Page 35 of Snowed In with the Runaway Bride

“I’m going back down to the taproom.” He handed her the key. “Lock it behind yourself.”

“But…”

He whirled and descended the stairs as though all the hounds of hell were after him.

Slowly, Penny closed the door and turned the key in the lock. She had never supposed Hugo to be a coward, but he was certainly acting like one tonight.

As she wrestled with the hooks of her dress, she decided it was for the best. She was not entirely certain how she felt either.

As she washed, she was angry. How dare he abandon her like this, when he was the one who had insisted they share a room.

As she donned her nightgown, she realized she was expecting to hear his footsteps on the stairs, returning to the room, ready to explain himself.

Surely he would not abandon her. Not now, when they seemed to be on the verge of a change neither of them had expected or sought. She stood on the threshold of an open door she could not go through without him. He must come back so they could talk.

It was not until the fire had burned low and her eyes were grainy with exhaustion that she accepted he was not returning to their room that night. Numb, she pulled the covers to her chin and tried to sleep. Alone.

“Merry Christmas!”

Startled, Hugo jerked awake, sitting up to find Robson standing over him.

“I tried to rouse you last night, Captain, but you was dead to the world.”

After the quantity of rum he had consumed, Hugo was not surprised Robson had allowed him to sleep it off in the taproom rather than insist Hugo risk his neck trying to navigate the stairs.

He rubbed said neck, which was stiff from sleeping with his head on the table. His cheek was sticky, most likely from lying in a pool of rum all night.

“You’d best go back upstairs, Captain. P’haps she’ll have cooled off by now.”

Hugo grunted, willing to allow Robson to assume he and Penny had quarreled rather than admit the sadder truth that he was afraid to speak with her. He did not know which outcome would be worse: discovering she did not return his feelings… or discovering that she did, and he was too cowardly to act.

Head pounding, Hugo heaved himself to his feet, leaning against the rough table to gain his balance. He had not drunk that deeply since he was a junior lieutenant. Clearly, he was out of practice.

Penny Montgomery was enough to drive any sane man to drink.

“Parson won’t be able to make it through the snow, and we can’t get to the church, so someone will need to read from the Good Book this Christmas morning.”

Robson gave him a significant look. Hugo wanted to refuse, but they both knew it was Hugo’s social duty as the highest-ranking, and likely most educated, man at the inn. Unless a prince or an admiral came pounding at the door, he could not honorably escape it.

“Allow me to wash and change,” Hugo said, resigned. “In an hour, perhaps.”

Robson grinned and clapped Hugo on the back, sending him staggering. “That sounds grand, Captain.”

As Hugo climbed the stairs, his stomach grew more and more cold. What would he say to Penny? How would he explain himself?

The door to their room was flung open as he approached, and a scowling Penny stood in the doorway.

Unexpectedly, his heart soared at the sight of her. Even when she was angry with him, nothing felt more natural than being in her company.

“Fasten me up. Mrs. Robson needs my assistance.”

She turned her back to him and he obeyed, fingers clumsy as he did up the hooks. When he was done, she brushed past him and began to descend the stairs.

“Penny!”

She paused, but did not turn.

“We will… we will talk tonight.”