Cover

The Sunday Times Bestseller

Heidi Swain

Underneath the Christmas Tree

Will they find love this Christmas?

Praise for Heidi Swain

‘Sweet and lovely. I guarantee you will fall in love with Heidi’s wonderful world’ Milly Johnson

‘More Christmassy than a week in Lapland – we loved it!’ Heat

‘Sparkling and romantic’ My Weekly

‘The queen of feel-good’ Woman & Home

‘The most delicious slice of festive fiction: a true comfort read and the perfect treat to alleviate all the stress!’ Veronica Henry

‘Sprinkled with Christmas sparkle’ Trisha Ashley

‘A story that captures your heart’ Chrissie Barlow

‘Grab a glass of mulled wine and enjoy this sparkling, snow-filled romance’ Culturefly

‘Fans of Carole Matthews will enjoy this heartfelt novel’ Katie Oliver

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Title Page

Dedication

To Sue and Fiona

With love and thanks for everything you do

xxx

Chapter 1

By the time I’d poured my third glass of wine, the assortment of travel brochures and bundles of notes on the floor next to my laptop were more of an untidy heap than the regimented piles I’d previously organised them into. However, in spite of the mess, and the rapidly emptying bottle, I had finally made a decision about my future and succeeded in narrowing my favoured travel destination down to just two options. Feeling impressed, I downed another mouthful of Merlot to congratulate myself.

I sat cross-legged in my PJs on the sitting room floor and thought about the milestone I had just achieved. I had been putting it all off for far too long but I was finally going to see something of the world and then, the moment I landed back in the UK, I would set about launching my own business. All that was left to do now was instigate my plan to free up more funds and pick between the Japanese Tea Trail Tour and the Northern Lights extravaganza. Both looked incredible, but my savings would only allow for one epic adventure.

I leant back against the sofa and closed my eyes, exhausted as well as tipsy, but nonetheless feeling grateful for the six gruelling weeks I had just spent teaching art in a struggling high school. I had been devastated when I had been made redundant from my role of art therapist in another school the previous summer and had covered the last few weeks of someone’s maternity leave in a different school to tide me over. It had been hell, but it was finally over and I understood now exactly why the universe had stepped in to shake things up a bit.