Page 9 of Bedded Under The Christmastide Moon

Mellie held Lilly’s stare, refusing to be the first to look away, mainly because she wasn’t sure if the words were meant for Lilly or to reassure herself that dining together was, in fact, what wedded couples did. Heavens, there was a great possibility Brigham would request his meal in his room, as had been the case the night before.

And she would be made to dine alone…again.

Poppycock. If Mellie sought to tempt her husband, she would actually need time in his presence. Her gown and hair would not matter a whit if he never laid eyes on her.

“Done, my lady.” Lilly stepped back and clasped her hands at her throat. “You are beautiful.”

“I appear adequately gowned and coiffed for a morning meal,” Mellie corrected, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the woman staring back at her. Her hair was pinned behind one ear but hung free down her back and over the opposite shoulder, highlighting her tanned skin. She’d spent much time outdoors in recent months, and her complexion was the better for it. “Thank you, Lilly.”

Mellie stood from the bench, careful not to muss her hair as she smoothed the wrinkles from her skirts.

It was time to tempt her husband.

She only prayed he was below and not cloistered in his room.

“Enjoy your meal, my lady. I will have your cloak brought down to the hall for your morning walk.”

She smiled at Lilly. The maid was skilled at her post and had provided Mellie with a listening ear on more occasions than could be counted on two hands.

“Again, thank you,” Mellie said and hurried from the room to the main stairs.

She took hold of her skirts as she descended to the foyer.

A cold draft hit her squarely in the face when Mr. Danvers, the Whitmore butler, closed the front door.

“Good morn, my lady,” he greeted with his usual cheerful tone. “Shall I have Cook bring your meal to the dining hall?”

Mellie glanced over his shoulder at the front door, but try as she might, she could not see through the thick wooden panel. Someone had recently left, but who departed the house at this ungodly hour? And where could they be going? Even the market in town was an hour from opening.

“My lady?”

Shaking her head, she smiled at Danvers. “If that is where Lord Whitmore is pleased to dine, yes.”

“My lord has broken his fast and left.”

Left? Her skin prickled at the word. Could Brigham have departed for London so quickly? Certainly, he had no pressing matters to attend to on Christmastide Eve morn.

“Where, may I ask, has he gone?”

“He went to the steward’s cottage.”

“But Mr. Briars is away to visit family for the holiday,” Mellie countered.

“I told Lord Whitmore as much, but he thought the time good to look over the ledgers for the year.”

Mellie pursed her lips to keep from snapping at the butler. If Brigham were avoiding her, it was between her and her husband, not the servants. Though she could not tamp down her ire. Certainly, there was time after the holiday for business matters.

There was no time to contemplate why Brigham’s early rising and departure irritated her so much.

“I will make certain he knows Mr. Briars is away,” Mellie said, turning toward the stairs. If she were going outdoors, she was not senseless enough to brave the elements without her cloak. And true to form, Lilly made her way down the hall from the servant’s stairs with Mellie’s long, black wrap in hand. “I will not be long,” she called to the butler as she slipped her arms into the waiting garment. “I will break my fast when I return from the steward’s cottage.”

“Shall I have a horse brought round?”

“No, it is only a brisk walk away.” Mellie waved off the servant, thankful for his concern, but she was in a rush to set off after Brigham.

If she didn’t catch him at the steward’s office, it was likely he’d find yet another task that needed his attention which would keep him from the main house.

It would be harder than that to avoid Mellie.