More children arrived, and Tertius Dane MacManus MacTavish Dundee, eleventh Duke of Dunfallon, ducked down the steps and busied himself hauling up eight buckets of coal—as much as the coal bins would hold. He then swept the library from top to bottom under Caspar’s careful supervision.

Caspar abandoned him for the dusting portion of the program—thank the celestial intercessors—because the time had come for Miss Armstrong to read The Tale of the Icy Bridge. A dozen ill-clothed and malodorous urchins listened raptly to her rendering of the story, as did the fat white cat dozing on her lap.

As did one reluctantly fascinated duke.

Enjoy Yuletide Gems courtesy of your local library, or purchase your own ebook version from the web store!