The Secret Christmas Ciphers Read Online Free Page B

intention of staying in bed until then.
    She rose, wrapped herself in a warm robe and hurried over to the fireplace to see if there might be a spark left from which she could nurture a flame. With luck, some dry kindling and a fair amount of skill, she soon had enough of a fire going that she could stop shivering.
    Her next step was to light a candle from the flames and then make her way over to the wardrobe on the far side of her chamber. She needed to decide on a gown for the morning activities, and she wasn’t sure what Mary had packed to bring with them. Fortunately, she’d brought along a long-sleeved, high-necked woolen dress. Abigail spread it out on the bed, but only after making sure to turn the covers back enough to reveal the spots of blood she’d left there the night before. Then she rang for Mary.
    Forty-five minutes later, Abigail stood on the front steps with her new father-in-law and the upper servants. Derek’s stepsisters had not bothered to rise early to see their brother off.
    Derek’s groom had already brought his mount around when Abigail stepped outside. A layer of frost covered most of the grounds, and her breath formed a tiny cloud of white when she breathed out. She pretended that it was the sharpness of the air that brought tears to her eyes, and she quickly pulled her knitted scarf more tightly around her neck.
    Derek had been facing away from the house checking the condition of his horse when Abigail came out. When he turned and saw her, a smile brightened his face and an expression of fondness—she could only assume it was feigned—crinkled the corners of his eyes. He immediately left his horse in the care of the groom and hurried to her side, his boots thudding against the stone steps, seemingly in rhythm with the beats of her heart. She forced an answering smile, then started when he wrapped her in a hug.
    He put his mouth close to her ear. “Well, my lady wife, I see you are a woman of your word. You’re here to see me off.”
    Abigail shivered as his warm breath tickled her ear. She straightened her spine and wondered if he could feel her resolve. If so, he would never understand how much it cost her to respond to him in kind. “As you say, dear husband, I am a woman of my word. I’ve come to wish you a safe journey.”
    She heard a hitch in his breath. What was he feeling at this moment? Anger? Disappointment? Fear? No, more likely he was feeling relief. He’d wanted to join a regiment to fight against Napoleon for years. Now, by marrying her, he was going to realize his dream.
    By marrying her and then leaving her.
    “I’m taking Catherine to London with me.” Now why had she told him that? He could have no interest in her comings and goings, except as it might reflect on his name, she supposed. Did he know that his stepsisters had a tendency toward being unruly?
    He pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Can you rein her in?”
    Abigail’s heart rate sped up. Gad, but his eyes were gorgeous. This morning, however, they seemed a bit too piercing. She held his gaze although it wasn’t easy. “I’ll manage.”
    He nodded once. “I’m going to kiss you now. For appearance’s sake, of course. You’ll not bite or kick me, I hope?”
    “I’ll pretend to welcome your embraces. I’ve always been a good actress.”
    “Have you?” He stared more deeply into her eyes. “I wonder. Well, this will test your skills.”
    No sooner had the words left his lips than Derek tilted his head, tightened his embrace and pulled her into what she could easily judge was a deeply passionate kiss. Because she’d been about to speak, her lips were already parted, so he immediately thrust his tongue inside her mouth.
    Had he not been holding her so tightly, Abigail would have pulled back from the sheer surprise of the kiss. He’d kissed her before, of course, many times, but generally those had been chaste kisses, nothing in comparison to this one.
    What really surprised her, though, was