The Ambroses took the sleigh to church again on Sunday, making for a very crowded ride. Miles and Anne both sat in Holly's lap, huddled close under the fur blankets. Jeremiah, Octavius and Adolphus sat on the floor of the sleigh to make room while Timothy and Horatio rode up front with the driver.

Anytime they hit a bump in the road, Miles's head bounced into Holly's chin, sending a sharp vibration through her skull. He was sulking after he hadn't been allowed to ride up front with his uncle and father up top. In his perpetual game of pretend he then took to growling at the other carriages they passed.

Holly was glad to pass him off to Timothy once they reached the chapel. She headed in at her Father's side trying her best not to look too eager as she scanned the crowd for familiar faces. The bells rang out above, signaling the start of service, but Holly couldn't see Victor in attendance.

Lady Colston found them almost as soon as they entered. "Colonel Ambrose. Mrs. Ambrose. You must join us in our pew," she said with a cloying smile.

Mrs. Ambrose beamed as she let Holly lead their family to the Colston's box at the front of the church. She was too enamored with the looks they got from the other parishioners as they passed to see Lady Colston sour at the sight of all the unruly children that climbed into her private box. The slight change in Lady Colston's demeanor didn't escape Holly, but the Lady smoothed her features when she noticed Holly's gaze.

"Miss Ambrose," Archibald Colston said with a smile, making room for Holly to sit beside him.

"Good morning, Mr. Colston," Holly replied, mimicking his rigid posture as she waited for the service to start.

The nave was nearly full with visiting families and familiar faces returning for Christmas. They sang several Christmas hymns before David Bishop stepped to the pulpit. Holly's stomach took a peculiar turn as David glanced her way, their eyes meeting. He smiled, locking his gaze with Holly's just long enough to let her know the smile was for her.

Today Mr. Bishop reminded his parish once more to think of the lowest of God's people during the holiday season, urging them to use what talents they had to help all the people Christ came to save. Holly's mind wandered back to the harried Mrs. Botting and what more she could do to help the orphans of Hillbury.

After the service, Mr. Bishop greeted his flock at the door to the little country chapel, but most hurried past with smiles and quick well wishes as the bustle of the holiday truly set in.

David looked a little wary to see the Colston's hanging right behind Holly and her parents. "Colonel Ambrose," David greeted, shaking Colonel Ambrose's hand with a warm grin.

"Miss Ambrose." He bowed to Holly.

"Mr. Bishop," Holly began. "If there is anything I can be of service to, I am more than willing to donate my time where it is needed."

"You know," David replied, "I could use an extra brain. I'm trying to think of ways to raise funds for a new roof for the orphanage. I know Mrs. Botting's cause is close to your heart as well."

"Of course!" Holly exclaimed. "I would love to help."

"Would you like to have tea today?" he asked. He waited for her answer almost nervously.

"Oh why—" Holly began to say, but Lady Colston interrupted her with a gentle hand on her arm.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but Archibald and I were hoping you would come to tea with us this afternoon. He told me how much you enjoyed the solarium and it's quite new to us — we could use your opinions on which are the best plants to grow," Lady Colston offered, her voice honied.

"Oh," Holly replied, her mouth open slightly in surprise. Her eyes darted between David, whose pale face had gone red and now turned downward, and Lady Colston with Archibald smiling eagerly over her shoulder, unsure how to proceed in such a situation. "I um—"

"—Holly. Why don't you take tea and lunch with the parson this afternoon." Colonel Ambrose jumped in, wrapping a reassuring arm around his daughter's waist. "Then at one, I'll send a carriage to take you to the Colstons' for tea. Does that sound satisfactory?" he asked, giving Lady Colston a genteel smile.

"Of course," Lady Colston replied, but not without looking slightly unnerved by the puckering of her severe mouth.

"Thank you." Holly placed a kiss on her father's cheek. She saw off her family and the Colston's before returning to David's side at the church doors. In the time between, he had removed his robes and now stood in a brown tweed suit.

"The manse is right this way," he said, offering Holly his arm.

For a brief moment, Holly wondered if being alone with David would be considered improper, but even Lady Colston hadn't seemed to think anything of it. If she had, she hadn't shown it.

Holly put impropriety out of mind, and they followed a stone path through the church gardens until David stopped at a small, tudor style house flanked by Yew trees laden with snow Holly recognised as the parsonage. She had admired the garden he'd put in that spring, but the front was all buried in snow now.

David fumbled to put the key in the lock, but quickly recovered and beckoned Holly inside. The house was small and warm. From the entry hall, Holly could see into the parlor on her right. It was well decorated for being a bachelor's home. Smart furniture in dark colors and of simple design filled the room, and to her delight a bookshelf full of books took up an entire wall. Embers smouldered in the fireplace, lighting all this a warm glow.

"Your home is lovely," Holly remarked as David escorted her to a seat in the parlor.

"I don't get visitors much. I hadn't really planned on asking you to tea to be honest — spur of the moment decision, I guess." He smiled and took a seat across from Holly.

"Do you keep a staff?" she asked. It felt like a silly question but she was suddenly caught by the wonder of how she would take care of a house on her own.

"I have a man who is a valet and cook in one. He helps me with all manner of things and I provide him with a room. He's visiting his family in Coddlestock for the holiday though," David replied graciously.

"I take it you'll be preparing luncheon then?" Holly asked, eyeing him playfully.

He stood abruptly, a lopsided grin on his cheeks. "Oh yes, I guess I'd better get started if we're to have time to talk before your carriage comes."

Holly groaned. "I wish I would have known or I would have refused."

"You tease," David accused with a chuckle. "You've never had my cooking. Anyways, you're going to help me," he said, offering Holly a hand up.

She took it with a laugh and followed David through a door in the parlor. They headed down a plain hallway that led to a kitchen at the back of the manse. Holly noted the unfamiliar gas stove and oven warily. "I'm not sure how much help I can be," she said, but David didn't seem to care.

He grabbed an apron off a hook on the wall and guided it over her head, careful not to upset the intricate pinnings of hair atop her head. David then reached around her waist to tie the apron strings, his arms forming a near embrace that made Holly's cheeks flush with warmth. "Allow me," he said, his lips dangerously close to her ear. Holly felt the apron tighten on her waist.

David stepped back. "Wouldn't want to ruin that beautiful red dress of yours."

"Indeed not," Holly said breathlessly.

For a moment a look of longing passed over David's face. If Holly had been looking anywhere but David's eyes, she would have missed it.

David clasped his hands together. "Can you boil eggs?" he asked, turning on the gas and lighting a match to start the stove.

Holly laughed, "not particularly well."

"Then you will slice cheese for ham sandwiches. Just take care not to cut yourself," he said rummaging through drawers for a knife and cutting board.

Holly gave him a glare, pushing her brows together. "I can slice cheese without injuring myself, thank-you-very-much. Give me a little credit," she said as David placed a block of cheese and knife on the table in the center of the kitchen.

He grinned but kept his eyes on the pot of water he had set over the flame.

"I take it you are a very self sufficient man," Holly said, slowly pushing the knife through the hard cheese.

"I can be," David replied, pulling bread from a box in the pantry, which he cut while water boiled.

Lunch took only a short while to prepare. Holly had somehow managed to avoid cutting herself even though her mind couldn't seem to think of anything else but David's arms wrapped around her. They'd been close enough that the smallest tilt of a head might have resulted in a kiss. In her mind, it was hand hands tight on her waist and not the strings of the apron.

It wasn't until they carried trays laden with food back to the parlor, that she was able to reign in her imagination. "I can't remember the last time I prepared a meal for myself," she admitted, taking a seat at the tea table near the fireplace. She looked to David to sense his reaction, but he still only smiled at her. "You are quite the curiosity, Mr. Bishop," she added after a brief pause.

"How do you mean?"

Holly narrowed her eyes. "You have impeccable manners and yet... you cook for yourself. I don't believe I've ever met a gentleman capable of hard-boiling eggs."

David laughed as he poured tea for Holly and handed her a plate of finger sandwiches. "I grew up in a home not very different from yours. But I had an older brother who my father's fortune went to, so I knew I would have to provide for myself — not that I minded making my own path."

"And you chose to join the clergy?" Holly asked, between bites of sandwich.

"I lived a very small life for many years and I knew I wanted to see the world."

Holly's insides jumped with exhilaration to find David's interests so similar to hers. "And have you seen much of it yet?"

"I went to the East Indies for a brief time," he replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "The Philippines, to be more exact."

Holly's eyes shot open. "I've always wanted to go there. The zoological diversity of the South Pacific is astounding. They discover more new species there than in any other part of the world. What was it like?"

David laughed and Holly realized she had practically shouted at him in her excitement. "I loved my time there," he said. "My mentor at the time took me after I graduated University. Our work focused mainly on creating churches while preserving and documenting cultures that might have otherwise been destroyed by Spanish Colonialism. I did run into a little wildlife here and there," he said obligingly.

With a grin Holly found suspicious, he rose from his seat and crossed to one of the bookcases that flanked the front-facing window. David pulled out a leather folio of mismatched parchment sizes, held together with wrappings of leather cord.

He untied the fastening and placed the folio into Holly's hands. "I sketched a fair few things whenever I could. You might be able to identify the species if I captured the likeness."

Holly opened to the first drawing. A hawk-like bird that glared up at her from the page. "This is wonderful," she breathed, holding the sketch closer to see each marking David had carefully penciled in. "I can tell it's a Kestrel but I've never seen one so fluffy," she remarked.

"He was my favorite. A splendid hunter — he kept the vermin out of my vegetable garden," David said, moving to look over Holly's shoulder as she flipped through the book.

"These are all quite splendid, Mr. Bishop," Holly remarked. "I try my best, but my sketches don't come close to this. I find plants much easier."

"And they don't fly off on you when you are only halfway finished," David laughed.

Holly laughed too. "Of course," she giggled. "Would you go back?"

David shrugged and took back the folio of drawings. "It's a wonderful region of the world, but I have so many other places I'd like to go."

Holly sighed. "Never in the same place twice. That sounds nice." For a moment she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort; she tried to memorize the feeling. She didn't quite understand what was developing between David and herself, but she wanted more of it.

After enough talk of travels and lifelong desires, they turned their attentions to the more pressing needs of Hillbury: Mrs. Botting's new roof. They talked for what felt like only minutes to Holly, before a knock at the door and the sound of hooves signaled the arrival of Holly's carriage.

"I suppose you must away," David said as he helped her into her fur lined cape.

"I suppose," she replied reluctantly. The dejected look on David's face sent Holly's stomach into knots. She tried to think of some way to encourage him, but she didn't know in which regard. Instead she bid him a friendly goodbye and accepted a kiss on the hand. She could feel his eyes on her as she ascended into her carriage.

As the carriage lurched forward, she turned to watch David from the rear window and she recognized of aching look on his face — of deep sadness and longing mixed into one. Perhaps she had been all wrong about Mr. Bishop.

When the carriage stopped at Hanscomb Court, Holly was still thinking about the events of that morning. She jumped when the footman had opened the carriage door, not even realizing they had stopped moving. Her heart still sputtered as if she'd had a fright, but all she could think of was her goodbye to David.

She descended and found Lady Colston and her son waiting at the front door. Archibald gave her a warm smile, but the Lady had an imperious look on her time-weathered features. Perhaps she hadn't taken as well to Holly's luncheon with the parson as she'd thought.

"Hello Lady Colston, Mr. Colston," Holly said, curtsying in the snowy drive.

The matron greeted Holly with a warm "hello" and a smile that didn't quite reach her eys, then beckoned her into the massive grand foyer. A footman helped her remove her cape and Holly caught Lady Colston's glare again.

"Are you wearing an apron, Miss Ambrose?" she asked with a look down her nose.

"Oh," Holly laughed but stopped as she saw the concern in Archibald's face. She fumbled with the strings and an excuse for why she had it on. "I uh — I was helping Mr. Bishop to decorate a christmas card for his mother. I didn't want to get paint on my dress."

"Well," she said eyeing the white cloth like a stray dog who'd had the misfortune to wander into her garden party. "I suppose that's a wise precaution. The footman can take that for you."

"Thank you," Holly replied, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

They hurried into the parlor where Olivia Colston was waiting patiently to begin serving tea. Holly remembered this parlor well from their dinner party, even in the day it didn't feel any more welcoming. Even the furniture was stiff.

Holly readily accepted a warm cup of tea after the long, cold ride over. She wondered how soon she could ask to see their solarium without seeming impertinent or rude, but seeing David's sketches had made her want to do some of her own.

She smiled politely at Archibald who gave her a grin from behind his own teacup. For some reason Holly thought he seemed too eager to keep her attention. Even after tea, when he took her to the solarium, he did nothing but compliment her knowledge of gardening. When Holly sat down to sketch an heirloom orchid hybrid that belonged to his family, he watched her with rapture.

"I apologize. I'm not being very interesting," Holly said as she leaned over her sketch pad.

"I find everything you do interesting," Archibald replied sweetly.

Holly wondered how sincere such a comment could be. She had never met anyone who really enjoyed watching someone else sketch; for her, it was a slow, arduous process. A part of her enjoyed the cloying attentions of a handsome gentleman, but something about Archibald seemed too good to be true.

Thank you for reading! What do you guys think of Archibald Colston? Do you think his intentions can be trusted? You'll find out in the next chapter! If you loved this chapter, please vote, comment so others can discover it too!