Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
“That was a kind thing you did,” Godfrey said to Daniel.
Daniel looked up from his book, surprised to find Godfrey standing over him. “Excuse me?”
“Inviting Lady Alison to stay with you. It was a kindness, my lord. One that was not necessary, but right.”
Daniel scoffed. “And what else could I have done? After insisting that she remain here for the past two nights, I could not very well send her home to be on her own now, could I?”
“You could have.”
“With those men following her?” he argued. “Who knows what they want or what they might do. It would have been wrong of me to do anything other than what I did. I had no choice.”
Godfrey smiled knowingly. “If that is what you must tell yourself, so be it. But it does not change the act itself. It feels good, doesn’t it? Doing the right thing.”
Daniel groaned and rubbed his eyes as his vexation increased.
He knew exactly what Godfrey was getting at. For two years now, his valet had been at him to step back into the world and stop hiding away as he had done. To stop blaming himself so that he might have his own chance at happiness.
And as Daniel had told him time and time again, he did not want such a thing. He was committed to his solitude. He was perfectly fine with denying himself the pleasures of life because he did not deserve them. And he had no intention of changing his ways, nor would he ever.
“I did what was right and that is all,” Daniel said warningly. “And Lady Alison’s presence here will not change anything. I still intend to leave for the Americas, Godfrey. Nothing will stop it.”
“Perhaps,” Godfrey shrugged. “But if you were to have a reason to stay…”
“A reason I do not want,” Daniel snapped. “Now, if there is nothing else, I ask that you leave me before you say something that you will regret.” He glared at his valet. “Or I do something that I will not regret, but you just might.”
Daniel was not looking forward to these next two weeks. Dammit, how he was not.
I will need to be careful. I will need to be on guard. I will need to exercise control like never before. All I’ve done is shelter a lady in need. I am sure that Lady Alison is of the same mind.
He was finding it harder to detach himself from the feelings which grew like vines inside of him.
Daniel wanted to pretend that he felt nothing for Lady Alison, that she was a pain he would be better off without, that she and he were fire and ice and that they being near one another were akin to being stranded in a storm in the middle of winter.
Alas, if only things were so simple.
His attraction to Lady Alison was unlike anything Daniel had ever experienced. The way she pushed him. How she tested his limits.
These next two weeks would be difficult, he knew. To survive them, Daniel would need to be kind and non-confrontational. He needed to avoid letting Lady Alison get to him. And above all else, he had to control himself.
Which is easier said than done. Oh, how it is…
“I will leave you to it,” Godfrey said with a deep bow. “And not that you care, but Lady Alison is currently next door collecting her things.”
“And you are telling me this why?”
Godfrey smirked. “No reason. I just thought you should know, so that you do not worry about her.” He winked and before Daniel could snap, rushed from the library.
It was not long after Godfrey left that his valet returned for a second time. A knock on the door and Daniel snapped his head up, all but prepared to unleash fury, only to shut his mouth and guard his tongue because Godfrey had not come to pester him for a change. In fact, he had brought a guest.
“Mayor Pritchard…” Daniel frowned at see the mayor of Whitehaven in his home. He closed his book and stood from the couch, striding across the library to greet the portly mayor. “This is a most unexpected surprise.”
“Hopefully a good one.” Mayor Pritchard was a jolly fellow who smiled as much as Daniel scowled and laughed as much as Daniel snarled. Short and round, big red cheeks, a pointed white beard, and jowls that wobbled when he talked, he was in every sense the perfect embodiment of Christmas.
“I suppose that remains to be seen.” Daniel shook the mayor’s hand but did not offer him a smile. “Tell me, when was the last time you paid me a visit?”
The mayor frowned. “I cannot say.”
“Never,” Daniel said, folding his arms across his chest. “A precedent I rather enjoyed.”
It wasn’t that Daniel disliked the mayor.
It was that Daniel disliked guests in general.
Guests did not present themselves unless they wanted something, and Daniel had spent years making it known that he was the last person to ask for favors.
That the mayor had come to see him personally and without sending word ahead first did not bode well.
“Ah yes but are precedents not made to be broken?” the mayor chortled, holding his stomach as he did. “How can one grow if they refuse to step into the light?”
“I always found personal growth to be underrated.”
“Dare I mention Christmas?” the mayor tried with a twinkle in his eyes. “The spirit of giving and receiving and all the merriment that goes with it. I would–”
“What do you want?” Daniel cut over him.
The mayor was not at all put out by Daniel’s glower. “I just wished to stop by and thank you for attending the Christmas Fair yesterday. Truly, it was wonderful to see you make time for us.”
“Oh…” Daniel blinked in surprise. “That is… that is not necessary.”
“Perhaps not, but we are forever grateful for all that you do for us, and I know everyone was beyond pleased to see you getting involved in the holiday cheer.”
“Again, it is not necessary.” Daniel felt the sudden urge to look away with embarrassment.
“Having said that,” the mayor pivoted. “There is something else I would like to run by you.”
And here it is…
“What is it?” Daniel sighed.
“Tomorrow evening is the Winter’s Ball. As you likely know, it is an annual tradition of Whitehaven, and although I do not expect you to attend, I thought it might be nice to extend the invitation anyway. In the spirit of Christmas.”
Daniel let his expression fall flat, figuring that to be answer enough to the mayor’s question.
Of course, he had no intention of attending the ball.
He had lived here his entire life and could count on one hand how many times he had done such a thing – and the few times that he did, it was only because his sisters had insisted.
Before he got the chance to confirm this with the mayor, Lady Alison walked into the room.
“The Winter Ball?” she said, excitement coloring her tone. “Oh, how fun.”
“Lady Alison!” The mayor turned on her, arms held wide. “I take it this means that I can expect to see you tomorrow evening? Oh, do say yes. It would mean so much.”
Lady Alison glanced at Daniel, noting the way his brow was furrowed and how dismissive he looked. “I do thank you for the invitation, Mayor Pritchard. And it does sound like a magical evening. Only…”
Daniel could not say what happened next.
He meant to deny the mayor and be done with it. He had no desire whatsoever to attend the ball. After all, he was set to leave this county and this country in less than a month, so what good would it do involving himself in such events as this one?
But he caught the look of hope on Lady Alison’s face. He heard it in her voice. She wanted to attend the ball, he could tell. Just as he could see that she was going to say no, likely because she knew he did not want to go himself.
That should not have concerned him at all. If anything, that should have been more of a reason to stick with his decision. What did Daniel care about the wishes of Lady Alison? Was their entire relationship not based on denying such things?
And isn’t that the problem? If she is to stay here for two weeks, then keeping things as they are will lead to situations best avoided. Perhaps the easiest way to diffuse the tension between us is to act civilly so there is no cause to fight.
Daniel knew that to be an excuse. Just as he knew he did not care.
“We would love to attend,” he spoke before Lady Alison had the chance.
“Wh – what?” The mayor spun back to face him. “Truly?”
“Truly,” Daniel said before looking pointedly at Lady Alison. “That is unless there are any objections?”
Lady Alison frowned as if she did not believe what she was hearing. Daniel raised an eyebrow, almost daring her to argue. But she turned that frown into a grateful smile, and to see her so happy… even Daniel was not such a grump that he could not find pleasure in such a thing as that.
“No objections,” she said. “In fact, I am looking forward to it.”
“As am I,” Daniel said. And that was the truth, as strange a thing as it was to admit. Very strange…