Page 80 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
Alison’s eyes widened and before she could help herself, she snapped her head up and found Daniel staring right at her.
His expression was sullen. It was evident that he was filled with remorse, as if he wanted her to see the apology in his eyes. He did not look away. He did not speak. He simply looked right at her, and she could feel that silent apology as if he was screaming it across the table.
She stared at him… her family faded into darkness… the room vanished so that it was just she and Daniel… he was so close to her, but there was a distance between them as vast as an ocean and just as unassailable. Her brow furrowed with a question, her mouth half-opened to ask it. But she did not know what to say. She hardly knew how to feel.
He's leaving? And so soon? Why did he not tell me? Why did he not think to let me know, considering everything that we…
Alison felt sickness creeping up inside of her and she tore her eyes free, unable to look at Daniel for even a second longer. The world crumbled around her, burying her where she sat. And worst of all, nobody took notice. Nobody cared.
“Truly?” Lord Pemberton asked curiously. “The Americas?”
“How fascinating,” Felix added. “I have always wanted to go.”
“I can’t believe you are leaving,” Nerissa pouted. “And so soon.”
Felix scoffed. “As if it will affect you.”
“Quiet!” she snapped at him.
“It is not something I want to do.” Daniel spoke, and Alison knew the words were for her. The only thing was, she did not care to hear them. Not anymore. “It is something I must do. Believe me when I say that it is for the best.”
Alison said not another word for the rest of Daniel’s visit. She did not look at him. She did not acknowledge that he was there.
He was leaving her…. Which she supposed made no difference. Had he not left her just last night? Had that not been all she needed to know that he did not love her as she loved him? So, what difference did it make if he was half a mile away or one thousand?
At the end of the day, Alison was alone, and that was all that mattered.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“If you please, I have an announcement I would like to make.” Daniel was seated at the head of the table, and he projected his voice over the raucous chatter of his guests.
“It’s about time you did,” his sister, Violet said. As she did, she looked at the other sisters at the table, widening her eyes at them to be quiet.
“You were right,” another of Daniel’s sisters, Aurelia spoke up. “He does have something he wishes to tell us. How curious.”
“We all knew that,” Caroline, yet another of his sisters, sighed. “A blind man could have seen it.”
“What was it you guessed he wished to announce?” Eveline, the fourth of his sisters asked Violet. “Something about an engagement?”
“Not yet!” Violet widened her eyes across the table. “I told you, keep it to yourself, Eveline.”
“What difference does it make?” Eveline shrugged. “It is not as if he will change his mind now that he knows we are savvy to his plans.”
“Perhaps allow him to finish before we congratulate ourselves,” Violet snapped at them. “And we wonder why he never wishes to see us.”
“Is it true?” Iris, the youngest of the sisters and by far the most innocent and pure, looked along the table at Daniel. “That you are engaged?” A smile crept up her lips, and Daniel could hardly remember a time he had seen her so happy.
And it broke his heart.
It was Christmas Eve and, just as Daniel had hoped for, all five of his sisters had agreed to attend his Christmas Eve dinner party. And not just his sisters, but each of their husbands too. That added up to ten altogether, not including himself, which in turn made for a rather busy affair.
The evening had started simply. Casual drinks in the drawing room as they waited for everyone to arrive. Daniel, never one for socializing, and feeling awkward about what he had brought his sisters here to tell them, stayed quiet throughout, happy to watch as his family caught up and connected as they had not done together in longer than he could remember.
Once everyone arrived, they adjourned to the dining room, took their places down the table, and supper began.
The room was dark, lit only by the candles which were placed down the table’s center. He’d had Christmas wreaths hung on the walls, a Christmas tree decked in the corner, and the other decorations placed throughout the room to give the event that Christmas vibe. He wanted this to appear like a standard party, hosted simply because he missed his sisters and wished to see them again.
But they cut right to the truth of it. Not a one is fooled by the charade, as they know me well enough to know that I would not have called them together like this unless it was for good reason.
