Page 92 of A Princess By Christmas

“That time of year?” Donovan sighed. “You’re always so unflappably honest, madam. Don’t dissemble now.”

“What? What does that mean, Donovan? Hollis? What does that mean?” Eliza demanded.

“Tell them,” Donovan said, and then strolled from the room, pausing first to admire the dress.

“I hate him,” Hollis murmured.

“No, you don’t. You love him!” Eliza insisted. “We all know that.”

“Of course, Ilovehim,” Hollis said. “But sometimes I hate him. He knows me too well.”

“Iknewit,” Caroline said triumphantly.

“Not like that, Caro, for God’s sake. I love Donovan as my dearest friend.”

“That can’t be true, becauseIam your dearest friend,” Caroline said.

“All right, then. He is my very good friend.”

“Then what is it?” Eliza asked, nudging her.

“You won’t believe me. You’ll be shocked. But I love someone else. At least, I think I do. Oh, I don’t know! What does it feel like to be in love?”

Caroline and Eliza looked at each other. “Well, darling,” Eliza said carefully, as if dealing with a madwoman, “you loved Percy once. Remember?”

“But it was so long ago and I was so young, and I really can’t recall.”

“It feels like your insides are being clawed by a cat,” Caroline said, and tossed back her tot of whiskey.

“Caro,” Eliza said disapprovingly.

“What? My point is, being in love can be very painful. Who is he, Hollis? And how dare he not return your affection. And why is this the first we are hearing of it?”

“When might I have told you? You’re both at so many events and soirees. He’s—he’s Weslorian.”

Eliza frowned with confusion, but Caroline gasped. “The peculiar one?”

“Yes, him...but he’s not peculiar. He’s the most wonderful, interesting man. I think I love him, and he’s leaving, andyou’releaving, and Caroline will return to the country, and Pappa wants to leave and even Beck has found someone. Beck! Beckett Hawke!”

“I agree, Beck is very shocking,” Eliza said.

“Oh, darling,” Caroline said, and threw her arms around Hollis.

Eliza did, too. “You must invite him to Christmas. We must meet him. How can we not meet him?”

“I did. But he won’t come, and even if he did, everyone would talk.”

Eliza laughed. “You’re worried about talk? Everyone talks about you, anyway, living here with Donovan, and publishing your gazette—”

“And your many,manyvisits to the library and the foreign secretary’s office, and your stubborn refusal to wear a corset,” Caroline added.

Hollis couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “I sound delightful.”

“You are,” Eliza said. “You are the most delightful person I’ve ever known and he is a damn fool if he doesn’t come.”

“I don’t know,” Hollis said with a weary sigh. She was exhausted from trying to understand what existed between her and Marek now. “Maybe it isn’t the same for him. It’s entirely possible that I dreamed it all.”

“Tell us more,” Eliza asked.