The Christmas Jewel

Ch. 11, The Castle

"A castle? You own a castle?" Sutton tried to wrap her mind around the idea. Could one own a castle? The most she'd ever owned was a delinquent cat.

"Well, it's the family castle. But I'm charged with keeping it." He paused, again looking a bit sheepish. "It's not as grand as you'd think, a lot of it is cold and drafty and falling apart. That's why I thought you might help."

"How could I help with that?" Sutton suddenly imagined herself with a thick tool belt, repairing a castle like some modern day contractor Cinderella. As long as I get the Prince at the end...

"Well, most of the family lives in London now.  My job this Christmas was to find ways to revitalize the castle, bring back the tourists that used to visit, and now," he swept a hand to the hall around him, "come here instead."

Sutton's eyes suddenly widened. When she had researched and eventually picked this ski village resort, new within the last couple years, she also remembered a brief mention of a nearby ancient castle. She had thought it an abandoned structure. Not a place where people actually lived. 

She took a deep breath. "I still don't see how I could help."

He smiled, and her heart did a back flip. "You inspired me. We can't compete with the money and flashiness of this village. What we need is to bring back to romance, and mystery, and magic that castle once had." Sutton wondered if they'd tried slapping a picture of Marius on the brochures, but his next words surprised her, "We need a writer."

"A writer?" 

"Yes," his eyes lit up, and he took her hand, pulling her away from the clock, and down a hallway. She laughed at his sudden enthusiasm,  and followed behind him. 

"The castle needs a new story, something that will capture the publics intrigue. Something..."

"Romantic, and mysterious and magical," Sutton said, and he grinned. 

"Exactly."

Before Sutton could think more on the problem, Marius opened the side door, and suddenly Sutton couldn't breathe. Spread out before her was a massive room filled with Christmas trees, all decorated differently, some with lights of the purest white, others with only blue, some with a whole rainbow of colors. It might have been tacky, if not for the sheer spectacle of it all. 

"I thought if we hosted a grand New Years Eve Ball, the word would get around." Marius said, "but I haven't been able to get people talking yet... " He shook his head, and then held out a hand. "But forgive me, burdening you with all this work talk. I will understand if you want nothing more to do with me than one last dance."

Sutton smiled, for a moment almost shy, as she put her hand in his. Christmas music played in the distant as he put his hand on her waist, and she blushed in his arms. She couldn't look at his eyes, so instead she blurted out, "I think I have an idea. For a story that could draw people to the castle. And I think we could pull it off by New Years Eve." She paused, and finally looked back into those eyes that were so deep, she thought one step closer and she could get lost in them forever.

"Tell me," Sutton said with a sly smile, "do you happen to have any large family jewels you could spare for a couple days?"