Her glossy black hair was tied back in an elaborate style, but there were several curly strands hanging down from her temples, framing her face beautifully. In the back, Evelyn had worked blue and purple ribbons into her hair, which looked like silky flowers that matched her blue satin dress. The wide skirt was embroidered with hundreds of flowers in white, darker blues, and purple tones, and the colors somehow showed off the complexion of her skin, even though her long white gloves reached all the way high up over her elbows.
“Do you like it?” Madelaine asked. She twirled in a small circle, which showed off how prettily the fabric flowed around her. Her vivid green eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
Luke opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He had no idea what exactly the fashionable style differences were, but he did immediately notice the off-the-shoulder neckline, which showed off the gorgeous curves of her shoulders and elegant neck. So far, he’d only ever seen Madelaine in practical, modest woolen dresses, which never revealed a single part of her female figure. This was entirely different, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
“You look beautiful,” he finally managed to say before swallowing hard.
“You look very handsome yourself,” Madelaine said with a warm smile. Luke had worn his best suit, but now he wondered if it was good enough and whether he should have had a new one made to match his wife’s modern fashion style.
Evelyn giggled. “I told you he’d like it,” she said proudly, winking to Madelaine.
“Now I can’t wait to see yours,” Caleb announced as he looked at his wife, besotted despite her sickly appearance. Evelyn rolled her eyes, but she still smiled at him.
Before Luke’s eyes could pop out of his skull, Evelyn wrapped Madelaine in a soft purple shawl, then draped her thick winter coat over her, hiding her magnificent appearance from him.
“Have fun, you two! Especially you, Mrs. Cross!” Luke’s heart skipped a beat when he heard those words. “Have a glass of punch for me,” Evelyn said, waving to them from the front door, as Luke led Madelaine outside toward the waiting carriage.
Tonight, Alvarez had strapped Tinsel to the small two-person buggy, which was light and easy to pull. Madelaine was clearly happy to see her mare eagerly bobbing her head, ready to go. Luke took the reins and didn’t even have to click his tongue—the horse started to pull immediately.
The light was fading fast as they travelled at a relaxed pace toward the fairgrounds on the other side of town. The air was crisp, and Madelaine clearly could not contain her excitement. Luke noticed that she hadn’t stopped smiling. Well, neither had he.
After they’d dropped off Tinsel in a safe and comfortable spot at the stables, which provided her with lots of hay, Madelaine put her hand around Luke’s arm, and the two of them walked into the large, illuminated barn.
The place was abuzz with chitchat and laughter, a band was playing light-hearted music, and several couples hadalready taken to the wooden dance floor. The barn was lit up by several huge chandeliers, loaded with candles, as well as several tall torches and candelabras dotted around in convenient places. It kept the large room at just the right temperature so the guests could take off their winter coats and show off their garments.
Given the theme of the night, every nook and cranny was decorated with Christmas ornaments—garlands and wreaths, nutcrackers and gingerbread houses. In each corner stood a large round table loaded with delicacies for every taste—savory sausages, cheeses and ham, sweet cakes, cookies, and bowls full of bright red punch.
Luke picked the nearest table, filled one of the small glasses with punch, and handed it to Madelaine.
“I have never tried this before,” she said with a glint in her eyes, as she tentatively brought it to her lips.
“It’s sweet. Just like you,” Luke said teasingly, and Madelaine almost choked on a laugh. When she tasted it, her eyes went wide.
“Oh! This is good!” she said. “It’s dangerously good.”
Luke didn’t say out loud what he was thinking in that moment, but his smile was mischievous enough to make Madelaine’s cheeks turn pink. Before they left, he had promised himself to have fun tonight, to enjoy his new wife and this lovelyevening—to forget about everything that lay ahead for just a few hours—so he took her gloved hand in his and kissed the back of it.
Madelaine blushed profusely. She looked around as if checking to see if anybody noticed it, but Luke only laughed. “My beautiful wife!” he exclaimed loudly. “Would you allow me the first dance?”
He barely gave Madelaine enough time to put her drink down before he led her into the middle of the dance floor, where he pulled her close to his body. She looked so gorgeous, she smelled amazing, and the shimmer in her stunning green eyes showed a note of mischief as she grinned up at him.
“That was obnoxious,” she said, bursting into a little giggle. It was adorable.
“I had to tell everybody in the room that you are taken, my dear. You turned way too many heads during your entrance,” Luke admitted, which promptly colored her cheeks again.
“You jest,” she said as she gracefully followed his lead to the music. Luke learned yet another thing about his remarkable wife—she was a fantastic dancer. If his hand pushed her a little too tightly against his body, Madelaine didn’t complain, and the two of them whirled in grand circles around the room.
Luke loved the feeling of her in his arms, and if there weren’t so many people around, he wasn’t sure he would be able to contain himself. His gaze fell to the beautiful curve of her lips, and she inhaled a sharp breath, turning her head sideways with a cheeky little grin.
But then her grin faded abruptly, she stumbled in the middle of the dance, and all the color drained from her face as she stared with wide eyes at something behind Luke.
Luke turned around to follow her eyes, and before he noticed him, the man was already on his way toward them. He walked with angry strides, and as he came to a stop right in front of them, Luke finally got a good look at the man he was going to arrest in less than twenty-four hours.
“Madelaine!” Phineas called out, extra loudly. Apparently, that was the only way this man talked—yelling at everybody.
Madelaine inhaled a sharp breath. There was a forced smile on her hardened face. “Phineas.”
“What in the world are you doing here? And with this man?” Phineas didn’t acknowledge Luke on a personal level. Luke came to the conclusion that he probably wasn’t tall enough to look him in the eye like a real man would.
