Christmas By Candlelight: Two Regency Holiday Novellas Read Online Free PDF Page B

possessions.”
    “You. . . you understand.” It came out as half question, half statement.
    He gave a small smile. “Lady Anna, I have a feeling we are more alike than you think.”
    The coach was gliding smoothly through the powdery snow, and yet her insides were giving the oddest little lurches, as if they were spinning cartwheels inside her ribcage. Confused, she braced herself against the squabs and sought to shift the conversation to a more even ground.
    “I have no parents or siblings with whom to spend Christmas. But you, sir—surely you have a family who shall miss having you there with them to share the joy of opening presents and feasting on roast goose and plum pudding.”
    “I, too, am an only child,” answered Nicolas. “And while my parents are alive and well, there is little these days that draws us together as a family. My mother is quite happy to potter around the family estate in Devonshire, raising her exotic hothouse roses. Indeed, there are times when I wonder whether she cares more about pistils and stamens than she does about flesh and blood.” It was said with a smile, but the humor did not quite reach his eyes.
    “As for my father. . .” Nicholas exaggerated a wry shrug. “My father does not allow either heavenly or earthly concerns to distract him from his work. Indeed, if the Savior were to be born today in his stables, he would react to the news with a vague frown, then go back to his papers, after admonishing the servants not to disturb him unless something truly important had happened.”
    Anna laughed in spite of everything. “He ought to meet my uncle. It sounds as if the two of them would get along quite well.”
    “That—or murder each other.” Nicholas’s chuckle sounded a rich counterpoint to their amusement. “In my experience, two strong personalities either love or hate each other.”
    “I have noticed that as well.”
    “Does your guardian live in London?”
    “No. He is just visiting for several months.” Hoping to forestall any further personal questions, Anna began thumbing through her book to find where she had left off. “For business.”
    Nicholas proved to be as persistent as he was perceptive.
    “And what sort of business is that?”
    “I-I am sorry, but I really can’t discuss his affairs,” she replied. “They are highly confidential.”
    “What about the reason he summoned you back to Town?”
    “I would rather not discuss that either, if you please. It is. . . very personal.”
    “And obviously very painful.” Nicholas accepted the rebuff without argument. “You have my sympathy.” He paused. “Seeing as I, too, am traveling under duress, perhaps the less said about the subject the better. Shall we make a pact not to press each other on our respective reasons for the duration of the journey?”
    Grateful for the suggestion, Anna was quick to reply. “You will not find your skills at negotiating tested in this case. I gladly agree.”
    “Then I will return to the world of Byzantine politics,” he said, holding up his book. “Whatever your uncle is involved in, it could not possibly rival the Greeks and the Turks for cunning or intrigue.”
    Ha! Anna almost laughed aloud, but managed to clear her throat with a cough instead. “Before you do, I have yet another apology to make. I was not only very rude earlier with my remarks on your temper and your skills at dealing with people, but also very wrong. You are very good at putting a person at ease.”
    “It is already forgotten,” he murmured. “As you witnessed last night, I am all too aware of how easy it is to suffer a lapse in judgment when one is upset.” He glanced at her book before turning a page of his own volume. “I take a bit of solace from the fact that some of Miss Austen’s characters behave even more foolishly than we have.”
    They settled into a companionable silence. Cozy beneath the soft folds of her thick merino blanket Anna picked up the thread of the story, and