Betrothed by Christmas: A Holiday Duet

by Jess Michaels

  She tilted her head at it as he barreled closer and then careened right past her without so much as a look in her direction. Behind her, she heard Tibby snort a bit of laughter and she glared at the maid before she looked at her prey. How could he have missed her? She had practically thrown herself at him.

  “I say, Mr. Killam!” she called out. He didn’t slow his pace and she felt blood rush to her cheeks. An uncommon occurrence, indeed. But then again, so was being ignored. “Mr. Killam, is that you?” she called, this time louder and with more urgency. When he still didn’t stop, she raised her voice even more. “Henry!”

  He stopped in the path ten feet ahead of her and slowly turned, pushing his spectacles up as he did so. Behind the glass, his dark green gaze settled on her and she waited for him to light up as he always did when he caught a glimpse of her. But it didn’t. For a moment, he didn’t even seem to recognize her.

  “Oh, Evangeline.” He shook his head at last and began to put on his coat. “I beg your pardon, Lady Evangeline. I didn’t see you there.” His brow wrinkled. “What are you doing in the park in the dead of winter?”

  “I have read a brisk walk in the cold can be good for the health.” Behind her, Tibby muttered something, and Evangeline barely fought the urge to reach back and swat at her. “What luck to run into you. Were you calling on your father?”

  His expression crumpled, and for a moment she saw raw emotion there. It was a rare occurrence, for Henry was almost always as controlled as she, herself, was. It was only his happiness to see her or when he talked about his projects with her that ever broke through his very calm façade. Seeing this moment’s weakness made her chest hurt and a rush of empathy cascade through her.

  She shook it off as best she could. That was not control, and in this situation, one had to have control.

  “Are you well?” she asked, stepping closer and tilting her head to examine him more closely. He was very pale, his gaze distant as he darted it away from her.

  “Of course, of course. I just had a—” He cut himself off and shook his head. “Well, it was not the call I expected when I went to my father’s that is all.”

  “Perhaps I could help.” She moved forward again, and now she was very close to him. Close enough to see the whiteness of his knuckles as he gripped them at his sides, and the clench of his jaw. He met her gaze and held it a moment. She felt him reading her, collecting evidence, making a decision about her.

  “Certainly my troubles cannot interest you, Evangeline.”

  Her lips parted. He had judged that she wouldn’t care. That she wasn’t the sort of person he would share with. Even though they had been friends of a sort for years. Even though they’d talked at parties and danced. Even though he…liked her. She knew he liked her. Didn’t he?

  “You would be surprised,” she said, softening her tone.

  He stared at her another beat, two. She shifted under his regard, uncertain if he would completely dismiss her. “He is upset about something I wrote,” he said and his tone was wistful.

  Unexpected relief flowed through her at even this slight capitulation. “Are you referring to your paper on the mathematics of the new planet?”

  Behind his spectacles, Henry’s eyes went wide. He nodded. “Yes. Did you read it?”

  She couldn’t hide her smirk at his shock. She rather liked shocking him because it wasn’t something she saw done very often. Henry was so intelligent, so careful, so certain when he spoke that being able to stymie him was actually fun.

  That wasn’t why she’d started seeking out the scientific journal of the Society of London Astronomical Studies he was part of over a year ago. She’d just heard about his interest in the group, and they seemed fascinating. She liked discovery as much as the next person. Why wouldn’t she pursue that interest, which was separate from Henry? Completely separate.

  “I did,” she said. “Though I didn’t understand it by half.”

  He arched a brow and she could see she had gone too far. His brow wrinkled. “I have a hard time believing you don’t understand everything you choose to speak on.”

  Behind her, Tibby snorted, and Evangeline cast a quick glare over her shoulder before she put her attention back on him. “Would you care to walk with me?”

  He blinked, shook his head, almost as if he remembered himself in that moment or that a spell had been broken. “I hate to be rude, but today is not a good day for it. Perhaps another time?”

  “Oh.” Evangeline forced a smile. “Yes, of course. No trouble at all.”

  He reached out and caught her hand, squeezing gently before he released it. “Thank you. It was nice to see you. Good day.”

  He turned and continued across the park at the same speed he had entered it, leaving Evangeline behind, staring after him in the cold.

  “Good day,” she muttered, for he was already out of earshot.

  Tibby stepped up beside her and they watched him walk away together in silence. Evangeline felt Tibby’s comments hanging in the air, unspoken but as loud as the thundering hooves of a dozen horses or the sounds of a group ice skating on the frigid lake in the distance.

  “Oh, just be out with it,” she muttered.

  Tibby turned toward her with a half-smile. “You tried to manage him and he will not be managed.”

  Evangeline pursed her lips. Tibby was not wrong, though she would never admit it. She had believed she could easily turn Henry into her and obtain the response she had wanted. And yet…

  “Posh,” she said, waving her hand as if she had no care in the world.

  Henry was almost across the park now, heading to the other entrance. She could not help but notice what a fine form he cut. She blinked at the unexpected thought.

  “He is biddable enough,” she proclaimed. “And he’s always liked me.”

  “Has he now?” Tibby snorted.

  She turned away now that Henry was gone from her sight. “You know he has. You’ve seen him when he comes with his father to call on my own. He always comes directly to me to talk. He always watches me even when we aren’t speaking. Don’t be foolish, I know when a man has an interest.”

  “That you do, with all who have circled you over the years,” Tibby conceded with a tilt of her head.

  Evangeline motioned toward the carriage that had been waiting for them. As they walked, she sighed. “But I do not want any of those men. Men who want my money and my influence and access to my father’s title. But this…this idea of choosing a man to marry…a man who wouldn’t do those things…wouldn’t it solve everything?”

  Tibby shot her a side glance. “Would it, though?”

  A rare feeling of defensiveness shot through her, and she came to a halt on the path and faced her. “If I married a man like him, I would retain myself. And Henry would benefit. Whatever happened with his father, he must wish to be free.”

  “Would he be free?” Tibby asked.

  “Yes!” Evangeline insisted, though she wondered why she felt the need to fight so strenuously to prove her point. Normally she did not feel a desire to defend herself. If someone didn’t agree, who cared? She trusted her instincts. Today they felt less…instinctual.

  Tibby lifted her brows.

  Evangeline huffed out a breath and it crystalized before her like smoke. “I’d like it if he had his own pursuits. If he is busy finding planets, he would have little time to trouble me.”

  Now Tibby’s expression fell, and Evangeline was shocked to see pity in her eyes. “My lady, that sounds positively depressing.”

  Evangeline pushed past her and allowed the footman to help her into the carriage. She flopped into her place, arms folded, as Tibby joined her. The carriage began to move and her maid stared at her, those last words hanging between them.

  “Why?” Evangeline finally ground out through clenched teeth. “Why would that be depressing?”

  The sadness on Tibby’s face was so plain. “No love, Lady Evangeline. No…no passion.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “
No connection at all? Is that what you really want?”

  Evangeline caught her breath because when the future she imagined was laid out in that way, it did sound rather dire. And yet she had also seen the dark side of all those things Tibby extoled. The darkest side.

  “Perhaps there is some value in a love match. They certainly seem in fashion at present. But we both know things like love and passion and connection don’t last,” she said softly. “Friendship might, though. And Henry is a friend, isn’t he? That is why I would choose him for this endeavor. It’s a good idea.”

  Tibby was quiet for a moment, then leaned forward. “Will Mr. Killam say the same when you bring this fool idea to him?”

  Evangeline’s lips parted at the very idea. After all, if she told Henry, he might refuse her. She didn’t want that.

  “I’m not going to tell him,” she said. “At least not at first. I need to convince him, guide him.”

  “Manipulate him,” Tibby said, her tone dry as dust.

  “Not in a bad way,” Evangeline said. “After all, he’d certainly never pursue me of his own accord. We’ve been friends for years and he’s never been untoward. No, I’ll have to catch this wallflower in true time-honored fashion.”

  Tibby’s brow wrinkled in confusion and concern. “And how is that, my lady?”

  Evangeline smiled as the doubts she had allowed herself to feel faded slightly under the weight of her renewed confidence in her plan. After all, she was the daughter of the Duke of Allingham. She was Lady Evangeline. She was a diamond of the first water. She was leader of the ladies. Nothing could stop her once she put her mind to something.

  “It’s very simple,” she said, settling back more comfortably against the carriage seat. “I’ll woo him.”

  Chapter 4

  Henry sat at the large table in the center of the hall at the Society of London Astronomical Studies with another of his colleagues, Donovan McGilvery. It had been two days since his encounter with his father, since his strange interaction with Lady Evangeline just afterward in the park. Both had been on his mind since, which led to a level of distraction that he rarely encountered.

  “Great God, man, you have just miscalculated two equations. Have it out before you compute a known planet away instead of finding a new one.”

  Henry stared at the equations before him and immediately saw his errors. Simple mathematical mistakes he had not made in years.

  “I apologize,” he said, pushing aside his papers and rising to his feet. He shoved a hand through his hair and then pushed his spectacles up his nose out of reflex rather than necessity. “I admit I am having a difficult time of it.”

  “Tell me about it,” McGilvery said, concern lining his face. “Sometimes you need a second opinion on something if you are lost in the weeds of a problem. Is it about the equations?”

  “I wish it were,” Henry said with a sigh. “A simple scientific question could be debated and solved. This…well, I would share, but it isn’t about society business and I hate to bother you with foolishness.”

  McGilvery raised both hands. “I asked, didn’t I?”

  “My father is threatening to cut me off,” Henry burst out, the first time to say it out loud to another person. “Because of the paper from a few weeks ago.”

  McGilvery’s mouth dropped open. “Oh. Oh.”

  “Yes,” Henry agreed. “Oh.”

  “He is that opposed to your work? My father seems pleased that I have some sort pastime that isn’t drinking or whoring like my brothers do.”

  Henry shrugged. “You would think mine would feel the same, but he is tied up in what he believes a gentleman of even a little rank should do. If I participate in this work, it sullies his good name and that is that. He is not to be reasoned with.” His words caught in his throat and he nearly choked on them. “I don’t know what to do. He’s given me a week to decide if it is to be cut off or give up my research.”

  “A week?” McGilvery repeated in even greater shock than before.

  Hearing it repeated to him made Henry’s stomach turn even more with renewed anxiety. “Five days, actually. His edict was issued two days ago, so my time slips away like sand through a damned hourglass. God’s teeth, McGilvery, what am I to do?”

  His friend shook his head and Henry sank back into his chair and covered his eyes. This was exactly why he had not shared his plight with anyone in his acquaintance. None of them were even as well off as he was, they couldn’t help him. Even if they could, it would be unfair to ask another person to take responsibility for what he would give up.

  What he would lose either way.

  “Killam—” McGilvery began, but was interrupted when the society steward, Mr. Croome, stepped into the room.

  “I beg your pardon, gentlemen, but a missive has arrived for you, Mr. Killam.”

  Henry looked up. Occasionally his household forwarded what seemed to be important letters to him here, in case he didn’t come home for days on end as he worked. Now he found himself staring at a letter on fine paper, folded exquisitely and stamped in expensive wax. Immediately his thoughts went to his father. This could easily be a message from him, demanding an answer now no matter what the terms of the original mandate had been.

  He took the letter reluctantly and stared at the seal. It was not the ornate K of his father’s stamp, but an e. Lowercase, feminine. He wrinkled his brow as he broke it and unfolded the note.

  “Who is it from?” McGilvery asked.

  “Evangeline,” Henry breathed, reading her words slowly.

  Henry,

  It truly was a pleasure running into you at the park the other day. I do hope you will come to call very soon, as I would like to continue our conversation. Perhaps this afternoon if it is not too busy for you?

  Yours,

  Evangeline

  He did not think he had ever had the pleasure of a letter from Evangeline before. Now he stared at the words, written in a neat, feminine hand that was pure her.

  “And just who is Evangeline?” McGilvery asked, drawing out her name playfully.

  Henry looked up. He somehow hadn’t realized he’d said her name out loud and revealed this little weakness to his friend.

  “Er, an old friend,” he explained.

  Both of McGilvery’s brows lifted. “A friend, eh? Must be some friend to make you forget your troubles with just a few lines.”

  Henry ducked his head. McGilvery had no idea just how close to the mark he was. Henry had always forgotten everything but Evangeline the moment she entered any room. It had been that way since she was fifteen and she’d smiled at some terrible joke he told. Since then, making her smile or laugh had been one of his greatest accomplishments. He’d made quite a study of her sense of humor. And, to be honest, just as deep an analysis of the way the light hit her face, the way her eyes changed color ever so slightly depending on what she wore.

  “You like her,” McGilvery said with a laugh when Henry had been silent for so long.

  Henry jerked his face up and found McGilvery lounging back in his chair, grinning at him. He shook his head, pushing his distracting thoughts of Evangeline aside as he always had to in the end. “I assure you, we are nothing more than friends. Acquaintances, really. Lady Evangeline is out of my orbit,” he said with a shrug.

  “But she’s putting herself in your orbit,” McGilvery said, reaching for the letter and holding it up with a shake. “Croome!”

  The steward had begun to leave the room, but hustled back. “Yes, Mr. McGilvery?”

  “Was this letter forwarded from Mr. Killam’s house or was it sent here directly?”

  “Ah, well, it was not Mr. Killam’s usual messenger,” Croome said. “So I must hypothesize that it was sent directly. The man’s livery was very fine, but not one I recognized as belonging to a member.”

  “Excellent,” McGilvery said with another grin in Henry’s direction. “Thank you.”

  As the steward left, McGilvery got up and dropped the letter back in f
ront of Henry on the table. “You like her and she is apparently aware enough of your schedule that she is sending you notes directly to the society. Notes asking you to call on her.”

  “You read it?” Henry asked.

  “Of course I did. So does this lady above your orbit have money?”

  Henry drew back. “I—why?”

  “That could solve your father problems, if you married yourself a lady with a fat dowry, couldn’t it? Assuming the lady wouldn’t mind if you continue your exploits here.”

  A brief imagine entered Henry’s mind. Of marrying Evangeline. Of a wedding night with Evangeline. A ripple of awareness flowed through his body, but he stifled it.

  “No one is marrying anyone,” he said.

  “But you will call on her, of course,” McGilvery said.

  Henry stared at the letter again. The words flowed one to the next, a smooth line of ups and downs like waves. They were almost peaceful. And while being with Evangeline, herself, had never been a peaceful experience, when he thought of it, it did lift his spirits.

  “I would be remiss if I did not do so,” he said. “Especially since I left the lady rather abruptly a two days ago.”

  “Good,” McGilvery said with a salute as he drew papers back in front of himself. “You’ll make yourself mad if you only think of figures and terrible futures. Seems a good idea to fill your head with celestial beings of a much finer kind. Off with you.”

  Henry sighed, but he didn’t argue. In truth, he really did need a break from the riot of his mind. And spending a few hours with Evangeline couldn’t do any harm. At least it would give him fodder for fantasies that came at night. Ones he would never live out, but that kept his dreams sweet indeed.

  Evangeline moved down the hall, smoothing her skirts as she did so and pausing only to check her appearance in the mirror above a table in the hallway. She tucked back an errant hair and then drew a breath as she stood outside the parlor where Henry had been placed ten minutes before.