He put his coat back on. Then, before she realized what he had in mind, he leaned over and scooped her into his arms. She squeaked in surprise, as she had when she was pinched in Balzano. It was a very endearing squeak.
“You really are freezing,” he commented as she shivered against him. He arranged her across his lap and settled comfortably against the cliff wall as he began rubbing her back, shoulders, and arms, trying to get her blood moving again. She had a delicious scent of rosewater and oranges.
“This is most improper,” she murmured into his lapel.
“Yes, but warmer for both of us. Think of your duty, Miss Walker,” he admonished. “You may prefer to solidify into a block of ice yourself, but will you condemn me to the same fate?”
She pulled her head back and gave him a darkling look. “You’re teasing me.”
He grinned. “Making your blood boil should keep you warm.”
Elizabeth knew that she really should not permit this, but she lacked the will to resist. It wasn’t only his welcome physical warmth, which was beginning to thaw her out, Even more, it was the intimacy of being in his arms. This was surely the most romantic thing that was ever going to happen to her, and she might as well enjoy it.
She nestled closer, savoring the faint aroma of apple-scented tobacco that clung to his coat, but total comfort was prevented by a hard object pressing into her hip. She shifted her position. “If that is your pipe in your left pocket, I may be in danger of breaking it.”
“Wrong pocket. I thought that one was empty, actually. Excuse me while I investigate.” He removed his arm from around her and dug into the pocket, finally withdrawing an object in triumph. “Here it is.”
His whole body stilled. Elizabeth twisted to see what had caught his attention, then sighed with delight. The lapis solaris figure of the Bambino had seemed crude by daylight, but darkness transformed it. Cupped in Randolph’s palm, the Holy Infant glowed with a soft, magical light, a miracle child come to bring hope to the hearts of men.
“I took it out of thepresepioset earlier and must have slipped it into my pocket by accident,” he murmured.
Elizabeth smiled and shook her head. “Not by accident. The Bambino came to remind us that tonight is a special night, the night of His birth. Remember that the Italian climate is similar to that of the Holy Land. It might have been just such a night as this in Bethlehem when the angels visited the shepherds.”
Quietly she began quoting from the book of Luke, beginning with the words, “‘And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed . . .”
Not for nothing had she been raised in a vicarage. Word-perfect, she retold the immortal story.
“For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy,” Randolph repeated softly when she had finished. “Thank you, Elizabeth. You have just delivered the most moving Christmas service I’ve ever heard.”
The only sounds were the crackle of the fire, the occasional distant bleat of a sheep, and the sighing of the wind. When the fire began to die down, Randolph asked, “Are you warm now?”
“Wonderfully so.” She did not add that the heat that curled through her body was more than just temperature.
“Then it’s time to make some adjustments. I don’t suppose either of us will sleep much, but we might as well be as comfortable as possible.”
To her regret, he removed her from his lap, so he could tend to the fire. When it was burning steadily again, he positioned the rest of the wood so that it could be easily added, a piece at a time. “If you lie down on your side between me and the fire, you should stay fairly warm, though I’ll probably disturb you whenever I add wood to the fire.”
She removed her spectacles and put them in the basket, then stretched out as he'd suggested, the lap rug tucked around her. Randolph lay down behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close so that they were nestled together like two spoons.
The ground was hard and cold and not very comfortable. Randolph was warm and firm and very comfortable indeed. Elizabeth gave a sigh of pleasure and relaxed in his embrace, thinking this was even better than being on his lap.
“Merry Christmas, Randolph,” she whispered. She had never been happier in her life.
Randolph did not precisely sleep, but between bouts of tending the fire he dozed a little. Elizabeth was a delightful armful as she cuddled trustfully against him. Unlike him, she slept soundly. The fruits of a clear conscience, no doubt.
As the sky began lightening in anticipation of dawn, he carefully lifted himself away and added the next-to-last piece of wood. The air was bitter cold, but fortunately the night had been dry and within an hour or so the temperature should start to rise.
Before he could settle back, Elizabeth stretched and rolled over on her back, then opened her eyes and blinked sleepily at him, her hair curling deliciously around her face. There was something very intimate about seeing her without her spectacles, rather as if she'd removed her gown and greeted him in her shift.
Thinking improper thoughts, he murmured, “Good morning.”
She gave him a smile of shimmering, wondering sweetness, as if this morning were the dawn of the world and she were Eve greeting Adam for the first time. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean forward and give her a gentle kiss.
Elizabeth’s mouth was soft and welcoming and sweet, so sweet. He lay down beside her and drew her into his arms, wanting to feel the full length of her slim, supple body against him.
As the kiss deepened, her arms slid around his neck, and her responsiveness triggered a wave of fierce, demanding desire that brought Randolph to his senses. Knowing that if he did not stop soon, it would be impossible to stop at all, he pulled abruptly away from her. His breathing unsteady, he said, “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. You have a most extraordinary effect on me.”
She stared at him, her eyes wide and stark. Then she sat up and grabbed her glasses from the basket, donning them hastily as if they were a suit of armor. Under her breath, she said, “The effect seems to be mutual.”
