Page 1 of A Hellion's Christmas Kiss
Prologue
Lady Rosella Prescott stared out the window of her family’s London townhouse. It was their family’s turn to host their neighbors for the holiday dinner. It was the start of Christmastide, and their next-door neighbors always celebrated with them. For as long as she could recall, they had done this. Every other year her family would hold the festivities, and opposite years the Duke of Kissinger and his family would do the same.
Her father was the Duke of Clare. Her mother was a former gypsy, or perhaps she still was, but she did not follow their customs. Mostly. Sometimes, Lulia, the Duchess of Clare, would get an odd idea in her head that only made sense to her. She was the most unconventional duchess. Somehow, she made her station work for her, though. Rosella adored her mother and for her, she saw no reason for the duchess to be anything other than herself. When she was older, she wanted to be just like her. There was no one she’d rather emulate than her mother.
“Why do you have your nose to the window?” her older brother Asher asked. He leaned against the doorway and stared at her. “Do you think if you stare out the window long enough, you’ll see snow fall?”
She turned and stuck her tongue out of him. He could be such a pain. Brothers, she thought, were insufferable creatures, existing solely to vex their sisters. Sometimes she really did not like him. “I’m waiting for Noelle,” she said.
“Of course you are.” He sighed. “I really wish we could dispense with this yearly tradition. We have been doing it long enough already. I’d much rather it just remained the family.”
“I don’t agree,” she said. She loved her brother. She really did. But she didn’t want to spend all of Christmastide with only him for company. He didn’t seem to like her any more than she did him at times. Noelle was the only person who made her days tolerable. She was her best friend. “And if you stop to consider it, neither do you. You enjoy when Lucian visits.”
“You should not use his given name,” Asher chastised her. “He is the Marquess of Kistleton.”
She wrinkled her nose. “He’s not nearly as priggish as you are. You need to be more relaxed with close friends and family.”
“My family can call me Asher,” he said. “Close friends, do not get that privilege.”
“You’re awful,” she told him. “When you marry, are you going to insist your wife calls you Daventry? What a cold marriage that will make if you want your future bride to refer to you only with your title.”
“I’m only ten and eight,” he said in a stiff tone. “It’s not as if I am going to wed soon.”
“As if that matters,” she scoffed. “You’ll still be just as insufferable in a decade.”
She rather pitied the woman that Asher would end up marrying… She wanted a husband that adored her, and only her. One that would want to be with her always and treat her as something to be cherished, not endured. She had a feeling that Asher would keep some distance from his wife. It would indeed be a cold union between them. A part of her hoped that the woman he married would help him become less…well, less of a person who only followed the rules. He should develop some roguish tendencies. It wasn’t right for him to be so proper all the time. Asher, she feared, would keep his future wife at arm’s length, creating a union as frosty as the December air. Perhaps, though, his bride might thaw his icy demeanor.
Rosella stared out at the sky. A shooting star streaked along the velvety blackness. She drew in a breath as the delightful surprise presented itself to her. “Oh, my,” she said and placed a hand on her chest. She could make a wish. What should she wish for? She glanced back at her brother and then at the fading star. There was only one thing she could wish for.
She closed her eyes and sent her wish up to the heavens. Please help me find my true love, and if you’re listening, find someone to wake my brother up and show him how to live. We both deserve happiness. Even if he is the worst sometimes.
“What has you so excited,” Asher asked.
“There was a shooting star,” she told him. “I made a wish.”
“Did you now.” He scoffed. “You still believe in such fanciful things? You’re foolish, as always.”
Rosella sighed. Again, and probably not for the last time. “To think I may have wasted it on the likes of you.”
“I don’t need you to make wishes for me.” He turned his nose up at her. “I’ll do just fine without your meddling.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” she told him. “But all the same, I think you needed this. Only time will tell if it comes true or not.”
She turned back to the window. Their guests were walking along the sidewalk, Noelle leading the group. She grinned and turned to her brother. “They’re here. Are you ready for them?”
“I will endeavor to persevere,” he said stoically.
The butler answered the door and let them all in. The Duke and Duchess of Kissinger, along with Noelle and Lucian, entered the room. She sucked in a breath when her gaze met Lucian’s. She didn’t tell Asher why she refused to use his title. Because she had been in love with Lucian for years now.
The issue, of course, was he didn’t seem to really notice her. To him, she was nothing more than his little sister’s dearest friend, and a girl he had to be nice to when their families socialized together. When they were alone, though, he was far more brusque. He didn’t like to have her near and would often snipe at her.
She wanted to hate him. Life would be far easier if she could. It had been almost a year since she’d seen him last. The sight of him now did funny things to her heart, but she wouldn’t allow him to notice her anxiousness. Instead, she turned to Noelle. Her friend was safe. Any proximity to Lucian could lead to her undoing.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she told Noelle. She gestured toward Asher. “My brother fails at being decent company.”
“Doesn’t he always,” she said, then rolled her eyes. Noelle glanced at Asher and glared at him. Asher and Noelle did not make their dislike for each other a secret. They didn’t even care if the family was around or not. They argued. Always. It could be disconcerting. So much so, she couldn’t help wondering if they were drawn to each other and that was their way of showing their feelings. Of course, that could just be wishful thinking. Rosella would love to have Noelle be her sister, in truth. “We should go to the library.”
“Go ahead. I need to fetch your gift,” Rosella said, excusing herself. “I’ll only be a moment.”
