Page 100 of Unseen

“Wait here.” He strode from the room just as the maid came with the tea, and I watched her serve as I waited.

Within minutes, I was again alone, sipping the warming brew, when Azriel reappeared with a large, green velvet box, topped with an enormous gold bow.

“What in heaven’s name have you done?” I asked with a laugh, and he placed the box at my feet.

“Careful now,” he said, pointing at the lid. “It might bite.”

“It… Might… what?” Even as I asked the question, the box jiggled about, and a soft yip sounded from inside it. I stared at the box, open mouthed, before lifting the lid and peering inside. “Oh my god! Azriel!

“I thought you could use a companion for all your solitary walks,” he said with a smile.

The little golden-brown puppy looked up at me with her warm brown eyes, her tail wagging frantically as I lifted her from the box. “Hello, little one! Just look at you!” The pup eagerly licked my face, trembling with excitement. “Oh, Azriel! She’s perfect!”

“I understood from my father that you always loved animals, and yet he who hated them, would not allow any in the house.” Azriel ran a hand over the puppy’s head, who quickly turned and began to lick that instead of my face. “It seemed only fitting that this Christmas you receive everything anyone ever failed to give you.”

“She is perfect!” I smiled up at him, cradling the pup to my chest. “Thank you. She’s the most wonderful gift I’ve ever received.”

Azriel stroked a finger along my cheek, then sat down opposite me to take up his cup of tea. “You’ll have to think of a name now.”

“Hmm, what shall we call you?” I looked down at her little face, and her wide, questioning eyes gazed back. “You look like a Gertie to me.”

“Gertie?” Azriel asked with a laugh.

“Yes, when I was a child my uncle had a German shepherd called Gertrude, and she was the most wonderful dog. But this one is far too sweet and soft to be a Gertrude.” I lifted her up, and her little backside waggled back and forth as her tail wagged furiously. “What do you think? Are you a Gertie?”

She yipped happily, and Azriel chuckled.

“There you have it, the girl has found her name.” He lit himself a pipe, his eyes staying on me as I cuddled and kissedGertie. “Seeing you happy is the very best gift I could have ever received, do you know that?”

“I could never have imagined, even just a few weeks ago, that I could ever be this happy.”

His lips twitched, and he exhaled a large plume of smoke. “I suppose I am not the terrible brute you thought I would be.”

“Not at all.” I said it quickly, stopping myself before I said something I knew I should not. Not yet. “You make me very happy, Azriel.”

“Mmm.” He looked out the window at the snow-covered gardens, sucking on his pipe. “I think we are in for more snow.”

“I think you might be right.” I nuzzled Gertie’s wet little nose. “Perhaps after breakfast, we should take this little madam for a walk before it snows again.”

Gertie stayed in my lap as we ate, enjoying little strips of bacon, licking my fingers and searching for more in my skirts. Azriel laughed, and Gertie yapped in response.

Dressing for our walk, pulling on my thick woolen gloves, I felt something chip away within me, something cold giving way to something warm and wonderful.

The grounds were silent, but not eerie. Scraps of blue sky peered out from behind the brilliant clouds, and I kept my arm firmly around Azriel’s as we walked, Gertie tugging eagerly on her leash as her tiny nose investigated every inch of the white snow.

“We mustn’t stay out too long,” Azriel said, watching the little pup with concern. “She will get too cold.”

I leaned my head against his arm. “You are truly enigmatic, did you know that?”

He gave me a sideways smirk. “Is that so?”

“Yes, listen to you, so kind and sweet over a little dog.” I gazed up at him, smiling softly. “I see you in a new light.”

“A good light I hope?” He looked determinedly ahead, squaring his shoulders.

“The very best light.”

Azriel cleared his throat, and gestured at the trees ahead. “I shall have these cut down in the spring, we should expand the gardens.”

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