Teach Me Under the Mistletoe Read Online Free PDF

Jennifer’s visit to the stables was merely coincidental after all, and the mention of her sister had meant nothing.
    He turned toward the stable but stopped as movement caught his eye. A waif-like figure in a gray servant’s dress scurried across the yard. Recognizing one of the upstairs maids he’d often seen at the supper table, he waited for her to draw near, wondering if she might be looking for Joseph, since the two often spent their half-days together. What was her name…? Harriet? No, Henrietta. Yes, that was it.
    When she stopped in front of him, flushed, a bit out of breath, she reached into a pocket on the side of her dress and withdrew a folded piece of paper, held closed by a white wax seal. “Lady Caroline asked that I bring this to ye.”
    Perplexed, he accepted the missive with a mumbled thank you. She looked into the stable beyond him and Hugh grinned. “Joseph is near the front mending some harnesses.”
    Henrietta giggled and scampered into the stables.
    Only when he no longer saw her or heard her footsteps did he break the seal to read the note.

Chapter Four
     
    “Where are you off to so early, dear?” Louise Tyndall’s soft voice stopped Kitty’s steps on the way to the door.
    With a feeling of being led to the gallows, Kitty turned instead into the drawing room where her mother sat, an embroidery hoop in one hand. Her lace mop cap disappeared into her silver-streaked brown hair. She stabbed the needle into the linen and pulled the thread through one more time before looking up with a reserved smile.
    Oh, Mama please do not have tasks for me. If she was delayed, would Hugh wait for her? Of course, she had no notion of whether he would actually show up, though Henrietta assured her he’d received her note the day before.
    “My room is stifling. I need some air, Mama.” Kitty’s heart thudded painfully. “I thought I would walk in the gardens.”
    “In the gardens?” Her mother laid the hoop in her lap and stared with incredulity. “Heavens, that’s a depressing walk this time of year. And it’s cold. You’ll come down with a chill.”
    Kitty smiled. “It’s been quite mild recently, Mama. The air is refreshing and the walk will be peaceful. And see?” She lifted the edge of her red woolen cloak and waved it. “I shall be quite warm.”
    Her mother sighed and then smiled. “Mind you don’t stay out too long. We’re expecting guests for a small dinner party this evening.”
    “Guests?” Her voice came out sharper than she’d intended, and she tempered her next words with a smile. “Whom are we expecting?”
    “Why, Ellie’s fiancé, Walter, of course.” Louise took up the hoop again. “And Captain Davies is expected. Lord Strathern has graciously accepted the invitation as well.”
    Kitty’s heart bumped into a merrily erratic rhythm. She was to be paired with Lord Strathern at dinner? Oh, how glorious. That made it all the more necessary that she meet Hugh and complete another kissing lesson.
    She glanced around the neat room, with its green velvet settees and gray damask chairs with a mahogany drum table squatting between. Never a lick of furniture out of place on any given day, but the room did appear to be under preparation for hosting guests. Kitty should have noticed the crystal port and brandy decanters on the sideboard had been filled. Lord Strathern will be attending!
    She suppressed a squeal of excitement and glanced up at the sculptured white ceiling. “Mama, perhaps we should make the room more festive, with some greens.”
    Louise chuckled. “Greens? You’ve never taken an interest in decorating before. Greens would be nice, but it’s a bit early, don’t you think? We’ve only just celebrated Advent, and if we hang the greens now, we’ll need fresh ones for the ball.”
    “Oh, of course. I hadn’t thought it through.” So… no mistletoe to accidentally find myself under. Kitty shrugged away her disappointment lest her mother notice. “I suppose