Page 26 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

Having been given the worst possible start in life, he had been passed from family to family in the endless foster system. Nobody had wanted him. He had been a difficult child full of pain and anger.

Eventually, by some miracle, a nice, older couple had given him a permanent home. But nothing was permanent. Not for Jack. Perhaps they still regretted letting him into their lives. He was sure they did. The three of them didn’t belong together. Maybe they didn’t really want him after all.

What they had given him, though, was a decent education. That, along with his own self-reliance, had given him the starting point to the success he was enjoying. He had done all this on his own merits. He didn’t need anyone alongside him to help.

He was now richer than he had ever imagined. He would never know hunger or be homeless again.

He looked down at the parched ground on the opposite side of the wide river, where a family was walking their dog along the tow path.

Some things just weren’t meant to be. He would never have a family of his own. Would never love anyone with that all-encompassing happiness. It just wasn’t in his DNA.

For some reason, he thought of Willow Tree Hall. His mind had been straying there ever since he had met with Sam. Everything had changed for Sam and Will. Both brothers were happily married, settled and content.

He felt a pang of envy. He didn’t know why. That wasn’t what he craved. He had his security, his money. What did he need anyone else in his life for? He never worried about that kind of stuff. He must just be tired.

He thought again about Lily. She had been on his mind as well, ever since he had bumped into her at the Hall. But she wasn’t the wild, exuberant teenager he had known any more. He grunted in grim humour at how the passing years had turned her almost into as much of a closed book as he was.

The chances were that he wouldn’t see her again. The business proposal had been turned down and that was that – though Eric didn’t seem to think so.

Jack had met with Eric that morning, feeling something akin to trepidation. His boss wasn’t a man used to being turned down, and yet that was exactly what the Harris family had done.

He had remained silent as Eric read his report, a frown appearing on his forehead.

Finally, he’d pushed the papers to one side of his desk. ‘Well, that delays our plans, but hopefully only for a short while.’

Jack had felt confused. ‘You realise that the family will not budge. Willow Tree Hall isn’t for sale.’

‘Everyone has their price.’

The words hung in the air but Eric didn’t give any further information.

He’d used dubious methods in the past to get the land and properties that he desired, but the Harris family wouldn’t sell. Jack was certain of that.

So why was he so worried about Willow Tree Hall? And why did he find himself feeling a slight shiver despite the heat of the evening sun?

11

Having spent most of her first day touring the ground floor of Willow Tree Hall and gossiping with Annie and Rose, Lily was determined to get a better grip on her new job when she returned the following day.

As she was yet to see the bedrooms, Annie took Lily up the huge sweeping staircase in the entrance hall. The deep red wall showed off the large paintings of the previous earls and their families that lined their progress.

‘It’s such a beautiful room,’ said Lily, both admiring the huge crystal chandelier sparkling above them and wondering how on earth it could be cleaned. She made a swift note on her phone to find out.

‘Isn’t it?’ said Annie, smiling. ‘It’s so hard to even remember how awful it was before we started to renovate the place.’

‘Was it that bad?’ asked Lily.

Annie’s smile dropped. ‘Terrible. We nearly lost the whole place, but thankfully it was saved. Now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.’

At the top of the stairs, there was a beamed gallery that overlooked the entrance hall below.

‘That’s the west wing bedrooms,’ said Annie, heading towards the corridor. ‘Rose’s and Arthur’s bedroom suites are down here, so I’ll show you theirs first.’

‘How many bedrooms are there?’ asked Lily.

‘Ten,’ Annie told her. ‘There’s three bathrooms this way, two en suite. And another three bathrooms in the east wing.’

‘That’s a lot of sinks to wipe down,’ said Lily, thinking of how much work there was to be done as she typed the numbers into her phone.