The cat.
This time the cat wore a bit of mistletoe on her head. The sprig was angled jauntily over one pointy ear.
“Medford,” Oliver said to his friend who had re-entered the room. “This is the cat I asked you about.”
“Yes,” Cerian said, looking toward Kate. “What is this cat’s name?”
Medford and Kate glanced at each other.
“I have no idea whose cat that is. It certainly doesn’t belong to us,” Medford replied.
“Whose cat is this?” Kate called out to the assembled guests, turning in a circle to see who would claim the animal.
No reply.
Cerian bit her lip. “She doesn’t belong to Lady Kinsey and Lady Selina, does she?”
Medford laughed at that. “Hardly. I can tell you those two ladies have no interest in pets.”
Medford called to the butler, “Locke, where did this cat come from?”
The butler shook his head. “Mrs. Hartsmeade has been asking me about this cat all week,” he said, referring to Medford’s housekeeper. “We assumed she belonged to one of the guests. Mrs. Hartsmeade has been decorating that cat for Christmastide every day. I dare say the animal seems to enjoy it.”
They all laughed and Cerian bent down to rub the cat on the head.
“Strange, but the cat doesn’t appear to have an owner.” Medford shrugged.
Cerian scratched the cat under her little chin while the feline purred contentedly. “Well, she does now. She’s our cat.”
Oliver glanced down at his affianced bride and smiled. “What do you intend to name her?”
Cerian scooped the cat into her arms. “Why, Merry, of course. With an e and two r’s. She was responsible for bringing us together, wasn’t she? She’ll be a fine cat in a duke’s household.”
Oliver patted the cat on the head and pulled Cerian into his arms for another kiss. “I think Merry is the perfect name,” he said. “And I think you and I are going to be very happy together.”
Cerian nodded, tears in her eyes. “I agree, Oliver. Truly, I do.” She smiled at him over the cat’s fluffy gray head. “You know, I once thought it was impossible for a duchess to love her duke.”
He tugged her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “Tell me you’ve changed your mind, my love.”
“I have. I absolutely have.” She glanced up at the ceiling where a festive bough of mistletoe hung. “And to think it all happened under the mistletoe.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CHRISTMAS BRIDES
“One Hot Scot” copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Enoch.
“Once Upon a Christmas Scandal” copyright © 2014 by Alexandra Hawkins.
“The Scandal Before Christmas” copyright © 2013 by Elizabeth Essex.
“It Happened Under the Mistletoe” copyright © 2013 by Valerie Bowman.
All rights reserved.
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St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / October 2014
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