The Christmas Letter: Curl up with the most uplifting and heartwarming festive romance of 2023 by Emily Stone

Author:Emily Stone [Stone, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2023-08-02T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Holly led him back the way they’d come and through the glass building again, but instead of heading towards the car, she led him onto a tarmac path on a perfectly mown, seemingly endless lawn, a line of trees running along each side – a mix of horse chestnuts, oaks and London planes, their leaves that brilliant early summer green. Jack didn’t have to turn to look at the castle behind him – he could feel the presence of it, like it was alive, watching everyone.

‘I think I remember reading about this. This is the Long Walk, right?’ Holly nodded. ‘So I’m pretty sure they replanted these – the trees, I mean. They used to be elms until the Dutch elm disease in 1980. Which means the trees are only around forty years old.’

‘Only?’

Jack shrugged. ‘Not a long life, for a tree – they’ll be here standing long after us, if no one tears them down.’

They kept walking. The sun was getting lower now, turning the sky a faint pink.

‘Why didn’t you pursue it?’

He glanced down at Holly. ‘Huh?’

‘Gardening. Or landscape gardening, whatever. Why didn’t you ever try to do it as a job?’

‘Well, it’s not that easy a career path. Hard to get into it, hard to make money. Not very . . .’ – he waved a hand in the air, looking for the right word – ‘secure, I suppose.’

‘But if you love it, then isn’t it worth it?’

Jack looked at her pointedly. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’

‘What do you mean?’ But she said it too quickly, and looked away, straight up through the trees, along the long, straight path.

‘You love art – why did you give it up?’

She said nothing for so long, he didn’t think she was going to answer. When she did speak, her voice was so low, he had to strain to hear it. ‘I was in a car crash. Three years ago.’

He sucked in a breath.

She continued, still staring straight ahead. ‘It wasn’t half an hour after we bumped into one another. It’s why I never called – I meant what I said, I did lose the cup with your number on it.’

He was staring at her now, he realised – but she wouldn’t look back at him.

‘My sister was in the car,’ she whispered. ‘She was pregnant, I don’t know if you remember?’ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘Anyway, I was driving.’

His heart stuttered.

‘I got distracted by my phone, and another car came straight at us. I braked, but not in time, so we crashed. And my sister miscarried.’

‘I . . .’ But his throat felt thick, and he had to swallow. ‘Jesus, Holly, I’m so sorry.’

‘She hasn’t spoken to me since that day.’ Her tone was even, but her face was pale and she was staring hard at the concrete in front of her. ‘My sister. Because she blames me.’ Holly came to a stop, turned to face him, and lifted her gaze to his – her green eyes made greener out here.

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