The Christmas of a Countess

With The Year of No Summer about to come to a close, Milton Grandby, Earl of Torrington, decides it's time he introduce his bride of over a year to his ancestral hunting lodge and the seat of his earldom in Northumbria. He needs an heir and figures time away from London's distractions can only help. Besides, with all the snow, they can go on sleigh rides! Despite her reservations about the colder-than-usual weather, Adele agrees to the trip. Christmas in a hunting lodge, with its warm fires, cozy library, and remote location near Hexham and Hadrian's Wall, might just be the perfect setting to convince her husband he needs to get a child on her. Besides, Torrington Park is staffed with servants. Her lady's maid, rather unhappy these days, could do with a change of scenery. And the earl's valet will make the trip, too. But what happens when the coach carrying their servants and trunks doesn't make it to Torrington Park? The earl is more than happy to act as a lady's maid for Adele. Meanwhile, the lady's maid may just find her chilly disposition thawing when she's forced to spend a few more nights in the company of a rather warm valet at a coaching inn. Is he only out for a quick tumble? Or is there more to his sudden attentions? Meanwhile, life at the lodge tries a passionate couple's patience as they discover a bit too much about each others' past. And then there's the misunderstanding that has forced a budding romance into deep freeze. Will their first holiday away from London prove their undoing? Or will the spirit of the season and the gift of giving allow love to prevail? The season is the reason in The Christmas of a Countess.