In truth, it made Lucy wonder if she might end up in a similar situation. Would she regret not reaching for more to fill her life? Yet she couldn’t shake the worry of experiencing the pain again that she had when her parents died. She simply wasn’t that brave. Her heart couldn’t bear it.
Emma arrived late and breathless, her cheeks blooming with color, making Lucy wonder what had occurred. She squeezed in a chair beside Lucy, casting a wary glance at her mother, who stood across the room, helping another lady.
“What happened?” Lucy whispered when Aunt Edith’s attention was taken by the woman next to her.
“A moment with the viscount.” Emma’s smile suggested she’d liked the moment, whatever it had entailed.
“And?” Lucy asked. Part of her wanted Emma to like anyone but Hugh. Viscount Jameson would be a good choice. He seemed kind, of good humor, and handsome. Surely those qualities fit Emma’s requirements in a husband.
“Lovely.” Emma held up a piece of mistletoe. “We didn’t need this, but I hope it provides a second kiss.”
Lucy shook her head with a smile. Trust Emma not to be satisfied with just one. She’d been greedy as a little girl and apparently that particular trait hadn’t eased with age.
Lucy and Emma worked together, decorating a small branch by winding gold paper and ribbon amid the greenery. Emma twisted wire around the mistletoe to attach it to the center. The bough would look lovely on a fireplace mantle.
“Now for a globe,” Emma said, her brow furrowed with concentration. “We’ll place it in a spot where we can make good use of it.”
The giggles from those who’d overheard her remark had Lucy laughing too.
“Emma,” Aunt Jane said. “Behave yourself.”
Feigning innocence, Emma asked, “Whatever do you mean, Mother?”
Lucy chuckled at her cousin’s antics as she selected a hollow sphere fashioned from dried vines. “Will this do?”
“Perfect,” Emma declared.
They tucked small pieces of evergreen in it along with ribbons and more of the gold paper.
Emma found a sizeable piece of mistletoe with six berries on it. “Three for you and three for me,” she whispered to Lucy.
Lucy laughed. “I don’t think I’ll be using any.”
“I insist,” Emma said, her sparkling blue eyes holding on Lucy. “Mistletoe is the perfect excuse to experience a few kisses. You need more excitement in your life, and this is your chance.”
Lucy bit her lip at the thought of Hugh. Mayhap Emma wouldn’t mind that she’d kiss him. Not that she was ready to tell her.
Several of the ladies disappeared with their creations, no doubt to place them where they hoped to make use of them.
“So pretty.” Emma looped a red ribbon through the ball so they could hang it. “Don’t you think?”
“Very.” Longing filled Lucy as she studied the festive ball. Would it be possible to share another kiss with Hugh? Did she dare? She wanted to, despite her concerns.
With a word to Aunt Edith, advising her they’d return, Emma led the way out of the dining room with the ball in hand and Lucy behind her with the bough.
“We need a private place for ours,” Emma said.
“Definitely.” The idea of being caught made Lucy shudder. Mistletoe was fun as long as one didn’t face ruin.
Emma peeked into a larger sitting room only to shake her head. It was already occupied.
Much to Lucy’s surprise, Emma selected the room where Lucy and Hugh had kissed.
“Perfect,” Emma declared. “Small enough to suggest intimacy but not so small as to be overlooked.”
Lucy kept quiet, though she agreed. If only she’d been brave enough to thoroughly enjoy that kiss with Hugh, she thought as she placed the bough on the fireplace mantle. Any time spent with him was one more way to make memories.
Emma found a hook in the ceiling from a previous year near the window. She stood on a chair and placed the ribbon on the hook then hopped down to consider the location. “I think it’s ideal. Don’t you?”
“Indeed.” Heat filled her cheeks at the thought of standing beneath it and kissing Hugh. If that happened, she promised herself to not allow fear to rule the moment.
“We’re going to have so much fun this evening,” Emma whispered, even though no one was about. “Tonight will be blindman’s buff!”
An image of Hugh’s hands outstretched toward her, touching her person in an attempt to discover her identity swept through Lucy’s mind and stole her breath.
Oh my.
Hugh adjusted the scarf he wore over his greatcoat then trudged through the snow toward the stables. Waverly was reputed to have a fine selection of horses, and Hugh was eager to see them. Though he knew he couldn’t hope to have anything as impressive as the wealthy landowner, he was researching possibilities and was lucky to have been invited to take a closer look.
The air was crisp, the sun bright, and the sky so blue it gave him pause. Mornings like this reminded him that he’d like to spend more time in the country. London, with all its bustling energy, never felt as peaceful as the countryside.
Half a dozen horses braved the cold, stretching their legs in the paddock. The temperature made them frisky, and they tossed their heads and pranced about.
He leaned against the fence and reached out his hand toward a black mare, but the horse was having none of it. She jerked her head as if she didn’t appreciate his attempt to coax her forward. For some reason, the beautiful mare’s cautious nature made him think of Lucy. She was skittish as well, often acting as if uncertain whether he could be trusted.
He tried again, talking softly as the horse’s large dark eyes watched him. At last, she stepped forward to nuzzle his outstretched hand and allowed him to rub her face.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” Waverly asked, a hint of pride in his voice as he joined Hugh.
“Very.” Hugh looked her over more closely. “How old is she? Five or six?”
“Five,” he answered. “You truly do know horses.”
“Breeding them is something I hope to do eventually.” He didn’t add that it was one of the reasons he considered offering for Emma. But he wanted Waverly to understand he had ambition and wasn’t merely a rogue with nothing on his mind except vices and how to fund them. Those days were in his past, regardless of whether he married.
“They make living in the country even more enjoyable.” Waverly leaned against the railing, his look of contentment something Hugh envied.
Was it so wrong to want that for himself? Raising horses would be a way to earn money, assuming he knew what he was doing. He’d had a hand in helping with his father’s horses in his younger days but only recently realized how much he missed it.
His brother, Graham, now the Earl of Carlington, had asked for his assistance in selecting horses for his stable. With a limited budget, the task had been a challenge.
Hugh and his brothers were doing what they could to improve their finances, but more money was going out than was coming in.
Thomas had made significant progress with Artemis Press and now made a tidy profit. He had a talent for selecting books to publish that the public enjoyed, including his wife’s.
It was Hugh’s turn to earn his keep, other than winning at cards. He had thought the simplest solution was to marry wealth. But the past few days made him doubt whether he could do so. Rather, Lucy was the reason for his doubt.