The Duke's Christmas Gift by Kelly Anne Bruce

Author:Kelly Anne Bruce [Bruce, Kelly Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sweet River Publishing
Published: 2018-11-26T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“And then, the poor sod was drenched to the bone, missing one of his best shoes, and with nothing to eat aside from the moldy cheese he found in his pocket,” Benjamin said.

Jackson laughed, and it felt like the first genuine laugh that had left him in such a long time. He had been somewhat hesitant to come down to Lord Caslingburgh’s estate for an early Christmas repast, but knew it would be unwise to refuse the request given the recent engagement to his daughter. The letter had been very kind, offering the afternoon as a quiet celebration of their betrothal before they decided to announce it to the public after Christmas. Jackson was immeasurably grateful for the earl’s understanding at his desire to keep his private affairs quiet for as long as they could.

Not only that, but Christmas was an incredibly difficult time of year for him. While his natural inclination was to close in on himself and just spend some time alone reflecting, he was glad that there were those who were going out of their way to help him through this year.

He missed his father and brother terribly, but as he and Benjamin and Lady Millie left the dining room, he was starting to feel happier than he had for the last six years.

Lady Millie was just as ravishing as he remembered, if not even more so. Her dark hair was pulled into an elegant plait that day, tied with a golden ribbon. Her dress was a dark bottle green, embellished with more gold ribbons, and adorned with white lace at the sleeves and the neckline. She was a great deal more shy than he remembered, but he was not entirely surprised. She was now his betrothed, and that must have been incredibly strange to know she would be marrying a man she barely knew.

If he was honest with himself, then he would realize that he, too, was nervous about being around her. He found it difficult to speak with her, and was relying way too much on Benjamin to carry the conversations between them all.

The day was bright, and the sun glinted off the snow making it sparkle like thousands of tiny diamonds. The sky was so blue it did not look real as he caught a glimpse of it out of the window as they walked through the hall towards the drawing room for tea.

“I am amazed that he did not hurt himself,” Jackson said as they turned a corner into the foyer. “What did he say when he managed to drag himself through the front door?”

“He seemed rather confused, to be honest,” Jackson said with a chuckle. “When his wife saw him, she–”

They had just passed by the front door when it was thrown open. Four servants appeared behind, dragging something large and cumbersome in through the large, double wooden doors.

The three of them stopped and stared, watching as the servants pulled an enormous fir tree inside, its branches shedding snow and needles as they brushed the floor and slid underneath the doorframe.

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