Page 85 of The Duke's Wicked Widow
Blushing now, Ellie allowed her stepdaughter to lead her to the apex of the hill. “You are certain you know what you are doing?”
Merida snorted. “Fawkes has taken me down loads of times, and I even did it by myself a bunch too, when he’s too lazy to climb up the hill again. I’m a really good steer-er, and have only crashed a few times. Not many times at all.”
In the process of seating herself on the sled, Ellie froze. “Howmanytimes?”
The girl waved airily as she plopped herself in the front and lifted her booted feet to the rail. “Just wrap your scarf around your head to protect it.”
“Merida—”
“Are you settled?” the girl interrupted. “Good. Here wegoooo!”
Ellie didn’t have time to scream, but shedidsuck in a great gulp of frigid air as the sledwhoosheddown the long hill. The wind in her face made her eyes water, the tears streaming from the corners to mix with the hair at her temples, but she refused to close them.
By the time they reached the bottom, coasting to a long stop, Ellie’s teeth hurt from the cold and she realized she was smiling. With her arms around Merida, it was easy enough to squeeze the girl and prop her chin on the little head.
“That waslovely,” she announced, chuckling when Tramp hurtled in from the side, barking and jumping happily. “Youarequite good at this sledding.”
“Yep,” agreed Merida, hopping to her feet. “Fawkes took me yesterday morning.”
“Oh, sothatis where you two disappeared to while I helped his mother bake cookies.” Ellie allowed the girl to help pull her upright, but honestly, she was more of a hindrance than a help. “I thought you had gone hunting for Father Christmas,” she teased.
Merida was busy brushing the snow from her overcoat. “A bit, maybe. Fawkes hasthebest stories, and even though it was so snowy, he took me riding! Did you know that?”
He’d asked Ellie before offering, which she’d appreciated. Slipping her gloved hand in the little girl’s, Ellie turned them back toward the hill. “I heard about that. You sat on his lap?”
“Yes, but he says in the springtime I can practice on my own pony. He said I only had to ride on his lap because the snow was so deep and he had to control the horse. The horse’s name was Chester, did you know that? It’s Mimi’s horse and I like him very much. Only she saysverramuch. Do you think I should sayverramuch? I want to sound like Mimi.”
As usual, Merida’s words spilled out of her in an unchecked monologue. Ellie, who’d been caught at the casual reference to springtime, had missed the second half. “Hmm? Oh, I think Mimi might be proud if you wanted to sound a bit Scottish. You must not sound like you are mocking her, though.”
“Nay!” Merida grinned. “See what I did there?”
They wouldn’t be here in the springtime.
They wouldn’t be here by the new year.
Ellie and Merida had been invited to stay for Christmas, yes, and the time really was magical, thanks to both Fawkes and his mother going out of their way to make the little girl feel happy and safe and excited.
But Fawkes couldn’t possibly trust her again, after what she’d done to him, could he?
Perhaps, there was once a time—back before her father’s death, before her marriage to Rufus—where Ellie would’ve looked on an adventure like Christmas at Hangcok Hill as a chance at romance. The air fairly sparkled with magic, so much goodwill and anticipation floating about one could cut one’s teeth on it.
But that was before she’d royally fooked up her chances at happiness.
Wait, happiness?
Yes, the last week had taught her that shecouldhave been happy with Fawkes, for reasons which had nothing to do with the amount of pleasure he showed her and everything to do with his ability to laugh, his caring nature, and his heart-melting smile.
If only she hadn’t started off by manipulating him so self-centeredly.
Perhaps then he might be interested in something likehappinesswith her.
If only he was a respectable chemist, like you originally thought. There could be no future, anyway, with a poisoner calledThe Duke of Death.
Yes, but it was impossible to continue thinking of Fawkes that way. She still wasn’t certain if she believed it—the urchin had called him that, and the old man in that tavern…
Fawkes himself admitted it, that night in the alleyway.
Well, yes, but perhaps he was…joking?
