“That’s right.And I always choose Duke.The creature right up there.”
Every single night.Gloria smiled up at the stars.One day, it would be her turn.
“Is it time to make a wish?”Nigel begged.“Please?”
“Very well,” she answered with a laugh.“We’ll take our second tour in the opposite direction, so that we may start with Draco.Do you see a dragon?”
“I see a duke,” he answered immediately.“Just like you.And I wish for a hobbyhorse.”
Annie rolled her eyes.“You always wish for toys.I wish for a rapier, so I might learn to fence.”
“That’s not practical at all,” laughed one of the other girls.“I wish for an embroidery set.”
“What a charming custom!”A lady tourist lay her head on her husband’s shoulder as they stared up at the sky together.“No wonder people fall in love with this quaint village.”
Nigel turned to face her.“But what do you wish for?”
“Why, to stay here forever,” the lady answered immediately.She gazed at her husband.“Darling, we must purchase a local cottage so that we have a permanent home here in Christmas.”
Gloria gave a practiced smile as the other tourists gushed their agreement.Everyone always “fell in love” and wished to stay “forever.”
But none of them ever did.
“What about you, Miss Godwin?”Annie asked.“What do you wish for?”
“To visit the stars,” Gloria answered automatically.
The children groaned.“That’s what you always wish for!”
Gloria tousled their woolen caps and led the group forward.They were wrong.Visiting the stars was never what Gloria wanted.It was only what she dared say aloud.
Tonight, just like every night, the same wish had erupted from her chest and burst toward the stars.
To be noticed.
Chapter 2
Mr.Christopher Pringle reluctantly returned his attention to Marlowe Castle’s bustling reception hall.There was time.The sky would be cloudless and brilliant many other nights.In just a few weeks, he’d have more than enough opportunity to gaze up at the stars on his long trip across the sea.First things first.
He had a fortnight left in Christmas, and he intended to make the most of it.
“There you are, Pringle!”One of his new friends clapped him on the shoulder.“What say you to a game of billiards over at Scarington’s?”
The other gentlemen voiced their agreement.“Rumor has it, Scarington’s wine collection could rival the castle’s cellar.Shall we go make quick work of it?”
To their obvious dismay, Christopher motioned them ahead.“You’ll have to start without me, I’m afraid.I may drop by later.”
“Who knows if there will still be any wine left?”they teased him as they jostled each other out the castle exit and into the night.
As fond as he’d become of the local gentlemen, Christopher was glad to see them go.He was here in search of a bride, not a lads’ night out.The fewer excess eligible bachelors crowding the reception hall, the better.
He surveyed his surroundings.The hunt was not going well.Although he had been in Christmas for two weeks, all of the female attention had been focused on his elder brother, an inveterate rake.Even this far north, “Saint Nick’s” wickedness was as legendary as his conquests.The mere sight of his chiseled visage was enough to make a young lady swoon.
Or to make Christopher bury his face in his palms.He was ready to finally have his turn.
“Mr.Pringle?”came a soft feminine voice from behind him.
He turned around with a wide smile.“Why, Miss Borland, you look fetching tonight.Is that a new bonnet?”
