Free A Kiss At Christmastide: Regency Novella by Christina McKnight

the kitchens when I was very young. Maybe, at some point, I helped our cook? Or, it is far more likely that I simply love eating pie.”
    â€œBut you can’t remember?”
    A clouded expression settled on his face, and Pippa wished she hadn’t pressed the matter.
    â€œI fear much from my childhood is beyond my memory.” He chuckled, but nothing in his confession was the least bit comical. “Now, where were we—“
    A loud crash sounded, accompanied by breaking glass.
    â€œWhat’s that—”
    Pippa wiped her floured hands on her gown without thinking and rushed from the kitchen. She could hear Lucas’s heavy footsteps behind her as they both thundered down the hall toward the sound.
    â€œOh, no.” Pippa sighed in distress when she saw the mess in the foyer. The garland she’d hung earlier had crashed to the floor, taking with it a small table that had been lined with miniature angel figurines. Pippa’s own collection, given to her as gifts by her parents each Christmastide. She spotted one still intact and bent to retrieve it, only to have its delicate wing fall to the floor once more and shatter into a thousand tiny splinters.
    There was nothing she could do, and it seemed that her holiday was going from bad to worse—her parents had yet to arrive, she’d been saddled with an unwanted houseguest, and, now, her collection was ruined. So many things taken from her in such a short time.
    â€œMy lady?” Lucas asked, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “Do not fret. I can help you right all of this.”
    Pippa swatted at the tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. “Pippa, call me Pippa. If you have seen me cry, then we are surely past formalities.”
    â€œVery well,” he agreed. “Is there a broom nearby?”
    â€œThe butler’s closet is just over there.” Pippa pointed in the direction they’d come but kept her eyes on the destruction before her, not ready to face Lucas yet. “I will help you.”
    He was back with the broom quickly and began gathering all the tiny shards of glass into a pile. It was hard to imagine that all her years of gifts amounted to such a small pile.
    Pippa allowed him to continue his sweeping as she grabbed the fallen greenery, assessing its damage. With a smidge of twisting, she righted the bent branches and looked around for her ladder or a stool. She should have made sure the branch was secured correctly earlier, though her fall and subsequent landing in Lucas’s arms had entirely distracted her.
    Certainly, all of this was his fault, though she kept that thought to herself.
    â€œMay I give you a boost?” His tendency to slip up behind her without making a sound unnerved her.
    â€œMy stool cannot be too far.”
    â€œCome now, I can hoist you up, and then we can return to the kitchen.” His offer sent a shiver through her—to feel his touch once more… “I see the peg is still in place above the archway.”
    Pippa looked toward him, then back to the archway, clutching the branch close. Could she resist his newfound charm once again? It had been simple when he’d caught her earlier, his attitude had still rankled her—his forwardness and sarcastic comments kept her at bay. But those were gone now, replaced with sweet sentiments and visuals of him helping her in the kitchen.
    He knelt before her and patted the step of sorts he’d made with his leg.
    â€œI cannot balance on your leg—I may hurt you, or, worse yet, fall and injure myself!”
    â€œI see your hesitation,” he said, standing once more. “I will lift you then.”
    She moved before him, and he clasped her shoulders, turning her to face the archway, her back to him. Before she knew what his intent was, his strong, solid arms wrapped around her waist and he lifted her.
    â€œMy lord!” Pippa wiggled.
    â€œMy face is squarely in your skirts,