Read Online Forever Winter by Amber Daulton - Free Book Online

CHAPTER ONE

    Southern Derbyshire, England
    Christmas Eve, 1834

    “Of all things, on all days.” Susanna Lorican rubbed her throbbing temples. “Why now? What did I possibly do to deserve this?” Tears welled in her eyes. She hated the injustice. Months of preparation ruined! Stomping to the largest window in her bedchamber, she pushed open the protective glass panels and stumbled back. An icy gust rushed into the room. Embers crackled in the hearth. A chill spiraled down her spine and goosebumps marred her skin. She grabbed hold of the windowsill and stared outside, eyes burning until the gust changed course.
    Her heart clenched as her fists tightened.
    Sheets of downy white fell from darkened clouds and blanketed the rich, fertile countryside, sheathing acre upon acre of prosperous farmland. Billowing gray clouds concealed the early morning sun as the wind howled and blew snow in all directions.
    She wouldn’t mind a snowstorm on any other day— or week.
    Activity below her second-story window caught her attention. A gasp lodged in her throat. Dreaded white covered the barns, stables and gardens. Several stable hands toiled in the cold to keep pathways clear around her father’s stately manor. Luckily, the dirt road that led from town to Lorican Manor was still visible. If the snow continued, however, it wouldn’t be visible for long.
    Susanna stepped back from the window and slammed the panels shut. Despising the floral wallpaper and ivory furnishings decorating her chamber, she imagined the rich colors and dark wood that decorated her future husband’s bedchamber— their bedchamber. She had dreamt of that particular room far too often. Even though she toured his estate twice throughout their engagement, his bedchamber was strictly off-limits, thanks to the efforts of her parental chaperons.
    She growled beneath her breath—an unladylike habit—but she felt too stressed to care. She flung her head back in frustration. “One day. All I needed was one day.”
    “Now, Susanna,” a gentle, chastising voice soothed from across the large chamber. “The tiniest thing could have plagued us today and your temper would flare like hot coals. Fretting over the weather is useless. As long as the road remains travelable, all is not lost.”
    True, Susanna silently consented. She crossed her arms and stared irritably at her demurely dressed mother who sat on the edge of her rumpled bed.
    Always soft-spoken and proper, Lady Marie Lorican was the epitome of class and beauty.
    Susanna, on the other hand, her mother’s youngest daughter, felt destined to always disappoint. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be as proper or as beautiful as her mother—especially since she couldn’t seem to rein in her curses and reckless temper.
    “I’ve waited so long, Mama. I want to marry the man I love.” She sighed heavily and stared down at her cotton bedclothes. A faint blush stole into her cheeks. Tonight, if everything didn’t fall apart before her very eyes, she would share a bridal chamber with her new husband and finally wear the lacy silk gown she’d secretly purchased in London a few months earlier.
    Still, no matter what she wore, the eyes of her betrothed always gleamed in appreciation.
    Lady Lorican clasped her hands together. Her thoughts followed Susanna’s. “I will not waste my breath on preparing you for wifely duties that you understand too well already.” Her pointed stare met her daughter’s.
    Susanna blushed scarlet and diverted her sky blue eyes to the floor.
    Lady Lorican smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle in her beige skirt. “Things happen. You and Lord Beckinworth will marry. Preparations have already begun to ready the main hall for the ceremony.” As her daughter frowned, Marie huffed slightly in triumph. “I know you wanted to marry in the courtyard, but, as I have said, it is highly untraditional. A church is more favorable. You should postpone the wedding.”
    Susanna shook her