Page 92 of The Duke's Wicked Widow
“Aaand that is enough,” cut in Ellie. “They are called nostrils, not nose holes, and yes, all of us here are sufficiently aware of the existence of the ancient Egyptians and do not require you to educate us on the topic at all ever again and please come help hang an ornament.”
“I choose this one!” Merida declared, straightening, seemingly unfazed by the distraction. “Here, Fawkes, you gotta use these things to clip the candles to the branches, see?”
“Hmm, perhaps you should show me how, lassie.”
As he stepped up to the tree to pretend to listen to Merida’s explanation of how, exactly, the candles clip to the pine, he met Ellie’s relieved gaze. Aye, she understood he’d done this task many times, and was only using the question to distract the girl from brains and nostrils. Ellie’s grateful little smile made him feel…
Well, it made him feel as if he’d done somethingright.
“Ellie, darling, could you help me hang this garland? Do you think it looks betterhereorhere?”
With a gentle smile, Ellie moved to his mother’s side. “I can hold it in both positions if you’d like—you step over there and tell me which looks better.”
“Och, aye, ye’re so smart.” Mother patted her shoulder as she stepped back. “I can see why Fawkes cares for ye.”
“They were almost kissing yesterday!” Merida declared, her attention on the pine branches. “I interrupted them because I didn’t want Tramp to see them kissing and get sick. He has a delicate constitution, you know. Yeken. There, I’m done, that’s how you do it, Fawkes,” she announced, hopping over to the ornament box. “I’m getting more.”
Fawkes couldn’t help glancing at Ellie, who was staring straight ahead, the garland apparently the most fascinating thing in the room.
He cleared his throat. “Let me do the rest of the candles, eh, Merida? Can ye find the wee angels? I remember they’re mostly gold and were my favorite when I was a lad.”
From behind him, Mother cheerfully announced, “I think that position is the best. Switch with me, Ellie. I’ll hold the garland, aye?”
Ellie’s cheeks were still pink, but she said nothing, allowing Fawkes’s mother to step up and hold the garland in place. She hurried across the room, then turned and took a deep breath. Placing her hands on her hips, she cocked her head. “Yes, Estella, I think that looks lovely.”
“Och, nay,” Mother declared, twisting to look over her shoulder at Ellie. “Ye’re still too close. Back up a mite more.”
Dutifully, Ellie took a few steps back, kicking her blue skirts out of the way as she went. “It looks exactly—”
“More!” his mother announced. “Back up more.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Ellie frowned, even as she obeyed the order. “If I back up much farther, I will be out in the foyer.”
“Keep going!” Mother’s green eyes were twinkling, causing Fawkes to twist about as well, trying to catch the joke.What was she—“Almost there.”
“Estella.” Ellie stepped into the doorway and planted her hands on her hips once more. “I think this is quite far enough.”
Mother looked innocent. “Och, is it? Can ye seeeverythingthere, lass?”
“Can I see—? Of course I can see the tree! The garland looks excellent, just hang it there!”
His mother was smirking as she turned back to fasten the garland. “Everything, darling?”
Fawkes suddenly saw what had his mother chuckling.Oh, hell.
Ellie looked a moment away from stomping her foot. “For heaven’s sakes, what am I missing?”
It was Merida who explained. She popped upright from her place at the ornament box. “Found them! Are these the angels, Fawkes? Ellie, did you know you’re standing under mistletoe? Mimi explained what mistletoe was, so I’m not going to stand under it because I don’t wanna kiss.”
Ellie’s gaze had darted upward as soon as the girl had said the wordmistletoe, and then immediately flown to Fawkes.
He couldn’t help it; he grinned wickedly and took a step toward her.
With a gasp, she jumped—actually jumped—out from under the doorway.
And Fawkes burst into laughter.
Mother followed, and even Ellie joined in, although she lifted her fingers to cover her mouth. As Tramp went into hysterics, barking and jumping, Merida demanded to know what was so funny. Fawkes crossed the room to the woman he was afraid he was falling in love with.
