Page 46 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
“Oh, she is Miss Alice to you now? You’d always referred to her as ‘his daughter’. Does this mean you are actually considering it?”
Cedric didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed that Harrison’s natural inclination for levity returned with that glint in his eyes.
“I am not marrying her,” Cedric stated firmly.
“You say that with far less conviction in your voice than you did before.”
“That is because I have another crisis on my hand and I am appalled by your insistence on wasting my time wiht this conversation.”
Harrison raised his hands in defeat, smirking. “You were the one who brought it up. I am only here to point out that Ambrose’s offer is a very generous one. Marrying her would be a small price to pay for the benefit you would gain from having her as your wife.”
Cedric was already shaking his head. “I know better than to assume that Ambrose does not have other hidden agendas to be gained from our union.”
“Possibly union?” Harrison probed.
“Move on, Harrison,” Cedric said with a roll of his eyes.
Harrison chuckled as he turned towards the door. “You are an unmarried man, Cedric. That will have to change sooner or later.”
Cedric didn’t bother to answer. He had more pressing things to focus on. But he knew good and well that it was only a matter of time before Ambrose returned seeking Cedric’s answer, and there was no guarantee that he would be nice about it this time around.
He reached for his coat. It was the one he didn’t really like, but had no option to use since he’d left his other one with Lady Winterbourne.
Cedric let his mind stray to her. He wondered what she could be doing right now. He could imagine her sitting in her library with her ankles crossed and a book tucked into one hand and another one she was hoping to get to sitting on top of an end table nearby.
The thought brought a smile to his face.
***
“You seem lost in thought. May I guess what is on your mind?”
Caroline blinked, looking up from the book in her hand. Louisa was standing at the door of the modest library, a glass of red wine in her hand.
“You are starting early today,” Caroline commented.
Louisa smiled as she entered the room, draping herself across the chaise lounge next to Caroline’s armchair. “With my status as a spinster comes the ability to drink wine whenever I want. You know that.”
Caroline only smiled and returned her eyes to the book. A few seconds went by before Louisa spoke again.
“You clearly aren’t reading anything.”
Her eyes shot back up to her. “Why do you say that?”
“I have been watching you for the past few minutes and your eyes hardly moved at all. I know you to be a swift reader and yet you did not turn a single page.”
“Others would find it uncomfortable knowing they were being watched without their knowledge, you know.”
“What can I say?” Louisa said with a shrug. “I like to observe. And you have been quite interesting to observe as of late.”
Caroline frowned. She didn’t bother to point out that Louisa was right and simply closed her book, putting atop the other book she had confidently brought with her thinking she would finish her first. “In what way?”
“I can tell you’re thinking about something that is not within your usual train of thought. The Earl of Colenhurst, perhaps.”
Caroline held herself completely still, even when her heart skipped a beat. “Why would you assume that? I have not spoken about the earl since the day after Lady Maria’s ball.”
‘You did not have to,” Louisa said simply. When she caught Caroline’s incredulous look, she laughed and added, “And Lady York may have made mention of you running into him yesterday.”
“Did she now?” Caroline was never good at hiding anything from Louisa. Her friend was far too perceptive and she knew it was a useless feat even as she made her attempt to school her expression. “Yes, we did. But it was no special affair. We only talked for a bit while they walked with us to the milliner.”
