Redeeming the Deception of Grace

Redeeming the Deception of Grace

by Kristin Vayden

Published by Astraea Press

www.astraeapress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead,
are
purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

REDEEMING THE DECEPTION OF GRACE

Copyright © 2012
KRISTIN VAYDEN

ISBN
978-1-62135-098-9

Cover Art Designed b
y
For the Muse Designs

For my husband, who wins my heart each day by teasing me, joking with me and loving me with each breath. I love you more.

Prologue

The magic of Christmas captivated
Grace
Hashiver each year
.
Yet as each year passed
,
she gave into the call of sleep and failed to wake in time to see Father Christmas
.
Tonight she was not making that same mistake
.
S
he
softly tiptoed
down the
hardwood
stairs without making a sound. This year she was a year older, a year wiser
—
she was eight
.
Her lace nightgown whispered against the wooden floor as she made it down the stairs and through the hall undetected.

The light was dim
but brighter than usual
from
the
extra
candles her father always requested
to
s
t
ay lit all night on Christmas Eve
.
She
took
a deep breath
and exhaled
before
tiptoeing
to the parlor where the Christmas tree beckoned
.
After a quick glance behind her, she walked
in
to the room, richly scented from the cedar boughs placed over the
hearth
.
The tree had no presents
,
so
she breathed a sigh of reli
ef.
She hadn
'
t missed the magic
.
The fire crackled as she sat
in the chair facing the tree
and
strugg
led
to stay awake as time
ticked
forward
.

Something poked at
Grace
.
The incessant prodding
pull
ed
her
from a blissful dream
.
A moment later
she had the brief sensation of weightlessness until the floor br
o
k
e
her fall
.

"
What…
"
She began to pull her foggy mind into gear but paused,
hearing
a snicker
.
Ewan
.

"
What
'
re
you doin
'
on the floor
,
Gracie?
"

"
I wasn
'
t on the floor
'
til
you
poked me!
"
Grace
whispered back in a voice that betrayed her intense fury.

"
Were too. I saw you. Curled up like your mum
'
s poodle.
"

"
If anyone looks like a poodle
,
it
'
s you
,
Ewan
!
"
s
he
said
as she
fumbled
trying to pick herself up off the cold floor.

"
I do not
.
B
esides, boys can have curls just as easily as girls
,
"
h
e
said
with all the confidence his eleven years afforded him
.

"
What are
you
doing here anyway?
"
Grace
asked
,
standing up and pushing her braids over her shoulder
.
"
You
'
ve no manners, wandering around in the middle of the night
.
"
S
he
shook
a finger at him.

"
Oh, and I guess you
'
re better?
You
'
re
here too
,
ya know.
"
He crossed his arms and waited for her response in his usual arrogant fashion
, tapping his toe
.

"
Yes, but
I live
here
.
Y
ou. Do. Not
,
"
s
he enunciated, crossing her arms as well as she leaned forward
,
squinting.

"
True, but that means I
'
m your guest
.
Y
ou
'
ve gotta serve
me.
"
Ewan
'
s chin tilted upward
as he smiled at his own brilliance.

Grace
wide
ned her eyes
.
"
Serve you? I
'
m not your maid
.
I doubt there
'
s a maid that would willingly serve yo
u
—
y
ou
…
arrogant worm
.
"
Her anger increased as Ewan refused to be properly insulted
—
worse
,
he laughed at her efforts.

"
Yep, that
'
s the rules
;
you
'
ve gotta serve me. I
'
m your guest, so, I
'
d like you to move over so I can have this seat by the tree.
"
He moved to sit down.

"
No
!
"
Grace
shouted as she lunged for the chair.

He lunged at the same time, pushing her away
.
Grace
tried to move him, but he was too strong, too big
.
The fury built inside
Grace
,
causing her to look
for a weapon or something to help her remove the miserable boy from the chair
.
S
he noticed her father
'
s brandy.
She rushed
over to the side table
,
grabbed the decanter
,
and poured it on Ewan
.
Though not enough to get the chair wet, it was enough to soak his
night
shirt. Ewan froze,
giving Grace a glare that chilled
her
insides.

"
What is going on here!
"
c
ame a voice that made both
Grace
and Ewan gasp.

Ewan
'
s eyes widen
ed.
Grace
turned slowly
and
saw her father
'
s bewildered expression
.
H
e took in the sight of
Grace
still holding his now empty brandy decanter
,
and Ewan soaked with
its
contents.

"
He
—
he
—
he…
"
Grace
tried to think fast
,
but all she could think about was how she simply just wanted Ewan gone
.
He had been a thorn in her side all week, teasing, pulling her hair, calling her awful names
—
and as of yet
,
she hadn
'
t once bested him
.
So,
Grace
lied.
"
Papa, I told Ewan you wouldn
'
t approve of him drinking your brandy
,
but well, he insisted and when I tried to take it away
…
"

She began to cry out of fear, knowing if she were caught in her lie
,
she
'
d be punished severely.

"
Ewan!
"
Grace
'
s father scolded.

"
Sir, I never
—
I didn
'
t
—
S
he
—
"
Ewan sputtered as he stood pointing at
Grace
, trying to explain the truth.

"
Ewan, you march to your room and change.
"

Ewan began to protest again
,
but
Grace
'
s father held up his hand to silence his efforts.
"
No
. Not another word. We
'
ll speak more about this in the morning
.
Your parents will surely have something to say about sneaking around a
host
'
s
home and pilfering brandy
.
"

Grace
'
s father crossed his arms as he waited for Ewan to obey.

Ewan stood
up
and shot daggers
at
Grace
before marching out of the room, leaving the smell of brandy in his wake
.

"
Sweetling, why don
'
t you put down the decanter and head to bed
?
Why were you up
,
anyway?
"
h
er father asked gently as he took the decanter from her trembling hand.

"
I
…
I wanted to see Father Christmas
,
"
Grace
replied, still terrified he
'
d see through her falsehood and punish her.

"
Ahh, I see
.
"
Winding his arms around her small frame he carried her off to bed.

"
We
'
ll see the magic in the morning
,
"
h
e replied as he tucked her in, kissing the end of her nose.

"
Al
l
right
,
Papa.
"
She watched him as he left, but couldn
'
t sleep
.
Oh, Ewan was going to be so angry with her
!
Fear crept in her heart as she wondered how he
'
d retaliate
.
For if there was one thing she knew about Ewan, the future Duke of Greys, it was that he would get even someday.