“We… We almost died. Twice.” Her voice had been reduced to a whisper.
“Yes.”
The ties of her dress loosened, but his hands didn’t stray like a lover’s might. The heavy brocade slipped to the floor. Her stays were the next to fall. Then the pins from her hair. He sifted his strong fingers through her hair and rubbed her scalp. It felt heavenly.
He scooped her up and brought her to the bed, flipping the covers back and laying her on the crisp sheets in her chemise. Stripping to his breeches, he climbed in next to her and positioned them like a pair of spoons.
He anchored her and made the dangerous world outside their doors fade. She felt safe and protected. It was his most precious wedding gift to her.
“Our youth is spent with the unwavering knowledge we are invincible, but everyone must face death. Unfortunately, some face the bleak reality before their time, and the experience skews the way they view the world from that day forward.”
How well he explained the churning around her heart. “You must have faced death on the Peninsula.”
“I did.”
“How did you not let the fear consume you?”
He tightened his arms around her. “The fear did consume me for a bit, but then I realized I had no time to waste. The death of my brothers and my father only drove the point home. It’s why I returned home posthaste to woo you.”
“Woo me or seduce me?” Finally she found a real smile and turned to meet his gaze.
“It was intended as a wooing. I got distracted.” He kissed her, but it wasn’t one meant to seduce. “Now go to sleep, my love.”
“But…?” She shook her head.
“We have the rest of our very long lives together. Tomorrow perhaps we’ll welcome the new day with our passion, but tonight just let me hold you.”
As she slipped off to sleep, she was already looking forward to the dawn.
Want to read more in the Spies and Lovers world? Look for AN INDECENT INVITATION. Watch Mr. Gray Masterson match wits with Lady Lily Drummond. Warning: This book contains spies, scandals, naughty liaisons in houses of ill repute, men who think they know everything and women who know they do not.
About Laura Trentham
An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. She writes romantic women’s fiction, sexy, small town contemporaries, and smoking hot Regency historicals. Several of her books have been named to Amazon’s Best Romance of the Month list, iBooks Best Book of the Month list, and even named an NPR Best Romance of the Month.
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Mischief and Mistletoe
by Stacy Reid
Chapter 1
England, 1822
Two weeks before Christmas
It was a very scandalous and audacious plan, which could be fully attributed to last week’s dream, and Miss Callisto Middleton, known as Callie, was quite determined for it to bear fruit. Her mama deserved happiness and with an earl too! Impossible some would say, but her papa had always impressed upon Callie that her tenacity in the face of adversity was her most admirable quality. And it was that quality, along with her winsome smile, pretty golden-brown eyes, and good-natured charm he had believed she would see gentlemen falling over themselves to offer for her at her debut years’ ago.
Of course, it hadn’t gone quite as dear Papa had planned. But her failed Seasons and unmarried state were not Callie’s current concern. No, that went to her mother, Viscountess Danby, the unhappiest woman in the countryside. And Callie knew exactly what her Mama needed—a beau to call her own.
A hitch found its way in Callie’s heart, and she brushed it aside, having already resolved that it was quite fine for her mother to remarry only five years after her father had gone on to his rewards. The directions of her current ambitions came from Papa, and whenever she dreamed of him, good tidings always followed.
Only two years ago, she’d dreamt of Papa directing her and Mama to Gloucestershire. Callie had insisted they visited the area where they’d found the most charming and affordable ten-room cottage to be their home. Then six months ago, another dream where she saw her papa floating on clouds at a particular section of the woody forest surrounding their homes, the next day Callie had visited and saved a child from drowning in the river.
Surely the dream of her papa standing from a cliff and smiling down at her mama who had been laughing in the arms of the Earl of Deerwood, their neighbor, was providence. Callie had become aware her mother carried a tendre for the man a few months now. Why, whenever mama saw him, the viscountess would blush, and even upon a few occasions, had stammered in her replies. Her mama, blushing as if she were a debutante and not a mature woman of two and forty years!
But it was more than that…the earl made her mother laugh, reducing the dark shadows of grief and melancholy which had resided with her since losing her husband, and replaced it with something sweet, hopeful, and tender. She was still a very beautiful woman, elegant and graceful. With her pale blonde hair and glistening green eyes, she looked many years younger than her true age. Callie was convinced she deserved another chance at happiness in a loving marriage. Then the earl had invited them as a family to a house party in his home, and after much anxious indecision from their mother, they had arrived yesterday and had settled in quite nicely. There were at least thirty guests, including the earl’s son and his daughter.
“I must find a way to get them together,” she said, nibbling on a piece of lemon cake.
“Get who together?” Letitia demanded, popping a tart in her mouth and crunching noisily.
Callie scowled at her sister, who, despite stuffing her face with confectionary, looked so very pretty. “You should try to eat in a more ladylike manner. All of Mama’s efforts at teaching you proper etiquette are being wasted.”
Letty rolled her eyes and tossed her ebony curls. “We are alone, Callie.”
“Still—”
Letty waved her hand in a frustrated gesture. “There is no still about it! You are trying to distract me. Who must you get together?”
Callie glanced around the tastefully furnished private parlor, knowing very well they were alone, but a lady could not be too careful. It was also one of the few rooms not decorated with holly and mistletoe! “I aim to play matchmaker.”
Letty gasped, a glint of mischief appearing in her light brown eyes. “Good heavens! With someone here at Lord Deerwood’s house party? How fun that would be, nothing amusing ever happens to us! Playing matchmaker is vastly more entertaining than strolling about the damp lawns and playing parlor games.”
“Yes, it is someone here,” Callie said, laughing at her sister’s exuberance.
“You are far braver than I credited you for,” Letty said with an approving nod. “Is it Vinnette you are helping along? She is so painfully enamored with Viscount Sherbrooke! I was heading to the library for a book late last night, and I saw her sneaking into his room, and she was only in her night rail!”
Callie gasped, lowering the fork with a piece of cake on it to her plate. “Why, I never! Are you certain, Letty?” Another of their neighbors, Vinnette, was the daughter of Squire Brampton, the second-largest landowner in the area. They had become good friends in the two years Callie’s family had settled in the area.
An image of the shockingly handsome viscount floated in her thoughts—midnight black hair, magnificent blue eyes, sharply defined cheekbones, and an arrogant yet sensually curved mouth. Her stomach did a frightening little flip. The heat of a blush rose in her cheeks, and she fought to suppress her reaction. It had bothered Callie very much that she found Lord Deerwood’s son so appealing.
“Did…did the viscount allow her inside?” she queried tentatively, wondering at his intentions. The viscount did not live at his fath
er’s estate, but his visits were frequent. Vinnette had not told Callie they had an attachment. Oh, Vinnette, what are you thinking!
Her sister nodded, a pink blush staining her cheeks. “I was awfully shocked at such a wanton display of improper behavior. But she is our friend, and we must help them to the altar considering what we must assume had happened in his rooms last night!”
Callie cleared her throat. “Well, we do know the purpose of a well-intended house party is to indulge in wickedness!”
“I am not entirely certain Mama would have brought us here if that were common knowledge. Nor do I think that is his lordship’s intentions.”
That was an astute observation, but Callie had pleaded with her mother to attend the earl’s annual Christmas house party after receiving the invitation. Perhaps her reluctance had been rooted in all the possible scandals on attending a house party! Though Lord Deerwood’s December parties had no salacious rumors attached to them to her knowledge. It was a tradition which his countess had started, but he had continued even though she had gone onto her rewards a little over ten years’ ago. It seemed the earl and his family had gotten the news of her passing on Christmas Eve while the family had awaited the doctor’s report.
For the last few years, the earl and his daughter had hosted a lavish house party which lasted for two weeks leading up to a Christmas day feast, which surely rivaled the table of the new King George IV, the former Prince Regent himself. Despite the coldness of the season and the gently falling snow, the earl’s guests would spend their two weeks of holidays hunting, riding, and even playing indoor games. In the evening, formal dinners would take place followed by music, some impromptu dancing, charades, whist, and games of billiards for the men where they could smoke indoors without fear of censure.
Many whispers suggested the earl held the house party to distract himself from the painful memories surrounding the yuletide season. For those invited, who did not care to spend Christmas alone or with barely tolerable family or wanted to be there for the earl, made their way to his palatial country home for the festivities. “It is not Vinnette I wish to help snag her beau.”
The cup on its way to Letty’s lips paused in midair. “Not Vinnette?”
“No.”
Letty frowned, wariness settling on her lovely face. “Then, who? We barely know anyone here, and I am still in disbelief that we were invited. The earl is very well known, and only those in good standing are welcome! I cannot credit anyone from Society should recall us to their minds, though I am very pleased we got asked to come this year!”
“It is Mama,” Callie said quietly, clasping her fingers tightly over her teacup.
Letty stiffened, lowering the tart to her plate and brushing the crumbs from her fingers and mouth. “Our mama?”
“Yes,” Callie replied, meeting her sister’s startled gaze. “I suspect she is in love with Lord Deerwood.”
Letty appeared dazed. “There is a rumor that he is an arrogant sort of man, very haughty and concerned with rules and propriety!”
“We didn’t see any evidence of such a disposition when he welcomed us yesterday!” In truth, the earl had almost appeared nervous, …and his eyes had strayed to her very rosy-cheeked mother quite often in the few minutes he’d made introductions to his other guests. At dinner, he had paid particular attention to their mother, who had seemed a trifle flustered with his attentions.
“Well, we hardly know him!”
“Exactly, my dear Letty!” Callie replied with a wave of her hand. “We absolutely cannot believe in any gossip about the earl. We could, however, trust in Mama’s judgment. It is quite unlikely she would admire anyone so haughty and prideful as the rumor suggests.”
Letty sighed. “He is also a man in his prime and is considered a most eligible parti. He is only five and forty and so very handsome and dashing. Why would he ever consider our mother? You go too far with your ambitions, Callie!”
She stood and made her way over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a section of the palatial estate. The light snow they had received this year had already started to thaw, and despite the chill in the air, the earl’s guests were enjoying the outdoors.
A group of well-wrapped guests played croquet on a lawn swept free of snow, and others practiced archery in good humor, laughing at each other’s hits and misses. Even in the distance, she could see a few people rowing on the lake, which had not frozen this year. Merriment danced in the air. Despite being several days away, Christmas—its feel and scent—surrounded the earl’s country home. Holly, garlands of ivy, pinecones, and sprigs of mistletoe seemed to decorate every room attached with brightly colored satin bows. Fresh-cut red and white roses which must have been grown in glasshouses to bloom at this time of year had been artfully arranged, and in the evenings, the gardens and surrounding parklands were festooned with hundreds of decorative lanterns and candlelight, which cast an ethereal glow on the remaining patches of snow and the reflecting lake.
“’Tis the season to be hopeful,” she said, staring at their mother, who sat under a gazebo near the closely pruned rose gardens, a book in her hand. The earl in question strolled with a lady near the edge of the lake, and at times her mother risked glancing at them. It was painful and almost embarrassing to watch her mother’s evident tendre for the earl.
Lord Deerwood, in turn, seemed coldly aloof as he strolled by the animated Miss Penelope Barrows. That lady was eight and twenty, and Callie had heard her only yesterday state she was determined to be married by next year. It seemed Miss Barrows had decided on catching the earl. It was hard for Callie to determine if his affections were engaged. He seemed to be politely listening but was careful not to stroll too closely beside Miss Barrows. In truth, his manner suggested an indifferent listener.
“Mama has little to recommend her to become the wife of such a man,” Letty said softly, coming to stand beside Callie. “I cannot credit you would be so bold as to even contemplate it.”
“Mama is the daughter of a baron and was the wife of a viscount. Even if we are not wealthy, we do have respectable connections!”
“Still, Lord Deerwood is—”
“Oh!” An unidentified emotion squeezed at Callie’s heart. “Look at the earl, Letty!”
Her sister leaned forward. “He…he is staring at Mama when he thinks no one is observing,” her sister said with wonder. “Oh, Callie, I daresay he likes Mama too!”
The expression on the earl’s face was one of acute longing. Unfamiliar emotions twisted through her, and she pressed a hand against the cool glass of the windows. A few light snowflakes danced in the air before settling on the thick verdant grass where a large peacock with its iridescent tail spread proudly lingered.
“I daresay he admires Mama most ardently,” Callie said softly, an unexpected hunger crawling through her veins. Many days she too had wondered what it would be like to be courted, to be sent flowers, take long walks in the park, read on a bench with her beau listening with rapt and sincere attention. She was four and twenty and had never experienced such delights. What would it be like to dance the waltz, and to be kissed? She closed her eyes briefly, pushing aside those dreams which seemed so unattainable, given the family’s dire circumstances for the past five years.
Their mother lowered her book, and when she looked toward the earl, he hurriedly glanced away. Letty giggled infectiously, and Callie smiled.
“How silly they are being,” her sister cried. “What are we to do about it?”
“They only need a little nudge!”
“How are we to do that?”
“Perhaps with a few well-placed notes and twigs of mistletoe.”
They shared a glance, and they dissolved into laughter.
“Oh, Callie, this is recklessness on our part. And surely too improper and wicked of us.”
Miss Barrows chose that moment to conveniently slip and cried out. The earl attended to her immediately and shortly after swung Miss Barrows in his arms, marching toward t
he main entrance.
“That lying wretch!” Letty cried. “There is nothing wrong with her ankle. She has pretended to be hurt to be in the earl’s arms.”
“Do you believe me now that Mama needs our help?” Callie said, a lump forming in her throat at the expression of loss and mortification on her mother’s face. “Will you be my helper?”
Letty took a steadying breath. She had always been the more modest of the two sisters, much more like their mother in her temperament and appearance. Gentle and kind, and very demure, especially in the presence of others. Whereas Callie had always been ‘frightfully improper and too much like your papa,’ which was a common refrain of their mother’s.
“Yes!” Letty said.
With her sister behind her, Callie hurried from the private parlor, and rushed down the long hallway, grateful they did not encounter any other guests. The scent of lemon wax and pinecones was redolent on the air, and in the distance, someone played a lively tune on the pianoforte in the music room.
“I will write a note, one to Mama and the other to the earl. You must see that they are delivered with the utmost discretion, Letty!”
“I will ensure it,” her sister promised.
Callie ran up the stairs and made her way to the chamber she shared with Letty. Once there, she sat before the small escritoire, withdrew a sheaf of paper from the drawer, and dipped the quill in the inkwell.
Dear Lord Deerwood,
I’ve long admired a man of your amiable, good-natured, and passionate qualities. I’ve often imagined we might stroll by the lake and indulge in artful conversations about our mutual likes and dislikes. While games of charades, whist, and music in the drawing-room promise lively fun, perhaps we might meet in the conservatory after dinner this evening? I will await you at half-past nine. I do hope to see you there, my lord.
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