Page 35 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
“Don’t you like to sing?” Harry asked, approaching Amelia as she stood at the edge of the room, listening to the chorus of voices giving praise to the Christ child.
“Well… I’m not very good at it,” Amelia said, and Harry laughed.
“Me, neither. I’ve never been one to sing or dance. I’m glad we’re not having a ball this year. My feet are both right or left. I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head.
Amelia thought back to her hiding place behind the curtain, and she wondered if Harry suspected anything of her encounter with Nicholas in the library.
“I prefer to be entertained by the talents of others. The viscount’s very good, and Mrs. Bennett plays the pianoforte very well,” Amelia said.
“And what of your talents, Lady Amelia? What gives you pleasure?” Harry asked.
It felt to Amelia as though he was being flirtatious, and she wondered what Nicholas would say at the sight of his friend behaving thus. She smiled, not wanting to lead him on, even as she knew to be friendly towards him.
“Oh, well. I do play the pianoforte a little, but Mrs. Bennett’s far better than I am. I enjoy dressmaking, needlework, embroidery, and I paint with watercolors, too,” she said, for she possessed something of a talent at painting, and many of her own works hung in the home of her parents.
Harry nodded.
“Do you like to read? I’m sure Nicholas wouldn’t mind your borrowing any books you wished from the library. Have you been in there yet?” he asked.
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat. It was as though he was testing her, or letting her know he knew what had passed between her and Nicholas earlier that day and the night before.
“I…yes, I was there this morning, as it happens. The earl was most accommodating. He told me I could borrow anything I wanted,” she said, and Harry raised his eyebrows.
There was no point in outright denial, and it pleased Amelia to think there might be an air of mystery surrounding what had passed between them. Nicholas may well have told his friend everything about their encounter. It was the sort of thing men did, a bravado of sorts, and she wondered if Nicholas was that sort of man.
“I see. That’s very generous of him. I didn’t realize…well, I’m glad,” he said, smiling at Amelia with a knowing look.
She blushed, wondering if he had seen the stocking on the library floor earlier in the day and was now making up his mind as to who it belonged to.
“It’s been a delightful day. I really don’t think I mind being snowed in here,” Amelia said, and Harry laughed.
“Yes, well as long as it doesn’t continue indefinitely. I wouldn’t want to be trapped here for a month. A few days, though? Yes, I think it could be quite conducive. It seems you’ve already discovered that for yourself, Lady Amelia,” he said, glancing across the room to where Nicholas was standing with Constance.
Harry excused himself now, going over to where Clara and Isobel were sitting with Edmund, and Amelia glanced around the room, wondering again as to the mystery surrounding Nicholas’ birth.
They had made little progress in their attempts at solving the puzzle of the secret child. After luncheon, Amelia had spent some time with her mother, but the conversation had been dull, and she had discovered nothing she did not already know. Her mother made no reference to the child or her connections to Lady Turner and Lady Thornton.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,”Amelia thought to herself, wondering if any of the guests were harboring a secret, or even knew something they were unaware of.
Later on, when the others began to retire, Amelia lingered, hoping to catch Nicholas on his own. But it seemed Constance had an eye as to what was happening, a woman’s intuition which was extending to suspicion. She kept close to Nicholas, not allowing him to leave her side, and whenever Amelia sought to make an approach, she cut her off with a deft and decisive movement.
“I should think you’re tired, Amelia. You should go to bed. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” she said, smiling at Amelia, as she blocked her path towards Nicholas, who was standing talking to Sir Samuel and his wife.
“Aren’t you tired, too?” Amelia replied, but Constance shook her head.
“No, not at all. But I didn’t go out to walk in the gardens this morning. Fresh air makes one tired, don’t you agree?” she asked.
Amelia did agree, but that did not mean shewastired, and she had every intention of outlasting Constance if it meant saying goodnight to Nicholas.
“I’m sure it does, but I’m not tired at all,” Amelia said, and Constance grimaced.
“Yes. Well, I’m sure we’ll all be retiring shortly. I’m just waiting to say goodnight to Nicholas,” she said, still standing in Amelia’s way.
A stalemate was created, one Amelia could not break, nor Constance, either, and not wanting to cause a scene, it was Amelia who backed down. But it gave her pleasure to think of what had passed between herself and Nicholas earlier that day, a scene Constance would have been horrified to learn of.
“I’ll say goodnight myself. I might sit up and read. The earl allowed me to borrow some books from the library earlier on. It was very kind of him,” Amelia said, enjoying her parting shot, and the look of horror on Constance’s face.
“You… you went into the library?” she asked, and Amelia nodded.
