Noah wouldn’t be happy that she was assisting Digby. But he would have to understand; after all, his job was important to him too. He practically begged her to come to London because he was afraid he’d get fired if he didn’t have a replacement for Bianca.
The sun made patterns on the bookshelves and she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“I’d love to.” She turned to Digby. “What time will we leave?”
“I’ll pick you up at 10:00 a.m. We can buy the ingredients on the way.” He looked at Louisa. “Why don’t you wear that dress? The color will look wonderful in the photo spread.”
She and Digby flipped through cookbooks and talked about Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for Christmas bombe with cherry-flavored syrup. They were both fans of Thomas Keller’s white cake encrusted with coconut and thought Jamie Oliver’s chestnut torte with honeycomb was delicious.
Louisa noticed the time and said she would see him tomorrow. She hurried down Brook Street and hoped she wasn’t late to meet Noah.
“There you are.” Noah stood on the steps of Claridge’s. “I knocked on your suite but you weren’t there. I thought something happened.”
“The best thing happened,” she announced. “I took Digby my rice pudding and he said it was delicious. You see, it had nothing to do with what I was wearing. Yesterday’s rice pudding was lumpy, but this time it was perfect.”
“Did he really say that?” Noah asked, eyeing her red dress and leather pumps.
“I see the way you’re looking at me,” she snapped. “I had to dress nicely this morning for the show. You said the rice pudding was the best thing you ever tasted. Why shouldn’t I believe that Digby felt the same?”
“It was excellent,” he relented.
“And there’s more,” she said excitedly. “He made the most amazing offer.”
Noah glanced at his watch and took her arm.
“You’ll have to tell me about it on the way. We have an appointment at the Royal Mews and we can’t keep Buckingham Palace waiting.”
Noah stopped in front of a carriage with black leather seats and red spoke wheels. The driver wore a liveried uniform and two black horses were outfitted with elaborate reins.
“What are you doing?” she wondered. “I thought we were taking a tour bus.”
“You were freezing on the bus and I was afraid you’d twist your ankle running up and down the stairs,” he explained. “The carriage has a blanket and the driver well help you in and out.”
“We’re going to sightsee in a horse and buggy?” Louisa turned to Noah and her eyes were bright.
“I can’t think of a better way to see London.” He smiled. “Let’s go, we can’t be late.”
Louisa felt like she was in a movie where every scene is so gorgeous, you can’t take your eyes off the screen. Belgravia Square was filled with elegant boutiques, and St James’s Palace was surrounded by a wide park and iron gates. The London Eye was the biggest Ferris wheel she had ever seen and Westminster Palace took up an entire city block.
They toured the Royal Mews and she posed in front of gold carriages and silver Rolls-Royces. And the horses! There were Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays and Belgium Blacks. Louisa fed a horse a sugar cube and felt like a schoolgirl who snuck into the stables in Central Park.
She tried to tell Noah about Digby’s offer, but the clip-clopping of the carriage made it impossible to talk. It would have to wait until they finished sightseeing.
The carriage turned onto Oxford Street and stopped in front of Selfridges department store. It was like some impossibly huge wedding cake with white pillars and revolving doors. The windows were filled with rocking horses and teddy bears and gold boxes piled like an Egyptian pyramid.
“I’ve been smiling so much my cheeks belong on a chipmunk.” Louisa grimaced. “If we come back later, I promise I’ll sample a Christmas hamper or pretend to pop Christmas crackers. Right now I need to sit down and have a cup of coffee.”
“We’re not going to do any of those things.” Noah helped her out of the carriage. “I sent the cameramen home.”
“Then why are we here?” she wondered.
Noah looked at her and his eyes danced. “To buy you a Christmas present.”
“What did you say?” she asked.
“We fly back to New York on Christmas night and won’t have a proper Christmas at all,” he began. “If I was home, I’d spend Christmas reading law books. But you didn’t tell me how you celebrate Christmas. For all I know, you’re giving up a family Christmas with a ten-foot tree and giant turkey.”
“I’m usually too exhausted to do anything.” Louisa sighed. “Last year my friends wanted me to attend a dinner party and go caroling. I stayed in my apartment and ate deli turkey sandwiches and red velvet Christmas torte.”
“I asked Kate if I could put a gift on the expense account.” He pushed open the glass doors. “Choose anything you like. I’ll have it wrapped up and delivered to you on Christmas morning.”
They entered the store and Louisa caught her breath. A white Christmas tree was decorated with miniature music boxes and blue Wedgwood teacups. Salesgirls wore bright wool dresses and glass cases were filled with scarves and jewelry.
“You want me to choose anything?” Louisa turned to Noah.
“I already offered you my leather jacket, and you turned down the keys to my car.” He grinned. “Pick something that will make you happy every time you look at it.”
Louisa gulped and suddenly wanted Noah to kiss her. But so many wonderful things were happening: she was part of Christmas Dinner at Claridge’s, and she was going to be featured in Town & Country with Digby. She didn’t have time to fall in love.
“I can’t remember the last time I shopped for anything besides a measuring cup,” she said and laughed. “I don’t know where to start.”
“Start wherever you like,” Noah replied. “There are five floors and we have all afternoon.”
She sampled Jo Malone lotions and scribbled with a Mont Blanc pen and admired a pair of Burberry rain boots. There was a White Company duvet that would have been heavenly on her bed, and mimosa-scented candles.
“Why would anyone want an eighteen-karat cell phone case, that’s an invitation to get robbed,” she wondered. “And these pink slippers are warm but the pompoms make them look like mice.”
“This is Selfridges. They have to sell things that are out of the ordinary,” he said. “No one wants a can opener or garden hose for Christmas.”
Louisa noticed a glass case filled with Christmas ornaments. There was a Christmas angel and a crystal snowflake. She admired pewter bells and a polar bear wearing a bow tie.
“This is what I want.” She pointed to a red phone booth with a gold hook.
“You could have a bracelet or earrings and you want a Christmas ornament of a phone booth?”
“You said I should choose something that makes me happy.” Louisa turned to Noah. “We don’t have classic phone booths in New York anymore. I’ll hang it in my kitchen. Every time I look at it, I’ll remember Christmas in London.”
Noah leaned forward and kissed her. His mouth was soft and her whole body tingled.
“It’s a perfect gift,” he agreed. “I’ll tell the salesgirl to wrap it up.”
They sat in Selfridges Kitchen restaurant on the fourth floor and shared a warm goat cheese salad. Shoppers ate buttered scones and there was an electric feeling in the air of desperately wanting Christmas to arrive but not wanting the holidays to end.
“We don’t have to be at Claridge’s kitchen until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, so I thought we could start the day at Balthazar. You need one proper British breakfast of fried eggs and sausage.” Noah stopped and smiled. “Though I won’t make you eat grilled tomato. There is nothing worse than a cooked vegetable in the morning.
“I got tickets to a Christmas pantomime,” he continued. “It’s not Christmas unless you’re surrounded by children, and the pantomimes are some of the best theater in London. We can ice-skate at Hampton Court and attend early services at Westminster Abbey. We’ll be back to Claridge’s with plenty of time for hair and makeup.”
Louisa gulped her coffee so quickly it burned the back of her throat.
“It sounds wonderful, Noah. But I’m afraid I can’t,” she announced. “I’m busy all day.”
“What do you mean you’re busy? You can’t be taking another master class,” he said teasingly. “It’s Christmas Eve. You don’t want to spend it making gingerbread cookies in Digby Bunting’s kitchen.”
“It’s something much more exciting,” Louisa said. “Digby has been asked to prepare Christmas lunch at an estate in the country. It’s for a very important client and Town & Country is going to do a four-page spread.” She took a deep breath. “He asked me to assist him.”
“You and Digby want to run off to the British countryside on the day of Christmas Dinner at Claridge’s,” Noah said quietly.
“You make it sound like we’re doing something wrong,” she countered. “We’re just going to prepare the puddings and leave them in the fridge. We’ll be back in plenty of time.”
“I’m afraid it’s not a good idea.” Noah shook his head. “What if his car breaks down or you burn your hand on the stove? I’d rather you didn’t go anywhere without me.”
“Digby drives a late-model Range Rover and I’ve never burned myself cooking,” she assured him. “My rice pudding is going to be on the menu and the guest list includes members of the royal family.”
“It wouldn’t make a difference if the Queen herself shows up,” he begged. “We’ve worked too hard to have the show derailed by a pompous chef who thinks he’s a cross between George Clooney and Michelangelo.”
“This is always about Digby!” she gasped. “I don’t know what you have against him. He has been nothing but kind and this is a golden opportunity. When people see my photo in Town & Country, they will flock to my new restaurant.”
“People will come to your restaurant because the pastries will be delicious,” Noah persisted. “You don’t need Digby Bunting.”
“You dragged me to London and said being on Baking with Bianca will be good for my career,” she reminded him. “Now you’re trying to stop me from doing something just as important.”
“I thought you wanted to spend time together on our morning off. We were starting to be important to each other,” he said slowly. “It seems I was wrong.”
The wrapped ornament twinkled under the lights and she sucked in her breath. A few minutes ago Noah kissed her, and now they were getting into a fight.
“I am having a wonderful time, and I appreciate everything you’ve done,” she urged. “But this is a great opportunity and it doesn’t interfere with the show. I don’t see why I have to choose.”
“Sometimes you just do.” He picked up the package. “Never mind. It seems you already have.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m going back to Claridge’s,” he said. “I’ll call a taxi. You can keep the horse and carriage.”
* * *
Louisa fiddled with her key and opened the door of her suite. How dare Noah tell her she couldn’t assist Digby! It was like asking a tennis player not to play at Wimbledon or a pianist not to perform at Carnegie Hall.
Noah said he had feelings for her, but his distaste for Digby was more important to him than her success. She was lucky they only had one kiss; they weren’t ready for a relationship.
She entered the living room and gasped. A white Christmas tree stood next to the fireplace. It was strung with blue and silver lights and topped with a gold Christmas angel. Candles flickered on the side table and silver tinsel was littered over the rug.
There was an envelope with her name propped against the mantel. She took out the card and read out loud.
“Dear Louisa, tomorrow is Christmas Eve and you don’t have your own Christmas tree. I couldn’t trek through the lobby with a fir tree, so I asked the concierge to deliver one.
“You’ve given me the best gift I can imagine this year. Since I met you life is more than just surviving each day without dropping from exhaustion. It’s about enjoying each other’s company and being excited for the future. I’m very glad you agreed to come to London. Merry Christmas. Love, Noah.”
The late-afternoon sun filtered through the satin drapes and there was a pewter teapot on the sideboard. A fire flickered in the fireplace and the whole room was bathed in a silvery light.
Noah must have had it delivered while they were sightseeing. He was so thoughtful and she hadn’t even gotten him a gift.
It still didn’t excuse his behavior at Selfridges. If he really cared for her, he would have been thrilled about Digby’s invitation. But it was a beautiful Christmas tree and the card was lovely. Maybe she should forgive him.
Tears pricked her eyes as she thought about Noah storming out of Selfridges. It didn’t matter how she felt. Noah was furious and everything was ruined.