Snowflakes and Scandals

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When it was almost time for dinner, Millie couldn’t help feeling as though she was taking advantage of Sarah’s generosity when a young maid entered her bedroom with another dress. She would have protested, but the muslin dress she’d been sleeping in was wrinkled. Carlisle was merely being polite in asking her to join him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to show up looking bedraggled. It was bad enough that he’d already seen her at her worst when she arrived.

Dressed now in a light blue dress that complimented her fair skin and dark hair, she made her way to the dining room but hesitated before entering the room. Nerves rioted in her belly. She’d been in this house many times, but she’d never dined here. Normally when she visited, Sarah arranged for tea and refreshments to be brought to whichever room they happened to be occupying. The library was Millie’s favorite room in the house, but Sarah enjoyed spending time in the music room where they would pretend to be entertaining a room filled with would-be suitors.

Sarah was one year younger than her and would get the opportunity to do just that in the spring. While Millie would be married to someone… She gave her head a firm shake. No, she refused to dwell on her depressing prospects. Tonight she would be dining with Carlisle, and she was determined to enjoy herself.

She leaned forward and peeked into the dining room. It was a small room—no doubt where the family ate their meals. She wondered how large the formal dining room was and how many guests it would hold.

“Miss Tyndale.” Carlisle’s deep voice broke into her musings.

She turned and found him leaning against the wall several feet away, watching her closely. If she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed amused.

She clasped her hands together in front of her and tried very hard not to think about how attractive he looked in his dark coat. His waistcoat was gray, a color that matched his eyes.

“The maid told me I should head straight in to dinner, but I wasn’t sure that would be polite.”

He pushed away from the wall and moved to join her. With every step, Millie found it increasingly difficult to keep from blushing, but somehow she found the strength not to look away. She had no idea if Carlisle knew she’d developed a tendre for him. Now that she was trapped in his home, imposing on his hospitality, she was determined not to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

When he reached her side and held out his arm, she had to take a deep breath before tucking her hand into his elbow. That breath caught when he covered her hand with his and brought his elbow closer to his body. Which meant she was very close to him and could clearly see the silver flecks in his eyes as he stared down at her.

“We’re not formal here when we’re not entertaining.”

Incapable of speech, she allowed him to lead her into the room. She wanted nothing more than to close the few inches that separated their bodies and lean against him.

Distracted by her wayward thoughts, she followed him. But instead of waiting for a footman to hold her chair out for her, he performed the task himself.

The intimacy of the gesture left her more than a little flustered. She smiled her thanks and told herself she was imagining things. The indecipherable expression on Carlisle’s face wasn’t because he desperately wanted to ask her an important question but had decided to hold back.

She wasn’t aware she’d licked her lips until his gaze dipped to her mouth. A swooping sensation settled low in her belly.

With a small shake of his head, Carlisle straightened and moved to take his seat opposite her.

A heavy silence had settled over the room, and Millie needed to ease the tension. “You don’t entertain often. At least, not since I’ve been old enough to attend a party.”

There was a softness in his smile that seemed to hide a world of secrets. “I’m hoping that will change soon.”

“Oh, that will be lovely.” But the words had no sooner left her mouth than she realized she probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy those entertainments. She wasn’t yet of age. If she couldn’t change her father’s mind, it was possible she’d no longer be living nearby. Next Christmas she could be living anywhere.

And then another horrible thought occurred to her. Was Carlisle suggesting he planned to marry soon? That could explain why he would expect to be entertaining more. Neither he nor his mother liked to throw house parties, but perhaps he intended to marry someone who did enjoy them.

The thought was enough to make her want to cry.

“Is something the matter?”

Carlisle’s voice distracted her from the unhappy future she’d been imagining. She tried to smooth her features, but her attempt at a smile probably looked more like a grimace.

It might be better to marry and move far away because she didn’t think she could stand seeing Carlisle married to anyone. Sitting across from him now, in the dining room he would one day be sharing with his future wife, had her thinking that perhaps her feelings for this man went beyond a simple infatuation.

She was incapable of coming up with witty banter and so she shared the truth. It wasn’t as though he wasn’t going to learn about her betrothal soon.

“I was just thinking about a conversation I had with my father before I set out.”

He stilled, a strange expression on his face. She watched him place his spoon down with exaggerated care before dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. She had his full attention now.

“An unpleasant conversation?”

Somehow she managed to keep from snorting. “You could say that.”

His brows drew together as though her statement had upset him. She must be imagining it. Perhaps he was still concerned about her health. “He’s arranged for a betrothal against my wishes.”

This time it was clear that he was upset on her behalf. “I must say that I’m confused. Please tell me exactly what happened.”

She huffed out a breath. “Papa promised that I was to have a season next year. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but Sarah is one year younger than me. I was supposed to come out last year, but circumstances dictated that we stay in the country. But I was supposed to have a season.”

“And now you can’t?”

Millie pushed away her half-finished plate of soup and crossed her arms. If Papa were here, he would admonish her for behaving like a child, but what did it matter now? She’d be marrying someone else soon, as would Carlisle. He’d probably forget all about this conversation. Really, it was a miracle he’d even lowered himself to have dinner with her at all.

“He told me that he’d arranged for a betrothal to someone I’d never even met.”

His eyes widened. “Surely not.”

“That is why I set out today. I wanted to speak to Sarah to see if she could advise me on how to change my father’s mind.”

Carlisle’s head was tilted to one side, and it appeared as though he was trying to see into her mind. “What exactly did your father say? His precise words.”

Millie had been trying not to think about that conversation. She’d been so fixated on finding a way to escape her current predicament that she hadn’t stopped to reconsider what exactly her father had said.

She closed her eyes as she tried to replay that scene now. She’d been happy, ecstatic about receiving news that they were heading to London in the spring. She’d asked him if it was true, but he’d said that it wouldn’t be necessary.

Because he’d received an offer of marriage.

He hadn’t actually said that he’d accepted that offer. But surely he would have known that she wouldn’t want to marry his friend. Maybe the offer hadn’t come from him but from someone he thought she’d happily accept.

Her eyes popped open, and she stared at Carlisle. This was the only man she currently knew who she’d happily marry.

She gave her head a small shake. No, she was letting her imagination get the better of her. Carlisle didn’t want to marry her. Whenever she visited, he went out of his way to avoid her. Surely that wasn’t the behavior of a man who would want to marry her.

“Millie?”

She let out a soft sigh. “He said that he’d received an offer of marriage. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that he’d accepted that offer—really, no one would blame me for my assumption. He’d said that we weren’t going to London in the spring because there was no need. Which I took to mean that he’d accepted the offer.”

His gaze was intent, and she shivered under his scrutiny. “What happened next?”

She had to look away when she realized that she’d behaved rashly. She should have calmed down and then spoken to her father again. Learned exactly what happened.

“Papa told me that we’d discuss this further when I wasn’t feeling so upset.”

“Did he tell you who?”

There was an odd tone to his voice, but it must be because he was curious.

“No. I left before speaking to him again and…” She sighed and slumped in her chair. “Well, you know what happened next.”

“So you don’t know who made the offer?”

Millie shook her head. “No, and I’m not sure I want to know. I’m afraid it might be one of father’s friends. Mr. Williams has been talking about finding another wife.” She didn’t even try to hold back her shudder of distaste at the idea.

Carlisle smiled.

“I’m happy to see that you find my situation so amusing.”

“Millie,” he said, and the way her name sounded on his lips sent a small shiver through her. When had he started calling her by her given name? He’d always referred to her as Miss Tyndale before today. “So, to be clear, your father didn’t actually say that he accepted the betrothal on your behalf?”

She frowned. “No. But who knows what will happen with me away from the house?”

Carlisle managed to appear amused while not smiling. “If the roads are impassable to us, your nearest neighbor, then I’m sure they’re impassable to others.”

Millie placed her elbows on the table and dropped her face into her hands. “I think I made everything worse. I got so angry and upset. I should have let him finish speaking before assuming the worst.”

“You were surprised,” Carlisle said, his voice soft. “I’m sure your father would have explained it all to you in time.”

“But I ran away to see Sarah, and now I’m trapped here.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Trapped?”

Millie laughed. “Yes, trapped. Not that I mind, but I’m sure you’re horrified.”

His eyes were twinkling with amusement. “I am far from horrified.”

Her heart did a small little flip. “Neither am I. It’s a shame that Sarah isn’t here. Then you wouldn’t be forced to entertain me.”

He shook his head. “It is no hardship, Millie. I enjoy your company.”

Surprise had her blurting out, “But you hate spending time with us.”

“Hate is a very strong word. I’ve made myself scarce because I knew that whenever you visited, you were here to see my sister.”

“I wouldn’t have minded your company.”

“Well, that’s a good thing because you’ll probably be here for a few days.”

Millie smiled by way of reply and resumed eating.

Their conversation had gone a long way to allaying the worst of Millie’s fears. And if she was being completely honest, she didn’t have it in her to be upset with the way things had turned out. Yes, being in such close company with Sarah’s brother threatened her peace of mind, but perhaps she could pretend that he was the one who was courting her. She couldn’t deny that he didn’t seem upset by her presence.

But she was curious about why Carlisle was here when his mother and sister had gone to spend Christmas elsewhere. “Why did you stay in Somerset instead of going away with your family?”

He finished his soup and motioned for the footman to take their plates. “I had business to attend to here.”

“But it’s almost Christmas.”

“Exactly,” he said. “I decided it was high time that I handled this matter. I’ve ignored it long enough, and I couldn’t allow it to continue.”

Millie wanted to ask for more details. It was her worst fault, she knew—her curiosity. But in the end, it really wasn’t her business.

“How long do you think I’ll need to stay here?”

“At least a day but most likely two. It depends on when the snow stops. It’s slowed, but it was still falling before dinner. I went to the stables and spoke with the head groom. He confirmed that it wouldn’t be safe to take the carriage out.”

Millie let out a breath. “Thank goodness I left a note for my parents to let them know I intended to visit Sarah. Hopefully they don’t know she’s not here. They might be upset if they thought I was alone here with you. Which is ridiculous, but I imagine you know how overprotective parents can be about their daughters.”

Carlisle shook his head, but one corner of his mouth tilted with amusement as he watched the footman bring out the main meal. She had no idea why he’d found her statement so amusing, but she didn’t really know Carlisle all that well. Perhaps that would change over the next few days.

A thrill of anticipation went through her at the thought.