Page 17 of Savage Elites

“I avoid them when I can.”

“Oh.” My brows drew together. On the surface, it sounded callous, considering Sebastian had lost all but one family member to a plane crash, and I’d lost Mom and Dad to a car accident and Ashley to betrayal.

Leopold kept his gaze on my feet, seeming to focus on his task. When he glanced up and met my eyes, a frustrated breath huffed out of his nostrils. “You probably think I should be grateful to have parents, but my family situation what anyone would call loving or traditional.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

The door opened, bringing in a gust of cold air, and Sebastian walked in with the middle-aged man. Both held huge boxes. I cringed at the thought of them walking up icy tree trunks with heavy items.

Leopold raised my feet off his lap and stood. “Do we have the right kind of spirit this year to set the Christmas pudding alight?”

A feminine giggle made me glance at the doorway. The middle-aged woman clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Mr. Brunswick! What you need to do is get the spirit good and hot, then you set it alight.”

“So you pour flaming spirits on the pudding, then?”

“Yes, sir. Remember that this year, or you’ll have to do with mince pies and custard again.”

“That’s where you went wrong,” muttered Sebastian.

“I’ve brought whiskey and brandy from the cellar along with a selection of red and white wines. Is there anything else you need?”

Shaking his head, Leopold pulled an envelope from the back of his pocket and handed it to the woman. “Thank you, Matilda. Merry Christmas.”

A flush colored her cheeks, and she slipped the envelope in the pocket of her coat. “Thank you, sir.”

After they left, Leopold explained that Hessington House was one of the Brunswick Bank’s corporate homes, which served as a base when the Board of Directors held meetings in the north of England. When I asked why he preferred the hideout to a palatial house, he just smiled and muttered something about enjoying his freedom while he could.

On Christmas Eve, we awoke to dense snow surrounding the treehouse. Leopold finally showed me the staircase at the back of the verandah, and we all went out to build a snowman.

As we packed the snow into large balls and rolled them around the ground to increase their size, it struck me that this was the happiest I’d been since Mom and Dad had died. A lump formed in my throat. This was probably my happiest moment since Mom had told us about her breast cancer diagnosis.

I glanced across the clearing at Leopold and Sebastian, my chest tightening with guilt. Did I deserve to laugh and smile my way through my first Christmas without my family? In all my time at the hideout, I’d only given Uncle Trevor, Aunt Hortense, and my little cousins fleeting thoughts. And I hadn’t spared a single consideration for Ashley.

“What’s wrong?” Leopold placed his arms around my back.

Sebastian turned from his giant snowman and frowned. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, but he didn’t speak. Perhaps he already knew what I was thinking after having experienced many Christmases without his family.

I rubbed my head. “Sorry for worrying you both. My aunt and uncle are probably wondering where I am.”

Sebastian’s features relaxed. “I can drive you to their place if you like.”

“Thanks.”

We put the snowman on hold, piled into Sebastian’s jeep and made a two-and-a-half-hour trip through the snow-covered mountains to Uncle Trevor’s apartment.

Aunt Hortense opened the door, bringing with her the sound of children screaming over a blaring television. Her face twisted with displeasure, and she placed a hand over the back of the newborn on her shoulder. “Trevor’s out, buying powdered milk.”

“Oh.” I glanced into the apartment’s interior. “When will he be back?”

“Not for a while.” Her gaze darted from Leopold, who stood at my right, to Sebastian, who stood on my other side. “I can’t let you in.”

“Come on.” Leopold placed an arm over my shoulder. “We can wait for him in the jeep.”

As we stepped out into the street, snow fell in thick flakes, making my stomach twist. The longer we waited, the more treacherous our journey back to the hideout would become.

I looped my arm through Leopold’s and Sebastian’s. “We’d better set off. I’ll speak to him another time.”

“Are you sure?” asked Leopold.