Her sister was going to be very, very sorry!
Already knowing her revenge, Noelle lay perfectly still, unfazed by the cold seeping into her dress.
“That was not at all sporting of you, Holly,” Eve’s voice penetrated through the snow.
“But I couldn’t resist.” More giggles. “What with her bottom sticking up like that.”
Oh, but Holly had it coming! Noelle’s face was practically burning from the snow now.
“Noelle?”
“Get up, Noelle, you’ll catch your death.”
It required all of Noelle’s restraint not to start laughing as they hovered around her.
“Help her up, you dolt.” Eve ordered Holly. Precisely what Noelle had been waiting for. Her younger sister’s hands landed on her shoulder to help her roll over and timing it perfectly, Noelle grasped Holly’s arms and tugged. In an instant, Holly was sprawled onto the ground beside Noelle and they both dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“For heaven’s sake.” Eve stood over both of them, hands on hips, looking so very much like their mother had. Only she was their sister and very much not safe from her younger siblings.
Noelle slid a sideways glance in Holly’s direction and Holly blinked in tacit agreement.
Dear Eve didn’t stand a chance. Before she could get away, sisterly hands dragged her into the snow and after several squeals and a few sisterly insults, the three of them lay prone in a most undignified manner on their backs. Breathing heavily from their antics, they stared up at the starry sky.
The door to the kitchen opened and then closed and Noelle smiled almost dreamily when she realized whose footsteps approached. “Your aunt asked me to…” Dash’s voice trailed off. “Is something wrong? Is one of you injured?” His voice sounded heavy with a combination of confusion and concern.
Eve and Holly were sitting up, but Noelle didn’t want to move. When was the last time she’d felt this light, this free? She thought she might actually be feeling happy and she didn’t want anything to disturb it.
“Come inside with me, Holly. We need to try to save the vegetables.” Eve was all practicality once again. “My lord, if you would be so kind as to assist our sister? We will see what we can do to salvage what’s left of the inferno.”
Noelle closed her eyes, not the tiniest bit bothered by the cold. And she waited.
“Is this what I looked like, when you found me last night?” His deep voice was nearer now. At the crunching sounds by her ears, she pictured him lowering onto his haunches beside her. Had it only been last night since she’d seen him wandering in the storm. One day. Her life had changed completely in the course of less than twenty-four hours.
And she didn’t mind at all.
Grinning, she rearranged her arms a little, and pretended to snore. “More like this.” This wasn’t ladylike at all, but she couldn’t help herself.
When he didn’t respond, however, she opened her eyes, wondering if perhaps she’d gone too far. She’d thought he might be angry, or annoyed, but his eyes sparkled as he stared down at her, a new expression lighting his face.
“I’ve never known anyone like you.” The corners of his mouth tipped up only slightly. He wasn’t quite smiling, but delight showed in his expression just the same.
Emboldened, she began to move her arms and legs. “Have you ever made a snow angel?” The words somehow came out sounding as though she was suggesting something scandalous.
By now he was shaking his head, chuckling. “Not recently. No.”
She reached out a hand. “Come down here, then.”
“But you’re cold. You need to get inside.”
Something urged Noelle to persist, and she took hold of his hand. “I’ll go inside as soon as you’ve made a snow angel.” She tugged a little more, not wanting this moment to end. This was a different side to him then she’d seen before, but she quite liked it and besides, even if they weren’t a love match, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t enjoy one another’s company. It didn’t mean the two of them couldn’t have fun.
“Please?”
He simply gazed down at her, his eyes looking more black than blue, and again she wondered if she was pushing him too far. After a moment’s thought, however, he exhaled loudly and then carefully lay down beside her. He hadn’t left room to move his arms freely, so Noelle rested hers along his thinking that this was even better. They would make an angel holding hands. When he didn’t move, she pressed her arms against his and began moving them up and down.
“This is ridiculous,” he said, but he was opening and closing his legs to the same rhythm as their arms.
“This is what’s known as fun,” she responded, cheekier than usual. But she was enjoying every moment of this and what it might mean for their future.
“Ridiculous,” he said again, before sitting up and then practically plucking her out of the snow to stand beside him. As he stared down at their merged angels, he raised her cold hand to his lips. “There now. Are you happy?” He dropped her hand but slid her a sideways glance. “And I’ll have you know that I’m a man who’s never shied away from fun.”
Noelle had begun brushing at her dress while he brushed at his trousers, but his words drew her to a halt and she shivered from the cold.
“How so?” she asked before he could usher her inside.
As he removed his coat, she couldn’t help but admire how elegant he appeared in only his shirtsleeves and waistcoat. He turned her so he could set it about her shoulders. If she was one of the cats who liked to hang around the kitchen, no doubt she’d be purring loudly and contentedly.
Because as she burrowed into it instinctively, the warmth wrapped around her, warmth from his body, from his chest, and arms, and torso, she felt protected, rather. Almost as though she already belonged with him and he with her.
“The kind of fun that an innocent like you knows nothing about.” The look in his eyes sent an entirely different shiver rolling through her.
“Good heavens! Are you two still out here? Come in by the fire! I believe we’ve managed to salvage the carrots and the potatoes, aside from a few bites of charcoal, that is,” Aunt Winifred called to them through the half-open door. “Children today,” she muttered. “Not an ounce of good sense amongst them all.”
Noelle wasn’t feeling very sensible, tonight. She pressed onto her tiptoes so her lips could reach the side of his jaw and whispered. “I want to have that kind of fun, Dash.” It was he who shivered this time, his chest giving a slight shake under the palms of her hands. “And I can hardly wait to learn.”
Chapter Six
Dash stood on the edge of the common waiting for Noelle and her sisters to arrive. At the end of their rather horrid dinner of blackened vegetables, his betrothed had agreed to accompany him for a sleigh ride today. It was about the only form of entertainment currently available to them. Well, other than making snow angels.
The thought of last night made him grin. There had been a certain whimsy to the activity, despite his best attempts to appear disapproving. He enjoyed her innocence and her ability to find fun in the pure and lighthearted activities. Once again, he was reminded of how different she was from his mother.
He spotted her crossing the common. Her rich wool gown and pelisse were a striking shade of red, trimmed in fur. Noelle wore a matching hat and muff, looking both darling and ready for the cold ride ahead. He drew in a breath of cold air as she came closer and noted the pink of her cheeks, the air already making her skin rosy. “You look lovely,” he called, extending a hand to her.
“And you, very dashing.” Then she giggled at her own reference. “Get it. Dash is dashing.”
He shook his head. If he had a Guinea for every time he’d heard that… “Very funny.” He drew her to his side, a hand at her waist. “Your aunt appeared excited about our announcement that we’d marry.”
She nodded. “She is. Although we’ve been here less than a week, I think she is quite happy to take credit as our guardi
an.” She twisted her face into a haughty expression and lowered her voice into a surprisingly accurate impersonation of Lady Tannenbaum. “My niece has snagged herself a Baron.”
Which reminded him…
“She wrote to my father this morning to share the news but before he sent us away, Eve or I tended to all of his correspondence. Without us...” Her mouth turned down. “I hope he reads the letter she’s sent.”
“But of course, he will. It’s likely he simply believed a woman would be better capable to address the needs of his daughter, but that would not prevent him from taking an interest in your well-being.” Taking her elbow, he guided her into the sleigh.
She looked down at her muff, as the breeze ruffled the thick fur. “He doesn’t do anything besides sit alone.” Then she swallowed, her throat working. “And drink.”
Dash slid into the seat next to her, wrapping an arm about her shoulders. His chest tightened as he put more of the pieces together. Her trip to an aunt’s she hardly knew, her sleepless nights, and…her acceptance of his proposal. “Are your sisters joining us?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I couldn’t find them; they’ve been acting rather odd but also conspicuously absent lately.” She scrunched her nose, looking even more adorable than normal, and then frowned.
He squeezed her tighter. “No matter. You and I can get to know each other better.”
“I’d like that,” she snuggled into his side, her hand resting on his chest. “I’m excited for our…arrangement.”
He cleared his throat, leaning his head down toward hers and ignoring the pang of discontent that rumbled through him at the word “arrangement.” But she was right. That’s what this was. “I am too.”
The horse gave an agitated nay, pulling at the leather harness. Noelle laughed as the horse pranced impatiently. “Shall we?”
“Let’s,” he answered, removing his arm and grabbing the reins. “I may need to overcome somewhat of a learning curve. The innkeeper gave me a lesson this morning, but I have to confess, I’ve never driven a sleigh before.”
She laughed, a tinkling sound that fell from her lips like little snowflakes. “First snow angels and then sleigh lessons. We’ll countrify you yet.”
He laughed too. “I believe you just might.” Then he snapped the reins and away the sleigh went.
Fortunately for him, the horse understood how to pull a sleigh perfectly and a track had already been laid. They passed through the common and headed out over rolling hills where snow covered trees provided a stunning backdrop. He slid her a sideways glance. Nothing as stunning as this woman, though. Something shifted inside of him as he stared at her profile, so exquisitely innocent in this winter scene of wonder.
A demure enchantress. When small white teeth chewed at her lip, a far more familiar sensation chased the damn flutters away.
Unbridled lust. He shifted and refocused his attention on the road.
Driving swiftly now, Dash steered the contraption over several small hills before entering the woods on a wide path that had been cut through the trees. As they came out of the glen, an ice-covered lake came into view. Several people had cleared a section and glided about on skates.
He pulled up on the reins, staring with wonder. Off to one side, several boys built a snowman, rolling increasingly large balls of snow. “Gads,” he muttered mostly to himself. “It looks like a painting.”
“Reminds me of home,” Noelle said next to him. “And happy times.”
He looked over at her. “I’m sorry your family isn’t happy currently.”
She shook her head. “My sisters and I are mending.” She gave him a smile. “Funny enough, you entering our lives seems to have opened up conversation again.”
He smiled down at her. They were still in the woods and sheltered from view. “I’m glad. I hope that you all continue to mend. A family that was happy should continue to be so.” He looked down at the deep, rich red of her dress. “I’ve seen scenes like these but I’ve never actually participated in one. My family was never—” He stopped, not wanting to open that wound.
She pulled a hand from her muff and reached for his. “I understand.” Looking over at her, he believed those words to be true. Her brow was knitted and her face drawn in sympathetic lines which only made his chest pull tighter. What he needed was a taste of gingerbread—perhaps an early peek at one of his gifts.
Leaning down, he captured her lips with his own and his senses were immediately surrounded by Noelle.
Noelle. She was everything that was Christmas—her sweet gingery scent, her velvety touch, the light cooing sounds she made as Yuletide bells rang in the distance. Like a balm, she soothed away his hurt, at least some of it and he pulled her closer, wanting more.
Her arms wrapped about his neck, the fur on her cuffs tickling the exposed skin of his neck. Her breasts crushed against his chest and as he slid her mouth open to brush his tongue against hers, he moved his hand down, cupping one of her soft globes. When he massaged the soft flesh with his thumb, her groan echoed his own.
One of the boys yelled to the others. “I can’t get this ball on top of the other.”
Dash drew back. The child’s voice was much closer than he’d expected and he realized they needed a more private venue than the one they had.
Giving her another kiss, he cleared his throat. “Perhaps it’s time we keep going?”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I suppose that’s a good idea.”
He leaned down, rubbing his nose to hers. “Trust me, my sweet, this is only the beginning.”
* * *
The beginning of what? Noelle shivered in anticipation as Dash flicked the reins and came out into the open field, passing the pond and people. He urged the horses farther along the road that once again disappeared into the trees and became more secluded with each turn. She ought to have been nervous—perhaps ask him to turn back—but she wasn’t and she wouldn’t. He drove with confidence despite his joke when they’d set out, and when he’d had to break off their kiss, he’d left her shaky with need, her insides trembling and her heart beating for more.
And she trusted him. Impossible! She barely knew him, and yet she trusted him implicitly. In addition, she liked him very much, but she wasn’t blinded by love. She’d decided to marry him with her head, not her heart. A decision she grew increasingly certain had been correct.
Removing one hand from the reins, he lowered it to her knee and squeezed, sending a stab of longing through her. Desire.
She swallowed hard and amended her thoughts.
This physical attraction played a part in her decision as well. Which, she found perfectly acceptable in light of her newfound determination to avoid love. By not loving, she would never suffer as her father had. She would never lose sight of her responsibilities. She would never turn her back on the people who needed her most. And yet her breath caught as an inkling of regret pinched her heart. Still, she straightened her shoulders. It was as Wollstonecraft had believed. They’d have a strong union based on friendship.
“You’ve grown quiet, little one.” Dash’s voice wrapped around her as the sleigh floated over the snow. “Do you wish to go back?”
“No!” And then less vehemently. “Unless you do, that is.”
He squeezed her leg again and then his hand drifted higher, sending her heart racing. “No. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Are you cold?”
Cold? Good heavens, she was burning up. Nonetheless, she burrowed closer to him. “A little.”
He seemed equally content to ride like that for the next mile or so until the turns became tighter and the road began to climb, when he removed his hand from her leg to ensure a tight hold on the reins.
“Where are we going?” She sat up straight as well. Not knowing the area, she was slightly turned around by now. The wind whistled with more force and icicles hung from the trees.
“The innkeeper, Mr. Rudolph, suggested—” And then it came into sight.
> “It’s a castle!” She leaned forward in awe.
“What remains of one.” He corrected her.
As they neared, she realized that it lacked most of its roof and a few of its walls. Vines had taken over the sturdier sections and a few birds flitted in and out of some arched openings.
It was magnificent, enchanted, even.
They drove between two towering pillars and then he drew the sleigh to a halt.
“Shall we give the horse a rest and explore a little?” Before he could finish asking, she was already nodding. Her desire to explore the castle and its history nearly as strong as her yearning for his touch.
“Who did it belong to?” What good was a castle if it didn’t come along with a most excellent fairy tale?
“Commissioned by a fifteenth century knight, Sir Clarence Fountain. Mr. Rudolph told me that the knight died in battle before the structure’s completion and when the builders weren’t paid, it was never finished.”
Noelle took hold of Dash’s hand as he assisted her to the ground, and neither of them let go as they walked together toward the sad but majestic dwelling.
When the wind made a whistling sound, she shivered and welcomed his arm around her shoulders. “It must be haunted,” she whispered as her imagination took flight. “By Sir Clarence Fountain himself.”
“Oh, it is, is it?” Dash chuckled as they stepped inside. “He must be awfully lonely out here in the woods all alone.”
Although the sky peeked through in places, the interior was mostly shadowed. After picking their way along a rocky path, Dash had to drop his arm from around her so they could turn and step into another opening.
“He isn’t lonely.” Noelle explained, pondering what this chamber would have been. “He lives here with a beautiful Russian princess whom he’d vowed to rescue from a band of murderous villains.”
“Cold then, the two of them must be very cold.”
Warming to her tale, Noelle shot him a warning scowl. “He was the heartiest of sorts. In fact, he travelled through the dead of winter to find his true love. This band—”
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