His Yuletide Dove: Christmas Wallflowers by Tabetha Waite

Author:Tabetha Waite
Language: eng
Format: epub

Dove shivered, although it had nothing to do with the temperature in the air. She looked into Lord Markel’s eyes and saw the tempest in them. Green and brown swirls danced before her, and she realized it would be so easy to get dragged back down into that appealing gaze.

She glanced away and walked hastily through the front door before she did something she would later regret. After she removed her boots and outer wear in the entryway, Dove headed for the kitchen to begin preparing the meal, where she removed an apron from a nearby peg and tied it around her waist.

As she began to gather the ingredients she needed, Cain appeared in the doorway then walked over and sat on a stool near the counter. He said nothing for a time, merely watched her work, but then he said, “Is there anything I can do?” he asked.

Dove opened her mouth, about to refuse his offer to help but paused and decided against that course. “If you’d like to peel some potatoes and cut them up into smaller chunks, that would be wonderful.” She gestured to a bowl on the counter and the vegetables nearby. “You’ll have to wash them first, but—”

She fell silent as he moved about the kitchen as if he’d always spent his time there. He poured some water out of the nearby bucket into the bowl and washed the skins of the potatoes. After that, he grabbed a paring knife and moved to the other side of the counter and began to make shallow slices in each potato, peeling away the skin with expert precision. He dropped the peeled potatoes into a pot of water then tossed the refuse in the rubbish bin near the end of the worktable.

Dove lifted a curious brow, impressed in spite of herself. “Have you done this before?”

He glanced up with a snort as he continued his task. “Don’t look so surprised. More than once, when I was supposed to be taking a nap with my brother and sister, I would go down to the kitchens and pester our cook, Mrs. Alfreds, for some sweetmeats. She generally indulged me, but not without forcing me to earn it first.” He shrugged. “I peeled potatoes, carrots, beets, anything that she needed help with.” He glanced up and offered her a coy grin. “I can probably even attempt to do some canning, but only in dire circumstances.”

Dove laughed. She could just imagine a stubborn young man bedeviling the servants. “You sound like you’ve always been a bit rebellious, my lord.”

“Indeed.” He sighed dramatically. “I admit I was a handful when I was a child, but I was tame then compared to after I was sent away to school. That’s when I became quite unruly.”

Dove saw his mouth turn down at the corners, as if he wasn’t proud of the fact. “What caused it?”

He seemed to ponder her words for a moment. “I can’t say. Wishing to be like my fellow peers, I suppose? Why do any of us act in a certain manner?”

She considered her answer carefully.

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