Chapter Six
Noelle woke to a buzzing sound and tried to think what it might be. Slowly, it entered her consciousness she was cuddling with someone. Who? Charles….
“Wake up!” She sat up and shook his arm. “I think that’s someone at the door.”
Outside, fluffy whiteness drifted down, and the sun weakly shone through the clouds.
“Impossible,” he muttered, dragging her back against him. “The road is impassible. It snowed during the night.”
She tried again, but he just turned over and she slipped out of his arms and tiptoed to the front window. Somewhat disoriented, it took her a moment to focus on the group of people standing on the porch, clutching Christmas presents and suitcases. A van sat in the circular drive, and a snowplow putted away toward the highway. “Charles, I think you need to come over here. The owner’s family or his friends…a lot of people are here.”
His head poked over the back of the couch, the errant lock of hair hanging into his eyes. “What?”
“Come and see.” Holding the curtain back, she waited until he stumbled to her side. “I was afraid something like this, well, not exactly like this, but something would happen and get you in trouble. What do we do?”
His panicked expression confirmed her worries. “Let them in, I suppose.” Charles started for the door, but she grabbed his hand.
“Should I hide?”
“No,” he said. “But I probably should. Just try not to hate me.”
Puzzled, she followed him but stopped in the archway between the living room and foyer. Why would she hate him?
The instant he pulled the door open, he was engulfed in the crowd. “Charlie,” shouted a young, beautiful woman in her twenties. “We made it.” She hugged him then stepped inside, eyeing Noelle. “I was afraid you were lonely, but looks like we drove all night in the snow for nothing.” Extending her hand, she shook Noelle’s. “Karina, Charlie’s sister. And you are?”
An older woman finished greeting Charles then approached them. “Karina, don’t be rude. I am Helen, Charlie’s mother. We didn’t even know he had a girlfriend, but I’m very glad to meet you and that my son wasn’t alone on Christmas Eve.”
“I’m Noelle,” she replied, growing more confused all the time. “I didn’t realize…that is…Charles?”
He extricated himself from another half dozen cheerful people and came to her side. “Mother, Noelle and I just met. Or I would have told you about her.”
“Well, I hope so. And we don’t have a single gift for her. I hope you spent lavishly, so we aren’t embarrassed.”
“I am afraid not.”
“We will just have to make do.” Helen pointed toward the pile by the door. “Let’s get the presents under the tree and the bags upstairs, and then we can have Christmas breakfast. Come with me, Noelle, and you can tell me all about yourself.”
She looked helplessly over her shoulder, but a growing awareness followed her up the stairs. She didn’t know much about servants, but she knew a chauffeur’s large extended family would not be taking over the main house. Loaded with baggage, she followed the two women up the stairs. “Karina, I borrowed these clothes from the guest room because I had an emergency. It’s a long story.”
The younger woman laughed. “It’s okay, I have plenty of clothes. I’m glad they came in handy. But I do want to hear all the details. Did my brother kidnap you here to his country estate without even a chance to pack a bag? The romantic devil.”
The owner’s sister.
Charles’s sister.
Unless it was some odd case of rich twin poor twin…she’d been misled.
She’d spent the night, not with the chauffeur but with the very wealthy owner of this estate. On her way to confront him, she found Charles in the foyer with the fire chief. Did everyone come here on Christmas?
“We have to talk.”
Nodding, he gave her a very serious look. “I know we do, but first, the chief has something to tell you.”
“Noelle, we found the cause of your fire.”
His grim tone frightened her. “Did I leave a burner on?” Please say no.
“No, nothing so benign as an accident. After Charlie told me about the damaged wall you found, we determined the fire had been set at that point and went door to door. As you can imagine, most of your neighbors were gone for the holiday, but we caught one man just locking up. He reeked of accelerant rather than pepperoni.”