The Winter Wish (2 page)

The
next afternoon Lily called on Sarah for tea, and after sating their hunger with
crumpets drizzled in honey the two women dressed in their warmest cloaks,
complete with fur lined hoods and cozy matching muffs, to brave the winter
chill.

It
had snowed overnight and everything, from the dormers on the rooftops to the
lamp posts that guarded every street corner were blanketed in a soft, pristine
white. Carriages pulled by prancing horses flew past, while children armed with
snowballs waged war and a group of carolers made their way from house to house,
singing merrily of silver bells and Old Saint Nicholas. 

“I
love this time of year,” Lily sighed as she neatly sidestepped a pile of
discarded soot. “It is so filled with hope and promise. Why, it feels as though
anything is possible!”

Sarah,
who tended to be much more practical minded than her friend, tried not to
scowl. Her toes were freezing and she was fairly certain her nose was about to
fall right off her face despite the three separate scarves she had wrapped
around her neck.

For
her, Christmastime invoked a very different response than it did for Lily. When
everyone else was coming together, she never felt more alone. Seeing men and
women arm in arm, their faces flushed from the cold and their eyes sparkling
with love, she was reminded of what she did not have: namely, Devlin
Heathcliff. And even though it was silly and ridiculous and she knew nothing
would ever come of it, she could not help but wonder what he was doing this
very minute.

No
doubt he was wrapped in the arms of his lover. They would be in front of a
fireplace, Sarah decided. Quite naked, of course, with only each other’s bodies
and a shared glass of wine to warm them. It was a decadent scene for someone
with her limited experience to imagine, but imagine it she did: once, twice,
three times a day at the very least.

What
would it feel like to have Devlin’s lips press against her throat? To have his
hands sweep down her body, lingering on the curve of her collarbone before
slowly going lower to cup her breasts and then lower still, to—

“Sarah,
you are blushing,” Lily observed with great interest. “Why are you blushing?”

“I…
I feel quite flushed,” Sarah lied. Oh dear. How dreadfully embarrassing.

“You
do? Splendid!” Sliding her hands out of her fur muff and tucking it under one
arm, Lily reached up to secure her hood more tightly around her dark curls. “I
was afraid you were getting cold – you know how sensitive you can be – but if
you are feeling warm, we can continue on to the park. I even brought a few
crumpets along to feed the geese.” Reaching into the pocket of her cloak she
procured three pastries and held one out to Sarah, who took it with smile that
felt more like a grimace, but if Lily noticed she made no sign.

Like
the rest of London the park was covered in white although there were fewer
people here than on the streets. Small songbirds, their brightly colored fluff
standing out in sharp contrast against the plain backdrop, hopped from tree to
tree, twittering a merry song as they flitted about. Spying a bright red
cardinal amidst the skeletal branches Sarah pointed it out to Lily, who smiled
and nodded and threw a piece of crumpet.

They
had nearly reached the lake when, without warning, a narrow sleigh pulled by a
wild eyed horse went flying past, so close that snow spewed out from beneath
the blades, showering Sarah and Lily in a thick gray slush.

“Why
I never!” Lily cried, staring down at her ruined cloak in dismay.

Of
equal sentiment, Sarah threw back her hood and gasped as she felt the slow,
slippery trickle of wet snow slide down her spine. The
nerve
of some
people! Why, if she ever met the driver of the sleigh she could give him a
piece of her—

“Look,
he is turning around. Sarah, hold this.” Holding out her hand warmer, Lily
gathered up her skirts and began to walk determinedly towards the horse and
sleigh which had come to a halt less than ten yards away.

Her
eyes wide and her heart pounding, Sarah scurried after her friend, all thoughts
of speaking her mind completely erased now that the opportunity had actually
presented itself. She stopped short beside Lily, anxiously twisting the muff
back and forth in her hands as they waited for the driver to dismount.

He
did so slowly, swinging one leg out the open door of the sleigh and then the
other before easing down to the ground. Securing the reins, he removed his hat,
unwound the green scarf from his neck, and pivoted to face them, an apologetic
smile already laying claim to his sensual lips. “Ladies, I do apologize,” he
said smoothly, lifting one dark eyebrow. “Forgive me?”

Sarah
felt her knees wobble. Thankfully Lily was right beside her and without missing
a beat the brunette reached out to steady her friend. “Remain calm,” she hissed
out of the corner of her mouth. “And for heavens sakes whatever you do, do
not
faint. Lord Heathcliff,” she said loudly. “What an unexpected… surprise.”

Devlin
took a step closer to them, his smile growing distantly polite as his piercing
blue eyes gave a cursory sweep of Sarah before focusing solely on Lily. “Have I
had the pleasure of making your acquaintance? Surely not,” he continued,
answering his own question before Lily could get a word in edgewise, “for how
could I forget such a beautiful face as yours?”

It
did not escape either woman that Devlin spoke directly to Lily, ignoring Sarah
as if she had simply ceased to exist, which was just fine with Sarah as she
feared she was currently incapable of speaking a word, but Lily was not about
to overlook the Viscount’s poor manners so easily.

Lifting
her chin, the violet eyed beauty said scathingly, “You danced with me this
evening past, Lord Heathcliff. Had I realized you possessed such a forgetful
memory, I would have no doubt chosen a different partner.”

Visibly
caught off guard, Devlin blinked once, twice, and cleared his throat. “I, uh,
well then. Yes, yes now I remember. Lady… Dresher, if I am not mistaken?”

“Kincaid,”
Sarah squeaked out unexpectedly. “Her name is Lady Kincaid.”

Immediately
she felt two sets of eyes upon her, and her cheeks burned a bright red in
response. Oh no. She had done it. She had actually spoken to Devlin. No, not simply
spoken to him… Corrected him! Oh, this was all wrong. All terribly, terribly
wrong. “I mean,” she gasped, staring blindly at a spot in the snow a good foot
to the right of where Devlin was standing, “her n-name could e-easily be
mistaken for Lady Dresher as they do sound quite s-similar.”

“They
do not sound at all alike,” the Viscount said dryly, taking both women by
surprise, “and it was impossibly rude of me not to remember. Please, Lady
Kincaid. Accept my sincerest apology.”

Beside
her, Sarah felt Lily relax. “Oh, very well. I suppose it must be difficult
placing names with the faces of all the women you have danced with. Although,”
she said, holding up one finger, “I shall accept your apology on only one
condition.”

“Which
is?” Devlin asked.

“You
take my dearest friend for a ride in your sleigh.”

Sarah
felt her knees buckle. Of all the outlandish, inappropriate, ridiculous—

“Certainly,”
Devlin agreed. “If,” he continued, flashing a dimple as he smiled while Sarah
tried desperately not to swoon, “you accompany us as well.”

“I
am frightened of horses,” Lily said, blinking innocently. “But Sarah just
adores them, do you not Sarah?”

It
was a lie. It was
Lily
who loved horses, not Sarah. Sarah was terrified
of them ever since she had taken a particularly nasty spill from a stubborn
mare some years before. She opened her mouth to say exactly that and received a
quick jab in the side courtesy of Lily’s elbow. “I… I love horses,” she said
weakly. “They… They are m-marvelous creatures.”

Devlin
look at her a little oddly, but Lily beamed. “There, you see? They are, after
all, her favorite animal and she is quite the accomplished equestrian. Why, I
have never seen a better rider.”

A
glimmer of interest surfaced in Devlin’s eyes. For the first time he looked at
Sarah directly and the full force of that piercing gaze was enough to have her
swaying on her feet. “Do you hunt?” he asked.

“Do
I w-what?”

“Hunt,”
he repeated. “On horseback. Do you hunt?”

“Oh,
she goes hunting all the time,” Lily interceded, giving Sarah’s arm a tight
squeeze through her cloak. “It is her favorite thing to do. Right, dearest?”

Sarah
blinked. What was Lily saying? She could not focus when Devlin was looking at
her as if she were the only woman within a hundred miles. He grinned, showing
both dimples this time, and she stopped breathing. “Yes,” she said dazedly. “It
is my most favorite thing.”

“Excellent,”
the Viscount declared. “I have never met a woman who enjoyed that particular
activity before. Perhaps you can tell me about your last outing while I take
you around the park. When should I call on you?”

Sarah
opened her mouth to reply, but Lily beat her to it. “Why waste time?” she
chirped, waving a hand in the air. “The weather can be so finicky. Go now,
while there is enough snow on the ground. Go,” she repeated, giving Sarah a
little push forward, “and have a wonderful time. You can bring her to Twinings
when you are finished.”

Twinings,
a small tea shop on the outskirts of the park, was well known by nearly every
member of the
Ton
.

“Lily
I cannot,” Sarah hissed, looking desperately back over her shoulder. The very
idea of being in the close confines of the sleigh alone with Devlin thrilled
her even as it terrified her. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined
speaking to him, let alone being near enough to touch! What would she do? What
would she
say
? It was too daunting a task to even comprehend. No, it was
much safer in the corner of the room. She did not possess the courage necessary
to dance in the middle with all eyes watching. Some women did, but not her.
Never her.

“You
are such a dear for remembering to return my muff,” Lily said loudly. Grabbing
Sarah’s hand she pulled her in close under the guise of having her hand warmer
returned. “Now you listen to me,” she whispered fiercely. “This is your chance,
Sarah!
This
is your wish come true.”

Sarah
blanched. “I do not think—”

“When
will an opportunity like this ever arise again? You and Lord Heathcliff.” Her
eyes fairly gleamed. “Alone in a sleigh with nothing but a shared blanket to
keep you warm. Now go on, before I remember I have a great affinity for horses
and love to fox hunt.”

“Are
you coming or not?” Devlin queried. He had returned to see to his horse and was
scratching the large gray on the side of the neck. “Lady Kincaid, if you have
changed your mind and would like to accompany us…” he ventured in an undeniably
hopeful tone.

“No,
no.” Lily spun to face him, muff in hand, and smiled brilliantly. “I see some
of my friend’s right over there,” she claimed, pointing to the left where a
trio of heavily cloaked women and one man were walking. “I will see you at
Twinings!” And she was off without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Sarah
quite frozen in place.

She
watched, incapable of saying a word, as Devlin moved to the side of the sleigh
and held open the door. When he looked up at her expectantly she swallowed hard
and walked jerkily towards him, feeling as though her limbs were being
controlled by strings.

“Thank
you,” she managed to croak when he helped her up onto the small leather bench
seat and laid a thick fur blanket across her lap.

“Will
that keep you warm enough?” he asked, glancing sideways at her after he had
climbed in from the opposite side and gathered up the reins.

Sarah
managed a slight nod. “Yes, this will do quite n-nicely.”

“Hold
on tight,” Devlin suggested, and with a snap of the whip they were off.

CHAPTER THREE

Of
all the different scenarios Sarah had imagined in her head when she dreamed of
meeting Devlin, racing in an open sleigh had never been one of them.

Now
she knew why.  

Despite
Lily’s prediction to the contrary, there was nothing romantic about huddling
under a fur blanket while slowly freezing to death. Within moments she could no
longer feel her toes or her fingers, and her teeth were chattering so badly she
feared she would bite her tongue in half.

Sarah
supposed the scenery would have been nice to look at, except they were moving
so fast that the snow covered pine trees and rolling hills had been reduced to
little more than a blur of green and white. It was making her quite dizzy, if
she were to be perfectly honest, and after the second lap around the park she
simply shut her eyes and prayed for it all to be over.