A Visit from Sir Nicholas
Chapter One
Christmas Past
December 1843
Affectionately Yours, Lizzie.
Lady Elizabeth Effington stared at the
words she'd just written and grimaced. No. Affectionately
was entirely too personal, and Lizzie
too informal. He'd never called her Lizzie and she
doubted he'd start now. Indeed, with one signifi-
cant exception, he'd never been anything other
than completely proper with her. It was most annoying.
She crossed out the line just as she had
the previous three attempts.
"That was truly wonderful." Behind her, her
younger sister, Juliana, sighed with heartfelt satisfaction.
"I knew you would like it," Lizzie said absently
and stared at the sheet of white velum lying on the
desk in front of her in the sitting room she shared
with Jules.
"It was so ... so ..." Jules thought for a moment.
"Wonderful."
"Quite," Lizzie murmured and wrote With
Sincere Best Wishes, Lady Elizabeth Effington.
"No, more than wonderful. I daresay it's the
best story about Christmas -- no -- the best story
about anything I have ever read."
That wasn't right either. With Sincere Best
Wishes had an obligatory ring, as if one were
writin ... read full excerpt from: A Visit from Sir Nicholas ebook