The Secret Christmas Ciphers Read Online Free PDF

unexceptional. Either she was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer drama of being in London, or she was determined to catch a husband and knew her reputation must appear pristine for that ambition to be realized.
    By the time a few days had passed, Abigail was settling into a routine of shopping for clothes and accessories in the mornings, visiting new acquaintances in the afternoons and usually going out in the evening for a small party or musicale. She had almost managed to push thoughts of Derek to the back of her mind when the first letter from him arrived.
    My dear wife,
    The contents of this letter are confidential. Please do not share this information with anyone. I plan on arriving in London five days from the date of this letter and spending at least two nights in the town house. Per our earlier agreement, I anticipate your finding an excuse to be away.
    D
    P.S. Burn this missive as soon as you’ve read it.
    Frowning, Abigail glanced at the date on the letter and realized she would have to leave the following morning in order to avoid being in London when Derek arrived.
    “Blast it all,” she muttered. Now she’d have to think of an excuse to leave London, and she really didn’t want to miss the activities she’d planned for the next couple of days. Unfortunately, she’d told Derek she would leave, and she intended to keep her word. Besides, she was almost afraid to share a bedchamber with him. Considering how strongly she’d reacted to that kiss the day he left to join his regiment, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to resist if he wanted to initiate marital relations.
    Of course she knew that in order to give Derek an heir, they would have to be intimate someday, but she was not ready for that sort of relationship yet. Thus, she would have to leave town.
    Unfortunately, pretense didn’t come easily to her. The best excuse she could concoct for leaving town was that she needed to return to the country to go through her wardrobe and see if she had some warmer gowns. She was fairly certain that neither her maid nor Catherine believed her.
    Mary especially acted suspicious. After all, the maid knew Abigail’s wardrobe better than she did herself. In fact, Mary flat out said that the trip was unnecessary, but after Abigail spoke sharply to her, she settled down and confined her reaction to sulking during most of the journey back to the country.
    When they returned three days later, all of Abigail’s acquaintances rushed to sympathize with her because she had missed an opportunity to see her husband. She was told repeatedly that he had arrived soon after she left for the country and had been forced to travel to rejoin his regiment the day before she returned.
    She’d sighed and expressed her disappointment while biting her tongue to keep from saying something cross.
    A mere two weeks later, the same situation arose again. Again, Abigail was forced to come up with an excuse to leave town, and again she returned only to be informed that she’d just missed a reunion with her husband. People, she feared, would eventually become suspicious.
    By then, the Little Season was in full swing. Abigail, Catherine, and Parsetta rarely had an evening at home. On the second Tuesday after Abigail’s last trip to the country, the ladies had been invited to the Duchess of Somerton’s ball. Lord Melton had accompanied them and had even danced a couple of times, once with Catherine and once with Abigail, before excusing himself to go to the card room.
    Abigail had settled down in one of the chairs reserved for ladies who were not dancing and turned to make a remark to Parsetta when a buzz of excitement swept the room. She paused and turned to look toward the door.
    Her husband had just stepped into the room.
    He looked especially handsome this evening, dressed as he was in formal evening clothes. His dark brown hair was a bit longer than Abigail remembered, just brushing the collar of his coat. He bowed over his hostess’s hand and