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“Oh — right, sorry,” Lucie replied, biting her lip to stop herself from pointing out how absurd it sounded.

Hannah walked away, leaving Lucie to shift into elf mode. She let the Christmas music, the lights, and the sight of Father Christmas dispensing festive cheer wash over her as Nathan coaxed another family into position on the sleigh for their photograph. Gradually, the noise and movement of the grotto steadied her into something closer to work mode.

But Rose wouldn’t leave her thoughts. Two days she’d found her wandering with no idea where she should be. Then there was Frances shutting her down like it wasn’t something that needed attention. Lucie couldn’t let that sit, even if she told herself she had no way of fixing it, and Frances had already made it very clear she wouldn’t tolerate interference.

CHAPTER 7

Lucie weaved through the crowds of visitors in the Icelandic Christmas stateroom. Despite the warmth of the room, its bright-white décor carried a faint, artificial chill that always made her shiver when she passed through it.

It was a particularly cold day, and she would have given anything to be working indoors, but Hannah had assigned her to the stable courtyard and surrounding area. That meant the smell of the food vans would linger in the air all evening. At least she’d be able to keep an eye on the queue at the hog roast van and slip away for a pork bap during her break. She’d also be able to warm up in the café. It stopped serving at five, but it remained open for people to shelter in and eat their food from the vans outside.

“Lucie?” a voice called out from above as she reached the grand staircase.

She looked up to see Mara descending the last few steps.

“Oh, hi.”

“How have you enjoyed your first week?”

“I’ve loved it,” Lucie replied. “There’s a great atmosphere about the place.”

Mara nodded. “It’s one of the things I love most about working here.”

“How long have you been here?”

Mara ran a finger through her short, dark curls, scratching at her head as she thought. “Over fifteen years by now.”

“Wow.”

“I only started on a temporary contract like you. I worked my way up from customer service assistant to managing director.”

Lucie wondered if this might be an opportunity for some more fact-finding.

“The family seems nice. I met Rose...” She hesitated, aware that first names might be a bit informal. Was Rose’s surname Delaney, too? If Frances had married, she’d use a different surname. “Delaney,” she added cautiously.

“Yes. A wonderful woman,” Mara said. “She was a great CEO for many decades. Her daughter, Frances, runs the hall now, and I took over her role last year.” She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward a fraction. “I haven’t seen much of Rose in a while. How was she?”

Mindful Frances had asked — no, warned — her to mind her own business, she kept her reply vague. “Well, I’ve just met her, so... it’s hard to say.”

“Can I ask where you saw her?”

“Oh, erm...” Lucie hesitated. It was an odd question. She glanced around and then said, “Here, actually.”

Hoping it was enough of an answer, as she was feeling like she’d already said too much, she glanced at her watch.

Mara stepped back. “Don’t let me hold you up. I don’t want to make you late for your shift.”

“Thanks, it was nice to see you,” Lucie replied. As she rushed off, she processed the fact that Frances was very likely unmarried if she still had her maiden name. Not that all women changed them when they married, but living with her mum was a good sign to the contrary.

Realising she could take a sneaky shortcut through Holly Court as she had done the other day with Rose, Lucie changed direction. Although she’d been told it was closed to everyone but residents, it would shave a couple of minutes off her route.

She tentatively opened the door and scanned the courtyard in the darkness. It was clear, except for a high-pitched beeping sound like an alarm. Letting the door shut behind her, she walked around, trying to work out where the sound was coming from. It soon became obvious as the door to Frances’s house opened and someone stepped out. The outside light came on, illuminating Rose’s frail frame.

Lucie ran to her.

“Rose, are you okay?”

“Oh... oh,” Rose murmured, one hand over her mouth, the other tightly wrapped around her small, trembling body.