One Perfect Christmas (Short Story) Read Free

horror? Pity? Whatever it would have been, it would have
     been bad. Very, very bad.”
    “Jane …” Lucas interrupted.
    But she’d thought of something even more important to tell him.
    “And the things I said!” Jane clasped her hands together, pressed them tightly against
     the worn wool over her bosom, desperate to convince him just how earnest she was.
     “I don’t remember everything, mind you. But I am sure every last word was as absurd
     as the few I can recall. Unspeakable. Deplorable. I’ll never drink again, I can promise
     you that.”
    “Are you finished?” Lucas asked patiently.
    Jane chewed on her bottom lip as she revisited her words. “Yes, I think so. Have I
     missed anything?”
    “You never do when it comes to words, Jane,” he answered, playfully chucking her under
     the chin.
    His warm fingers lingered against her bare skin, the pad of his thumb gently stroking
     the curve of her cheek.
    “Then you’re not angry with me?” she murmured, her voice throaty with emotion.
    “I was never angry, Jane,” he answered, releasing her chin and stepping back to lean
     against Reginald’s stall door. “I could never be angry with you.”
    Relief flooded Jane’s senses. “You’ve no idea how thankful I am to hear that.”
    She dropped Reginald’s lead and threw herself at Lucas, wrapping her arms about his
     neck and enveloping him in a heartfelt hug. He smelled of sandalwood and the tangy
     sea he traveled far too often.
    Despite the thickness of the greatcoats that separated them, she was vividly aware
     of the controlled strength andpower in his much bigger body. “So many things are changing, Lucas. I don’t think
     I could bear to lose you, too.”
    “What things?” Lucas replied, gently grasping Jane about the waist and easing her
     a few inches away until her body no longer rested against his.
    Jane’s one regret was telling Lucas the truth. She’d foolishly whispered a feverish
     confession that she cared deeply for him, whilst attempting to land an unpracticed
     kiss on his neck.
    The question, asked in Lucas’s deep, drawling tone, raised goose bumps on her skin
     at the same time heat flushed her body, and Jane shivered involuntarily. She stepped
     back, putting more space between them before turning and taking up Reginald’s lead
     in an attempt to hide her response. “My luck.”
    “Is that so?” Lucas asked sardonically, pushing off from the wall to move closer.
    Jane clucked for Reginald to step forward; her tongue felt suddenly thick and twisted.
     “It
is
. Mother has found me a husband.”
    Lucas fell into line behind her. “You’ve received a proposal?”
    The disbelief coating his query made Jane wince.
    The small donkey obeyed and docilely walked into his stall. She checked to make sure
     Reginald’s hindquarters had cleared the stall door, then stepped back into the aisle,pushed the door shut, and slid the lock home. “Not yet. But Lady Pearson’s nephew
     has come for the holidays and my mother is intent on capturing him for our very own—as
     am I, to be completely honest.”
    Jane paused and looked down at her father’s shabby coat, which concealed an equally
     worn morning gown.
    Lucas searched her face. “Is this what you want? Is
he
what you want?”
    Jane leaned wearily against the rough wood door and allowed his voice, his very nearness,
     to soothe her. “It is what I
need
, Lucas.”
    She looked up and peered into his eyes, expecting to find relief there. But his features
     were curiously devoid of expression. She thought she saw indifference but couldn’t
     be sure.
    “Then you shall have him.”

Chapter Two
    Christmas Eve
    “You, my son, have been avoiding me.”
    Lucas shrugged into the coat of black wool his valet held out and smiled affectionately
     at his mother as she crossed the threshold of his bedchamber. “Mother, I don’t believe
     I’ve ever seen you look quite so beautiful as you do this evening.”
    The Dowager Duchess