My Merry Marquess (Wallflower's Christmas Wish #3) - Annabelle Anders Page 0,21

None of her winter clothes seemed designed to impress a gentleman but that might be exactly what they needed.

She needed to be able to talk with him without having to fight all those sensual urges he always managed to bring to life.

A knock sounded, and Mr. Clark’s called from the foyer, “Lord Merriweather is here to collect you, My Lady.”

Eve’s breath fluttered. Nick had barely departed an hour ago and already she was eager to see him again. This exhilarating feeling reminded her of before and that had ended horribly. The reminder caused a squeezing sensation in her chest. He was only here in Maybridge Falls because he was stranded. His initial suggestion had been that they enjoy one another’s company until the roads became passable.

What if he left her this time? What if— Eve halted her thoughts. She could not know the future until it came to pass. She finished tying her boots, gathered her scarf and mittens, and conscious that she might be making a terrible mistake laying herself open to his charm, made her way toward the staircase.

He was unaware when she halted at the top of the stairs to observe him. He and Mr. Clark were discussing what appeared to be skating techniques. A set of blades draped over his shoulder, but he held his hat in his hands. Lines of concentration marred his brow as he paid careful heed to the skating motions her aunt’s butler was making with his legs.

“Be sure to keep your hands out, My Lord,” Mr. Clark finished and then, catching sight of her, nudged Nicholas and turned toward the coat hooks. “I’ve your evergreen cloak for you today, Lady Eve.”

Nicholas’s eyes lifted to where she stood and never wavered once as she descended and then allowed Mr. Clark to drape her favorite garment over her shoulders.

“I’m glad your pie didn’t ruin it,” Nicholas commented with a sparkle in his eyes. Had he really come back into her life again only yesterday? She tempered her emotions as she smiled up at him.

It was not paranoid for her to remind herself that he could disappear just as quickly again tomorrow.

“Your blades, My Lady.” Mr. Clark went to hand them to her but Nicholas grasped them first, draping them along with his own and then offering his arm.

Have a wonderful afternoon.” The butler held the door wide for them. “And remember, My Lord, keep your hands out for when you fall.”

“I have no intention of falling,” Nicholas shot back, lifting his chin.

“You do know how to skate, don’t you?” Eve glanced up at him. “We don’t have to…” Because skating had been difficult enough to learn when she’d been a child and all of the necessary falling could hardly be enjoyable for a full-grown adult.

“If skating is your preference for the afternoon, I will learn.” He matched his steps to hers as they walked away from the village center and toward the lake.

“We could do something else,” she suggested.

“If you want to skate, we will skate. Now, where exactly are we headed?”

Eve couldn’t help but smile at his stubbornness.

“Just north of town. The stream we were at yesterday feeds the lake.” The reminder of yesterday’s meeting was somewhat sobering.

But for now, the sky was blue, and the outing promised to be a lovely one.

The last time she’d skated had been not quite two years before. She and her sisters had been forced to wait until after the holidays because their father hadn’t deemed the ice safe. When he finally had, their mother had insisted they not wait another day to venture onto the ice. “My parents taught us to skate on the pond at home when we were very young.”

“You miss your mother very much.”

She nodded and swallowed hard.

Nick strode quietly for a moment. “Do you intend to return to your father’s home for the holidays? Or does he plan on joining you and your sisters here?”

“I don’t know when we will see my father again,” she admitted grudgingly. “He sent us away indefinitely. He’s not been the same since we lost her.”

Nick said he’d panicked when she’d left. Had he suffered in his own way while she’d mourned her own losses? Nicholas placed one hand over hers. “Surely, he will come around?”

“I am trying to remain optimistic. Losing my mother was difficult enough on all of us, but it seems we’ve lost Papa now too. He says he sent us away for our own good but… we miss him dreadfully. We miss