Page 67 of It's a British Christmas

“Personally, I would very much enjoy having things done for me,” Mrs. Carter said.

“I am not opposed to having things done for me, either, but I also like doing things for myself.”

“Like knitting wool socks for Christmas gifts?” Adam said, his eyes filled with mirth.

Eve raised her chin. “Indeed. Perhaps I have already knitted a pair of gloves for you.”

“No socks?”

“It is not proper,” both Eve and Mrs. Carter said at once.

They enjoyed the rest of the ride in silence, Eve watching Adam as he looked out the window as they arrived at a promising area for collecting evergreens.

Could she marry this man? So far, he had seemed serious in his desire to make her his wife. Perhaps they had more in common than they did differences. She shook her head. No. That was much too absurd to imagine. But for now she would enjoy his company and have fun helping to select the perfect evergreens to decorate his house.

Unbeknownst to her, Adam had been studying Eve the entire ride. She was such an honest woman, every thought showed on her face. She was struggling, he was sure. He tried to imagine being in her place in the world, so far from what he’d taken for granted his entire life, and then being asked to step into it.

He loved her.

That seemed to say it all for him. While she had never uttered the words, he was almost certain she felt the same. He didn’t think Mother had yet to embrace the idea of Eve as her daughter-in-law, but she had at least been kind to her and was helping her along. He was certain after a few days of Eve’s company that would change.

They climbed from the carriage, and Eve led the way, having done this many times before. She studied each tree and pointed to various branches that the footmen cut down and loaded onto the carriage. Adam had to admit it was fun being out in the cold and spending time dragging boughs to bring home the wonderful Christmas smell.

Or perhaps being with Eve made everything fun. She certainly seemed to bring smiles to the footmen’s faces as well as Mrs. Carter with her enthusiasm for the task.

Adam took Eve by the elbow. “Come, I believe we have enough branches now to decorate several manors. it is time for some warm liquids and luncheon.”

Shivering a bit, Eve nodded. “I agree.”

Mrs. Carter had retired to the carriage about twenty minutes before. She sat wrapped up in the wool blanket, her nose red. “Are we finished?” she asked.

“Yes. I think we have enough.” Eve settled alongside her chaperone and wrapped another blanket around her.

Mother and her guests were in the drawing room, awaiting luncheon when they returned. “My goodness, look at the two of you. You must be frozen.”

Adam placed his hand at Eve’s back and moved them both toward the fireplace. “Not frozen, but we can certainly use the warmth from the fire.”

“Your Grace, there is hot apple cider which will certainly warm you up,” Miss Clark said as she strolled up to them. “Personally, I don’t understand why you felt the need to accompany the footmen. it is not as if they don’t know how to cut down branches.”

Adam took a cup of hot apple cider from a footman and nodded. “Ah, but there is a certain satisfaction in doing it yourself.” He looked at Eve who was also sipping cider. “Something I never knew until today.”

Miss Clark huffed. “You would never catch me roaming the woods looking for branches.” She shook her head.

Adam looked over at Eve and they both smiled over the rim of their cups.

Eve sat in her assigned room, curled up on the settee in front of the window, reading a book, feeling quite derelict since she never had time to just sit and read during the day, with all the chores that needed to be done. Perhaps there were one or two things about this life that she would find quite satisfying.

Adam had to address certain matters this afternoon and instead of joining the other women in the Duchess’s sitting room, Eve had elected to enjoy some time to herself.

She gazed out the window, watching the snow fall from the sky. It had only started about twenty minutes before, and already the ground was covered with a fine coating of sparkling white.

A soft knock on her door drew her attention. “Yes?”

“May I come in, Miss Allen?” The Duchess’s melodious voice started the pounding in Eve’s chest. Was she here to chastise her? Tell her a carriage awaited to return her home since she would never fit in? Maybe she shouldn’t have encouraged Adam to go with her to find greenery.

“Yes, of course, Your Grace.” Eve stood and walked to the middle of the room as the duchess entered. She offered a slight curtsy.

The Duchess waved at her. “No need for that, my dear. If you curtsy every time you see me you will spend all your time dipping.” She walked toward the settee where Eve’s book sat. “Can we have a chat?”