By Winter's Light Read online

  BY WINTER’S LIGHT

  A Cynster Novel

  Stephanie Laurens

  This e-book is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only.

  This e-book may not be sold, shared, or given away.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  BY WINTER’S LIGHT

  Copyright © 2014 by Savdek Management Proprietary Limited

  ISBN: 978-0-9922789-6-0

  Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

  Cover artwork © 2014 Doreen Minuto

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  First electronic publication: October 2014

  Savdek Management Proprietary Limited, Melbourne, Australia.

  www.stephanielaurens.com

  Email: [email protected]

  The names Stephanie Laurens and the Cynsters are registered trademarks of Savdek Management Proprietary Ltd.

  BY WINTER’S LIGHT

  A Cynster Novel

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to romantic Scotland to usher in a new generation of Cynsters in an enchanting tale of mistletoe, magic, and love.

  It’s December 1837 and the young adults of the Cynster clan have succeeded in having the family Christmas celebration held at snow-bound Casphairn Manor, Richard and Catriona Cynster’s home. Led by Sebastian, Marquess of Earith, and by Lucilla, future Lady of the Vale, and her twin brother, Marcus, the upcoming generation has their own plans for the holiday season.

  Yet where Cynsters gather, love is never far behind—the festive occasion brings together Daniel Crosbie, tutor to Lucifer Cynster’s sons, and Claire Meadows, widow and governess to Gabriel Cynster’s daughter. Daniel and Claire have met before and the embers of an unexpected passion smolder between them, but once bitten, twice shy, Claire believes a second marriage is not in her stars. Daniel, however, is determined to press his suit. He’s seen the love the Cynsters share, and Claire is the lady with whom he dreams of sharing his life. Assisted by a bevy of Cynsters—innate matchmakers every one—Daniel strives to persuade Claire that trusting him with her hand and her heart is her right path to happiness.

  Meanwhile, out riding on Christmas Eve, the young adults of the Cynster clan respond to a plea for help. Summoned to a humble dwelling in ruggedly forested mountains, Lucilla is called on to help with the difficult birth of a child, while the others rise to the challenge of helping her. With a violent storm closing in and severely limited options, the next generation of Cynsters face their first collective test—can they save this mother and child? And themselves, too?

  Back at the manor, Claire is increasingly drawn to Daniel and despite her misgivings, against the backdrop of the ongoing festivities their relationship deepens. Yet she remains torn—until catastrophe strikes, and by winter’s light, she learns that love—true love—is worth any risk, any price.

  A tale brimming with all the magical delights of a Scottish festive season.

  A Cynster novel – a classic historical romance of 71,000 words.

  Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens

  “Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong.” Cathy Kelly

  “Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.” Historical Romance Reviews.

  “Stephanie Laurens plays into readers’ fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again.” Romantic Times Magazine

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  Richard and Catriona Cynster’s household at Casphairn Manor, December 1837

  Lord Richard Cynster, aka Scandal - married to Catriona, half-brother to Devil, Guardian of the Lady.

  Catriona, Lady Cynster, Lady of the Vale - married to Richard, mother of their five children

  Lucilla Cynster - eldest child of Richard and Catriona, twin to Marcus, future Lady of the Vale - 17years old

  Marcus Cynster - eldest son, twin to Lucilla, future Guardian of the Vale -17 years old

  Annabelle Cynster - second daughter of Richard and Catriona - 14 years old

  Calvin Cynster - second son of Richard and Catriona - 11 years old

  Carter Cynster - third son and youngest child of Richard and Catriona - 10 years old

  Oswald Raven - tutor to Richard Cynster’s sons, confirmed bachelor

  Melinda Spotswood, Miss - governess to Richard and Catriona’s daughters, confirmed spinster

  Algaria - Catriona’s ageing mentor

  McArdle - ancient retired butler of the manor

  Polby - current butler of the manor

  Broom, Mrs. - housekeeper at the manor

  Cook - just that

  Cynster families visiting for the holidays

  Lady Helena Cynster, Dowager Duchess of St. Ives, Her Grace - matriarch of the clan, Devil’s mother

  Lord Sylvester Cynster aka Devil, Duke of St. Ives, His Grace - married to Honoria

  Lady Honoria Cynster, Duchess of St. Ives, Her Grace - married to Devil, mother of their three children

  Lord Sebastian Cynster, Marquess of Earith - eldest son of Devil and Honoria - 18 years old

  Lord Michael Cynster - second son of Devil and Honoria - 17 years old

  Lady Louisa Cynster - only daughter, third and youngest child of Devil and Honoria - 14 years old

  Spencer Cynster, aka Vane - cousin of Devil, brother of Demon, married to Patience

  Patience Cynster - married to Vane, mother of their four children, sister to Gerrard Debbington

  Christopher Cynster - eldest son and eldest child of Vane and Patience - 17 years old

  Gregory Cynster - second son of Vane and Patience -16 years old

  Therese Cynster - third child and only daughter of Vane and Patience - 14 years old

  Martin Cynster - third son and youngest child of Vane and Patience) - 11years old

  Samuel Morris - tutor to Vane and Patience Cynster’s sons, confirmed bachelor

  Harry Cynster aka Demon - brother of Vane, cousin of Devil, married to Felicity

  Felicity Cynster aka Flick - married to Demon, mother of their four children

  Prudence Cynster - eldest daughter, eldest child of Demon and Flick - 16 years old

  Nicholas Cynster - eldest son of Demon and Flick - 15 years old

  Tobias Cynster aka Toby - second son of Demon and Flick - 11 years old

  Margaret Cynster - second daughter and youngest child of Demon and Flick - 10 years old

  Rupert Cynster aka Gabriel - brother of Lucifer, cousin of Devil, married to Alathea

  Alathea Cynster - married to Rupert, mother of their three children

  Justin Cynster - eldest son, eldest child of Rupert and Alathea - 16 years old

  Juliet Cynster - eldest daughter and second child of Rupert and Alathea - 14 years old

  Henry Cynster - second son and youngest child son of Rupert and Alathea - 13 years old

  Claire Meadows, Mrs. aka Medy, - widow, governess to Gabriel and Alathea’s daughter, has turned her back on marriage

  Alasdair Cynster aka Lucifer - brother of Gabriel, cousin of Devil, married to Phyllida

  Phyllida Cynster - married to Alasdair, mother of their five children

  Aidan Cynster - eldest son and eldest chil
d of Alasdair and Phyllida - 16 years old

  Evan Cynster - second son of Alasdair and Phyllida - 15 years old

  Jason Cynster - third son of Alasdair and Phyllida - 11 years old

  Lydia Cynster - eldest daughter and fourth child of Alasdair and Phyllida - 10 years old

  Amarantha Cynster - second daughter and youngest child of Alasdair and Phyllida - 8 years old

  Daniel Crosbie - tutor to Lucifer and Phyllida Cynster’s sons, intent on wooing and winning Claire Meadows

  Others in the locality

  Carrick, Thomas - nephew of the neighboring laird, Mad Manachan Carrick - nearly 20 years old

  Hesta - Thomas’s very large and impressive deer hound, gray, shaggy, with a lot of teeth

  Fields, Jeb - a crofter on Carrick lands, married to Lottie

  Fields, Lottie - crofter-wife of Jeb

  Fields, Lucy - new-born daughter and first child of Lottie and Jeb

  Artemis - deer hound puppy gifted to Lucilla by Thomas Carrick, Hesta’s daughter

  Apollo - deer hound puppy gifted to Marcus by Thomas Carrick, Hesta’s son

  Others mentioned but not present

  Manachan Carrick aka Mad Manachan - Laird of the Carricks, a neighboring clan

  Nigel Carrick - son and heir of Manachan, cousin of Thomas

  Lady Antonia Chillingworth - daughter of Gyles and Francesca, best friend to Lucilla and Prudence

  Lady Francesca Chillingworth - wife of Gyles and mother of Antonia, referred to by Cynster children as Aunt

  Lady Celia Cynster - married to Martin, mother of Rupert and Alasdair

  Lord Martin Cynster - married to Celia; father of Rupert and Alasdair

  Debbingtons, the - family of Gerrard, artist, brother of Patience Cynster, and his wife Jacqueline

  Randall Meadows - deceased, Claire’s late husband

  Lady Mott - Claire’s chaperone when she was presented to the ton

  Therese, Lady Osbaldestone - grande dame, close friend of Helena and well known to all Cynsters

  Titles and their meaning:

  Lady, the - ancient Scottish deity worshipped in the Vale of Casphairn

  Lady of the Vale, the - Catriona’s title as principal representative of the Lady in that region

  Guardian of the Lady - title held by husband or male protector of the Lady of the Vale, currently held by Richard

  Lady - honorific bestowed by locals on those they consider to be the Lady’s representative

  Lady-in-waiting - refers to Lucilla as her mother’s ultimate successor

  Lady-touched - denotes Her chosen who have heightened intuition and awareness of the land, and a degree of foresight

  CHAPTER 1

  December 23, 1837

  Casphairn Manor, the Vale of Casphairn, Scotland

  Daniel Crosbie felt as if all his Christmases had come at once. Letting his gaze travel the Great Hall of Casphairn Manor, filled to overflowing with six Cynster families and various associated household members, he allowed himself a moment to savor both his unexpected good fortune and his consequent hope.

  About him, the combined households were enjoying the hearty dinner provided to welcome them to the celebration planned for the next ten days—as Daniel understood it, a combination of Christmas, the more ancient Yuletide, and Hogmanay. Seated about the long refectory-like tables on benches rather than chairs, with eyes alight and smiles on their faces, the assembled throng was in ebullient mood. Conversation and laughter abounded; delight and expectation shone in most faces, illuminated by the warm glow of the candlelight cast from massive circular chandeliers depending from thick chains from the high-domed ceiling. The central room about which the manor was built, the Great Hall lived up to its name; the space within its thick walls of pale gray stone was large enough to accommodate the Cynster contingent, all told about sixty strong, as well as the families of the various retainers who worked in and around the manor, which functioned like a small village.

  With no family of his own still alive, Daniel had spent his last ten Christmases with the Cynster family for whom he acted as tutor—the family of Mr. Alasdair Cynster and his wife, Phyllida—but this was the first time in that decade that the Cynsters had come north for Christmas. The six Cynster families present—the six families closest to the dukedom of St. Ives, those of Devil, Duke of St. Ives, his brother Richard, and his cousins Vane, Harry, Rupert, and Alasdair—invariably came together at Christmastime. They were often joined by other connected families not present on this occasion; the long journey to the Vale, in the western Lowlands of Scotland, to the home of Richard Cynster and his wife Catriona in a season that had turned icy and cold with snow on the ground much earlier than expected had discouraged all but the most determined.

  Out of long-established habit, Daniel glanced at his charges—soon to be erstwhile charges—seated at the next table with their cousins and second cousins. Aidan, now sixteen years old, and Evan, fifteen, had passed out of Daniel’s immediate care when they’d gone up to Eton, yet Daniel still kept an eye on the pair when they were home—an action their parents appreciated and which the boys, at ease with him after all the years, bore with good grace. At that moment, both were talking animatedly with their male cousins in a fashion that instantly, at least in Daniel’s mind, raised the question of what the group was planning. He made a mental note to inquire later. Jason, the youngest son of the family and the last of Daniel’s true charges, was similarly occupied with the group of Cynster offspring nearer his age. Now eleven, later in the coming year, Jason, too, would start his formal schooling—a circumstance which had, for Daniel, raised the uncomfortable question of what he would do then.

  Once Jason left for Eton and there were no more boys in Alasdair Cynster’s household in Colyton, in Devon, for Daniel to tutor, what would he do for a living?

  The question had plagued him for several months, not least because if he was ever to have a chance at the sort of life he now knew he wanted, and, if at all possible, was determined to claim, he needed to have secure employment—a place, a position, with a steady salary or stipend.

  He’d been wracking his brains, trying to think of his options, of what might be possible, when Mr. Cynster—Alasdair—had called him into the library and laid before him a proposal that, in a nutshell, was the answer to all his prayers.

  On several occasions over the years, Daniel had assisted Alasdair with his interests in ancient and antique jewelry, with documenting finds and establishing provenances, and also with cataloguing and adding to the collection of rare books Alasdair had inherited from the previous owner of the manor. Alasdair, supported by Phyllida, had suggested that, once Jason had departed with his brothers for Eton, if Daniel was happy to remain in Colyton as a member of their household, they would be delighted to engage him as Alasdair’s personal secretary, an amanuensis to assist with Alasdair’s ever-expanding interests.

  The suggested stipend was generous, the conditions all Daniel could have hoped for. Not only would the new position suit him, it would solve all his difficulties.

  Most importantly, it cleared the way for him to offer for Claire Meadows’s hand.

  He glanced along the board to his right. Clad in a soft woolen gown in a muted shade of blue, Claire—Mrs. Meadows—was sitting on the opposite side of the table, two places down. She was the governess in Rupert Cynster’s household; as Rupert and Alasdair were brothers, Claire and Daniel were often thrown together when the families gathered. It was customary in such circumstances that the attending tutors and governesses banded together, sharing responsibilities and each other’s company, as they were at present. The manor’s governess, Miss Melinda Spotswood, a comfortable matronly sort with a backbone of forged iron, was chatting to Claire. On Melinda’s other side, opposite Daniel, sat Oswald Raven, tutor at the manor; a few years older than Daniel, Raven projected a debonair façade, but he was hardworking and devoted to his charges. Raven was chatting to Mr. Samuel Morris, who was seated alongside Daniel and hail
ed from Vane Cynster’s household in Kent; the oldest of the group, Morris was slightly rotund and had an unfailingly genial air, yet he was a sound scholar and very capable of exerting a firm hand on his charges’ reins.

  All five had met and shared duties on several occasions before; the rapport between them was comfortable and relaxed. Over the coming days, they would, between them, keep an eye on the combined flock of Cynster children—the younger ones, at least. The oldest group, the seventeen-year-olds led by eighteen-year-old Sebastian Cynster, Marquess of Earith and future head of the house, could be relied on to take care of themselves, along with the large group of sixteen- and fifteen-year-old males. But there were six boys thirteen years and under, and seven girls ranging from eight to fourteen years old, and over them the tutors and governesses would need to exert control sufficient to ensure they remained suitably occupied.

  There was no telling what the engaging devils would get up to if left unsupervised.

  Being governess or tutor to Cynster children was never dull or boring.

  Daniel had managed to keep his gaze from Claire for all of ten minutes. Despite the color and vibrancy, the noise and distraction—despite the many handsome and outright stunningly beautiful faces around about—hers was the shining star in his firmament; regardless of where they were, regardless of competing sights and sounds, she effortlessly drew his gaze and transfixed his attention.

  She’d done so from the moment he’d first seen her at one of the family’s Summer Celebrations in Cambridgeshire several years ago. They’d subsequently met on and off at various family functions, at weddings in London, at major family birthdays, and at seasonal celebrations like the current one.