“Yes, my mother and sister always weave the greenery into a star to hang over the fireplace. But Louisa insists it’s crooked. I think it’s fine; it’s a five-pointed star; how can it be crooked?”
He guided them down the hallway toward the drawing room. At the top of the stairs, Olivia paused on the landing. She stepped over to the railing and Max joined her to look down onto the entrance hall. Greenery draped the front doors and wound up the staircase railing. Mr. Galey had hauled two small evergreens from the back terrace to flank the doorway, and Ginny had wrapped the dwarf trees in bright gold ribbon. Overall, he thought it looked quite festive. He leaned close to Olivia. “What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful. And it smells divine in here.”
She smelled divine. A light floral scent filled his nose and made him think of her laid out in a meadow of wildflowers. She would beckon for him to join her, and they would make love under the warm summer sun. Max sucked in a deep breath and stepped back from her intoxicating scent. Olivia turned to face him. He hoped his expression did not give away his lustful thoughts.
“Did you do this all yourself?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, I enlisted the staff. It turns out they are quite efficient.”
“It’s because they do it every year.” She gave a wry twist of her lips. “Except last year, of course.”
He reached for her hand and ran his thumb across the soft skin. “Olivia—”
“No, it’s all right. Yesterday after you left, I quite enjoyed the decorations in the shop. It didn’t make me sad as I thought it would. On the contrary, they raised my spirits.” She lifted her gaze to look at him through her lashes. “Thank you for the gift. They were delicious.”
“You’re welcome.” He tugged her hand. “Let’s go see the drawing room.”
When they entered the drawing room, his sisters were still bickering about the ribbon choices. Ginny felt that gold ribbon should be the theme for the room, but Louisa preferred the red, citing it was more festive. “I have brought a neutral party to help make decisions,” Max announced.
“Excellent!” Ginny held up a gold bow she’d made. “Olivia, don’t you think this gold ribbon is divine?”
Olivia nodded. “It’s very pretty.”
Louisa rushed forward. “Don’t you think that the red ribbon is more Christmas-y?” She held up a length of red velvet ribbon.
Realizing she had stepped into the middle of an argument, Olivia glanced at him. Max held his hands up. “I told them I did not have an opinion about the ribbon.”
Olivia turned her attention back to his sisters. “Well, I think the red and gold complement each other nicely. Why not use them both? We could intertwine the two colors and make a pretty garland or attach the gold bows to the red ribbon and drape it along the top of the big mirror over there.” She gestured across the room.
Ginny and Louisa both nodded. “Yes, you’re right. That could work.”
Max winked at Olivia. “Here, tell me is the star straight? Should one of the points be at the top?” They walked down to the other end of the room where the cavernous fireplace dominated the wall. The girls trailed after them.
“I think that the two points should be at the top. It’s more aesthetically pleasing,” Ginny said.
“I agree,” Louisa said. “But Max is being unreasonable and refuses to change it.”
Olivia stood for several moments in front of the fireplace. Max couldn’t help smile at her serious expression as she contemplated the star. Finally, he gave her shoulder a gentle nudge with his. “Well, what’s the verdict? You decide.”
“I agree with Max. I like the star with the one point on top. It feels more symmetrical.”
“Thank you.” Max leaned over and kissed her cheek before turning to his sisters. “Ha. Go back to your ribbons.”
Both girls folded their arms across their chests, expressions mulish. Olivia bit down on her bottom lip as she faced their disappointed expressions. But Max stood his ground, and his sisters turned away to go make their ribbon garland.
Olivia slid a glance his way, her expression apprehensive.
“Don’t worry about them,” he murmured. “They’ll be fine.” Max walked over to the window, hoping Olivia would follow. The garlands he had hung over each window had holly and rosemary and mistletoe in little bouquets tucked into the greenery. It was festive and sneaky of him, but he planned to steal as many kisses from Olivia’s sweet lips as he could manage. With each kiss, he would convince her to give them a chance. Henry may have stolen her away, but he was gone and damned if Max wouldn’t take this opportunity to win her heart back.
He stared out at the snowy landscape. Olivia came to stand next to him. “What are you looking at?”
“I’ve missed the winter. I didn’t think I ever would, but I admit that I am charmed by the rolling fields covered in white. When we rode the property with Mr. Bromley, I couldn’t help admire the beauty of this landscape.”
“It is, in my opinion, one of the nicest pieces of land in Herefordshire. It’s yours now to care for; its tenants yours as well.”
He turned to face her. “I understand. I promise to be a good keeper of Belhaven.”