It was Luther, her brother.
“I should go,” Jonathan said.
“Go? You don’t have to,” she said with surprise. “The Yuletide ball is for everyone. Don’t let my family frighten you away.”
“It’s not your family.” He shifted his weight. “I’m not a great lover of Christmastide. I came because ofyou, not Yuletide. Oh look, there are your nieces. I’ll just—”
“One dance,” she said. The orchestra was setting bows to their strings. “And then, if you want to run away, you can.”
“Scots don’t runaway,” he muttered. “I could stay for two dances if I really wanted to.”
“Oh? Shall we join my brother and his wife for this country-dance?”
Jonathan’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “The question is, will your brother dance with me?”
“There, that’s the Christmas spirit,” Angelica said with a laugh. “Shall we find out?”
Luther did indeed cut a sharp figure through every pattern of the dance, as Angelica had known he would. Her brother would never allow anything to disrupt his elegant rhythm on the dance floor.
She was rusty, having not practiced since the previous Yuletide. With so many people making merry in front of a tree bearing adornments she’d created with her own hands, Angelica couldn’t help but feel joyful.
They danced in tandem with her brother and sister-in-law until the final figure came to a close. The orchestra barely paused between sets.
The next song was a waltz.
It was impossible to feel awkward as Jonathan led her about the floor in graceful, sweeping steps. Angelica forgot about the tree, forgot about her interminable list of things to do, and just gazed up at him gazing back down at her.
It was a good thing he intended to leave her side after this waltz. If they paid each other too much attention, people would start to talk.
And there was no sense letting them talk about something that was never going to happen.
Jonathan might be a brilliant business partner, traveling tirelessly to spread the word, but he was not someone she could rely on for anything more.
He was going to leave. That was how she had hurt her own family. Now she’d learn what it felt like to have it done to her.
She wouldn’t join him, even if it were a possibility. She had her own life, her own shop, and more importantly she was mere days away from completing her contract and being able to rejoin her family.
Jonathan’s brow creased. “You stopped smiling. You’re not thinking about work, are you?”
She shook her head.
He didn’t appear convinced.
“I hadn’t planned on staying for Nottingvale’s house party. Mostly because I don’t like Christmas,” he admitted. “But I do likeyou. And it will give you an extra week to design your lockets. You don’t need to work yourself to the bone. Enjoy your family while they’re here.”
Yes, she would.
Angelica’s mind turned calculating. Christmas was in four days, but one needn’t wait until Christmas morning to spread joy. She could share her Yuletide with the one man who needed it most.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll take tomorrow as a holiday... on one condition.”
He lowered his voice. “Very well, I’ll spend the whole day kissing you.”
She pretended not to hear him. “Part of Christmas is attending church, as you’ll see on Sunday when my uncle preaches.”
“I didn’t agree to go,” Jonathan said quickly.
“You also never said youwouldn’tgo, and besides, aren’t you my footman?” She linked her arm with his. “The other part of Christmas is community and tradition. Let me share my family with you. They’re amusing. We’ll give you a Christmas to remember.”
