Free The Duke's Christmas Greetings (Regency Christmas Summons Book 3) by Ava Stone, Rose Gordon, Lily George

inn with Doctor Campion?” Grace looked horrified.
    “Well, the innkeeper’s grandson broke his leg, and I talked to the little boy while Matt fixed his leg, and…”
    “Mama found you at an inn with the man?” Grace shook her head. “You’re lucky you’re both alive.”
    Well, what did an inn have to…? And then the gravity of the situation hit Patience like a ton of bricks. “Heavens, Grace! If we were going to do that why would we leave his perfectly nice cottage to go somewhere everyone knows him?”
    “I probably wouldn’t mention that to Mama,” her most serious sister replied. “You’re already in enough trouble.”
    “We went to help a poor little boy,” Patience stressed.
    “And landed yourself in more trouble than Hope was in all of last year.”
    Hope scowled in response. “I do hope you never make an error in judgment, Grace, as it will be impossible for me not to throw it in your face at every single opportunity.”
    “Oh, stop, will you?” Patience begged. After all, there was no reason to rehash Hope’s past antics. Besides…“Aren’t you the least bit curious why Quent is in the area?”
    “Actually, yes,” Grace said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think something was going on.”
    Perhaps something was, not that Patience cared one way or the other. But if her brother could help her out of the awful predicament she was in, she’d be a fool not to beg him to help.

    “Meow.”
    Matt blinked one eye open, the eye that wasn’t still swollen shut after his encounter with Quentin Post.
    What an awful day yesterday had been…Well, only the second half of it had been awful. The first half had been the best day he may have ever spent. But that last half…? It was made even worse because the first half had been so perfect.
    After coming to in the Gibson carriage on his way back to Allwynds, Matt tried to piece together the last things he remembered, which were Lady Bradenham ripping Patience from his grasp and forcing her into the lady’s carriage and then Patience’s brother crashing his fist into Matt’s face. Loving Patience Post was not for the faint of heart.
    Then he’d ridden straight for Danby Castle as fast as he could, only to have Dawson tell him that Lady Patience wasn’t receiving callers and that he wasn’t currently welcome on the ducal grounds.
    And he’d ended his day dining alone, with only Ashes for company and feeling about as miserable as he could ever remember. Today wasn’t looking any better, not when the first face he saw was that of a little grey kitten peering down into his one good eye.
    “Meow.”
    “Meow yourself,” he grumbled.
    The cat dropped onto Matt’s face and started to purr.
    Oh, for the love of God. “Go on.” He sat up, spitting cat hair from his mouth.
    Ashes looked indignant, hopped off the bed, and left Matt to himself, which was exactly what he wanted, except…Well, he wanted to be left to himself, but he wanted Patience there with him. But how was he to manage that? He didn’t for one moment think she wasn’t receiving callers. She just wasn’t allowed to see him . And if he wasn’t welcome at Castle Danby and she wasn’t allowed off the premises, how was he ever going to see her again?
    There had to be something he could do. Something, anything.
    He made his way to his wash stand and stared at the awful looking reflection staring back at him in the mirror. That purple, swollen eye made him look like the worst sort of brigand. He washed his face, careful of his eye, and then went about his morning ablutions, racking his brain for some idea about how to go on.
    As soon as Matt headed downstairs to break his fast, Mrs. Henderson met him in the foyer.
    “A gentleman is in the parlor for you,” she whispered, looking fairly concerned.
    Who the devil was at Allwynds at this hour? “Which gentleman?”
    Mrs. Henderson shook her head. “He wouldn’t say, Doctor, and he insisted on staying even though I told him you