Page 2 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
Not that this changed how much she cared for them, even if she had long since accepted that it did affect how they cared for her. Older than the three of them, and with a different father, Alison was seen and treated as an outsider.
And where she did not think it was done on purpose, she couldfeelit always. Even her own mother, who Alison knew loved her deeply, could not help but dote on the three children from her new marriage more than she did Alison.
“Alison!” her mother snapped at her suddenly. “What are you doing?”
“Oh…” Alison blinked herself into the moment. “Simply observing, Mother. You seem to have everything under control, and I did not wish to make things worse.”
Nerissa snorted and Felix scoffed.
Her mother sighed. “Will you make yourself useful and check on Mr. Burrows? I want to ensure that he has everything in order so we can leave the moment he returns.”
“But the puppy!” Winnie cried.
“Enough about the puppy,” her mother moaned. “If you think I am letting you out of my sight again, Winnie, you can forget it.”
Winnie scrunched her face into a pout which Alison found adorable.
“Don’t let Pickle hear you speaking about another puppy,” Alison said to Winnie, sticking out her tongue. “He might get jealous.” Pickle was Alison’s pet terrier, a favorite of Winnie’s, even if everyone else seemed to despise him.
Winnie giggled. “Will he?”
“Oh yes,” Alison said seriously, before sticking out her tongue again. “He told me himself to keep an eye on you. Make sure you aren’t out petting other dogs.”
Winnie giggled further.
“Perhaps we will get lucky, and Pickle will run away,” Felix said dryly. “If that is the case, please Winnie, go and pet this mystery puppy you insist on talking about.”
“Perhaps we will get lucky, and you will run away,” Nerissa shot at her brother. “A girl can dream.”
“If it is dreams you are having, feel free to imagine a world where you were never –”
“Enough!” Alison’s mother cried again. “Alison…” She widened her eyes at her daughter. “Mr. Burrows. Please!”
“Yes, yes,” Alison sighed. “Mr. Burrows. And when I find him…”
“Make sure he has ordered and paid for everything for the trip,” her mother recited. As she spoke, Winnie tried to pull away, forcing her mother to use both hands to hang on. “We will meet you at the carriage in thirty minutes.”
“I’ll be there, ready and waiting, in twenty-nine minutes.”
Alison winked playfully at her youngest sister, was about to say goodbye to Nerissa and Felix only to find that they were still bickering at one another as they always seemed to do, then ducked away before she risked being pulled into the storm that was her family.
Speaking of storms…
As she hurried away, Alison pulled her winter coat tight to her body and was sure to wrap her scarf around her neck and pull it over her chin. She glanced at the sky, noting the heavy clouds which blocked the sun, feeling through her layers the cold windswhich chilled her to the bone. Alison was of the type who loved the winter months, while somehow managing to also dislike the extreme cold that came with them. As juxtaposed as those two thoughts were, they conveyed the truth.
It was winter in England, the 6thof December in fact, marking today as St. Nicholas Day, the first official day of the Christmastide Season.
To celebrate this most important day, Alison’s mother elected to take the family to the local township of Whitehaven because today was the first day of the Christmas Fair, one which ran for over a week, and it was always a most wonderful affair which the entire town would turn out to patronize.
Alison could not help but smile as she walked through the bustling markets. There were hundreds of people about, mostly families and young lovers, moving from stall to stall and tent to tent as they shopped for their wares, bought presents for loved ones, and simply enjoyed the merry atmosphere that came about every year on this date.
As she went, Alison dared a glance back in the direction that she had come in, unsurprised to see her family still arguing. They were always that way, and so on the edges of this family was Alison that had she simply left them, even without her mother’s permission, they likely would not have noticed.
And it is not that they don’t care for me, because I know they do. It is more that I am not one of them, and regardless of how hard I try to make it so, they refuse to see me.
But Alison had an idea on how to change this perception.
What she was supposed to be doing was tracking down the Head of Staff, Mr. Burrows, who was just now navigating the markets and buying for Alison’s mother supplies for the trip they were set to take later in the week; Christmas this year was to be spent at a relative’s house in the far north, and it was all anyone could talk about. But Alison figured Mr. Burrows could handle that task without her.
