Prince for Yuletide: A Victorian Christmas Novella by Lawson Anthea

Author:Lawson, Anthea [Lawson, Anthea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-68013-073-7
Publisher: Fiddlehead Press

8

Eliana could not believe how terribly Count Nikolai—that is, Prince Sebastian—had deceived her. The nerve of the man, to invite her for a sleigh ride, and think he could keep up his foolish pretense!

And she had kissed him.

Mortification heated her cheeks, even as the cold air swept over her face. The sleigh glided smoothly over the snowy streets, the horse’s bridle jingling merrily, its hoofbeats a muffled thud over the hidden cobblestones.

Eliana had tried to insist that Hetty sit between herself and the deceitful prince as they went out to the sleigh. Her companion had shaken her head and pushed Eliana ahead of her to mount the low step into the vehicle.

“Think how it would look, miss,” she’d said. “People will remark, to see you sitting on the outside, and you don’t want that.”

No, Eliana didn’t. The less attention anyone paid to them, the better.

So here she was, settled uncomfortably close to the prince, with Hetty on her other side. Taking up far too much room, in Eliana’s opinion.

She’d told her companion everything—well, leaving out the kiss—and to her dismay, Hetty had found it very romantic.

The prince glanced down at her as they neared the gates of Hyde Park. “Will a quick turn about the park be amenable?”

“Certainly,” Hetty answered, before Eliana could decline. “I imagine the trees look lovely, all covered in snow.”

Eliana jabbed an elbow into her companion’s side, and the older woman gave her a serene smile.

“I’ll wave at all your friends,” Hetty said, a pleasant note of warning in her voice.

Eliana blew out an annoyed breath. Her gloved fingers twisted tightly together, hidden in the warm recess of her ermine fur muff. She would endure this ride, bid “Count Nikolai” farewell, and then do her utmost to steer clear of Prince Sebastian for the rest of her life.

“Is it because of Lady Peony?” she asked the prince as he turned the sleigh down Rotten Row. “Is that why you perpetrated this lie?”

He glanced down at her, his eyes a paler blue than the sunlit sky above. “Only inasmuch as I knew Prince Sebastian would not be welcome at the Midwinter Masque, and I wanted to attend.”

“So you could trick and entrap unsuspecting ladies.” She did not blunt the edge of bitterness in her tone.

“I wanted to meet you,” he said, the honesty in his voice taking her aback. “And I knew Miss Eliana Banning would never pass the time of day with the Ice Prince.”

Hetty let out a little sigh, and Eliana was tempted to elbow her again.

“You are correct,” she said to the prince. “I cannot condone what you did to my friend. She is only now beginning to recover from the heartbreak, and you damaged her prospects terribly.”

He set his jaw, and did not speak.

To either side, the sun glittered off the snowy blanket covering the grounds. The bare tree branches were edged with diamonds. A few tracks from other sleighs and the pockmarks of bootsteps marred the path, but overall the park was very quiet.

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