Newborn Under the Christmas Tree

He was his own man. And he wouldn’t turn away a defenceless child the way his family had. Even one that had just thrown up all over his best dinner jacket.

* * *

‘Well, since you have everything under control here, we’ll see you all in the morning,’ Helene said. ‘And I’ll do some digging tonight, see if I can find any leads to Jamie’s mum.’

‘Me too,’ Iona added.

‘Heather, are you okay locking up for the night?’ Alice was normally responsible for clearing out all the rooms, making sure that doors were closed and locked, in a desperate attempt to keep what little heat the castle had inside. But tonight she had bigger priorities—and she wasn’t leaving Jamie alone with Liam. Not because she didn’t trust Liam with the baby—from the way he was cradling him as he fed him, she instinctively knew that Liam would take good care of him. But just because...

Did she have to have a reason? Because if she did, she didn’t want to analyse it too closely.

‘I’ll be fine.’ Heather shot her an unreadable look. ‘Will you?’

Alice glanced away. She hadn’t shared much of her past with her friend—or with anyone at Thornwood—but she’d obviously picked up on a few things. Heather might pretend to be brusque and uncaring, but underneath her tough exterior Alice knew she had more feelings than most people. She just hid them better—the result of a lifetime of protecting herself and her kids, Alice supposed.

‘I’ll be fine,’ Alice lied as she took Jamie back from Liam’s arms. ‘Don’t worry.’

She was worrying enough for both of them.

Heather watched her for a moment longer. And then she nodded.

‘Okay. Helene? Iona? I’ll show you out. Alice, there’s a spare travel cot in the cupboard off the library, I think. I’m sure a famous architect will be able to figure out how to set it up.’

And then, with the swing of the door, she was alone with Jamie.

Well, Jamie and Liam.

‘I don’t need your help,’ she told Liam over Jamie’s sleeping head.

He smiled infuriatingly. ‘Yes, you do.’

‘I have books. And the Internet. I can figure this out.’

‘Which brings me back to why would you want to? Trust me, babies are always easier when you can tag team. And, besides, you don’t know how long it’s going to take to find his mother.’

‘No. I suppose.’ She was out there somewhere, though. Alone, perhaps. And thinking about her son, she was almost certain.

‘So we’ll do it between us,’ Liam said. ‘It’ll be good practice in working together.’

‘Ready for kicking me out of Thornwood?’

‘For finding your perfect place.’

Alice held Jamie closer against her chest as Liam picked up the bags of supplies. ‘First we need to find that travel cot. And somewhere to put it up.’ She hadn’t thought that far ahead. There wasn’t room in her tiny box bedroom for a travel cot—or any of the other junk babies seemed to come with, if the bags Heather and Helene had left were any indication.

Liam shrugged. ‘That part’s easy. We’ll set it up in Rose’s suite. There’s plenty of room up there and we can both sleep near enough to hear his every movement, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

‘Rose’s suite. You mean your room.’ His bedroom, where he slept every night, in his bed.

Alice knew what he was doing. He was taking control of this whole situation, because that was what he did. What he was used to. He’d marched into Thornwood Castle and taken over—holding court during her career sessions, sticking his nose in everywhere, deciding not just the future of the castle but her future, and the future of all the women she helped. He had taken charge of every single thing that happened at Thornwood since he’d arrived.

Well, not this time. Not Jamie.

‘It’s the bedroom that’s best equipped to look after a baby in.’ Liam gave her that look that suggested he thought she was infuriatingly slow. ‘It has the best heating, and there’s a daybed in the lounge area as well as the king-sized bed in the bedroom. There’s even a mini fridge if we need it, and plenty of empty drawers for Jamie’s stuff. It makes sense.’

It makes sense. How many times had she heard that from her husband? Every time she had a suggestion, or a request to do things differently—anything he didn’t agree with—he’d put forward his argument instead, always finishing with ‘it makes sense.’ Dismissing her ideas, her dreams, with just those three words.

Frustration bubbled up inside her just hearing them again. And the very worst part was, this time, Liam was right. It did make sense. She just didn’t want it to.

‘I could set up a camp bed in the library,’ she countered. ‘It’s close to the kitchens, and there’s plenty of space.’

‘And lots of reading material,’ Liam drawled. ‘But if there’s only one camp bed, where am I going to sleep?’

‘In your room. Alone,’ she added, in case there was any confusion.

Jamie shifted in her arms, and she took the opportunity to change position. For such a tiny little thing he was getting kind of heavy.

‘Then how will I help you?’

‘As I said, I don’t need your help.’

‘You say that now. But at two in the morning, when he’s been screaming for an hour or two, you’ll be knocking on my door begging for help.’

‘No. I won’t.’ She sounded like a stubborn toddler and she didn’t care. Jamie was her responsibility, whatever that note said, and she would take care of him. Somehow.

Liam sighed. ‘No, you probably won’t. And that’s the problem.’

‘Why is that a problem? I thought a self-described carefree, fun-loving bachelor would appreciate a full night’s sleep. All the better to get on with his carefree, fun-loving ways.’ Nobody in their right mind would describe Liam Jenkins as the responsible, paternal type. At least, no one who’d met him.

‘I have never used those words to describe myself,’ Liam

said, sounding amused. ‘And I want to because if you spend all night dealing with him then you’ll be a wreck tomorrow. Share the load a little and you might be able to function in the morning. I don’t imagine life at Thornwood Castle will halt just because you took in a waif and stray.’

Damn him, but he had a point. She had three classes planned tomorrow.

‘Plus if the mother shows up, you want to be awake enough to talk with her,’ he added, and Alice gave up the argument.

Well, part of it, anyway.

‘Fine. We’ll set the travel cot up in the lounge area, and I’ll sleep on the daybed. You keep to your usual bed, and I’ll be able to call you if I need you.’

For a moment Liam looked like he was about to argue, but in the end he gave a sharp nod. ‘Fine. I’m a light sleeper. I’ll leave the door open, so I’ll hear him anyway.’

Alice shrugged. ‘Your choice.’

‘A compromise.’ Liam’s mouth twitched up into a lopsided smile. ‘Look at us. Finding a way to compromise. That bodes well for the future.’

‘That or it’s a sign of the apocalypse.’ Alice nudged Jamie’s head into a more comfortable position. ‘Come on. Let’s get this cot set up. This boy is getting heavy.’

* * *

The travel cot had been designed by a masochist, Liam decided. Who else would make it so damn difficult for sleep-deprived new parents to set up somewhere for their baby to sleep? He’d had a full eight hours last night, was only temporarily performing parental duties and had several advanced qualifications in architecture and engineering, and he still couldn’t do it.

No. He would do it. It was just taking a little longer than he’d hoped.

‘Are you still trying to get that thing set up?’

Of course, Alice’s running commentary was definitely helping.

‘Whoever designed this hates me,’ he said, shoving one side down to try and get it to click into place. ‘Like, they have a personal vendetta and they hate me passionately. It’s the only explanation.’