even stopped by the Frost estate this morning, but Diana had told him she wasn’t there. He figured Juliet needed some time and space, and he wanted to give it to her. Thankfully, he had his friends to distract him while he waited for her to reach out.

“Lyla explained everything after you left. You should have been more careful! Though I don’t know why I didn’t suspect something was going on sooner. After that day when Lyla met Juliet, she kept asking about banishments, and if anyone’s punishment had ever been lifted,” Mason said, downing a glass of expensive whiskey.

Will wasn’t sure if the heating in the country club had been turned up or if it was the pressure of the situation that caused him to pull at his stifling collar. He, Mason and Harvey sat around a poker table. They weren’t playing, but the table was far enough down the long lounge that they wouldn’t be disturbed by the other members of the old country club and they could speak freely.

“How did you not suspect she was up to something?” Harvey asked Mason.

“Helping Will smuggle someone into Yule wasn’t the first thing to come to mind, and she told me that she and Kevin were doing some kind of research for a game. Why didn’t you tell me Will was getting wrapped up in this mess?” Mason leaned back in his armchair.

“I like to stay out of Yule-related trouble,” Harvey said, waving it off as though trouble was contagious.

“In Harvey’s defence, I told him not to tell you, and he did warn me not to get involved,” Will admitted as Harvey poured Mason another glass of whiskey. Harvey didn’t drink; he was far too much of a control freak.

“There was no convincing him. He’s been obsessed with her case for months,” he said into his glass of sparkling water.

Will glared at him.

“What? I’m not judging you. You wouldn’t be the first man to forsake the rules for a woman.” Harvey smirked.

“Low blow – and at least Lyla’s my fiancée now,” Mason pointed out. He ran his hand through his ash-blonde hair. “Are you telling us that you’re planning on marrying Juliet? If you were, that would make life a lot easier. We could petition the council to allow her to stay as an individual instead of a member of a banished family.”

Will shook his head, his cheeks burning under their scrutiny. “We’ve known each other for less than a month; I don’t think proposing is the answer. She has enough to think about – I don’t think getting down on one knee would help calm the situation. I don’t want Juliet to feel pressured into being with me to establish her Yule citizenship. If I ask her to marry me, I want to be sure that she’s doing it because she wants to be with me. Anything else wouldn’t be fair to either of us.” He focused on the glass in his hands, relieved he had them to confide in.

“Does Juliet know it was Eloise who approached you? I can’t believe she used her status as Head Guardian to remove a chest! I’m going to have to speak to her about this. I can understand her longing to be reunited with Juliet, but she should’ve come to me before taking such drastic action,” Mason said, shaking his head.

“Yes, Juliet knows about her mum’s involvement. Eloise’s plan was set in motion after your father and the council refused her last petition. I think it was only a few months before he passed, and you’d only just returned to Yule to take over, so Eloise wasn’t sure if you could be trusted to help,” Will said cautiously, not wanting to hurt his friend’s feelings.

“I suppose I don’t blame her. If we weren’t friends, your crime would result in banishment,” Mason said sternly, clearly not happy about the position he and his family had been put in. Still, even if he was on his third drink, Will felt he was taking the news rather well.

“I’m not asking for any special treatment. I had no intention of getting you or Lyla involved, but things didn’t go to plan.”

“As much as I don’t approve of the secrecy, Lyla and I are the least of your concerns. Actually, I think having Juliet to talk to makes her feel more at ease in Yule. I don’t want to banish you or punish Eloise,” Mason said.

Will nodded gratefully, feeling more at ease, but the worry in his friend’s eyes told him the coming days weren’t going to be easy.

“But if the council finds out before we can find a solution, then I might not have a choice. I don’t agree with my father’s decision to deny Eloise’s petition for reunification. However, mine is only one opinion.”

“Find a solution?” Harvey interjected, staring between them like they’d lost their minds. “The solution is to stay away from anything to do with the Frost family. He’s risking his career and everything he’s worked for. Is she really worth all this? I didn’t expect you to be encouraging this, Mason.”

“I’m not encouraging anything, but they’ve gone too far to turn back now. It’s more of a risk to try and hide all that’s happened,” Mason reasoned.

Harvey shrugged. To him, self-preservation outweighed anything else.

“I understand your concern,” Will admitted, “and Juliet understands what’s at risk for all of us. Hell, she worries about us more than herself. I’m the one who got her into all this by agreeing to help Eloise. Bringing her to Yule so soon was my mistake. The first time, when she met Lyla, was an accident. She didn’t know that the Frost bell she found in the chest would bring her to Yule.”

“Surprising that it still worked after so many years. I thought it was decommissioned when the family was banished,” Mason said, frowning. “The bell should’ve been melted down and returned to the Keepers of the Bells to be recrafted. Well, at least we don’t have to worry about Juliet reacting badly when she found all this out. Starting a relationship with a lie doesn’t tend to go well.”

“Regardless of how Juliet and I feel, I only want to ask you to help me do what’s right. I need your help to petition the council. I know you don’t agree with Juliet being separated from her family, and if she has a Klaus on her side, I’m sure the council will listen.” Will turned to Harvey. “You also have connections to those on the council. If you both work your magic, this could go seamlessly. What if this was Margot?”

“Who’s Margot?” Mason grumbled. “Please tell me you haven’t got another Outsider involved in all this!”

“Juliet’s best friend – she doesn’t know anything about Yule,” Harvey said, though his hard stare didn’t leave Will. “She has nothing to do with this, and my interest in her is purely professional. I want her to come and work for my company.”

“Are you trying to convince us, or yourself?” Will quipped, and Mason smirked.

“And you’re sure Juliet hasn’t told her about any of this?” he asked, reaching for his glass. At this rate he’d return to Lyla drunk.

Will side-eyed Harvey. “Not as far as I know,” they said in unison.

Harvey sighed. “If I can’t convince you to give Juliet up, then I’ll talk to some of the more lenient council members on your behalf. I might be able to make a case for her to be allowed into Yule.”

“You mean bribe them?” Mason gave him a suspicious look.

“Do you want my help or not?”

“We do,” Will said quickly before Mason could disagree.

“Given how Eloise has helped train the next generation of guardians without incident, the council may lean in her favour,” Mason said thoughtfully, “but if they find out she stole Yule ancestral property and risked Yule’s safety, all this might be for naught, and Juliet might have her memories of this season wiped from her memory. That would include her relationship with you.”

Will set his jaw. “If it comes to that, then I’ll have to make her fall for me all over again.”

“You might have to decide…” Harvey winced, trailing off.

“It wouldn’t be my home without her,” Will told him, and Harvey threw up his hands in defeat.

“You love her.” Mason sighed. “I know the feeling.”

Harvey started to put on his jacket. “Now that we’ve got a plan to convince the council, I might just make my plane.”

“Not so fast– I need you to distract Margot. Juliet might reach out to her,” Will said slyly. Perhaps some matchmaking might make his life a little easier.

“I was going to go skiing in Aspen with some clients. A couple of the council members will be there, if you need me to charm them discreetly,” Harvey said. Since he didn’t return to Yule often, he liked to treat higher-ups in Yules to vacations and lavish gifts to keep his connections fruitful.

“Take Margot with you, but keep her away from the council members,” Mason suggested.

“You expect me to keep her busy and help you with the council?” Harvey asked. “Do you think I’m a miracle worker?!”

“You’ll figure it out,” Mason smirked. “Just make sure you keep her away from your bell – they have a habit of fast-tracking relationships.”

“Unlike you two, I want to be engaged before I bring anyone back to Yule,” Harvey drawled.

“Ironic, considering how much you despise the rules,” Mason teased him.

“I can’t just force her onto a plane without any explanation!” Harvey exclaimed, as if they wanted him to kidnap her.

“What’s the big deal? Take her to your ski resort. Tell her it’s a seasonal perk if she comes to work for you? Make it about business,” Will countered. Harvey had never put this much effort into hiring anyone, so Will was sure that adding her to the company roster was only half of his friend’s plan, even if Harvey didn’t want to admit to his feelings.

Harvey lifted his hands. “Don’t you think she’d be creeped out by a guy she’s just met asking her to travel to another country?”

Will didn’t get a chance to argue; Harvey’s phone buzzed. “Speak of the little devil,” he muttered, pulling it from his pocket.

Mason leaned forward as Harvey read the text with a frown. “Lyla wanted me to give you her number for Juliet in case she needs anything. I’ll text it to you. She knows how hard it can be to adjust to Yule, and she wants to help in any way she can.”

“Thank her for me– Juliet will appreciate it. It’s a relief to know she has someone she can call a friend in Yule.”

“She has more than just Lyla. Kevin and Mum want to have you both over for Christmas dinner,” Mason chuckled, slapping Will on the arm. “Let’s just make sure we don’t all end up banished first.”

Will nodded. “We just have to make it to Christmas. I’m worried about her meeting with her dad; I hope she didn’t reveal too much. I doubt he’ll look kindly on her mum reaching out after all this time.” Frost wasn’t the type to be happy for someone else’s gain, not if he wasn’t getting anything in return. Despite what could be mended between mother and daughter, the banishment for the rest of the Frost family was permanent.

Harvey caught their attention as he sat up straighter. “Margot’s with Juliet. She says Juliet saw her dad and it didn’t go well. They’ve gone to a bar, but Margot’s worried about her. I think we should head over and check up on them.”

“What bar?”

“Alexandria. She doesn’t know I own the place. I’ll have my staff cut them off, and keep them in the private rooms,” Harvey said, already setting his phone to his ear. “It’s only twenty minutes from here. We can get there before they leave.”

Will pulled on his jacket, apologising to Mason for cutting their evening short, and hoped his nerves didn’t show. Whatever had happened with Mr Frost yesterday, it had been bad enough for Juliet to call on Margot for support and go out drinking. He needed to make sure she was okay. With everything going on, it was a relief to know Margot was with her.