A Midwinter Night's Dream by Tiffany Reisz

Author:Tiffany Reisz [Reisz, Tiffany]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 8th Circle Press via Indie Author Project

8

Eight hours on two trains and then one long carriage ride finally brought Eleanor home to Edenfell.

The winter sun had long set by the time the carriage turned into the drive, but the lane glowed like morning. Four years ago, after a carriage had run off the drive, Søren had ordered lampposts to be installed. A dozen on each side of the lane were lit and it seemed as if she were being carried to a magic castle in a fairy story.

Edenfell was a great gray box of a house, an old Georgian manor, square and sturdy and safe. Her happiest days had taken place in this home before Søren had left her. And her loneliest nights after he was gone.

The carriage pulled up and she saw Søren on the grand main steps waiting with Kingsley at his side. He came down the stairs and did the footman’s job of putting down the step and opening the door for her, helping her out.

“Welcome home, My Lady,” Søren said, and pressed a cool kiss on her cheek. Kingsley escorted Annette into the house leaving her all alone with Søren.

On his arm she entered the house and found no one to greet her, but the house itself. The hall glittered with candlelight reflected off the freshly polished brass chandelier. The warmth enveloped her.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“I’ve ordered the official welcome of the lady of the house to wait until tomorrow,” Søren explained. “The staff wasn’t pleased with me, they’re so happy we’re married. I imagined you’d be in no mood for a raucous welcome.”

She wasn’t and found the silence a relief. “You left early today,” she said.

“I had preparations to make for your arrival,” he said as he steered her into the drawing room. “You see?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. Søren had brought in a Christmas tree—a fine tall spruce with silver baubles and candles on it all aglow. And greenery decorated the hearth and hung from the ceiling.

“I wanted to give you back the Christmas I took from you when I left so abruptly,” he said.

He was trying so hard to please her. Did he still not understand?

“May I show you something?” she asked. “Outside?”

“Of course,” he said and though he looked puzzled, he followed her from the decorated drawing room, through the garden door out to the snow-filled veranda. Eleanor pulled the hood of her cloak up as Søren slid on his gloves. She led him down a pathway and to the old wood and stone gazebo.

“Here,” she said as she stood at the railing and looked up at the bright and shining new winter moon. “This is where I would go to be with you after you left. Every night that winter.”

“Be with me?”

“I couldn’t cry in front of Claire, or she would start crying, too. I told her once how you smelled like winter and she laughed at me. She said you smelled like shaving soap and nothing else. But you do. The snow collects in here and the night wind, too.

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