Page 69 of Snowfall and the Duke
“Where shall I put this wreath, Miss Temple?” asked Hanford, the young footman the duke had sent over to help with the Christmas preparations.
The duke had also sent Jane, the friendly girl who had been given the care of Ailis while at his home, to assist with her own personal grooming in addition to lending assistance setting up the tables and stalls, and fashioning the decorative boughs of holly and ivy, bay and laurel, that would go up on Christmas Eve around the vicarage’s manse and church. “Set it on the long table for now,” she said, pleased with how well things were progressing.
Other villagers had come by to assist, and there was to be a decorating party held after the church service on Christmas Eve for those who had volunteered for the final setting up.
Seeing as things were well under control, Ailis decided to walk over to the village bakery to review the order she had placedwith them yesterday. Having them bake all the cakes, pies, and other sweets took an enormous weight off her shoulders, since this was the most time-consuming chore she had taken upon herself in the prior years.
But with her arm still quite sore and immobilized in a sling, even something as simple as kneading dough or stirring batter was not possible for her to accomplish.
The duke rode up on his massive steed, Avalon, just as she walked out of the vicarage on her way to speak to the baker. He dismounted with graceful ease, tethered his mount to a fence post, and strode toward her.
“Dear heaven,” she muttered, thinking he looked quite warrior-like and magnificent with his dark cloak swirling around his body in the stiff breeze and his dark eyes trained on her.
“Miss Temple,” he said, his voice deep and seductive.
“Good morning, Your Grace.” She smiled up at him, squinting slightly as she faced the sun that was shining brightly on this crisp winter’s day, its rays glinting through the leafless trees and reflecting off the surrounding snow.
“Going on errands?”
She nodded. “Just to the bakery to make certain they shall have all I ordered ready in time for the Christmas festivities.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
“An excellent idea. Then you shall see what I have charged to your account. I hope it is not too much.”
“It won’t be,” he assured her.
“That is quite generous of you.” She tipped her chin up to stare at him, for she had never known him to be quite this loose with his purse strings. Not that she would ever regard him as a skinflint, but he was now opening his purse up to her seemingly without limitation. Of course, she would never take unfair advantage. Perhaps he knew this and felt comfortable placing his trust in her.
“It is something I can easily afford.” They ambled along the village’s high street side by side. “You’ll let me know if you require more.”
She glanced up at him, again surprised by his continued generosity. “We’ll do nicely with what you have given us, but thank you for offering. May I ask, what has brought about this remarkable change in you?”
“Perhaps it is your kisses that have pried my coffers loose.”
She blushed. “But those were for a set sum, and you are now going above and beyond that already generous donation.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps I am realizing just how much I have been missing by keeping myself closed off at Langford Hall. How is your arm, Ailis?”
She nudged aside her cloak a moment to show him that her arm was still bound. “Still a little sore, but it is doing much better. I dare not remove the sling until you give me the nod.”
“I’ll have a better look at it when we return to the vicarage.”
They were almost at the bakery now, and the delicious scent of freshly baked bread and cherry pies cooling on the ledges wafted toward them and made her mouth water. She hadn’t bothered with breakfast this morning, since she had only managed to fall asleep without pain in the wee hours.
Then, the next thing she knew, Jane was at her bedchamber door informing her the volunteers had arrived to finish building the stalls and make the wreaths and boughs. With Jane’s assistance, Ailis had quickly washed and dressed, and then run to the church to get everyone started on their assignments.
Only now had she caught up from her late start.
“How are you faring at Langford Hall?” she asked, curious as to what Jonas had been doing since her appearance at his dinner party. In an act of defiance, which seemed silly to her now, she had made herself look as eccentric as possible. Her intention wasto irritate him and make him realize she did not belong at his elegant table rubbing elbows with the elite of Society.
Instead, he had taken her under his protective wing, kept her seated beside him, and seemed most comfortable having her by his side.
“The young lovelies are still chasing me, but I am doing my best to ignore them. Edward and his friends have been invaluable in distracting them. After all, his friends have bet on mynotmarrying, and will do all they can to collect on that wager. If these ladies are the best Society has to offer, then their win is assured. I shall never marry any of them.”
Ailis turned silent, for what he really meant was that he would never marry at all.
She knew she was never in contention, so his statement should not have affected her. Yet it did. These past few days, she had ached for his company and could not stop thinking of what life might be like for her if she were to marry him.
