Read Online On A Cold Christmas Eve by Bethany M. Sefchick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Bethany M. Sefchick
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be with him, well, any woman would count herself lucky!" Then, realizing what she'd just said, Lucy snapped her mouth shut before adding quietly. "Not that I am a wanton, but I am female, and he is rather pleasing to look at." Oh, Lord, how much did the other woman suspect. Far too much, unless Lucy missed her guess.
That made Amelia chuckle, a rusty sound rather like Adam's laugh that indicated she did not indulge in the emotion frequently enough either. "I think you will fit in here just fine, Lucy. And it warms my heart to know that you are attracted to my brother. I would hate for him to marry someone who thinks him a beast." Then she rose and gave the other woman a quick hug. Another surprise on a day full of them. "I must return to the nursery and attend to my children now, but I did want to let you know that you are among friends now. Adam and I, as well as Fitz, will not allow any harm to befall you." Then she pulled back and grinned. "Not to mention that I think you will make an excellent duchess."
Long after Amelia had gone, Lucy turned the other woman's words over and over in her mind. Did she truly belong here? She still wasn't certain, but she was also well aware that she had nowhere else to go.
Then there was the little matter of what she'd told Amelia about her attraction to Adam. It wasn't a lie, but in two short days, she knew she had to be mad to even think she could love him. Desire him, certainly, but not love. Love didn't happen for people like her and certainly not with a man like Adam. No, this was lust and that was a term she was well familiar with.
It was nothing more. It could not be. It was not logical or rational.
Lucy knew that Adam made her heart speed up, and her body tingle. He made her want to be more, to be worthy of him, and, within the span of a day, he took up far more space in her mind than any man ever had, not that she had much experience in that regard. While she would never confuse any of that with love, it was more than many of the aristocracy had to build a life upon.
Yet there was much more to Adam than just his physical attractiveness, perfect as that was.
He was kind, not just to her but to his family and the servants as well. That sort of kindness was rare, a gift to be treasured and not squandered. He was thoughtful and considerate, as evidenced by the visit from the modiste, and he adored animals. He celebrated Christmas with cheer and was good and moral. He was also older than the silly fops she'd met at balls, and while certainly not past his prime, old enough that he should be thinking of the future.
Lucy knew that she was older as well, having languished at her uncle's home in Mayfair for years. At her age, she was well on the shelf, but that didn't mean she'd ever completely stopped hoping, at least in secret, that one day a man might see some small speck of worth within her. If she didn't marry Adam, Lucy knew she would never marry, at least not unless it was to someone like Archibald who only wanted her fortune and would merely leave her to rot some place once he attained his goal.
She shivered at how close she had come to that kind of fate. Over the course of the day, she'd talked with many people, including Adam's men of business, telling them what she knew of the contracts, as well as what unentailed jewels her uncle had sold. That last items she had discussed with Harry Greer, the Bow Street Runner. Like everyone else she met, she'd found him charming and personable. In fact, there wasn't one person she'd met at Overlook Hill that she hadn't liked.
Then again, she hadn't met Archibald St. Vincent, and she had a feeling she wouldn't care much for him at all.
Chapter Four
"There now. That wasn't so terrible, was it?" Adam was all smiles as he led his new bride into the grand dining room where a small wedding breakfast had been set up among the lush holiday greenery. He'd explained to
That made Amelia chuckle, a rusty sound rather like Adam's laugh that indicated she did not indulge in the emotion frequently enough either. "I think you will fit in here just fine, Lucy. And it warms my heart to know that you are attracted to my brother. I would hate for him to marry someone who thinks him a beast." Then she rose and gave the other woman a quick hug. Another surprise on a day full of them. "I must return to the nursery and attend to my children now, but I did want to let you know that you are among friends now. Adam and I, as well as Fitz, will not allow any harm to befall you." Then she pulled back and grinned. "Not to mention that I think you will make an excellent duchess."
Long after Amelia had gone, Lucy turned the other woman's words over and over in her mind. Did she truly belong here? She still wasn't certain, but she was also well aware that she had nowhere else to go.
Then there was the little matter of what she'd told Amelia about her attraction to Adam. It wasn't a lie, but in two short days, she knew she had to be mad to even think she could love him. Desire him, certainly, but not love. Love didn't happen for people like her and certainly not with a man like Adam. No, this was lust and that was a term she was well familiar with.
It was nothing more. It could not be. It was not logical or rational.
Lucy knew that Adam made her heart speed up, and her body tingle. He made her want to be more, to be worthy of him, and, within the span of a day, he took up far more space in her mind than any man ever had, not that she had much experience in that regard. While she would never confuse any of that with love, it was more than many of the aristocracy had to build a life upon.
Yet there was much more to Adam than just his physical attractiveness, perfect as that was.
He was kind, not just to her but to his family and the servants as well. That sort of kindness was rare, a gift to be treasured and not squandered. He was thoughtful and considerate, as evidenced by the visit from the modiste, and he adored animals. He celebrated Christmas with cheer and was good and moral. He was also older than the silly fops she'd met at balls, and while certainly not past his prime, old enough that he should be thinking of the future.
Lucy knew that she was older as well, having languished at her uncle's home in Mayfair for years. At her age, she was well on the shelf, but that didn't mean she'd ever completely stopped hoping, at least in secret, that one day a man might see some small speck of worth within her. If she didn't marry Adam, Lucy knew she would never marry, at least not unless it was to someone like Archibald who only wanted her fortune and would merely leave her to rot some place once he attained his goal.
She shivered at how close she had come to that kind of fate. Over the course of the day, she'd talked with many people, including Adam's men of business, telling them what she knew of the contracts, as well as what unentailed jewels her uncle had sold. That last items she had discussed with Harry Greer, the Bow Street Runner. Like everyone else she met, she'd found him charming and personable. In fact, there wasn't one person she'd met at Overlook Hill that she hadn't liked.
Then again, she hadn't met Archibald St. Vincent, and she had a feeling she wouldn't care much for him at all.
Chapter Four
"There now. That wasn't so terrible, was it?" Adam was all smiles as he led his new bride into the grand dining room where a small wedding breakfast had been set up among the lush holiday greenery. He'd explained to
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