THE WIND HOWLED OUTSIDE, tree branches tapped against the walls of his house, but as Frederick paced the portico of the manor house, he only had one thought: Lady Theodosia was magnificent.

He’d imagined condescension when he’d forgotten yet another important person, and irritation when he hadn’t been sufficiently impressed by some piece of gossip.

Lady Theodosia had never asked him for gossip.

He’d spent the entire evening with her, and she’d never spoken about her friend the countess or happening upon a princess. She’d not laughed at anyone’s failure to follow the careful etiquette of the ton, published in leather bound books with the titles embossed in gold or distributed in pamphlets such as Matchmaking for Wallflowers.

No.

Lady Theodosia was different.

He’d been foolish to suggest her desire to run a household was uninteresting. If she wanted to marry, then he should not laugh at those desires.

She was driven to achieve something useful.

Perhaps it was a dream that others also shared but that did not make it less important.

For the people in her life, her dream would help them more than any most advanced chemical formula he might develop in his laboratory. He had sufficiently eccentric research interests for both of them.

Finally the door opened, and she appeared.

And he knew.

He knew he was going to marry her.

He knew he was going to share the rest of his life with her.

He might not know everything about her yet, but he didn’t need to do so.

It wasn’t the first time that Frederick had known something quickly.

He’d always known he was more interested in chemistry than medicine. He’d never once contemplated a lifelong obsession with composing poems or painting watercolors.

He was tempted to tell her right then and there, but she didn’t need to think him mad.

Not when most of London’s high society seemed to think the same thing, merely for his interest in the formation of useful materials.

“Your Grace.” She gave him a smile. It was almost nervous, unpracticed, unsuave. It shouldn’t have made his heartbeat quicken. Shouldn’t such physical reactions be reserved for women who’d actually sought to seduce him?

But Lady Theodosia’s sweetness was enough.

His heart still squeezed.

It didn’t matter in the least that she wore a long dark cloak that would have to be termed shapeless. It didn’t matter that most of her hair, those delightfully glossy locks he’d longed to touch once he’d seen them, were tucked underneath her hat. The only thing that mattered was that she was here, beside him.

It seemed absurd he’d been so resistant to her arrival, and he was thankful whatever had prevented her mother from attending the house party had not prohibited her.

“Let me show you the trees,” he said, aware that he’d stared at her for several moments too long. “They’re not far away.”

“How fortuitous of your gardener,” she said.

He grinned. “I think he is fond of the trees for their habit of not shedding their leaves. Raking is only so interesting.”

“Then he is wise,” she said.

“Or he harbors a secret obsession for Christmas,” Frederick mused.

“It is the loveliest holiday,” Celia said.

“Do you think so?” Frederick asked.

“Naturally.”

“For Easter is warmer. And the fifth of November is more exciting—”

“I prefer to find fire in a hearth,” she said.

He grinned. “My gardener is not the only wise person on this property.”

Her smile faltered for some reason, and he decided to change the topic. “Is this your first time in Yorkshire?”

“Oh, yes.” She frowned. “Except for last year. I crossed through Yorkshire on my way to London from Scotland.”

“Then the county could not have been that memorable.”

“The coach’s curtains must have been closed.”

The statement was peculiar. It took days to cross through Yorkshire. It was hardly something that could be traversed without notice.

“Are those the trees?” she asked quickly, and he nodded, distracted by her enthusiasm.

They wandered toward the row of pine trees. Their thick scent filled the air, and their dark green color appeared more vibrant against the crisp white snow.

“Do you have a favorite one?” he asked.

She smiled. “I assume that when Duchess of Belmonte mentioned a width, she desired a thick one?”

“And branches with full needles, and a height that is decent though which would not pose too much of a problem for decorating.”

“You do not desire to risk anyone’s ankles?”

“Not in the pursuit of hanging up ornaments.”

“Then I suppose we must be scientific about it,” Lady Theodosia said.

Her eyes sparkled with humor, and for the first time he realized that she was clutching something in her hand.

“Is that—”

She opened her palm.

“Measuring tape,” he said. “Where did you find it?”

She smirked. “A woman never travels without it.”

He took the thick linen fabric in his hand. Inches were carefully marked onto the fabric.

“Now,” Lady Theodosia said. “There are twenty trees. Let’s see which ones best meet the specifications. We would not want the Duchess of Belmonte to be distressed that we had picked the wrong one.”

“That would be impossible,” Frederick said.

“Which criteria should we begin with,” she asked.

“Width,” Frederick said. “Not of the trunk, but of the—”

“Widest point of the branches,” Lady Theodosia finished for him. “That is an excellent idea. When we select the top trees, we can eliminate the ones that do not meet our height and fullness criteria.”

“Splendid,” Frederick said.

They might be making the process of choosing a tree more complicated than it needed to be. In fact he was fairly certain Lady Theodosia had such good taste she could have easily selected a fine one. None of the trees, truly, were obviously poor selections.

But choosing a tree could not possibly be more delightful.

Measurements might bore other people, but never Frederick.

One didn’t become a scientist without a high regard for numbers.

Facts were the dearest things in the world, even when they were hard to discover. Particularly when they were difficult to discover.

He was still holding the measuring tape, and he gave Lady Theodosia one end. “Walk to the farthest corner of the tree.”

She nodded, her eyes gleaming, and stepped back.