Chapter 1
Theodore O’Hanlon, Major Viscount Ormondton, grimaced against the relentless pain. It pulsed through his head, his knee, his side. He promised himself the torture would soon end.
With a shaking finger, he cracked the curtains and allowed himself a brief glimpse outside the carriage.
Evergreens. Blinding sun on endless snow. A winding, narrow path up a remote mountain, leading him ever further from the ravages of war-torn France and the battles that still awaited him in London.
A bright red sign rose from the drifts of snow like a beacon:
Welcome to Christmas!
At last.
Theo closed the curtains tight. He was almost there.
He held no interest in the year-round Christmastide promised by the cozy little village. Nor did he care to be welcomed. Indeed, he had no wish to be recognized at all. That was why he was rattling along in a hired hack rather than the elegant coach-and-four bearing his family’s crest.
It was also why he had come here straight from France, rather than wade into the whirling madness of London in full Season.
Theo desperately needed time to heal. A place to do so where no one would recognize him. A respite from all the chaos.
His childhood friend, the Duke of Azureford, had assured Theo the tiny village of Christmas was just the place. A winter wonderland in the northernmost corner of England, hundreds of miles from conflicts and battles. He was to avail himself of the duke’s private cottage for as long as it took to regain his strength.
Theo prayed the process would not take long. He was so used to being active, being in control. Charging in from the front lines. He could not stand giving less than his all, in anything. Even if the reason for his diminished capacity was musket fire and the punishing hooves of his enemy’s horse.
The carriage drew to a stop.
Theo’s aching head sagged against the wall in relief. They had arrived at Azureford’s secluded cottage. No more punishing journeys until his body could once again withstand the onslaught.
The young valet Theo had hired under an assumed name hopped out of the carriage in order to arrange the custom-built wheeled chair on the ground.
Theo hated the chair. He was not an invalid. He was a lord. An officer.
But the one time he’d allowed his pride to get the better of him in an attempt to rely solely on a pair of crutches and his own determination, Theo had buckled over, face first, right in front of a posting-house.
Never again.
An older gentleman with quick blue eyes and a shock of white hair cast a slow, impassive glance into the carriage’s dark interior toward Theo.
That must be Swinton, Azureford’s beloved butler. Theo carried a letter sealed with the duke’s insignia for the staff to read, granting the letter’s bearer all possible hospitalities.
The butler’s gaze met his. “May I be of service, sir?”
Theo’s lips might have curved if moving his facial muscles didn’t feel like he was ripping the tender skin anew.
He had never been a “sir.” He had been born a viscount, thanks to a courtesy title from his father.Majorbelonged to Theo alone. Both were inextricable from his identity. Yet for now, he was forced to hide the truth.
“Swinton, I presume?” Theo held out the folded letter. “I am sent by the Duke of Azureford.”
The butler inspected the wax insignia before breaking the seal and reading the letter’s contents.
Theo’s blood chilled. Either Swinton was not a fast reader, or Azureford had included more information than expected.
His muscles tightened. Theo had come to this remote village in order to be anonymous. If the duke had destroyed that possibility, Theo would need to find alternate lodging. His stomach sank. He might not truly rest for another day or more.
Swinton handed the duke’s letter to someone outside Theo’s line of vision. “I shall have the maids air out the guest chambers. Do you require assistance into your chair?”
Theo clenched his jaw. How he hated any sensation of helplessness. He had not required assistance since he was a child, and rarely even then. He had pushed himself to new levels. Relied on no one’s aid.Hewas the one sought after to help others. Counted upon to be strong, decisive, and capable in all things.
