It was all fantasy, of course. This dream she had of sharing his daysandnights would never come true.
Perhaps this ache had grown stronger now that she was back at the vicarage because she had spent so much time in his bed.
And enjoyed his kisses.
Which brought to mind they had not gone beyond kiss number five.
“Ailis, you are nibbling your lip. Is something wrong?”
“No, just thinking. It is nothing.” But her mind had now drifted to those charity kisses he had given her.
With only three more days and five kisses left to go, would she get her ten kisses before the Christmas ball? It wasn’t about the donations, for she knew the good sort of man he was. He would donate the full one thousand pounds whether they got to ten kisses or not.
He leaned closer to open the bakery door for her, his breath tickling her ear as they were momentarily close. He looked so handsome with the touch of silver salted in his hair, and the lovely breadth of his shoulders that were nicely muscled.
The little bell above the door tinkled to alert the proprietor he had customers.
“Your Grace. Miss Temple. An honor to have you here. What can I do for you?” the portly baker asked, mopping his forehead as he bustled toward them from the back room, where his ovens were going at full blast and filling his shop with the divine scents of apple, cinnamon, cherries, and honey.
“Miss Temple is fretting that she has not ordered enough pies and cakes for the Christmas ball,” the duke said. “We have come to add to the order.”
Ailis shook her head. “I merely intended to review the list and make certain all would be ready in time.”
The duke had other ideas, however. “I think you will need to expand on it,” he said, after perusing her order. “I intend to bring all my guests to the festivities and shall be giving most of my staff time off to attend, too. What do you think, Mr. Cardew? Should we double the order? And add a few savory pies along with the sweet?”
The baker’s eyes twinkled. “I think it is an excellent idea. It will be done, Your Grace. Never you worry, for Miss Temple shall have a feast worthy of a king.”
“Good.” Having decided upon this, Jonas turned to Ailis, who was still protesting that it was too much. “Miss Temple,” he said with ducal authority, “if anything is left over, then distribute the excess among those in need. Do you have a problem with this suggestion?”
She cast him a generous smile and shook her head. “No problem at all, Your Grace. My uncle and I will attend to it.”
They lingered a while longer in the bakery, since the duke had decided to sample some of the fare to be provided for the Christmas ball.
Mr. Cardew set out plates for both of them at a small table in the corner of his shop. There was only the one table with two spindly chairs beside it, for his patrons were merely meant to stop in, pick out their purchases, and be on their way. The village tea shop was just across the street from his bakery, so if anyone wanted to sample his wares, they had only to stop in there and have a proper tea service.
But this little table up against the wall was fine for their purposes, and Ailis spent the most enjoyable fifteen minutes she had experienced in an age.
The duke was delightful and attentive to her. The pie samples were delicious, and she particularly enjoyed the slice of cherry pie that was the best thing she had ever tasted.
Jonas grinned as he watched her. “Shall I have Mr. Cardew bring you another slice?”
She laughed. “Oh, no. I shall burst if I take another bite.”
“I gather this one was your favorite.”
“Yes, but all the samples were delicious, weren’t they?”
He nodded. “I think I must congratulate Mr. Cardew.”
Ailis agreed. “He will appreciate your approval.”
Of course, he was devastating when he laid on the charm. Mr. Cardew, his wife, and his workers were in the duke’s thrall by the time she and Jonas left the shop.
Once back on the high street, he paused a moment to bundle her up more securely in her cloak. “The wind is strong today,” he remarked. “Any more errands?”
“No, that was all I needed to do, and I did not really need to do that, either. Mr. Cardew obviously had my order down correctly and my visit to his shop was for no reason other thanmy needless fretting. Although he will now be pleased that I was fussing, since my order is now doubled, as are his fees.”
“Is it so awful that I spread a little Christmas cheer?”
