Twelve days of constant Yuletide under one roof. Twelve days of partiers, partying. Tra-la-la, all day long. Happy Christmas this, and Merry Christmas that.
Nothing could entice Jonathan less.
He wouldn’t think about that now. He would think about telling Angelica the good news about her involvement with the project. Politely, he took his leave from Calvin and the duke.
And soon, he must take his leave from Angelica.
His chest seized at the thought. Jonathan flung out a hand to the wall for balance. Never see her again. Never come back, because every momentherewas a moment he wasn’t outtherespreading the word.
Never see each other again.
The idea was insupportable. Unfathomable. He couldn’t breathe at the sudden sense of loss. He loved her too much to—
God help him. Of all the untimely, foolish complications, Jonathan had fallen inlove.
He raked trembling fingers through his hair. He was in love. Did it change anything? Or ought he now to be even more determined to give this project every beat of his heart, knowing it would help Angelica reap all the success she deserved?
Perhaps he was looking at this backward. His heart lightened.Heneeded to travel as far and wide as possible, but he didn’t need to do it alone.
Angelica had said herself that her seven-year contract expired on Christmas. Only two days remained. Come Sunday, she wouldn’t be tethered to Cressmouth anymore. She could comewithhim. Perhaps not every second of every day for the rest of their lives—she was a jeweler, and would want to spend some time in her shop creating jewelry—but their paths could intersect.
Instead of Jonathan wandering the world alone, they could build their future together.
Chapter 12
It was past ten when Angelica awoke the next morning, but she did not rush into her shop to prepare for business. It was Christmas Eve. She would spend the next two full days with her friends and family and, if he wished to join them, with Jonathan.
He had helped her to realize that she worked better and faster when she took time for herself, to rest and make merry. Waiting until the work was done was a mirage—the work would never be done. She had to take time for the things that mattered. Her family, Jonathan, and herself.
Closing her eyes again, she stretched her limbs out like a starfish, reveling in the freedom of not having to do anything at all. Not only had she delivered the last of the outstanding jewelry orders last night, today marked the last day in her seven-year contract with Mr. Marlowe.
At midnight tonight, the shop would be hers.
Better yet, herlifewould be hers. Visits with her family would no longer be limited to Yuletide. She could travel to London whenever she pleased. She would spend the busiest months here in Cressmouth, of course, but the thought of seeing Vauxhall fireworks again, of being able to celebrate the births of nieces and nephews, of enjoying her aunts’ cooking... it was almost too wonderful to bear.
She rolled out of bed to attend to her morning ablutions, then applied skin creams and arranged her hair without any of the usual haste. Her spirits were high. Today, the sweetmeats adorning the castle tree weren’t just for decoration—children would be allowed to retrieve the little bags and consume the treats inside.
Perhaps she could talk Jonathan into an entire day of pleasure-taking.Twelfth Nightwas to be performed in the amphitheatre this afternoon, then a tour of the castle grounds, followed by another assembly with music and dancing.
Her skin warmed at the memory of being in his arms. Waltzing together in the castle ballroom. Holding hands as they skated across the frozen pond. Her smile faltered. That conversation had been far less merry.
No wonder he hadn’t pressed her when she’d reiterated she would not lie with a man she wasn’t married to. Because of his mother, Jonathan likely felt the same way. He would not treat such an act casually.
Despite his attempts to appear flippant and carefree, she doubted there was much he did take lightly. Her heart ached at the thought that Christmas meant sorrow to him, instead of happiness. She wished she could bring him joy.
No—she wished he could find hisownjoy.
Cressmouth had welcomed Jonathan from the start. She doubted there was a single soul he hadn’t bowed to and won over with charm and the shameless allure of free biscuits.
Her relatives weren’t as easy to win, but spending the day with Jonathan had illustrated to them the sort of man he was. She was lucky to have a large, loving family. Her nieces and nephews would have no problem considering him an honorary uncle. He was the opposite of what Luther had imagined for his sister, but even he had grudgingly admitted Jonathan seemed all right.
It would all be perfect, except for two tiny details:
She loved him.
He was going to leave.
Angelica put the kettle on to give herself something to do with her hands. Jonathan had been frank about his temporariness from the moment they’d first met. She could not claim abandonment or betrayal.
