'Yes, losing people is pretty brutal,' she agreed, sure that they were talking about more than a four year old boy going walkabout when a darkness settled over Noel's face.
'Anyway,' he turned and picked his way carefully over to the plastic wall, starting to pull himself around the edge of the rink towards Jasper, 'I'll see you later.'
'See you later,' Holly echoed, as Noel stop-started away, his broad-shouldered, long-legged body somehow looking forlorn. She had a mad urge to skate after him and hug him, though they hardly knew each other.
Weird. Unexpected. Scary.
'So, you've been in the Fortnum's Lodge in the West Wing, and you know there are shops in the Christmas Arcade too?' Holly turned to Noel as he and Jasper trailed along behind her.
'Yes,' Noel nodded, hooking a quick hand into the hood of Jasper's coat as he made to dance off somewhere. 'We had a quick look as we left yesterday.'
'’Ncle Noel bought me some sweets, and Daddy told him off,' Jasper ratted him out.
'He did not tell me off, cheeky, he just said they would make you hyper!'
'And?' Holly looked at Noel, eyes shining with amusement. He wondered how he'd ever thought of her as an ice princess. She was one of the most engaging people he'd ever met.
He mumbled something under his breath.
'Pardon?' she leaned closer and he inhaled her perfume, something fresh and sexy.
'I said, it took me over an hour to get him to bed last night.'
She let out a giggle. 'Hilarious.'
'Yeah, right. So come on, show us around.'
'No problem,' the look she gave him quite plainly said you lost that one, but she let it slide. 'As I said, I don't know much, but Somerset House was established as a charity in 1997 as an arts and culture hub to enhance the education of the general public. It's also meant to maintain the historic buildings. Apparently they're of English national heritage interest. The public programme includes open air films, festivals and art exhibitions, but other than that I can't tell you any more. You'd have to come back for a guided tour for that.' She smiled over her shoulder at him, gesturing to one of several sets of double pale grey doors of the South Wing facing the rink. 'But I'll tell you about my favourite bits, like Rizzoli’s bookshop. It's got illustrated subject books and gorgeous home-made cards, pads and other stationery. In here.' She led them into a lovely shop with white walls, shelves and displays of books, puzzles, notepads, pens and knitted Christmas toys laid out on antique wooden tables, decorated with red berry wreaths, seasonal prints and posters. The shop was arranged in a series of connected rooms, and they were in there for five long minutes, Noel browsing at the same time as trying to stop Jasper from touching the merchandise and asking for everything. Several times he let out exasperated breaths, and caught Holly holding back smiles.
'I know a little girl who will like this.' He showed Holly an embroidered journal, with something about dreaming, planning and doing on the spine. 'Do you mind?' he jerked his chin at Jasper.
'No, that's fine. I'll take him along the corridor into the main lobby of this wing. Just use the door over there,' she gestured opposite the till, 'rather than the one back out into the courtyard. Turn right.'
'Thanks,' he nodded. For an instant he wondered if he should trust Holly with his godson but when she smiled down at the little boy and squeezed his shoulder, he relaxed. He was just being paranoid.
A few minutes later he found them relaxing in matching curved black leather chairs, exactly where Holly had said they'd be. 'This is another favourite spot.' She explained, smiling lazily up at him. 'I mean, there are some great places to eat in here, like Tom's Kitchen, and Fernandez and Wells in the East Wing, where they do mean mince pies and hot dogs, but I like sitting here and people watching. Seeing their faces. And this is pretty cool,' she pointed her thumb at the wall behind her head, where there was a painting in an alcove, something grey and orange with antlers on top. He stepped closer to read the writing next to it, absently resting his hand on her shoulder. She fidgeted under his touch as he read the quote from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe out loud, about the Snow Queen and it always being winter but never Christmas.
'A bit like you'd have it,' Holly jumped up, shuffling a few feet away and catching hold of Jasper's sleeve as he leapt out of his seat, 'imagine that.'
'Wrong actually,' Noel smiled wryly, 'I'd have it always summer and never Christmas.'
'Silly me, of course you would,' she let go of Jasper and swung away, heading for a pair of doors that lead outside, but on the opposite side of the building to the courtyard. 'Right,' she called, 'time for one last thing before I have to get back to work.' She threw open the right-hand door with an unintended bang, 'Oops! Every time,' and headed outside and down a flight of wide stone stairs. Throwing her arms out, she spun around as Noel and Jasper reached the bottom. 'The River Terrace,' she said, sounding content, 'with a view of the London Eye and Westminster.' She indicated the busy Thames, length of the stone terrace and rows of chairs and tables set out along it. 'I'm coming back here in the summer. I might not get on with the sun, but can you imagine how heavenly it will be when it's nice weather and people can sit out here enjoying it?' Her eyes lit up further. 'I wonder if they have weddings here. What a venue.'
'Woah, slow down, we've only just met,' Noel said playfully, though he immediately regretted his words when she uncomfortably checked her watch and avoided eye contact.
'I'd better go,' she murmured.
'I was joking, you don't have to run away.' Noel wandered over to her, resting his elbows on the stone balustrade and studying the grey-green depths of the river. Jasper was only a short distance away, running in circles with his arms outstretched, so it was easy to keep an eye on him.
Holly blew out a long breath, 'Sorry. I know you were.'
'Been burnt by a guy with commitment issues?'
'My ex-fiancé,' she stared over at the capsules on the London Eye. 'About the same time I found out I wouldn't be able to skate professionally again, he cut and run. We were too young to be engaged really, but still,' her eyebrows folded together, 'it was crappy of him and I loved him so it hurt, a lot.' She sighed. 'How about you? Been burnt by someone at Christmas, or was it a bereavement?'
Somehow the fact she wasn't looking at him made the question easier to answer. And while he didn't usually offload his baggage on people, she'd shared her angst, so it only felt fair to do the same in return. 'Both,' he admitted grimly, 'my long-term girlfriend and I broke up on Christmas Day two years ago, and it's also the anniversary of my mum's death. I was eight years old when she died.'
Checking Jasper's location over Noel's shoulder, Holly laid a hand on his arm. 'I'm sorry,' she said sympathetically, 'that's utterly awful and sad, on both counts.'
Turning to make direct eye contact, he was horrified to see pity in her eyes and the softness of her expression.
'Don't feel sorry for me!' He shook her hand away. 'I'm fine. I got over it a long time ago.'
'The way you hate Christmas says something different,' she pointed out, hurt shining in her eyes.
'It's not about that, I told you I just don't like or agree with all the commercial rubbish and pressure.' He could feel his teeth gritting, but he wasn't sure how to stop the anger building.
She went to answer, but instead flew past him to yank Jasper down off the wall he'd been trying to climb, a ten foot drop to the street below his likely destination. 'Jasper, no!'
'Jay! You're a liability. Honestly.' He eased the boy out of Holly's arms and unclenched his jaw. 'Thanks. I'd better get him inside before he causes more trouble. And thank you for showing us around. We enjoyed it. I'll catch you later.' Slinging the boy over his shoulder, he took the stairs into Somerset House two at a time without looking back at Holly.
Aware he'd left her standing there, open mouth and