His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time)

by Charles, Jane

  “Lord Felding,” she choked out. Her heart hammered in her breast. What was he doing here? Would he now believe the rumors too? What had Broadridge told him? Felding had said he wished to speak with her. Was he planning on making the same insulting offer? Could she blame him after the way she had settled on his lap and allowed him to kiss her? Rosalind’s face heated and tears of humiliation filled her eyes. Oh, she just wished the ground would open and swallow her whole.

  “Where are you?” He called.

  Rosalind didn’t want to face him or what he might say to her, but Felding already knew she was here and would keep looking until he found her. “I am in the back.”

  The footsteps hastened as he neared. Rosalind grasped the hoe tightly in her hands as she tried to gain control of her emotions.

  Felding stepped into the opening by the bench where she had first rested. Moonlight shone through the glass planes and reflected off of his dark hair. She didn’t know what she expected, but the worry in his eyes was almost her undoing.

  “What happened?” he demanded.

  Her eyes grew wide. Did he not know? “Nothing,” she lied and swallowed hard. She couldn’t bring herself to tell her the truth.

  He eyed her askance and reached for the hoe. “So you decided to leave the party and come out here to do some gardening?”

  Her hands went slack as he pulled it from her. Rosalind hadn’t even realized she was still brandishing it as a weapon.

  He placed it against the table and stepped closer. “What did Broadridge do to you?”

  A wave of tears flooded her eyes again. Felding wasn’t accusing her of anything but assumed the blame lie with Broadridge. Nobody, other than her family, had ever automatically come to her defense, and it was all she could to do remain upright as relief washed through her.

  Before she knew what was happening, Felding pulled her into his arms holding her tight.

  * * *

  Noah held Rosalind close as her body racked with sobs. It took a good deal of effort to keep in control of his anger. What had Broadridge done to her?

  He was afraid to ask but needed to know. Would the man have a slow death or a quick one? He had studied Rosalind when he first came into the room. Her hair was not mussed nor were there any marks on her face. But that didn’t mean Broadridge hadn’t hurt or insulted her in any other manner.

  He breathed deep trying to remain calm. He would care for Rosalind first, learn what details she wished to share, and if the situation warranted it, he would call Broadridge out.

  Of course, Demetrius may wish to do the honors first as he was Rosalind’s brother as long as Noah got his chance at Broadridge as well.

  Rosalind sniffed as her sobs subsided, and Noah fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. She wiped her nose and laid her head against his chest. He rubbed his hand up and down her back in comfort, and soon she was calm and silent.

  “Do you wish to tell me what happened?”

  She took in a deep breath and blew out a heavy sigh. “Is it necessary?”

  Noah pulled back and looked down into her upturned face. “Yes, it is. I need to know how badly I am to maim Broadridge.”

  A slight smile tugged at her lips which helped relieve some of his anxiety.

  “I think his striking his head is damage enough.”

  “You didn’t injure him?” Noah asked cautiously.

  She shook her head. “He slipped on the snow and fell into one of the gazebo’s pillars.”

  Noah bit his lip to keep from smiling. As much as he would have like to have seen Broadridge take such a fall, something had happened before that incident. If it had happened after, Rosalind would have blood on her clothing. “Did you happen to slap him as well?”

  Her eyes grew wide, and her face lost all color. “Did he tell you?”

  Noah placed a hand over her back. “No. I noticed the mark when he returned inside.”

  She visibly swallowed. “What did Broadridge tell you happened?”

  His eyes bore into hers. “Nothing.”

  Her brows creased in confusion. “Nothing? Then why are you here?”

  Noah sighed and led her to the bench where she settled, and he sat beside her. “Penelope came to report to Demetrius that you had gone outside but not returned. She was concerned about you. Demetrius was going to find you when Broadridge came inside with his bleeding head.” Noah thrust his fingers through his hair. “He claimed to have slipped and fallen and when asked if he had seen you, said that you had gone in through another door and said you were retiring for the night.”

  Rosalind sagged beside him as if a weight had been lifted from her.

  “I noticed the mark on his cheek and asked Penelope to check on you. When she discovered you were not in your room, I suspected Broadridge was lying to us. I followed your footsteps until they led here.”

  Startled, she turned to him. “Are others looking as well?”

  “No.” He placed an arm around her shoulders and drew her to his side. “Demetrius and everyone else accepted his word and went back to what they were doing. I didn’t want to alert them until I found you.”

  “Good,” she whispered.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

  Rosalind turned her face from him. “It is not important.”

  Noah gently grasped her shoulders and turned her toward him. “It is important to me.” He had to know what Broadridge had done. “You were holding that hoe as a weapon when I came in, and Broadridge had been slapped, so I very well want to know what he did to you.”

  “He saw us,” Rosalind blurted out.

  The only time Broadridge could have seen them when they shouldn’t have been observed was during the snowball fight. “When?” he asked slowly, hoping Broadridge had witnessed a more innocent encounter.

  Rosalind pursed her lips and stared at him.

  “By the rocks?”

  She simply nodded and closed her eyes.

  “What else did he say and do?”

  Rosalind bit her bottom lip and tears formed at the corner of her eyes. Perhaps he shouldn’t press her, but he needed to know.

  “I need to know.”

  She turned away from him as if she couldn’t face him, and Noah would give her that peace as long as he learned the truth.

  “He came out to the gazebo when he saw me go in there. He tried to kiss me.”

  Noah stiffened and balled his hand into a fist.

  “When I rejected him, he informed me that he hadn’t been sure if the rumor about me and Thorn had been true at least not until he had seen me with you.”

  Rosalind’s head dropped, and she worried her hands together. Noah placed a hand on her shoulder hoping to offer some comfort when all he really wanted to do was beat Broadridge to a bloody pulp.

  “He said he could offer me more than you and Thorn.”

  The words were so low Noah almost hadn’t heard them.

  “I explained that he was wrong and asked him to leave me alone.”

  “Did he physically harm you in anyway?” Noah asked in what he hoped was a calm manner when he was feeling anything but composed at the moment.

  “No. He kept trying to kiss and hold me until I slapped and pushed him away.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. Many women would be afraid to strike a gentleman of Broadridge’s station.

  “I was at the other side of the gazebo, and he started after me again.” She turned to face Noah. “He grabbed my arm, and I pushed out again. That is when he slipped and fell into the post.”

  “He deserved worse,” Noah grumbled then took her hand in his. “Then why did you run away?”

  Rosalind looked at him as if he were daft. “What if Broadridge wasn’t the only person who had seen us that day? What if he decided to press charges because of who he is and who I am? What if others learned I was alone with him in the gazebo? People already believe the rumors about Thorn. I can’t face that again. I simply can’t.”

&nb
sp; A lone tear slid down her cheek, and Noah gathered Rosalind into his arms.

  “I can assure you that he said nothing, and I will ensure that he doesn’t.”

  She sniffed and brought the handkerchief to her nose. He wasn’t about to tell her that Penelope had seen them as well. How many others had?”

  Twenty-Four

  “This is my fault,” Felding said after a moment.

  “No,” Rosalind cried clasping his hand in hers. “You can’t blame yourself for what people believe.”

  “Ah, but I can.” Felding placed a warm hand against her cheek. “I am the one that kept you on my lap and kissed you.”

  Heat stole into her cheeks. She wouldn’t trade those moments for anything in the world. It was probably the only time she would ever be kissed by a gentleman, and it was a memory she would always cherish. “I was ruined before I ever came here, Lord Felding.”

  He studied her. His thumb brushing back and forth across her cheek. “What happened with Thorn?”

  Rosalind stilled. “I thought you knew.”

  “I know what he told me from what he remembers. I am assuming you had a clearer head.”

  She chuckled. Even though there was no humor in the result of the situation, it had been rather comical until Lady Filpott arrived. “One of my charges was ill, and I was on my way to inform Lady Filpott. I knew it was late and didn’t wish to disturb her, but the child woke burning with fever.”

  Felding nodded for her to go on.

  “I was walking down the hall where the guests were given chambers, on my way to the bedchamber of Lady Filpott, when Thorn stumbled up the stairs and directly into me. I could barely hold his weight to keep him from crashing to the ground and taking me with him. We fell against the wall which is probably what alerted some of the guests.” In truth, she had stumbled so that her back was against the wall, and Thorn ended pressed against her. He had pulled back and stared and told her how lovely her eyes were, but Felding didn’t need to know every detail. “He reeked of brandy and was none too steady on his feet,” she chuckled again. “I helped him to the chamber not that he was very quiet despite how many times I tried to shush him. When we reached his room, I made the gravest error.”

  Felding straightened. “How so?”

  Rosalind blew out a breath. “I pushed him into his room and got him seated on the bed.” She looked up and smiled. “My brothers have been in a similar state before, and I knew he would likely fall face first just inside the door if I didn’t see him to his bed. As I turned to leave, he grasped my hand and asked me to stay. That is when Lady Filpott entered the chamber.”

  Felding groaned.

  “She refused to believe the truth and insisted I was setting Thorn up so that he would seduce me and then be forced to marry me.” Rosalind grimaced. “Between Thorn hitting the walls on his way to his chamber, and Lady Filpott’s shrill voice, every guest in the wing was now aware that I was in his bedchamber.”

  Rosalind faced Felding more fully. “When I explained that I was trying to go to her about her sick child, Lady Filpott only became more enraged. If I really cared for her child, I would not have set about seducing Thorn, and I was dismissed on the spot in front of several witnesses.”

  “Thorn did try to explain,” Felding prompted.

  “Yes, the next morning, but it was too late.” Her face burned again. “It didn’t help that he kept asking for his angel to come back while Lady Filpott was screeching at me.”

  Felding grimaced. “Now that I have kissed you, I’ve compounded the matter.”

  She would not let him take responsibility for something she was an equal partner in. “It does not matter, Lord Felding. If you are correct, Broadridge will say nothing and after tomorrow we will leave, and I will return to the Sandlin household where I belong.”

  * * *

  Noah studied her. Rosalind did not belong in Phoebe’s home unless she was a visitor. “I only feel that I make this right, Rosalind.”

  She eyes him askance.

  “You recall that I mentioned that I wished to speak with you in private?”

  Rosalind nodded and seemed to be holding her breath. Was she worried about what he would say?

  “My intention was to ask if you would mind if I called on you.”

  Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Call on me?”

  “Yes,” he smiled. “I’ve found that I quite enjoy your company and thought to see if we might spend more time together once the party was completed.”

  A lovely rose spread across her cheeks. It wasn’t the first time she had blushed since they had been in the orangery.

  “Would you have an objection to my visiting?”

  Rosalind glanced down at her lap and shook her head.

  Noah placed a crooked finger under her chin and lifted her face so that he could see into her sapphire eyes. “It would not be as friends you understand.”

  She licked her lips and nodded.

  Everything was settling in as it should be. He would call on Rosalind to determine that his attraction to her was not as fleeting as the one he once felt for Lady Jillian. Then, he would court her and gain permission to marry her. Maybe they would be wed before the Season, and he would have the opportunity to show her London.

  She blinked up at him not saying a word. He wished to know what was going on in the pretty head of hers but would ask at another time. At the moment, her full lips beckoned him.

  Noah lowered his mouth to hers drinking in the taste of her sweetness and leftover tears. He tilted his head and delved as Rosalind’s arms came up and wrapped around his shoulders. Noah fought the urge to sweep her up onto his lap. If he gave into one desire, what would stop him from giving in to more? As it was, he longed to test the weight of her beasts in his hands, experience the smoothness of her skin, drink from the nectar of . . .” Noah yanked himself back from the kiss and blew out a breath.

  Rosalind blinked up at him. “Is something wrong?”

  He shifted to find a more comfortable position though he doubted it would be possible until he stepped out into the cold of the night. He might just need to sit in the snow. “Nothing is wrong,” Noah assured her. “But, have no doubt of my desire.” He kissed her quickly, intentionally not lingering over those luscious lips, and pulled back. “My desire for you can only be held off for so long.” He stood and offered his hand to her. “We should return to the house. I am sure Penelope is anxious for your return.”

  Rosalind frowned in a confused manner, yet Noah was without words to explain. If they didn’t leave the warm of the orangery this very minute, he would be kissing her once again as he lay her across the cushioned bench to make love to her.

  Twenty-Five

  Noah woke late after spending a restless night in slumber. Too often he woke, aching with need and had to try and force his mind to think of someone, or something, other than Rosalind. She filled his dreams, and there was no question in his mind about wanting her. But would they suit as husband and wife?

  Yes, his mind insisted.

  Noah pulled on his great coat and took the back stairs to the kitchens and out of the house. He did not want to speak with anyone yet today and wished to be alone. In truth, he wished to avoid Lady Jillian and her brother. At the moment he wasn’t sure he could tolerate the lady who was so shallow and cold in comparison to the passionate Rosalind. If he saw Broadridge, Noah wasn’t certain he wouldn’t bloody the gentleman’s nose for what he had done and said to Rosalind. Unfortunately, on their return to the house, Rosalind had made him promise not to say anything about what had happened or to harm Broadridge in anyway. He shouldn’t have made such a promise because Noah still itched to plant the man a facer.

  He stepped into the woods and drew a deep breath. Rosalind was correct. As much as he may wish to harm Broadridge, it would only bring undo attention to the situation, Noah would do anything to avoid harming Rosalind in any manner, and making the remaining guests aware of what transpired would likely see her
nearly as ruined as she had been at the Filpotts. Noah wanted to spare Rosalind any pain now and in the future.

  The two of them would get on well, and there would be much happiness in the home. In addition, she was already a friend to his sister and had a fondness for his step-mother.

  He had to go about this correctly. Less than a week ago, he thought to court Lady Jillian. Now, within a few days, he was focused on another woman. Yet, Rosalind felt right. It was the only way he could explain it. She belonged in his life as if she was a limb he could not live without whereas Lady Jillian had been a means to an end. Beautiful, rich and the daughter of a duke . . . a gentleman could not do much better, but being with her left him cold. Rosalind filled him with heat and longing for the day he could make her his.

  “Lord Felding, I wasn’t expecting to see you on my walk.”

  Noah jerked his head up and looked around. He was on one of the many paths the servants had carved since the snowfall. He had just emerged from the woods and on his way back to the manor when the path Lady Jillian walked merged with his. For a person that didn’t like snow, she was spending a good deal of time out of doors.

  “Good morning, Lady Jillian.” He glanced around, but she was without a companion. He tried to move toward the house so that they were in the open for anyone to see. He didn’t want to be accused of compromising anyone, most especially Lady Jillian, which would force them both into a hellish situation. As her father was a duke, Noah would be given no options.

  Lady Jillian linked her arm with his and instead of continuing back to the manor, maneuvered Noah along the path running along the woods. He glanced back. They could still be seen from the manor as long as they remained on this side of the trees.

  “My brother has informed me that you wish to speak with my father.”

  Noah bit back a groan. Why had he said anything to Broadridge in the first place? He should have known to be more careful in his plans, move slower, but a week ago he had anticipated that he would be asking for her hand.

  She blinked up at him a gentle smile on her lips. “What would you like to discuss with my father?”