The On-Screen Marquess & I (The Holyoake Christmas Series, Book 1)

Backstory Time

"Darling, I still think you should go," Viola Holyoake said, walking into the hall. "I'll just lie down and have a nap. And Uncle Rupert is here, if anything," she continued, unbuttoning her coat.

Anastasia clenched her fists. From the corner of her eye, she could see Amaratunga's large hand twitch on his 'modesty cushion.'

"He needs to rest, and so do you," Rhys boomed, following Viola in and closing the door behind him. "And besides, I'm not sure I can survive an evening with Yola without you. I'd rather we have some food and go to bed." He unzipped his military style jacket. "Don't you want to go to bed with me, babe?" he murmured in a ridiculous Casanova voice, and Viola giggled.

She leaned against the wall, and Rhys knelt in front of her and gently took off her shoes, picking up one of her feet after another.

It felt like that time when a box of frozen peas had fallen onto Anastasia in her walk-in freezer. She could see it slowly careen and then slip off the shelf - but she just couldn't move a muscle to get out of its way!

"You're such a duffus!" Viola laughed and ruffled her husband's hair. "Singing always puts you in the mood, doesn't it?" She made a few steps in. "And you know how–"

Viola froze with her mouth half open, staring at Amaratunga and Anastasia.

"Evening," Anastasia said stiffly.

"Hiya," Rhys said, walking into the sitting room.

Viola looked at Anastasia, then at Amaratunga, and then her slanted eyes shifted onto the dark screen of the telly on the wall.

"Have you eaten?" Rhys asked offhandedly, marching by them towards the bathroom.

"No, not yet," Anastasia answered and cleared her throat. "We were still deciding on what to order," she said and pointed at Amaratunga's phone on the table.

Rhys hummed and disappeared down the hall.

"Next time I'll make sure to text you if we're coming back early," Viola said in the most neutral tone possible, and headed towards the stairs. "I'll go lie down. Could you send Rhys with food upstairs as soon as possible, please?"

All Anastasia could do was to give Viola a mortified 'uh-huh.'

As soon as the doctor left, Anastasia shoved her hand under Amaratunga's back.

"What are you doing?" he yelped.

"You're lying on my phone," she hissed. "We need to look at the menu and quickly choose what we're eating." She moved her hand from side to side, and he made a funny croak-like noise. "I'm sure it slipped out of my pocket when we– when you– and I–"

"When we kissed?" he finished, his eyes laughing.

Anastasia exhaled a noisy huff. How's he more mature about it than you, Anastasia? Her knuckles bumped into the belt of his jeans, she jerked it back, incidentally bunching up his tee. Oh god... His skin was warm, and an acutely tactile memory of him catching her bottom lip between his, flooded Anastasia's bedraggled psyche.

"I'm pretty sure your phone isn't in my pants," he murmured and pushed his hand under his backside as well. "But please, do go on."

Anastasia glared at him - what a smug prick! - and then he pulled out her mobile, and she snatched it out of his fingers.

"What's the name of that pub?" she asked, typing frantically.

"Anastasia."

"Was it something about an oak? Why is everything in this county oak-related?" she continued mumbling.