Page 7 of Joy to the Earl
“By who?You are as lovely now as you were ten years ago.More so, in fact.”
“Compared to the fresh-faced beauty of our soul cake purveyor?Don’t mock me.”
“She is a perfectly pretty young woman.And as bland as the snowfield outside,” said Douglas.“That’s not an insult, just an acknowledgment that youth is rarely interesting, only nice to look at.If she is very lucky, in ten years, she will have gained the wit you possessed then.I always loved hearing you spar with others when they dared to draw you out over tea or dinner.Men used to speak of you in tones of dread.”
“They didn’t speak of me at all.”
“I assure you they did, madam.Not in your hearing, perhaps.But among ourselves it was well established that many potential suitors held their tongues around you in abject fear, lest their carefully plannedbon motswould be outdone by your responses.No one wanted to lose what regard they might hold with you.”
Just then, a man stamped in from the kitchen to the hall, swathed in a massive wool scarf.Yet the innkeeper recognized him and asked if the storm was slackening.
“Not a bit!”the chilled man replied in a booming voice.“If anything, it’s getting worse.I’ve never seen such snow in all my life!”
The guests within hearing gave little resigned sighs.Joy herself felt a rush of despair.When would she be able to leave and not constantly have to look for Douglas, with his crinkled eyes and his proclamations of her beauty?She had many Christmas wishes, but spending the holiday with the man who jilted her wasnotone of them!
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The hour was late, but Joy couldn’t sleep in the unfamiliar setting of the inn.The previous night, her exhaustion was so extreme that she’d hardly noticed her surroundings.But this night, she was wide awake.Wren was fast asleep in the bed they shared, oblivious to all the noises in the other rooms, the snoring, the opening and closing of doors, and footsteps moving along the passageway, to say nothing of the creaks in the roof and the constant howling of wind.The storm had not abated.If anything, the fury of the weather had increased.
Feeling extremely desolate about their chances of escaping the inn by tomorrow, Joy threw on her dressing gown and slid into her slippers.
She opened the door as quietly as possible, and then tiptoed down the corridor, hoping to not annoy the other guests, and in fact hoping to be completely ignored by them.
That turned out to be easy, since no one appeared to be awake at all.
The innkeeper was nowhere to be seen once she reached the ground floor, and the front door appeared to be bolted shut.Normally, this would be a sensible decision in case some thief or footpad decided to try their luck in the middle of the night.But with the snow hitting the window panes with enough force to make dozens of soft plopping sounds every moment, the idea of someone wandering outside was absurd.
She crept into the common room and was drawn to the fireplace, where the last log was still burning, the flames almost invisible, but the heat radiating out in the most comforting way.The room was so dark that she had to hold both hands out in front of her as she walked so she didn’t run into an unexpected piece of furniture, and just as her right hand touched the back of one of the high-back winged chairs placed in front of the fire, she jumped in fright as a large hand closed over hers.
“I didn’t mean to startle you” came Douglas’s quiet voice.“But I also didn’t want you to sit on me.”
Joy’s heart thudded as she snatched her hand back and said, “You nearly killed me with fright!”
“I am sure I would’ve done that even if it had been full daylight.Clearly my appearance is the stuff of nightmares for you.”
She shook her head, and then realized he couldn’t see the gesture.She said, “I’m not scared of you.”
“Then have a seat,” he offered, his hand once again touching her, this time to lead her to the empty chair beside him.“You can completely ignore me, I’ll understand.I know you’re only down here because you can’t sleep.”
“How do you know I can’t sleep?”she asked, feeling quite resentful of his assumption that he understood how her mind worked.If he understood that ten years ago, he wouldn’t have hurt her so badly.And it wasn’t as if he’d had any chance to learn more about her in the meantime.
“I know you can’t sleep because you’re here and awake.If you could sleep, you would be asleep.”
It was simple logic, and she hated that it made so much sense.He got up to toss another log on the fire.It caught immediately, giving the room a ruddy glow.
“Well, I shall sit,” she said after he’d resumed his own seat.“But pray do not attempt to make pleasant conversation as though this were a social call.”She sank back into the leather chair, which was most excellently worn and delightfully comfortable, especially having been toasted by the fire all evening long.She stretched her feet out toward the embers, reveling in the heat.If only the company was as welcome.
Douglas didn’t say anything, and after a few minutes, she became perversely annoyed at his silence.But after all, he was only following her request.And before, he’d really only done the decent thing in offering his room.She ought to apologize.
“The room is very comfortable.My maid is fast asleep.”She hoped she didn’t sound too petulant.
“I’m glad,” he said.“It was ridiculous for the innkeeper to even entertain the notion that no accommodations could be found.”
“I suppose we’re just lucky that there weren’t more travelers, since at some point, even the largest inn would fill up.Then again, most people who would be traveling for the holidays would already be done.At their destinations, I mean.I started late.”
“Where are you bound?”It was a perfectly polite question, but Douglas’s voice did have a note of curiosity.
“I was invited to spend Yuletide with a cousin.In truth, I didn’t particularly want to go, and that was perhaps one of the reasons I found it so difficult to pack and start off until it was obviously too late.Even if we get out tomorrow, I will miss Christmas Day itself.The cousin in question lives in Gloucester Vale.”She paused, then asked, “And you?”
