Page 57 of It's a British Christmas

Perhaps she had been correct, and he merely wanted to set her up in a house somewhere as his mistress.

While he married Lady Ann; whoever she was.

Mama returned with the cloth which she placed on her forehead after helping her out of her clothes. With a kiss to her cheek, Mama left the room, and despite her distress, Eve fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, she awoke with a stuffed-up nose and a blinding headache. Her initial confusion as to why she felt so dreadful was quickly resolved when the memories from the night before engulfed her.

Adam, the Duke of Manchester.

Her chess partner, her dance partner, and her first real kiss. She groaned and rolled onto her side, knowing she had work to do, and could not lie abed and feel sorry for herself. He would return today to his life, and plan his wedding, while hers must go on. For better or worse.

Tossing the covers aside, she rose and padded to the dresser and splashed water on her face. Yes, she looked as bad as she felt. With a deep sigh worthy of any swooning debutante, she pulled out her work dress and dropped it over her head. She fastened the front, brushed her hair back to tie with a ribbon, and stepped into her half boots.

Ready to face the day.

Mama was already in the kitchen, mixing dough for bread when she wandered in. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, dear.” Papa sat at the table, spooning porridge into his mouth. “It looks like a nice sunny day out there.”

She loved these two so much. They were wonderful parents, and had showered her and her brothers and sister with so much love. Their marriage had always been what she’d hoped to have for herself. Both of her brothers and Angeline had found love. Why not her?

Because they didn’t try to find love with an unsuitable, out-of-her-class, betrothed-to-another-woman, person. Right then she determined to accept the next man from the village who invited her on a picnic or to the assembly. She would push Adam from her mind, and concentrate on finding a nice, stable man to marry. They would have a contented life. Children would appear. Love would come.

Despite her lack of hunger, she served herself a bowl of porridge and sat alongside Papa. With the work she needed to get done, an empty stomach would be a detriment.

Papa laid his spoon down and regarded Eve. “Mama had a letter from Angeline this morning. She requests that you travel to London to help her with Christmas. It seems she is in a family way again, and is feeling quite ill.”

London. Far away from Manchester Park and Adam. She could spend time with her nephews and forget everything that happened the last two weeks. In addition, she would have the distraction of the children to help her on Christmas Day, itself, when she always had a difficult time, remembering Becky.

Her mind made up, she swallowed a mouthful of porridge. “Yes, if you can do without me, I would love to help Angeline.”

CHAPTER 7

Adam looked up as his mother entered his study. He’d been back in London for two days, and after taking care of things that were let go when he was with Eve, he was now ready to travel back to Lord Fenster’s home and advise him of his decision to withdraw his offer. He was tired to the bone with recovering from his wound and then all the travel, but he had to set things to right as quickly as possible.

Truth be known, he felt uneasy about the entire thing, but he was not about to lose Eve. Now that he’d found the woman he loved, and who he believed loved him back—before he ruined everything by not telling her the truth—the idea of marriage to anyone but her was impossible.

“Milton tells me you are leaving today.”

Adam leaned back, preparing himself for another tirade. “Yes. I will be traveling to Lord Fenster’s country estate.”

“You are making a serious mistake.” She moved to sit on the edge of the chair in front of his desk, her back straight, her chin raised. Her bearing one of settling in for a battle. “You will be a laughingstock with a country bumpkin for a wife. Miss Allen will never fit in, and you will be sorry within weeks of your marriage.”

“Mother, we can sit here all day and debate Miss Allen’s points both good and bad, but I have made up my mind. I will visit with Fenster and explain the situation, and then I will do everything in my power to make Miss Allen see that she would be a wonderful wife for me.”

She wagged her finger, much like she had when he was in short pants. “The fact that you must convince her elevates her in my mind. She knows, if you don’t, that she does not belong in your world.”

“Enough!” He slammed his palm on the desk. Mother never even twitched, but merely raised her eyebrow, leaving him feeling like a recalcitrant child. “I apologize for that outburst, but I must impress upon you once more that my wife will be my choice, and if there are any problems, they will be mine to handle.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Now if you will excuse me, I must ready myself to travel to the Fenster Estate.”

Before she could say anything else, Adam quit the room and hurried upstairs to nudge Milton to finish packing the satchel he would need for his trip. To make better time, he was eschewing the carriage in favor of a horse. He still mourned the loss of Dionysius, and continued to hold onto hope that one day the animal he loved so well would find its way home.

Within the hour he was on his way with several hours of daylight ahead of him. As uncomfortable as he was about the task that lie ahead, he was also anxious to get the messiness behind him so he could concentrate on the next step, which was ensuring Eve was his. He smiled as he thought back to the last chess game they played.

Eve’s competitive nature had always charmed him, and the fact that he could do his best without concerning himself with trouncing her, made for much more entertaining encounters.

“You do know these games ending in a draw must cease eventually. I am beginning to see how you play and have already worked out a method to defeat you.” Eve smirked at him as she took one of his pawns.

Adam reached over and quickly took her bishop, smirking back. “Yes, you are correct, Miss Allen, but I am also learning how you play and have come up with some counterattacks that will ensure my success.”