Page 35 of The Dare Before Christmas

18th December 1844, Heart’s Folly, East Sussex.

Victoria sighed with frustration. “It’s just an old kitchen,” she said, scowling, and looking rather like a grumpy kitten. Barnaby wanted to kiss her again. He cleared his throat.

“I think so, yes.”

“But it makes no sense!” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Why go to all that bother, the tunnel and the hidden room?”

“Well,” Barnaby said slowly. “Perhaps it was used as a priest hole, or at least a place to hide someone who needed to remain out of sight. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Then the only real access is via the chapel, but you could still get food and drink to whoever was in there from the kitchens without raising suspicion. There was a bed in there, so we know they were expecting whoever was there to stay for some time.”

“Yes. I suppose that does make sense,” Victoria agreed, though she sounded reluctant. “Except for the fact that panel was hidden from inside the room.”

Barnaby frowned. “That is a bit odd,” he agreed. “Then I don’t know.”

Victoria sighed, looking so dejected Barnaby had to fold his arms to stop himself from drawing her to him and hugging her.

“I suppose we ought to go back to the house before everyone comes home,” she said with a sigh.

Barnaby moved to the window and rubbed at the dirty glass, peering out. “Unless they came back a long while ago, I don’t think we’ll be seeing anyone tonight.”

Victoria moved to stand beside him and looked out. “Oh! Oh, my, Barnaby. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Before Barnaby could object, she had hurried to the door. She tugged at it several times before it would open for her and allow her to run outside. He followed her, watching with the strangest sensation in his chest as she laughed and turned in a circle, her face tilted up to the sky. It was dark now, the velvety sky studded with stars that sparkled as brightly as the moonlit snow, but nothing shone as bright as she did. He grinned as she held out her tongue and laughed as she caught a falling snowflake upon it. She turned to look at him then, her eyes alight with the joy she took in the moment and he… he was lost. This beautiful, vivacious woman was breathtaking. She was brave and funny and not the least bit spoiled as he had accused her of being, and… she wanted him. Why, he could not fathom, when she could have snapped her fingers and found an earl or perhaps even a duke kneeling before her, but she said it was true. Could he really walk away from her if it was? What if she didn’t resent the change in her circumstances? What if she was the one he had dreamed of and he turned his back on her because he was afraid of getting hurt again, or being labelled a fortune hunter? Was he really such a coward? Did he care so very much what people thought of him that he would not even try?

“Victoria,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but it was so very quiet, as though everyone and everything in the world had stopped for this moment, except the falling snow… and except for Victoria, for she had heard him speak.

She had heard and was moving towards him. Barnaby moved too, closing the gap between them until there was none and she was in his arms. He stared down at her, snowflakes spangled her sable lashes, settled in her dark hair like glittering diamonds.

“Victoria,” he said again, uncertain of what it was he wanted to say, but then she smiled up at him and suddenly words did not matter.

Nothing mattered except this perfect moment, and so he kissed her.

“You’re walking without a cane,” Hester observed as they opened the door on yet another empty room.

Axton turned to look at her and nodded. “That’s because I’m being good and following the blasted diet Bella made for me.”

“You? Following a diet?” she said sceptically.

He chuckled, and it was still the deep, rumbling sound she remembered of old. “Yes. Hard to believe I would follow any rule made by someone else, I know, but there you are. Gout is damned painful and—”

He broke off and Hester looked at him with interest as he raised the lamp, investigating the empty space with apparent concentration.

“And?” she demanded.

It was hard to tell in the lamplight, but she thought perhaps he blushed. Axton never blushed. She couldn’t believe he was capable of it. One had to be aware of one’s shortcomings to be able to blush. He made a gruff sound and turned back to her.

“Bella said I had to be honest with you,” he said, looking deeply unhappy about it.

“And so?” she said, staring at him curiously.

“And so… I didn’t want to have to use my cane because I didn’t want to look like an old man, I wanted… I hoped that you might still want me. I still want you, Hester. You’re still a very beautiful woman. Honestly, I think perhaps you’ve grown more beautiful with age.”

“Oh, stuff and poppycock,” Hester said, not about to believe such nonsense, even if her stupid heart was banging about in her chest in the oddest way, and it was suddenly hard to breathe.

He laughed then, his grey eyes twinkling with mirth. “Ah, love. I always could rely upon you to knock sense into this thick head of mine, but in this instant, I’m serious, and I’m right, too.”

“Axton—” Hester said severely, folding her arms.

“No, hear me out. I’m not comparing you to the girl you were. My God, you stole my breath back then. I think I fell in love with you the moment I set eyes on you, and no, it’s not like that. Of course it isn’t. We were both so young, and I was so damned stupid. But you are more beautiful to me, Hester, because you have lived and loved… and just look at you. You’re proud as a queen, and with every right to be. You are magnificent, my lady. You’re the woman I ought to have made my duchess all those years ago. I wish you would let me do it now.”