Page 18 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“I’m sorry about Constance. She can be rude at times, but her heart’s in the right place,” the earl replied.
“All right, everyone let’s split up. We can each search for a suitable log, then make an owl noise if we find one,” Hugh said.
“An owl noise? What are we? Children?” Clara exclaimed, laughing and shaking her head. Hugh looked suddenly embarrassed.
“Well, I was just suggesting…” he replied, his words trailing off.
“Split up, but don’t go far. If anyone finds anything, give a shout,” Nicholas said, and it was agreed he and Amelia would go together, while Clara, Isobel, and Edmund would take one way and the viscount, Edgar, and Hugh the other.
“We’ll soon find one, then we can get back inside and count the first sparks,” he said.
“What do the sparks mean?” she asked, as she and the earl made their way into the woods.
“Oh, it’s all nonsense. One for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, four for a boy, five for silver, six for gold, seven for a secret never to be told,” he said, shaking his head.
Amelia had never heard of such a thing before, though she recalled something similar with magpies. She had lived most of her life in the city, and the traditions of the countryside were unknown to her, even as she was enchanted by the thought of the yule log burning in the hearth, and the guests eagerly counting the first sparks.
“Does it come true?” she asked, and the earl shrugged.
“Perhaps. I don’t know. We should look for the log. Come on let me show you. Please, take my hand. I don’t want you to fall,” he said.
She took his hand in hers, clasping at it, even as she felt certain of her footing. A shiver ran through her at his touch, and she felt glad to be in his company; whether by chance or design. He was different than she had imagined him to be, and in his own surroundings, he was hardly the recluse he was made out to be.
To hold his hand felt overly familiar, even as Amelia was not about to refuse. The woods were dark, but through the trees, Amelia could see the bobbing lamps of the others, and in Nicholas’ company, she knew she was safe.
“It’s all very exciting,” she said, glad to be alone in his company, the voices of the others muffled in the distance.
“You’ve had quite a day, Lady Amelia, but you’re certainly game for it,” the earl said.
Amelia laughed. It felt good to be doing something other than wallowing in her own self-pity, even as the thought of Rupert now entered her mind. She still had the locket around her neck, but she did not raise her hand to it. Instead, she kept it clasped in Nicholas’ hand.
“What exactly are we looking for? A fallen tree?” she asked, and the earl nodded.
“That’s right, but the bough of one. We’ll need to haul it out with a rope, and it can’t be too big so as not to fit in the hearth. The yule log burns for twelve nights, and given the weather, I think we’ll need it,” he replied.
He held up the lamp, the two of them now standing in the middle of a small clearing, the towering trees arching above them. Here, the snow had not fallen so thickly, prevented from doing so by the boughs above, and the ground was covered in creeping ivy and dead wood. Amelia looked around here, spotting a large tree bough at the edge of the clearing.
Nicholas had seen it, too, and they both hurried forward, laughing together as Amelia reached out her hand to be the first to touch the would-be yule log. But as she did so, she slipped, tumbling to the ground, and Nicholas fell over her, the two of them with hands outstretched, touching the log together.
“Oh, goodness me,” Amelia exclaimed, as she rolled onto her back with Nicholas on top of her.
The lamp was cast to one side, but mercifully remained burning, illuminating Nicholas’ face as he laughed.
“Are you all right? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall. No one does, I suppose, but,” he said, rolling onto his side.
Amelia sat up, laughing, too. She had not hurt herself, and now he rose to his feet, offering her his hand and pulling her up. She got to her feet, breathless from her exertion, gazing up into his eyes. He was still smiling, his hand clasped in hers.
“I’m quite all right, yes. I’m sorry if I tripped you up. I don’t know what happened. I just got carried away. Did we find the yule log?” she asked.
Their hands were still clasped together, and he pointed down at the log in front of them, nodding.
“I think we did, but who got the luck? We both touched it at once,” he said.
She laughed, dusting herself off, as Nicholas called out to the others, even as Amelia would have preferred to remain alone in his company a little longer. She felt somewhat guilty for the unexpected feelings she now felt towards him.
These feelings were hard to push away. He was attractive, handsome, a dashing man, but there was something more to it than that. It was in the way he looked at her the moment they found themselves on the ground, the look in his eyes, as though he might have kissed her if he had the chance.
But she dismissed such thoughts as idle, even as there was some attraction in them, too. She had enjoyed her few moments alone with Nicholas, even as she knew it was folly to think anything more would come of it. Constance had him in her power so it seemed, and Amelia wondered if the earl would be strong enough to resist her.
