Olivia glanced up. Sure enough, above them was a ball of mistletoe hanging from a red ribbon. Good gracious, how many of these did he hang up? Max had kissed her under the mistletoe a half dozen times these past two days. Yesterday, when she met him to discuss this quarter’s ledgers, he stole a smoldering kiss in front of the fireplace in the study. Later he kissed her in the library, then gave her another brief hard kiss just before she left to go to the bookshop in the doorway of the great hall.
Today, she had discussed the furniture arrangement for the party with Mrs. Peabody in the drawing room, and he had walked over and kissed her mid-sentence. Then he had the audacity to buss the housekeeper’s cheek. He’d chuckled at the poor woman’s shocked expression. “How could I resist two lovely ladies standing underneath the mistletoe?” Mrs. Peabody had twittered about the boldness of young men while she’d smiled and blushed.
“You are maniacal,” Olivia retorted.
“Don’t be cross.” He pulled a box from behind his back. “I have a gift for you.”
She eyed the pretty box. Her delight warred with her good sense. “But I haven’t gotten you a gift.”
“That’s all right.” He pushed the gift into her hands. “Open it.”
Olivia glanced up at his face. Excitement shone like a halo around him. She tugged at the bow that secured the top, carefully unwinding the ribbon. Then she wiggled the lid off. Inside there was a nest of finely shredded paper. Her chest filled with anticipation as she wondered what could be hidden within.
“Good Lord, Livvy. What are you waiting for? Look inside.” Max huffed.
“I like the anticipation. Once I open it, the surprise will be over.” Olivia felt through the paper, and her hand closed around something smooth and round. She pulled it out and gasped. It was the pretty snow globe from the window of Mr. Ford’s shop. She gently shook it and watched the snow swirl around the tiny ice-skating couple. “Oh Max, it’s lovely, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I don’t think I will ever have the courage to get on the ice again, so you can just pretend this is us enjoying ourselves.” He gave the globe a tap with one finger.
Olivia giggled. What was she going to do about him? She walked away and placed the snow globe on the mantel. Max’s efforts to seduce her or charm her or whatever he was trying to do were working. Each kiss tempted her to take a chance. Henry’s letter said he wished for her to take risks, but she wasn’t sure she could forgive Max for his abandonment. Although one thing had been niggling her for days. In the bookstore, Max had said her statement that he hadn’t written was false. What had he meant?
She ran one finger down over the glass of the snow globe. She and Max never skated elegantly across the ice like the miniature couple inside, but they had spent lots of time walking around the pond and across the fields in the summer months. That last summer day they’d spent together flitted into focus like remembering a hazy dream…
“Are you sure you won’t come with me now?” Max said. “We can marry and live with my parents for a while.”
Olivia flicked her eyes up to the upstairs window of the cottage where she knew her father was watching from behind the curtains. “He won’t let me until you can provide for us. He made it clear.”
Max gathered her into his arms. “I don’t care what he thinks. Everything will be all right. I know it.”
She raised a hand to his cheek. “He’s forbidden it. Send for me once you’ve saved some money. I’ll be waiting, I promise.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, not caring what her father would say later. Blast the consequences. She needed to show Max how much she would miss him.
Max crushed his lips against hers with an urgency born of desperation and love. She ran her fingertips over his cheek and temple, kissing him back with all the love she had in her heart.
“Come on, you two. Are you not done saying goodbye?” Henry walked around the corner of the house. “We’ll be late getting you off if we don’t leave soon.”
Max pulled back and growled at his cousin. Then he framed her face with his hands, his amber eyes full of soft emotion. He kissed her again tenderly, once, twice. “I’ll miss you.”
She gripped his wrists. “I’ll miss you, too.”
“By Jove, you two are so dramatic,” Henry groused. “We’ll all see each other soon. I’ll escort her to Paris myself once you’re settled. We’ve got to go.”
Tears had spilled from the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t hold them back. Max leaned in to brush his lips across her cheek, capturing the tears with a flick of his tongue. “Don’t cry. I can’t stand it when you cry.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “Then go. And I’ll wait for your letters. I love you.”
Max had pressed one last kiss to her lips and then walked away across the grass.
Henry gave her a salute with one hand. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll get him to the boat safely. I’ll see you at Christmas break.”
The drawing room door opened, and Max’s family bustled into the room, interrupting her thoughts. Olivia pasted a smile on her face. Tonight was not the time to examine the past. Tonight, she had to tuck away her sadness and hurt and pretend to enjoy the party.
Marguerite immediately came over to greet them. “You look lovely, Olivia. Blue is certainly your color.”
Olivia ran her hands down over the dark blue velvet of her skirts. “Thank you. Your dress is stunning.”
“Thank you.” Marguerite turned to her son and patted his cheek. “What a handsome Lord Rivenhall you make.”
Olivia’s heart ached at that. “Please excuse me,” she murmured. She crossed to greet Max’s grandmother. “Happy Christmas, Mrs. Stanley.”