Page 10 of Mistletoe and Kisses
A sudden voice from his right stirred him from his single-minded mission. Coming toward him was Mary, a small parcel tucked under her arm. He gave her a friendly greeting. “Hello.”
He nodded toward the parcel. “Anything exciting?”
She shook her head. “No. Just woolen stockings. I never realized Scotland would be this cold.”
As she neared, he could see she was holding the parcel close to herself, and her shoulders were scrunched up. A wave of pity swept over him the instant he realized Mary was shivering. He ached to pull her into his arms and protect her from the wind.
If she was suffering in the relative warmth of Edinburgh, Mary was in for a miserable time in the frigid climes of Strathmore Mountain. He smiled as a thought came to him. He now had the perfect opportunity to try and make up for some of his thoughtless behavior—to show Mary that she was indeed important to him.
“Did you by chance get an opportunity to go to Butlers with Adelaide?” he asked. Butlers in Edinburgh sold all manner of clothing, from hats and scarfs, through to greatcoats and boots, and everything in between.
“No. We passed it on the way through to some other shops and she pointed it out to me. They are by royal appointment to the king, are they not?” she replied.
“And the Duke of Strathmore,” he said.
The look of delighted surprise on her face made his heart beat a little faster.
Hugh offered Mary his arm. “Come. You cannot visit Edinburgh without setting foot inside Butlers, especially when you are a guest of one of its patrons.”
She took his arm and his heart soared. They had walked together through the university grounds over the years, but never once had he dared dream that he would be walking arm in arm with her in the middle of Edinburgh.
With her hand on his arm, he knew she was where she was meant to be. He nodded his greetings to other people as they headed back up the Royal Mile, all the while indulging in a pleasant fantasy that they were a married couple, and this was something they did every day.
The short walk to Butlers soon had Hugh’s mind racing with other ideas. He would buy Mary a pair of sensible wool-lined leather gloves. Yes, that would do. No. A thick scarf and gloves was what she needed. And a coat.
By the time the doorman at Butlers ushered them inside, Hugh had a plan firmly set in his mind. Mary would not feel the cold for one moment if he had anything to say about it.
As a nearby shop assistant made his way toward them, Hugh straightened his shoulders and turned to Mary.
“I am so sorry,” he said.
She scowled. “What for?”
“For being an ass. I forgot your Christmas present in Cambridge because I was too caught up in my concerns. And I wasn’t there for you when you were asked to leave the university. It was selfish of me. So, I am begging your indulgence to allow me to make a small step toward the restitution of our friendship,” he said.
“Oh, Hugh,” she murmured.
The shop assistant stopped in front of them and bowed low. “Welcome to Butlers. How may I be of assistance to you today?”
Hugh turned and smiled at the man. “Good morning, I am Lord Hugh Radley, and this is my friend Miss Mary Gray. Miss Gray is staying with my family at Strathmore Castle for Christmas. As her wardrobe is more suited to the warmer climes of England, I was thinking she might need kitting out with a full Scottish wardrobe. What do you think?”
Mary’s mouth opened, but Hugh ignored her attempted protest.
The shop assistant held his hands together tightly; a nice Christmas commission would come from such a sale. “I could not agree more, my lord. May I suggest we begin with a pair of tackety half-boots to ensure Miss Gray has a sure footing in the snow, and then move on to the woolens section?”
“Perfect.”
Mary’s cheeks continued to burn until they finally left Butlers several hours later. In that time, Hugh had spent, in her opinion, an outrageous sum of money on a new wardrobe for her. Her second attempt at protesting over his extravagance was ignored by both Hugh and the shop assistant; they were too busy deciding on the color of the hat which was to go with her new coat.
But it was not just the amount of money Hugh had spent on her which had Mary’s heart racing. It was the brief and often light touches of his hand whenever he drew near. When he handed her a pair of kid leather gloves, she felt the heat of his fingers as they brushed against hers. She trembled at his touch.
When he reached out and tucked a wayward curl behind her ear after she had finished trying on a hat, Mary didn’t know where to look. A pair of piercing blue eyes met her gaze. The smile which accompanied them took her breath away.
“Since you cannot choose between the forest green one and the chocolate brown one, I think we should take both,” he said. He was so close to her that she caught the hint of musk and jasmine. Hugh was wearing the cologne she had given to him.
She pretended not to look at the price tag of the hat, having already been gently scolded for wincing when she looked at the price of the coat Hugh had chosen for her earlier. He was determined to spoil her, and she knew nothing that she said would have the slightest effect on him completing his mission.
When they returned to the inn later that afternoon, Mary’s faint hopes of hearing Adelaide censure her brother over his prodigality were immediately dashed.
