Page 62 of The Mistletoe Dare

“I do not believe Miss Knight is thinking of eloping with him,” Louis César cut in, his voice mild.

“Thank you, Monsieur,” Evie said, sending Jules an exasperated glare. “I am in no hurry to marry anyone at all, but Mr Hadley-Smythe is a nice man. He’s genuine, and he likes me for me, not for my dowry. That is a rare enough quality to recommend him to me. Do you not think it preferable to marry someone kind and sweet and gentle, rather than someone who is clever and difficult, no matter how interesting?”

“No,” Jules replied dryly. “It shows a lack of foresight. That’s why villains are always the more interesting characters.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Evie said impatiently.

“I’m not being ridiculous. Just look at that silly book that was all the rage a year or so ago, what was it? Something about ghosts.”

“The Ghosts of Castle Madruzzo,” Georgie cut in. “It was very good actually, though rather gruesome.”

“And which character did you like best, Georgie?” Jules demanded.

Georgie sent Evie a guilty glance. “The villain,” she mumbled, before adding hastily. “But that does not mean I should want to marry such a man.”

Jules made a sound of disbelief. “Give over, Georgie. Every woman wants to see a wicked devil redeem himself for love. If the author had any sense whatsoever, they’d have changed the ending, shown the hero up for the spineless halfwit he was and had the villain get the girl.”

“What nonsense,” Evie said, sitting down with a flurry of skirts. “That’s a romantic novel, Jules. What seems exciting and romantic in a book is not the least bit exciting in real life, but distressing and uncomfortable. I don’t want a dramatic love affair, or duels of honour, or races to Gretna Green or anything of the sort, and neither do most people. You’re being ridiculous.”

“No, I’m not,” Jules persisted.

“Jules,” Rochford said. “Shut up.”

Jules folded his arms looking mutinous but subsided, and Georgie sent Rochford a look of gratitude. A prickly silence filled the room and Georgie turned her attention back to the trays of cakes and biscuits hoping to distract everyone.

“I’m glad they didn’t eat all these,” she said, taking a small iced cherry cake from the few that remained. “I was too busy talking to try them.”

“I had one,” Evie said, grasping at the change of subject eagerly. “They’re divine, so are the little lemon ones.”

She gazed at the trays thoughtfully as Jules took one and put in his mouth whole, glowering at everyone.

“I suppose I ought not have a third,” she mused regretfully.

Louis César immediately reached for the tray, offering it to her. “You should have whatever pleases you,” he said.

She laughed, giving him a speculative look. “But there’s only two left. Someone else might want one.”

“Eh, alors? It’s their loss. I’ve offered it to you now.”

Her cheeks dimpled as she smiled at him. “Very well, but if I have one, you must, too. You ate nothing at all.”

“As my lady commands,” he said gravely, waiting until she had taken a cake before taking his own.

Evie took a bite and chewed, giving a little moan of pleasure. “Oh my, that is delicious,” she said, licking icing from her fingers. She turned to look at Louis César, who was watching her, and laughed.

“Well, don’t just sit there, eat it, or I might steal it from you.”

Louis César looked at the cake in his hands as if he’d forgotten it was there, but obediently bit into it.

“Well?”

“Délicieux,” he said softly.

Evie grinned.

The next morning, Georgie rose early to discover everything outside smothered in a soft layer of snow. With a little squeal of excitement, she dressed in her warmest clothes and hurried downstairs.

No one was about yet, and Georgie had the singular pleasure of being the first person to lay a footprint upon the pristine covering of white as she crossed the lawn. Yet as she made her way across the garden, movement to her right drew her attention to the fact that she was not the only one up and about. Rochford must have come out on the other side of the building, and was standing with his back to her, apparently lost in thought as he gazed out across the landscaped gardens.