Piper got into the back of a big Range Rover as Stephen loaded her bags into the boot. He came round to make sure she was settled and offered her a thick warm fur-type blanket to put over her legs for the journey. The car was cold, so it was a lovely cosy touch to be able to snuggle under the blanket while the car warmed up.
Stephen got into the driving seat, showing he was clearly more than just the flight attendant.
‘It’s not far, Miss Chesterfield, and I’m sure the fire will already be burning in your lodge when we get there. We’ve had a power cut on some parts of the resort so they might have moved you to a different lodge. We’ll see when we get to the reception.’
Stephen drove the car away from the tiny runway and onto what clearly was supposed to be the main road. Snow had been cleared from the surface and old Victorian-style lamps sent golden puddles of light over the silvery snow either side of the road.
Fir trees shadowed the roadside, their limbs heavy with fresh fallen snow. As they rounded the corner, Piper gasped when she saw the trees suddenly all lit up with twinkling, golden lights. The red and green garlands twisted around each of the lamp posts were also lit up with tiny fairy lights, and coupled with the snow it looked magical.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Piper whispered.
‘I know. Mr… The new owner of the hotel has done a wonderful job.’
Piper frowned slightly at the stumble in the conversation. Who was the owner? Had she seen it in the brochure?
Distracted by the beauty of the place, she reached for her camera but decided against it. The blur of the trees as they sped past wouldn’t make a great photo; she’d walk back down here one night to take some pictures by herself. She would have a better chance of framing the perfect shot if she wasn’t in the car.
The driveway to the hotel twisted down into a valley and for a moment a flash of green lit up the sky beyond the trees before the road dipped down too far for Piper to see it. Piper peered through the trees trying to take it all in. The Christmas trees were still lighting the way, but behind them she saw something move, some kind of animal, a few of them, though she couldn’t make out what they were.
The road curved down to the right and the trees fell away to reveal thirty or forty large wooden lodges. Most of them were in complete darkness, but the ones further back up on the hillside were lit up, welcoming them into the resort.
As the drive curled round again, she saw the old hotel, where she had stayed as a child. Happy memories filled her of her time spent here, playing with Gabe, his sister Neve and sometimes even Luke, Gabe’s grumpy half-brother. The Golden Oak hotel had been a ramshackle old building, with crumbling stone brickwork and a roof that had been half broken and falling quickly into disrepair. Piper and Gabe had shared a room and because it had been so cold and draughty, she’d climbed into his bed and they had cuddled each other to keep warm. At the ages of seven and eight it had been completely innocent, but it was there that she’d had her first kiss. Not a proper one, not like Gabe had kissed her when they were older. He’d just given her a quick kiss on the lips and promised her he would love her forever.
It hadn’t worked out quite like that, though.
The Golden Oak was almost nothing like she remembered. The name was the main thing to change: Stardust Lake Hotel was written in beautiful fairy lights above the door. The building had obviously been extensively repaired and restored to its former glory. The large stone brickwork seemed to gleam in the light from the lamps, the steps had been rebuilt, and the car stopped on a proper paved driveway instead of a mud patch in front of the hotel. It was an impressive building made even more so by the huge gorgeous Christmas trees bedecked in large gold ribbons, lights and red glass baubles standing sentinel on either side of the door. Lights were strewn artistically around each window. Twinkling garlands and red ribbons were wrapped around the bannister that led up the stairs to the main front doors, and candles in brass lanterns stood on either side of the steps. It looked spectacular.
‘The new owner wanted to keep the legacy of the old hotel while adding all the new lodges and improvements. This building now serves as the reception area and a large conservatory has been put on the back for the dining room. All the offices are in here but all the accommodation is in the lodges around the resort,’ Stephen said as Piper pressed her face against the window to look at it.
Stephen chuckled at her reaction and then got out. He went round to the boot to retrieve the bags and then opened the door to help her out.
He offered his arm to escort her up the steps and she took it, though it was very clear that the steps had been cleared of all ice and snow.
The cold wind swirled around them, tiny snowflakes dancing in the air.
Piper stopped as she noticed movement at the corner of the hotel. She glanced over and was surprised to see a small herd of Shetland ponies staring at her, the freezing wind blowing their manes like something from a shampoo commercial. They were so tiny they were comical, but their cold black eyes were almost sinister.
‘Oh they’re so cute. I didn’t realise they would have Shetland ponies here, bit silly really, given their name. Of course they come from here.’
‘They roam wild over the island, Miss Chesterfield. They might look cute, but these ones are quite savage.’
Piper giggled. ‘Savage. They’re tiny ponies.’
Stephen shook his head. ‘Normally the ponies are very docile, but this gang are quite wild. Leo is their ringleader – he is the gold one at the front. I think he thinks the island is his and he has been known to terrorise the villagers and most of the staff here.’
‘Does he bite?’
‘Not yet, just don’t give him the chance.’
With a sinister whinny, Leo gave her an evil glare, tossed his head and turned round and walked away. The other ponies parted to let him through then followed him into the darkness.
Piper stifled a giggle. It was hard to take the prospect of tiny savage ponies seriously.
As Stephen opened the reception door, warmth reached out and seemed to pull them in. Stephen placed her bags by the sofa and went to talk to the receptionist. Piper blinked the snow out of her eyes and looked around.
A log fire was burning away in a giant stone fireplace, warming any visitors who might come in, even though Piper was the only guest. It was reminiscent of a wooden ski lodge inside, with the wooden panelling, leather sofas and bright colourful rugs. The huge Christmas tree twinkled with white fairy lights and red and green tartan bows.
Stephen returned a moment later with a young pretty blonde and a boy with brown curly hair. Both of them looked to be about seventeen years old.
‘This is Iris and Jake. Iris works on reception and Jake is our porter. The owner of the hotel wishes to welcome you to the resort himself so, if you’d like to take a seat, he won’t be a few minutes. And if there is anything you want to eat or drink you can let these guys know and they will get it for you. Would you like a hot chocolate or tea or coffee while you are waiting?’ Stephen asked.
‘A hot chocolate would be lovely.’
Stephen nodded at Jake and he quickly disappeared through a door.
‘I hope your stay at Stardust Lake Hotel will be a very happy one,’ Stephen said.
Piper smiled, excited to see everything and how it had changed. ‘Thank you, I hope so too.’
Stephen smiled kindly at her, touched his hat and then stepped back outside into the cold and dark.
It was getting late now and she was looking forward to climbing into a nice clean bed and going to sleep so she could see the full glory of the resort in the daylight. She hoped the owner wouldn’t be too long.
Jake returned a minute later and handed her a tall glass of hot chocolate with cream on the top then went back behind the reception desk with Iris. They started talking quietly, but as there wasn’t any other noise in the reception, Piper couldn’t help but overhear what they were talking about.
‘Everyone is so worried about Thursday with all the journalists who are coming,’ Iris said.
‘And we still don’t know which of them is the dreaded Mr Black?’ Jake asked.
Iris shook her head. ‘I suppose we are lucky enough that we know he’s coming; normally the hotels he visits never know he’s been until the review appears. You should see some of his reviews, so scathing. Hotels have closed after his visit.’
That was interesting, another mystery guest was coming to the hotel, one who wasn’t as secretive as her and had clearly let slip where he was going next and Stardust Lake Hotel had been forewarned. But this man’s reviews seemed to hold a lot of weight. She couldn’t imagine any of her reviews holding so much significance in the travel industry that hotels would close because of her. There had been nothing positive about her stay at Silver Blossom Hall, and The Tree of Life magazine she worked for had a large readership, but she still couldn’t imagine so many people taking her review that much to heart that it would cause the hotel to close.
‘But he writes good reviews too, I’ve seen them,’ Jake said.
‘Yes he does, but his opinion is so powerful he can literally make or break a hotel with his reviews. We have to make sure that he leaves here with a good impression, we have to make sure all the journalists leave here having had the time of their lives. We get one chance at this.’
‘They will, everyone here will make sure of that. As long as the power comes back on before they all arrive.’
A flicker of green caught Piper’s attention outside and she stood up. The island was well known for its great views of the Northern Lights, but with the cloudy skies she had witnessed on the drive over, she doubted she would get to see the wonder of it on her first night. With all her worldly travels over the years, she still hadn’t been lucky enough to catch this phenomenon. Hopefully she would see something of it during her stay.
Another flash of green on the horizon lit up the night sky and as Jake and Iris were still talking, she grabbed her camera, shoved it in her pocket and slipped outside to take a look.
The cold night air whipped around her, the snow still falling steadily, landing on her face as her feet sunk into the powdery blanket.
Several large log cabins stood either side of a path that seemed to lead down the hill towards the green light. The cabins were in darkness, as were the lamps either side of the path. A casualty of the power cut no doubt. But although there were no lights, the white glow of the snow on the ground provided enough light for Piper to see where she was going. She looked back into the cosy reception where Jake and Iris had failed to notice she had gone. She pulled her hat tighter on her head and set off down the path to investigate the green glow that was coming through the trees.
She pulled her camera out as she rounded the corner, wanting to capture some of the lodges almost silhouetted against the snow. But as she raised the camera to her face, she stopped. Dancing in the snow, her hands raised in the air as she tried to catch the snowflakes, was a little girl of about four years old, dressed only in a wispy blue Elsa dress. Her arms were bare, she had no shoes or socks on and she didn’t seem to care. Her black hair cascaded behind her as she twirled and spun around, giggling as the snowflakes landed on her skin. There was something so magical about the girl, so innocent and carefree. Piper fired off a couple of shots of her before realising the girl was completely alone.
Piper ran forwards, pulling off her coat, and the girl spotted her, stopping her dancing to watch Piper with amusement.
‘You’ll get cold,’ the little girl warned.
‘I think you’re more at risk than I am,’ Piper said, wrapping the coat around the little girl and zipping her up, trapping her arms inside. She shoved the camera into one of the pockets and fastened it so it wouldn’t fall out. The coat came down to the girl’s ankles.
The little girl laughed; she struggled for a moment or two and then fed her arms through the armholes, though she laughed again when her hands didn’t reach the end. Piper pulled her red gloves off her hands.
‘Here put your feet in these, your little toes will snap off if you don’t wear shoes in the snow.’
The girl obviously thought the idea of wearing gloves on her feet was hilarious, but she obliged Piper and offered each foot up for Piper to pull on the gloves.
Piper stood up for a moment to look at her efforts. The little girl looked down at herself too. She burst out laughing again.
‘I look like a penguin.’
She did too – with Piper’s black winter jacket and her red gloves on her feet she looked exactly like a penguin. Piper couldn’t help but laugh too. She pulled her hat off and put that on the little girl as well.
She offered out her hand. ‘Let’s get you back indoors, shall we?’
For the first time the girl seemed unsure. ‘I’m not supposed to talk to strangers or go anywhere with them.’
‘That’s very wise. I’m Piper, what’s your name?’
‘Wren.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Wren.’ Piper turned her outstretched hand into a handshake and Wren shook it formally. ‘See, now we aren’t strangers any more. Why don’t I take you back home?’
Wren took her hand and led her along the path, but after a few moments it was quite obvious that Wren was struggling to walk in the thick snow with gloves on her feet and they were making very slow progress.
‘Shall I carry you, we might get there a bit quicker?’
Wren offered her arms in the air and Piper swung her up and settled her on her hip.
‘Where’s your mum?’
‘Mummy’s dead,’ Wren said, calmly as if she was reporting on the weather.
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’
‘She died a very, very, very long time ago.’
‘Where’s your dad, then?’ Piper asked, praying he wasn’t also dead.
‘He’s busy.’
‘Well who’s looking after you?’
‘Boris, but he fell asleep.’
‘Well, can you point me in the direction of your house?’
Wren thought for a moment and then pointed off down the hill and Piper followed the path in that direction.
‘You have beautiful hair,’ Wren said.
‘Thank you.’
‘It’s like Elsa’s hair.’
‘I suppose it is a bit.’
‘Same colour. I wish I had hair like yours, blonde hair is much more interesting than black.’
Piper wondered where she had heard that; she was too young to really appreciate the meaning of the saying ‘Blondes have more fun’.
‘I love your hair,’ Piper said, honestly. ‘It’s like black silk.’
A memory jolted Piper but she quickly shoved it aside.
‘You have beautiful eyes too.’ Wren studied her carefully. ‘I’ve never seen eyes like that before. Why are they that colour?’
‘My mum used to say that maybe my real parents were angels and that’s why my eyes are like gold.’
Wren looked at her in confusion. ‘What do you mean, your real parents?’
‘I was adopted. I never knew my real parents. The lady who raised me was my mum but she didn’t give birth to me. Does that make sense?’
Wren nodded solemnly. ‘My daddy was dating a girl called Sally a few months ago and Sally told me she was going to be my new mummy, but when I asked Daddy if that was true, Daddy said not on his life, which I think means no as they stopped seeing each other after that. Can someone have more than one mummy? If one dies can they be replaced with a new one? Daddy’s car died a few months ago and he just went and bought a new one, do you think you can buy a new mummy too?’
Piper smiled at all the questions.
‘No one will ever replace your mummy, sweetheart, but one day your daddy might fall in love with a woman and might decide to marry her and then that lady will be your step-mum. She won’t be the same as your mummy, but she will love you and hug you and do nice things with you like your mummy used to.’
‘I like the idea of having a step-mum; she sounds wonderful. Maybe Daddy will buy me one for Christmas.’
Oh crap.
‘Oh no honey, it’s not something you can buy and it’s not something Santa can bring. Your daddy has to meet a woman and fall in love with her, and she has to be perfect in every way. She has to love your daddy and love you too. It’s very hard to find the perfect person.’
Piper looked around, realising that the log cabins had all gone and they were following the path through the empty woods, though the green glow ahead of them was getting stronger.
‘Where are we going?’ Piper asked.
‘I’d like to know that myself,’ a deep voice said behind them. ‘Just where are you taking my daughter?’
Piper turned round to explain to Wren’s dad what had happened, but when she saw him her heart stopped beating and her mouth went dry. The angry expression vanished from his face as he stared at her, his mouth falling open.
‘Pip?’ he whispered.
She tried to say something but there were no words at all as she stared at Gabe Whitaker in shock, the only man she had ever loved.
Memories crashed through her of the last time she had seen him, the worst day of her life.