The Art of Kissing Beneath the Mistletoe by Tanya Anne Crosby

Author:Tanya Anne Crosby
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2019-12-24T22:00:00+00:00

ESCAPING the very instant she could, Lexie found a quiet place to hide in the parterre. What a change—Claire holding court, whilst she hid from the revelry. Only tonight Alexandra felt quite certain Claire wouldn’t be searching high and low for her, because Claire herself was at the center of attention and in rare form.

The entire lot of them were now ensconced in the parlor, drinking arrack punch and playing charades.

Alexandra didn’t need any punch. She’d had more than enough sparkling champagne over dinner—nervous drinking, she supposed. A little time out in the fresh, crisp air would do her good.

Except… now she wished she’d brought herself a heavier coat, especially if she was going to be sequestering herself out in the garden. And nevertheless, at the moment she was far too furious with Ben to be the least bit sad, or even cold. Anger kept her warm as surely as would a hearth fire. And still there was nothing cozy about this holiday—nothing at all to remind her of those days in Shropshire. Those days were done!

You must not grieve them, she told herself.

He’s not worth it!

Peering up at the night sky, she noted that the stars appeared to be completely obscured, not a single one remaining to be wished upon—not that she had wishes to make, mind you.

None beyond the simple fact that she wished her father wasn’t such a scoundrel and that her life wasn’t such a mess. But, really, where to begin?

If there were but one thing she could have undone… what would that be?

Shivering under her pelisse, she wandered through the garden, distracting herself with the flower beds.

Most of the beds were filled with roses and heliotropium—fine, fine choices, particularly during the heat of summer because the scent was bound to conceal even the worst from the Thames. In full bloom, the heliotropium would give off a nice vanilla-almond-scent that attracted butterflies en masse. Smiling, she fingered the necklace, taking pleasure in the thoughtful gift.

This time of the year the flowers were already spent—looking as brittle as she felt. And yet, like dabs of hope against a mantle of gloom, some of the roses were still blooming, peppering the garden with a smattering of pink and white blooms. Drawn instead to one of the heliotropium plants, she wondered if it had any medicinal properties. Most plants did, and she wished she had her notepad with her so she could sketch this particular leaf. That’s what she enjoyed best: sketching flowers, putting notations on the pages. Someday, she might like to bind them, and maybe publish her efforts. Brushing her thumb across the edge of the serrated leaf, considering an appropriate nom de plume, she wondered how many women published in secret…

If not that, what was she supposed to do with her life from here forth? Certainly, she would visit Meridian, but she didn’t wish to move there, nor had Claire even proposed such a thing. In fact, Alexandra had never felt more disconnected from Claire in her entire life.

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