Page 11 of Mistletoe and Kisses
“Oh my, aren’t you the kick!” exclaimed Adelaide, her gaze moving up from Mary’s green coat to her matching hat.
Mary was tempted to pinch Hugh when she saw the sly smile which sat on his lips. He seemed so very pleased with himself. Happiness made him even more handsome.
“It took the combined efforts of myself and an enthusiastic shop assistant at Butlers to win the day, but I think we all did well. Including Mary,” he said.
“Yes, you did, and Mary, you look wonderful. I must confess I was going to go through the tall cupboards at the castle and see what spare winter clothes we had so that you would not freeze. It is hard to eat supper when your teeth are continually chattering,” said Adelaide.
Charles appeared in the room, carrying a smiling Will. Adelaide hurriedly scooped her son up into her arms. “Did your papa rescue you from a long sleep?” she cooed.
“Actually, we both had a very long sleep. I put him down and went to have a five-minutesiesteon the bed; the next thing I knew, it was three hours later,” replied Charles.
Charles looked at Mary and her new attire, then looked back to his wife. Mary caught the slight raise of an eyebrow as he and Adelaide exchanged a knowing look.
“Well, that is good. It means you will be able to get up to him in the middle of the night and I might get some sleep,” replied Adelaide.
Hugh cleared his throat. “Speaking of sleep, I thought we might like to have an early supper this evening so we can be on the road at first light. I have reserved a private dining room.”
If his efforts at shopping earlier in the day had been a surprise, the fact that Hugh had made arrangements of any sort was a revelation to Mary. He was forever forgetting to eat, so much so that she suspected the toast she regularly made for him in the evenings was the only meal he ate some days.
The Hugh Radley who now stood beside her was revealing himself to be a different man to the one she had thought she knew over the last two or so years. There was something in his manner that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It intrigued her.
She had developed a habit of chancing a look in his direction every so often, continuing her ongoing private study of him. But over the past few days, there had been several occasions when she had turned to Hugh, intent on sneaking a glance, only to find him looking at her.
Just as he was doing this very moment.
She forced herself to look away, fearful that if she continued to hold his gaze that he may finally see what she was certain was written all over her face.
She was hopelessly and irretrievably in love with him.
Chapter Eight
Mary had lived a sheltered life. Her knowledge of the world, and even England for that matter, came mostly from books. With her father devoting his time to the university, there had been little opportunity for them to travel outside Cambridge. She had been to London once, but that had been for a series of lectures given by her father, and apart from a short visit to Westminster Abbey, she had seen nothing of the great city.
The trip to Scotland was proving an eye-opening experience. Edinburgh, with its cobbled streets and imposing castle, had captured her imagination. She made a promise to herself that if she was able to make her work as a tutor a success, she would set aside a little money each week so that at least once a year she could afford to travel outside of Cambridge. She longed to see more of the world.
She looked around the travel coach. Adelaide and Charles were busy with William. Charles softly singing a French lullaby to his son, while his wife held Will in her arms and stared lovingly at her husband. Mary felt her heart swell as she watched the devoted couple and their baby. From the happy gurgles of Will, it was obvious he enjoyed hearing his father’s dulcet tones.
Hugh sat beside Mary on the bench. For once he did not have his nose in a book. He was staring out the window, the hint of a smile on his face.
The coach had turned off the main road not far from Falkirk several hours earlier, and as they made their way along the narrow side road which led to Strathmore Mountain, Mary could see the landscape changing. The wooded Lowlands gave way to sweeping snow-covered meadows framed by towering mountains. The peaks of the mountains were hidden from view by low gray clouds.
Adelaide handed Will to his father and both she and Hugh pressed their faces to the window of the coach. At one point, they exchanged an excited giggle. Mary sat bemused at the sight, while Charles simply smiled.
“Walls!” cried Adelaide.
Hugh snorted. “No! Where?”
His sister held her finger to the glass. “Between the tallest of those trees. There it is again. I win.”
Adelaide sat back in her seat and grinned at Hugh. “When will you ever learn? I know the exact point on the road.”
A less-than-impressed-looking Hugh shook his head. “Alright, you win.Again.”
He turned his gaze from his sister and looked blankly at Mary. He blinked, and the vague expression on his face changed. He had registered her presence.
“Come, look,” he said.
He got up and after Mary had shuffled along the bench and taken a position at the window, Hugh sat down on the other side of her. He pointed to two tall trees which stood in the middle of a nearby wood.
