Winter in Cambridge

Chapter 15 - Composure

Author Note

Accompanying song

-

I Choose You by Sara Bareilles

Two working weeks later...

Winter was in the staff area at the back of the kitchens of Synford Manor, a beautiful Georgian-style country house. She had picked up some extra work working as a server at the stately home, one of the premier locations for exclusive weddings in Cambridge.

Although the pay was only minimum wage, the tips she could earn were fantastic, or so the catering company boss, Patrick, had told her. This was her first shift, and as Luigi's had closed for a month due to a family bereavement in Italy, Winter needed the extra cash.

It was Saturday afternoon, and most of the staff were waiting for the guests to arrive at the enormous conservatory from the large study where the wedding ceremony had occurred. They bustled around, checking cutlery and filling champagne flutes, ensuring everything was ready for the five-course meal.

Winter adjusted her white blouse in the staff area, checking her hair was smooth in the high bun she had styled it into in the mirror before exiting the small room. She walked quickly through the billowing steam of the kitchens and headed over to the bar area at the side of the hallway to pick up a tray loaded with champagne flutes filled with the bubbling Dom Perignon 2013. The young woman behind the bar gave Winter a kind smile and nodded before loading another tray for the next waiter to pick up. Winter walked through the corridor towards the glittering conservatory to stand by the entrance doors and wait for the guests. She took a quick glance over her shoulder into the opulent room behind her.

The conservatory was decorated with fresh white roses, calla lilies and eucalyptus branches and leaves, filling the space with a sweet yet sharp rosemary fragrance. The natural sunlight shimmered through the chiffon material that covered the windows above, bathing the room in warmth and chasing the chill of mid-October away. The tiled white flooring sparkled with flakes of silver as the sunlight hit it, giving an ethereal glow that made Winter smile momentarily. It reminded her of the sparkle in Tom's eyes when he had smiled at her the first time they met.

Virginal white was undoubtedly the theme of this wedding. Even the tablecloths, chair covers, and centrepieces were white, leading Winter to squint as her eyes trailed across the room before focusing back on the delicate task of balancing the champagne flutes on the tray in her hands.

Winter took a steadying breath and looked straight ahead at the closed wooden doors across the hallway as she tried to block out the thoughts of Tom that had plagued her. Everything still reminded her of him no matter where she looked. She needed to not fuck up today and earn the extra tips from this job to start trying to save for a deposit for a rental flat in London.

She had come to the decision to go to London for work after her graduation. She had found a few publishing companies with great graduate programmes that she had been looking into and hoped she might be successful with at least one of her applications. She just needed to prepare so that she could be ready to leave Cambridge as soon as she had finished her exams. She didn't want to be at her family home in the Cotswolds too long after graduation, and she certainly didn't want to be in Cambridge any longer than she needed to be.

The last few weeks at university were horrible and filled with regrets.

Regrets of letting things go so far with her Professor. Regrets about lying to her best friend about what had happened with him. Regrets about not kissing him in his office that last time they were alone, thinking that maybe she could have changed his mind. But most of all, Winter regretted what she said to him in his office. She had used such a vicious tone that was entirely out of character for her. She wasn't mean, but she felt so hurt by him that she lashed out, and now she couldn't put it right.