A Kiss At Christmastide: Regency Novella by Christina McKnight Read Free Book Online Page A

highly improper. Besides, it’s not mistletoe,” Pippa said. As quickly as her thoughts of a kiss had sprung to mind—and the possibility of being wed before Lady Natalie—Lucas set her down, and the moment was gone. Made all the more final when Pippa realized the water and muck that had clung to him now also covered her—the soft peach of her gown marred by the mud from his clothes and the water still dripping from his hair.
    Pippa cleared her throat, pushing her disappointment aside as they broke eye contact. “I will have a bath sent to your room immediately. Edmund,” Pippa said, turning to her servant. His head was lowered in shame at his causation of her fall. “Will you handle the water?”
    â€œThat will not be necessary,” Lucas cut off her request. “I only returned to beg a few tools from your stables. I may have a plan to release my carriage from the muck—but if all else fails, I need to have my trunk brought here.”
    â€œVery well. Instruct my staff to help in any manner necessary.” The statement was unnecessary as all of her servants had taken to the lord immediately.
    He stared at her, expecting her to say more, but Pippa only wanted him to go, especially after her fall and his offer of a kiss—if it could be considered an offer. It was more as if he were daring her to agree.
    But she’d rebuffed his offer, and the only thing she’d received in return was a ruined dress.
    Oh, for all that’s holy above… Pippa realized she’d turned down his kiss—the kind of kiss that had led to her parent’s great love.
    She’d doomed herself; handed Natalie a victory of sorts, not that she’d admit to anyone that they were involved in any sort of competition.
    â€œAre you unwell?” Lucas asked.
    Pippa replaced her frown with a slight smile. “Of a sort. I must find my chambers and change. While I am very thankful for you catching me before I hit the ground, I now find myself coated in sludge and water from your time out in the storm. I will bid you good day, for now.”
    There was no time to await a reply. Pippa needed as much distance between them as she could obtain within the same house. Time to rid her mind of her scandalous thoughts regarding her houseguest, and Lucas being within reach was not helping. It seemed she was spending a great deal of time running away from things in her life. But the more she ran from the earl, the more she found herself in his presence.

Chapter 6
    L ucas used a cotton towel to remove the excess water from his hair. He’d been a fool to go back out into the storm, but he’d seen little other option except to take Pippa in his arms once more and carry her straight to his guest chambers—and they would not have emerged until long after the holiday passed if he’d had his way. To keep his actions within his own control—a man could only be tempted so much before his gentlemanly resolve crashed and burned—he’d escaped the house for the stables with the guise of borrowing a tool. But he’d known there was no tool or device that could extricate his carriage until the storm passed and Mother Nature deemed it time.
    Not long after, he’d tired of wandering about the stables. The servants—his included—began noting his attendance and asking if he needed anything. It was their kind way of asking why he was there—and when he planned to leave them to their chores without Lucas being underfoot.
    He refused to return to the main house, and was more or less forced from the warmth of the stables, pushed into the storm once again. The temperatures had dropped, turning the rain to slush, making his trek about the property all the more harrowing. He’d lost his sense of adventure when he’d seen the pond in the distance, deciding the chance of seeing Pippa again was far more favorable than being outdoors.
    Before too much time had passed,