Snowlit Christmas Kiss

       by Larrissa Lyons

 

She’s thought her
self free of the betrothal her father had tethered her to as a small child. With the death of Robert her intended, the ties binding her should have been severed. It was Lady Redford, Robert’s Mama, that had asked her to consider accepting her youngest son, and now the standing Lord Redford, as her husband. Anne Larchmont, at 24 years old, was held to be on the shelf at such a great age. Robert not inclined to an early marriage had put the nuptials off several times in the last eight years. Anne was looking forward to searching out a husband of her choosing, but after meeting, spending time with Lady Redford, she found she quite liked the woman and after losing two sons and her husband within months of each other, Anne couldn’t bring herself to refuse the request to at least meet Ward, Lady Redford’s youngest son, just back from the war with Napoleon. Why he was still recuperating from serious injuries he’d received during the war.

For a small reprieve, Anne took off walking to visit her closest friend Isabella Spier, who lived several miles away. She hadn’t counted on the late snow, nor having to assist a tenant farmer’s wife bring her children into the world, nor even the death of the family’s beloved cat, which she promised to bury before heading to her own home. The night was filthy, icy cold, damp with snow and no Moon to light the frozen ground where she was trying to dig a spot to bury the cat. When out of the dark night a man stepped into view. Walking with a pronounced limp, he was missing part of his right arm and looked as weary as she.

Edward, now Lord Redford, had been making his way home after being released from long term care in London. Still not in the best of shape, his left hand still healing after being pinned under an enemy’s horse in battle, his leg to had been broken in a couple of places, and he had lost part of his right arm, but he was determined to find the game keeper’s cottage close to his home. A fellow solider knew Edward needed just a bit more time alone before facing his intended bride and the responsibilities of running the Redford estates and offed him the use of the game keeper’s cottage on his estates close to Edwards home. 

And so, the betrothed couple meet, not by accident though, without realizing who they really are. They spend the night in the game keepers’ cottage and find warmth, laughter, acceptance, compassion for humans and beasties alike. After spending time together, they find they have a very special connection they are comfortable and can talk of anything. They are also physically drawn to eat other. Regretting that they must part come morning but enjoying the hours they have out of time, just being themselves.

Neither realizes that their meeting, strange as it may seem, wasn’t an accident. A beastie had scared Edward’s horse, leaving him on foot, to make his way to the game keeper’s cottage, which in turn led him to making the acquaintance of Anne as she tried to dig the grave for young Owen’s cat, Lord Grayson. There was something in the air, Phineas could smell it.  He had even let out a loud roaring sound to hurry the two young humans through the night so that they might reach the cottage before they froze to death trying in vain to eek out a hole in the frozen ground.

War has taken its toll on Edward and his comrades. He is heartsick, from losing friends in battle, trying to adjust to the lose the better part of his right limb and the slow healing of his other injuries and now to come home to a position of responsibilities he’d never wanted, with the death of his siblings and father. Then to be forced into marriage with a young woman he had yet to meet. Anne is in no better shape. After expecting some latitude of freedom to search out a man of her own choice, she is now considering how she can make her refusal, to marry the newly appointed Lord Redford, her hand in marriage.

We meet an outspoken heroine, who has compassionate nature for all those, no matter their station in life, determined to set her world right. She gave up on having a London season when she found her best friend Isabella was slowly going blind. Isabella’s father just wants to hide her away, as if he were ashamed. But Anne visits her whenever she can, to help her keep up her spirits, but Isabella won’t let a little thing like losing her sight to stop her from enjoying life. Ed has come away from a war that has cost him friends, pain and lose of limbs but he pushes himself to become the head of the family. I loved to fact that several of the chairs in the tale have disabilities but show their strengths by finding ways to pick up life after the horrors of war. This romance that takes place around the holidays makes you want to believe that good things can still come out of the tragedy that is our world.  Larrissa Lyons made me feel like I was back in time, as she wrote of the situations the characters find themselves in, a blind friend whose father appears ashamed of his daughter’s failing sight, no doctor to help a woman in labour, using a shove to dig out a grave in the frozen ground and betrothals where parents choose who you are to marry.  The wording she uses also sets the pace and time for the tale words that I was very comfortable with and enjoyed seeing in print since it had been years, she I had heard or saw in print some of the terms she used.

I enjoyed this romantic story, with a veteran of war who wouldn’t allow his disabilities identify who his was as a man, an outspoken spinster and a shifter that just had to step in and do a little meddling. I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for my opinion of the book. I found humorous, touching, romantic with language and a few lightly steamed scenes, along with a HEA ending. Enjoy it, I did.