Page 44 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
Amelia blushed. She was only too glad to be at his side. Their unexpected romance had blossomed, and now, she could think only of what might be between them. Of future happiness she had never imagined could come true after all she had suffered in the past.
“I’m glad to be,” she said, and leaning down, he kissed her on the lips, lingering for a moment, drawing her into his embrace.
She slipped her arms around him, closing her eyes, enjoying the sensation of their kiss.
“But we should get back to the others. I still haven’t found the twins,” Nicholas said, as the sounded of a distant clock chiming four indicated some time had passed since Mrs. Bennett’s countdown.
Reluctantly, they left the room, and Amelia smiled to herself, thinking back to what they had shared. They walked hand in hand, and Amelia allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to be courted by the Earl of Amhurst. But as they came to the landing, footsteps on the stairs caused Nicholas to pull his hand away from Amelia’s, and a moment later, Constance appeared, red-faced and angry.
“Oh, there you are. We’ve been looking everywhere for you. I thought you were supposed to be looking for the others, not hiding yourself,” she said, glancing at Amelia with a look of disdain.
“Iwaslooking. I was searching the upper wing, in the cold rooms. I’ve only just found Amelia, and I found several of the others, too,” Nicholas said, his tone defensive, even as Constance scoffed.
“Well… it seems you’ve now been found. We’re all waiting in the drawing room for you. The servants have brought in the greenery, and the others are clamoring for a wassail bowl,” she said, still with the same hint of disdain in her voice.
Constance had barely joined in with the festivities, and it seemed her only reason for being at the house party was her desire to keep an eye on Nicholas, who now followed her downstairs. Amelia did the same, but she could not help but feel a strong hope for the solving of the mystery soon, and the end of Constance’s influence.
***
“We found ourselves, Nicholas. You’ve been gone for hours,” Hugh exclaimed, as Nicholas entered the drawing room a few moments later.
The other guests were there, too, and there was much exasperation expressed as to how the game had ended.
“We won. You didn’t find us,” Edgar said, folding his arms and fixing Nicholas with a glare.
Nicholas felt embarrassed. He had not meant to lose track of time, but he did not regret it, either. His encounter with Amelia had been delightful, and his thoughts were already on the next.
He was glad they had come to an understanding over Constance, and Nichlas had every intention of being rid of her when the time came. But for now, there remained the mystery to solve, and time was not on his side.
“The servants have brought in the greenery. Shall we decorate?” Clara said, and Nicholas nodded.
“An excellent idea, and my apologies for not finding you, Hugh. You won, that’s the game concluded. Where were you hiding?” Nicholas asked.
“We can’t tell you that. We’ll hide there again if we play tomorrow or the next day,” Edgar said, tapping his nose and grinning.
The annoyance over the ending of the game was soon forgotten, and the guests began the happy task of decorating the house for the coming days of festivity. The servants had brought in armfuls of greenery, red berried holly, ivy, white flowered mistletoe, and branches of pine. All of it was placed around the hallway and lower rooms bringing the scent of the woodland and the promise of new life in the spring.
“It’s wonderful,” Amelia exclaimed, as Nicholas strung a long length of ivy over a mirror in the hallway.
“I don’t usually bother with all this. It doesn’t seem worth it when I’m here by myself for the Christmas season. But having guests makes it worthwhile,” Nicholas replied, smiling at Amelia, who nodded.
“It certainly does. I’m so pleased we came,” she said, and Nicholas smiled.
“And I am, too, I really am,” he said, gazing down at her from the chair he was standing on.
“Nicholas, come and help me with this,” the shrill voice of Constance called out from across the room, and Nicholas sighed, the moment with Amelia now spoiled.
Constance had a habit of spoiling things. She was always there, always watching, and Nicholas sighed. Climbing down from the chair he reminded himself of the necessity of keeping Constance on his side.
“I’m coming,” he said, glancing again at Amelia, and wishing he could remain at her side.
The other guests were busy decorating, and there was much merriment and laughter, especially concerning the mistletoe.
“Oh, Edmund, won’t you come and help me with the mistletoe,” Isobel called out, and Nicholas watched as his cousin played the part of a damsel in distress, struggling to reach up and hang the white flowered fronds from a sconce on the wall.
Edmund hurried over to help, and as he reached up, Isobel kissed him on the cheek, causing both of them to blush, and Isobel to descend into fits of giggles, as Clara let out a shriek of delight.
Sir Samuel gave them a disapproving look, but there could be no doubting the merry atmosphere and the excited anticipation of the coming feast. Constance was reluctantly arranging holly on the sideboard. As Nicholas approached, she turned to him with an expectant look on her face.
