The Christmas Promise Read online

  Then they sat down together at the window looking out over the lights of the Olympic Stadium.

  He lifted his glass. ‘To our first date.’ The gold in his eyes was bright in the candlelight.

  Ava touched his glass with hers. ‘Our first date.’ Her heart quivered. Then, as he went to speak again, ‘But, as this seems like a beginning, you should know a couple of things about me.’

  Wariness stole over his face. ‘Go on.’

  She took her time, sipping champagne and letting the deliciously cold liquid tingle on her tongue. ‘You don’t have to slay dragons for me. You’ve been totally supportive about Harvey and really understanding about Izz, but my life isn’t usually this chaotic. I’m not a damsel in distress who wants, needs or expects a knight in shining armour to fix my life. This isn’t negotiable.’

  His eyes crinkled. ‘Dragons to be jointly face. Noted. Accepted. Respected.’

  ‘Even when the shining knight happens to be protective by nature?’

  He leaned over to touch his lips to hers. ‘Especially then, because the shining knight occasionally needs to remember that he’s not the only capable one around here. What’s the other thing I need to know?’

  She leaned in to return his kiss, tasting champagne on his lips. ‘I never sleep with a man on a first date.’

  He laughed against her mouth, reaching out to tangle his free hand softly in her hair. ‘That one I would normally completely respect. But, on this occasion … I’m going to negotiate hard.’

  Author’s Note

  In case you’re wondering how things worked out for Wendy, she stuck around to wear her fabulous hat – to Sam and Ava’s wedding two years later – tilted neatly over her short hair, grown back quite satisfactorily after her chemo. She looked fantastic and beamed all day long.

  She made certain that every guest knew (just in case anybody had somehow missed it) that her new daughter-in-law was the Ava Bliss who made those fantastic hats for footballers’ wives and girlfriends and was in all the magazines. ‘In fact,’ she ended happily, ‘my own hat’s a creation by Ava Bliss Millinery. A Christmas present from my son.’ She smiled mistily at where Ava was laughing up into Sam’s face, her wedding dress streaming out behind her as they danced, her veil flowing from a tiny pillbox the delicate pink of Zinfandel rosé.

  Wendy sighed happily. ‘I thought that it was my best Christmas present ever. Until now, of course – a Christmas wedding! The first time I saw him with Ava I knew that he’d met The One. You can’t pretend about things like that, can you?’

  Alive Today lifestyle magazine fashion pages

  ~ inspirational, aspirational and ahead

  This season’s top accessory? A hat! Queen WAG Ruby Glennister’s setting the trend in chic and sexy headpieces as she rocks from ’sleb party to top nightclub. Ruby’s grabbed herself the title of ‘the face of Ava Bliss Millinery’ and she’s threatening to become every bit as starry in the modelling field as her old man Tyrone Glennister is on the footie field. And, exclusively, Alive Today can bring you the skinny on hats and how to wear them – from Ruby’s very own hatmaker!

  What do fashionistas need to know about buying the perfect hat?

  Should it be bespoke? (What is ‘bespoke’, anyway?)

  Over to Ava for—

  Top Tips from Ava Bliss!

  A good first step to searching out the perfect hat is to understand the basics. Here’s your Hats 101:

  Brimless hat styles include the chic pillbox and the easy-to-wear beret. Small or medium brimmed hats come in the shape of bowlers, top hats, cloches or boaters and large brimmed hats encompass picture hats, fedoras and cartwheels.

  The thing of beauty and elaborate decoration that is a cocktail hat is, as its name suggests, perfect for evening. A cocktail hat’s based on a definite three-dimensional shape, which is where it differs from a fascinator, also highly decorative but fixed directly to your hair with a comb or hair band.

  As well as a world of shapes, colours and sizes, hats come in a fabulous array of materials. Choose from the softness of wool felt, the light crispness of straw, the versatility of sinamay or the sexiness of satin. Ornament with feathers, net, sequins, beads, ribbon, buttons and bows.

  Whether your taste’s for a hat in one simple cone or bell, a definite brim and crown or a more whimsical abstract form, you’ll never rue the price if you find the perfect hat.

  The perfect hat

  … for your face

  If you have an oval face, then lucky you. The classic oval looks great with most hat shapes. Try them all.

  Celeb oval face: Kate Middleton

  A heart-shaped face looks fantastic with a small or medium brim. Avoid large brims that might exaggerate the breadth of your brow.

  Celeb heart-shaped face: Reece Witherspoon

  Do you have a long face? Choose a wide brim with a deep crown but avoid the small-brim-deep-crown combination of, say, a top hat. That will only emphasise length.

  Celeb long face: Sarah Jessica Parker

  Square jaw lines work well with rounder softer hat shapes. Or try something asymmetrical for a funky look. I recommend avoiding down-brims unless you can get the slant just right.

  Celeb square jaw line: Emily Deschanel

  A round face is pretty with a hat of sharp lines and straight shapes. And place that hat at a jaunty angle.

  Celeb round face: Beyoncé

  The perfect hat

  … for the perfect you

  • Be mindful of balance and proportion. Your hat brim should never be wider than your shoulders.

  • If you wear glasses, be careful about down brims. They can overshadow and clutter your face.

  • A little height can be elegant on a short woman but be careful not to go for oversized hats that might swamp you.

  • Be sure your hairstyle will work with your hat style.

  The right hat

  … for your occasion

  •You may need to transport your hat to, say, a wedding venue. Does the appropriate size of hatbox fit into your travel plans? If not, is it feasible to parcel it up and send it ahead?

  •Perhaps you want the option of not wearing your hat for part of the event. Where will you stow it? Will you be left with ‘hat hair’?

  •Be mindful of season and time of day when making your choice. A buttery yellow straw with a sinamay bow will look sensational at a day at the races in spring; your sequinned black cocktail vamp number will wow at a nightclub.

  •You’ll feel fantastic when you’re wearing your hat but be considerate – don’t ruin someone else’s event by blocking their view.

  •Outdoor venue? Secure the hat in case of a breeze or you’ll be seen clamping it to your head in every photo.

  The perfect hat – what’s next?

  You’ve carried home your flattering fedora or perfect pillbox. It’s worth getting to know yourself in your hat, especially if you’re new to the hat-wearing craze. You might want to:

  •Try different hair styles with your hat

  •Place the hat at a variety of angles while a friend takes your picture so you can view yourself at a remove. Do you look as good as you did in the mirror? How about in profile? And from the back?

  •When you’re happy, try on the outfit you intend to wear with the hat and check out the combination.

  •Wear your hat around the house for an hour (not while you’re cleaning out the grate!). Make sure the fit’s comfortable rather than precarious.

  •Have you planned your make-up? Don’t fall victim to a last minute clash between orange lipstick and a purple hat.

  Can the perfect hat be ready to wear? Or does it have to be bespoke?

  A lot depends upon your budget. ‘Bespoke’ means ‘made to order’ and any handmade item catering to your precise requirement is normally going to cost more than something mass-produced.

  To help you make up your mind, let me run through a few of the benefits of a bespoke hat:

  •A
woman’s mass-produced hat is made to fit the average female head circumference of 22.5" (56.5cm). But not everybody has an average head. A tight hat is a headache; a loose hat can slide over your eyes.

  •Your bespoke hat will be unique.

  •You won’t have to search for a hat to complement your outfit. It will be made that way.

  •Colour matches can be precise and decorative elements dyed exactly.

  •You can choose the materials that feel best against your scalp.

  •Old items can be repurposed – your grandmother’s vintage veil bleached and incorporated into a wedding headpiece that’s just your style gives what Gran wore on her wedding day a touching role in yours.

  A hat made specifically for your head in the colours and materials you choose can be a luxury but it will also be a treasure.

  But whether bought in a department store, from a market stall or from the swankiest couture milliner, what’s important is that you wear your hat with style and pleasure! And have a great time.

  Hats off to Ava Bliss!

  Media for Ava Bliss Millinery and Ruby Glennister handled by Jermyn Associates

  Acknowledgements

  Partly because I’m a research junkie but also because so many lovely people were willing to help me write at my best and most authentic, I have numerous acknowledgements to make.

  Abigail Crampton of Abigail Crampton Millinery, on the strength of a chance meeting at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, allowed me to invite myself to her studio. She advised on what Ava needed to know about couture millinery as a skill and as a business, arranged for me to tag along to an Abigail Crampton hat-making demonstration, answered a plethora of emailed questions, read and commented upon the manuscript and lent her expertise to the material at the end of this book.

  Adrienne Vaughan of AVA PR Ltd helped me create Sam’s comms agency from the backstory onwards and also a fantastic viral marketing campaign for him to mastermind, then read and commented upon the manuscript. As well as running a PR agency and writing her own books, Adrienne fitted dinner and drinks into her busy schedule whenever I suggested it.

  Mark Lacey, independent member of the parole board and retired detective superintendent of police, advised on legal matters and provided insight into being a police officer with a family. If he gets tired of helping me with research, he’s too polite to say so.

  Leigh Forbes offered her impressive knowledge of phone and server technology and came up with the ‘tell-tale’ I needed to make my plot work.

  Myra Kersner and Pia Fenton, not only offered their usual unstinting friendship, hospitality and writerly chats, but their company on research trips: Myra (Camden and Balham), Pia (comic show).

  Andrea Crellin shared her experience of Rotary clubs.

  Social media friends and followers were a delight, as always, especially those who knew more about the workings of Facebook than I did.

  I’d also like to express grateful thanks to:

  My trusted beta readers, Mark West and Dominic White, for reading early drafts of my books and filling the margins with wise comments and wisecracks. I look forward to every word.

  The fab members of Team Sue Moorcroft who provide advocacy and support, ie like my books enough to tell everyone else about them. That they do this for me is a source of constant wonder. (Details of the street team on www.suemoorcroft.com for anyone who’d like to know more.)

  The fantastic book bloggers who are so interested and so interesting, and who write countless reviews to share around the internet. Their dedication is awesome.

  Juliet Pickering of Blake Friedmann who offered to represent me and made a huge difference. To benefit from her quiet good sense and determination is a constant pleasure.

  Everyone on the Avon Books UK team who, to my joy, wanted just such a Christmas book as this at just the time I’d written one! It’s a pleasure to work with you all.

  Last, but definitely not least, every reader who enjoys my books – especially those who send me lovely messages to say so.

  Q&A with Sue Moorcroft

  What’s your writing routine? Are you a plotter/planner or do you see where the story and characters take you? Lucy Catten

  ‘Routine’ sometimes goes out of the window, I visit my editor to discuss plans for a book, go to publishing parties and writing conferences, teach a fiction course abroad or whizz off on a research trip. Otherwise, I reach my trusty iMac at about 07.20, dealing with email over my first cuppa and Twitter and Facebook along with my porridge. Then I begin on writing, planning, editing or promo. I’m a plotter, but a messy one. I call mine ‘the compost heap method’ because I pile together a morass of information on character biographies, dynamics between characters, research, answers to questions about conflicts, goals and quests, what keeps characters together and what keeps them apart. I plan by hand but write on my computer, keeping my mind open to new and better ideas. I usually take a break for a piano lesson, Zumba, FitStep or yoga and finish work around 6.00pm. I email or go on social media in the evening too, from the comfort of my armchair. I love being my own boss and the necessary discipline comes easily.

  What led you towards the story you tell in The Christmas Promise? And why write about revenge porn? Mark West

  I meant to write a novella. I began thinking the story might deserve a bigger stage and my agent was enthusiastic, liking the idea of giving Sam and Ava serious issues to deal with during a period mainly associated with joy and sparkly things.

  Ava needed a conflict, bigger than being skint and not liking Christmas; a contemporary issue that I felt strongly about, something that could pose a serious threat to Ava’s happiness and what might develop with Sam. I turned to the kind of responsibly handled human-interest features that make me think about the real lives of real people. There were several about revenge porn. I became furious on behalf of the victims and wanted to shine a light on the subject. During the writing of The Christmas Promise the authorities went this way and that on whether our existing laws were sufficiently far reaching and so I had to keep updating my storyline. I was quite relieved when, in early 2015, a specific law was introduced to make it an offence to share sexually explicit images without the subject’s consent.

  Did you write as a child? And if so, what did you write? Ann Cooper

  Because of slightly interrupted education I was late grasping the mechanics of literacy but once I ‘got it’ I escaped to the world of fiction. Not knowing any better, I pretty much copied The Famous Five books because I wanted to be in them. I used to send my characters off on adventures but had no real understanding of over-arcing storyline and so my tale always petered out. At that point I turned to drawing the cover for the book instead.

  What was the best Christmas present you ever received? Joanne Baird

  As a child I was given a candy pink space hopper. We were living in Malta and I used to boing about our army barracks. Because it could be deflated, it was easy to take with us when Dad was posted back to the UK.

  What was your inspiration for the Christmas theme in this book and are you all Christmassed out now? Louise Styles

  Christmas stories are perennially popular and it seemed time I wrote one. I wasn’t sure I could spend all year being Christmassy, so I made Ava dislike it. Then a magazine asked me for a three-part Christmas serial – and, yes, I did feel Christmassed out for a bit.

  What is the one Christmas tradition or food that’s a ‘must’ have? Manda Jane Ward

  On Christmas day a roast dinner with everything the family likes even if it doesn’t really go together, such as lamb with bread sauce.

  Do you have a favourite place to go and think and find inspiration and ideas? Louise Spence

  I like my study, where everything’s to hand and I can have peace and quiet. It would be lovely to say I had a leafy bower where music played and inspiration was always waiting for me but, sadly, it’s not true.

  What do you read to inspire you, to inform you and to relax? Carmen Walton
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br />   I read mainly the genre I write in – stories that grab me by the heart and carry me off to a happy ending. I like the occasional biography, too, and love the Formula One news websites (I’m an avid fan).

  Your top five tips for aspiring writers? Leanne Francis

  •Take classes, courses and workshops, read writing manuals, magazines and newsletters. Learn about publishing and marketing as well as writing.

  •Create vivid characters with conflicts, goals and quests.

  •Persist. Giving up is not a good way to achieve your aim.

  •Be professional towards industry members, readers and other writers.

  •Don’t make enemies.

  What do readers have to look forward to next, be that another book or adventure? Louise Styles

  My next book is due out with Avon Books UK in summer 2017. Its working title is Just for the Holidays and it’s about Leah, who’s determinedly single and child free, spending the summer in France looking after her sister’s husband and children. But it’s just for the holidays. And the ‘flingette’ she embarks upon with Ronan, the grounded helicopter pilot next door? That’s just for the holidays, too. Except that too many people have Leah by the heart for her to simply reclaim her old life when the time comes.

  These questions were kindly (and enthusiastically) posed by members of Sue’s street Team, Team Sue Moorcroft. You can learn more about Team Sue Moorcroft at www.suemoorcroft.com/street-team. If you like the idea of being part of the Team, spreading the word about Sue’s work and chatting to her on Team Sue Moorcroft’s private Facebook group click the ‘Street Team’ button and sign up! #TeamSueMoorcroft

  If you’d prefer simply to get news of Sue, go to www.suemoorcroft.com to click the ‘Newsletter’ button and sign up for her free newsletter instead.