Page 11 of A Season for Christmas

Samuel turned, reaching out his hand to help Catherine down the steps. She smiled at Klaus as she stepped down into the courtyard, her gaze darting around to take in the scenery before landing back on the innkeeper.

“Lady Catherine, this is Mr. Nicholas Klaus, our host for the evening. Klaus, this is my long-time friend, Lady Catherine Cross.” He let his hand linger around hers for a moment before dropping it.

“My lady, welcome to the Patridge and Pear Tree,” Klaus said with a slight bow, ducking his head. “We’ll bring your things right in and get you settled. Please, follow me this way to your rooms.”

As he turned, he waved his hand, and a multitude of inn workers, all dressed in green, descended.

The inn was decorated for the holiday with boughs of evergreen over every mantle, bows hanging from the windows, and the scent of spiced wine filling the air once they walked inside. There was a roaring fire in the hearth, and the tables were about half full of patrons, mostly men, though a few women were sprinkled throughout. At a quick glance, Samuel was certain Catherine was the highest-ranking person in the room, though she did not put on any airs as they walked through.

Unlike her parents, she had never been one to turn up her nose at those of lower rank.

“You can come down for supper, or I can have it delivered to your room,” Klaus said, leading the way to the stairs. “The fires have already been lit, so you should be nice andwarm. If you need anything laundered, we can do that this evening and have it back to you by tomorrow morning.”

“We plan to get an early start,” Samuel replied. “We have at least another day and a half of travel.”

“Mmm.” Klaus nodded, but his expression sobered. “Old Maude says there’s a storm coming in tonight.”

“Really? But the skies were completely clear,” Catherine said, sounding both surprised and a little apprehensive.

“I’ve never known Old Maude to be wrong, but there’s always a first time,” Klaus replied as they mounted the stairs, the sounds from the common room fading away as they moved to the upper hallway. The closed doors meant there was no light from the outside, but gas sconces flickered along the walls, somehow making the hall seem warmly cozy rather than dark and creepy.

“Here you are, my lady,” Klaus said, coming up to one of the doors. He opened it, then handed her the key before pushing the door open so she could precede him into the room. Her lady’s maid scurried in behind her, turning to look about the room. “I’ll send up one of the maids to turn the bed down for you when you are ready. Would you like a hot bath as well?”

“No, thank you.” Catherine turned around to smile at him. The drapes were open, leaving her backlit against the fading light of day coming in through the windows, her figure clearly outlined by the dimming sunlight. “This is a lovely room.”

It truly was, which was one of the reasons Samuel had chosen the Pear and the Partridge. They had some of the best rooms he’d found on all his travels. Her room was exquisitely feminine, unlike the rooms Klaus had provided him with in the past, with blue and cream stripes decorating the walls, light wood furniture carved with decorativecurves, and a deep rose bedspread and matching canopy and drapes on the bed. The curtains had blue and pink flowers adorning them and were secured to the sides of the window with ivory cord.

“Of course. The room for your ladies’ maid is through that door,” Klaus said, pointing to one of the doors on the right. “And the washroom is through the other.”

Anna immediately went to open the door to her room, making a soft sound of happiness at what she found there.

“Your bags will be up momentarily.” Klaus grinned cheerfully, taking his leave of the room. Samuel cast one last longing glance at Catherine before Klaus had him moving down the hallway, just one door over. “And this is your room.”

Not one Samuel had stayed in previously, but as he followed Klaus into the room and took it all in, he realized why the man had put him there. He had not been able to see it from his view into Catherine’s room because the door had blocked his view of the left of her room. Now, he could clearly see the door adjoining the two spaces.

He waited until Klaus had handed over the key and exited the room before he went to check.

And he smiled because the adjoining door was unlocked.

Bless, Klaus.

6

Catherine

They had dinner in Samuel’s room. Anna chose to go downstairs and eat with Samuel’s groom, Lewis, in the common room, leaving her and Samuel alone in his room. As a widow, it was not very scandalous. She got the impression that Anna was doing her best to give them time and space alone, which she appreciated, even as it amused her. She would not have thought Anna would have a penchant for matchmaking, but she appreciated it, regardless.

There were other matters at hand as well, though.

“Tell me about Clarence,” she requested. With Anna in the carriage with them, some of Samuel’s stories had included the then-heir, now-duke, but of course, they had not been able to openly discuss the mission they’d been sent on. While she might request Anna keep her ears open for any gossip, she was not going to talk out of turn about the investigation.

After all, Clarence might be innocent, and she did not want Anna inadvertently casting suspicion on him to his own servants. Nor did she want to accidentally put Anna inany danger if it turned out Samuel did not know his friend as well as he thought, and the man turned out to be a murderer.

Samuel huffed a breath with just a touch of exasperation, leaning back and raking his hands through his hair. His mostly finished supper languished in front of him. She had waited until they were done eating, and he had been set at ease on purpose. This was hardly going to be an easy topic, as he considered the man a friend.

“There are not too many other stories I have about him, as we have kept our contact to letters over the years.” He frowned. “The man I knew… he could have never killed his father. The two were not close, but neither were they at odds. And Gregory was harmless. A lover, not a fighter, is how he would describe himself.”

“He never got into a fight? No boxing, no fencing?” she pressed.

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