Page 32 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
“So very much,” she said and fluttered her eyelashes.
He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “As you wish – Godfrey, the letter, thank you. Oh…” He made sure to hold the valet in his glare a moment longer. “And this will not be forgotten.”
“I would not expect it to be.” The valet offered a deep bow and then scurried from the room.
“A fair.” Alison scooped up Pickle and brought him into her chest. “How fun. Oh, wait…” She pretended to look aghast. “I did not think to ask. You did not have any other plans today, did you? I would hate to have interrupted them.”
“Me?” Lord Grayhill managed an easy smile, as if this was the plan all along. “Even if I did, a day at the fair sounds like a most wonderful idea.”
“I could not agree more.” His eyes then flicked her over and a frown took his face. “Before that, however, perhaps a change of clothes? As dashing as that coat looks on you, I do not think it will be appropriate to wear into town.”
Her eyes widened with embarrassment, and she half moved to cover herself. “I… I will return home and –”
“No, no,” he cut her off. “What did I say about that? I will have Godfrey find you something from my sister’s wardrobe. Hopefully, their tastes will suffice.”
She wanted to deny him, just for the sake of it. But Alison was starting to get a sense of the type of man that the Earl was, and she figured this was one point that she could afford to concede. “That sounds lovely.”
They stared one another down then. Lord Grayhill was winning the war, but this smallest of battles went in favor of Alison. And oh, how she loved it. Just as she was excited to see what he would do next to punish her… a thought which sent a tingle through her body for reasons that were becoming entirely too obvious.
Chapter Ten
“Oh! This way!” Alison pointed across the park at a small congregation of villagers. She could not see what they had gathered around, but that did not matter. “Come on, Lord Grayhill! While we are young!”
She hurried through the throng, glancing back over her shoulder as she went, thrilled to see the Earl skulking after her. His visage, one of contempt and frustration, as if this was beyond a doubt the worst moment of his life, made her smile
The worst moment of his life so far…
“Hurry!” she shouted at him. “We’re going to miss it.”
“Miss what, exactly,” he grumbled.
“I have no idea! But if we do not hurry, we won’t find out now, will we!” She laughed gaily, which only seemed to annoy him further, and then darted ahead.
“Lady Alison!” she heard him calling after her. “Will you slow down?”
She did no such thing. But that was the entire point. The Earl had no desire to be there, just as he knew he had no choice. Having announced himself as her protector until her family collected her, he was forced to follow her about and do as she wished.
And Alison, loving the feeling of being in control like this, relishing how much it frustrated the Earl, was sure to push the moment to its absolute limits. Was it petty of her? Undoubtedly. Did she care? Not one little bit.
It is so rare for me to be the center of attention like this, to be listened to, for my own wants and needs to be given precedence. Perhaps I should not be taking such delight as I am… but that it frustrates the Earl so much makes that darn near impossible to do.
“Oh!” Alison came to a stop once she reached the gathering crowd. “It’s a menagerie! Look!” She turned to see the Earl trudging after her. “Can you see!”
The day was a fine one, so much so that the clouds had parted and the sun shone down on the village fair. Even the winds had ceased, making the day pleasant to be found in, and not nearly as cold as it could be when considering all the snow about. Despite this, there was a storm gathering above the Earl as he came for her. He knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. Andbetter still, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was far too stubborn for that.
“Lovely,” he muttered as he reached her.
She flashed her eyes at him and turned back to the menagerie. In her arms she made sure to hold Pickle, figuring that the little terrier might not treat the animals nearly as kindly as the children were.
The menagerie was set up on a small clearing, using a white-picket fence to separate the animals from the people. On the outside of the fence were the adults, while inside were the children who rushed between the various animals with cries of joy and unbridled enthusiasm. The animals varied from deer to ponies to zebras and an array of colorful birds.
“I wonder how they managed to get so many animals,” she mused as she looked between them.
“Yes,” the Earl drawled with little enthusiasm. “How curious.”
She looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear to see him so put out. And better yet, the day had only just begun!
The Christmas Fair of Whitehaven was a continuation of the markets that Alison and her family had visited early last week; as this was Christmas, the markets extended across several days, growing as more people from the neighboring villagers and estates came to visit.
