Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,6

you could help with the taller places I cannot reach. We’ve even got mistletoe to hang over the doorway.” He giggled. “Last year Mr. and Mrs. Ballard kissed beneath it!”

A smile lifted David’s face. How could he deny this child? “Sounds like a jolly good time. I haven’t decorated for Christmas in years.”

They started spreading sprigs of holly in the morning room, then moved to the modest entry hall before climbing the stairs to the drawing room where David attempted to fashion a garland over the mantelpiece before he ran out of greenery. “It looks like you and I will have to gather up more of this stuff,” he said to the boy.

The lad frowned. “My mother won’t permit me to go out of doors past two in the afternoon in the winter.”

“Why in the devil is that?”

The boy seemed reluctant to answer. “It’s my lungs. She says they don’t work properly. I breathe much better during the warmest part of the day—and in country air. I have a great deal of difficulty breathing good in London.”

David’s brows lowered. “When was the last time you were in London?”

“About a week ago. We had to go back to London to live when Lord Paxton got sick. That’s when my lungs got bad again.”

David’s father must have known about the boy’s condition. That helped to explain why he might have been persuaded to give them Darnley. His father was the most tender-hearted man he’d ever known.

“Your mother’s wise to try to protect your lungs.” David was happy to see that the Ballards had seen to it that fires were kept in every room.

“I told the old Lord Paxton I wanted to grow up and be like you.”

David’s brows formed a V. “How can that be? You never even met me.”

“Oh, but Lord Paxton talked about you all the time. You were very…very fortuitous to have Lord Paxton for your father. He was so fond of you and so proud of you.”

A wave of some strong emotion broke over him, and David almost felt as if he could lose his footing. It was a moment before he summoned his voice. “And why do you want to be like me?”

“Because Lord Paxton said you’re a natural with horses. He told me all about how you trained Sheba all by yourself when you were only fourteen.”

“I doubt I could do that now. I’m out of practice.”

“My lord?”

“Yes?”

“Have you come to take away your horses? Mama says they belong to you.”

That had been his intent, but he sensed doing so would break this little fellow’s heart. And it wasn’t as if David needed them. The stables at Tonton were full, as were those at the London house. David shrugged. “Probably not at this time. While I’m here, perhaps I can teach you a thing or two about riding horses.”

The dimpled grin on the lad’s face gladdened David’s heart. “Oh, sir, you’re just as nice as Lord Paxton said you were! Thank you!”

David felt like a cheat. “No horses until it’s relatively warm and sunny at mid-day—before two in the afternoon.” He felt like a father. “First, though, we must finish gathering greenery. If it’s not too cold at mid-day tomorrow.”

Chapter Three

How fortunate Mary was to have Mrs. Ballard. That competent woman not only assisted her out of her soiled yellow dress and into her only other dress, but she also procured a cane to assist her in walking, allowing her to keep the weight off her injured ankle.

It wouldn’t do to rely on Lord Paxton carrying her about. The man was far too appealing. The effect he had upon her was most embarrassing.

In his presence, she felt like a schoolgirl exposed to her first flush of young love.

His slightest touch sent her trembling. When she was with him, she found herself weighing each word before she spoke. She felt suddenly inadequate next to him. Though she knew herself to be pretty, she did not think her beauty sufficient for a man of his stature.

Added to that feeling of inadequacy was the disparity in their stations. He was an aristocrat; she was the daughter of a poor curate and the widow of a soldier, who held the rank of captain. Strangely, she’d never felt the difference in their stations with the old lord. He treated her as if she were his equal.

She had also been completely unprepared for the son to be so handsome. He was far taller than his father and possessed of a head of