Chapter 1

Pansy Potter lifted her long skirts as she crossed the courtyard on her way to the stables. Although weak sunrays peeked through the clouds, a sharp frost overnight had left patches of ice on the ground and the housemaid deplored the feel of chilly, wet wool flapping around her ankles.

She'd been looking forward to this moment all morning. Samuel would be waiting for her, leaning against one of the stalls that housed the horses, a big grin on his face as he watched her walk toward him. She could just see him in her mind's eye, and the anticipation of their meeting quickened her step.

This was her favorite time of the year. This was when the Pennyfoot Country Club looked its best, with the glowing Christmas trees in the lobby and the library, bright garlands of red and green ribbons adorning the stairs and enormous wreaths of holly and mistletoe clinging to the walls.

From the boudoirs on the top floor to the narrow hallways below stairs, the fragrance of sweet spices from the kitchen and fresh pine from the woods filled the air. The smell of Christmas. It was everywhere, and how she loved it.

When the 20th century had begun just a few years ago, she'd worried that all the drastic changes everyone was talking about would mean Christmas as she'd known it would never be the same. She'd worried for nothing. Christmas at the Pennyfoot was still as warm and exciting as it had ever been.

Bathed in contentment and an underlying excitement, she skipped across the hard ground. This could be the year that Samuel finally asked her to marry him. She had waited so long. This had to be the year.

She was almost at the stables when she heard a shout from across the lawns. Startled, she turned to face the wiry man racing toward her. She could tell long before Samuel reached her that something was wrong. For one thing, he wasn't wearing his cap. Madam was very strict on that.

Samuel was not only the stable manager, he was Madam's personal carriage driver and now that the guests sometimes brought a motor car with them, Samuel was responsible for taking care of them, too. Madam expected him to wear his uniform at all times while he was on duty, and that included his cap.

Not only that, Samuel never ran anywhere unless it was an emergency. She didn't even know he could run that fast. Heart pumping, she waited for him to reach her.

When he did, he was panting so hard he could hardly get words out of his mouth. "Tess," he said, between huge gasps. "She's gone."

Pansy stared at him, the full horror of what he was saying penetrating down to her bones. Tess was Samuel's dog, rescued as a stray and the love of his life. Sometimes Pansy felt that Samuel loved that dog far more than he loved her. "Whatcha mean she's gone?"

Samuel shook his head, as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. "I took h–her for a walk...this morning...and sh–she chased off...after a squirrel." He paused and held his hand over his chest, which heaved so much his fingers rose and fell with alarming speed.

Pansy struggled to make sense of his distress. "She'll come back. You know she always does."

"Yeah. She comes back for her breakfast. I always save her a sausage or bacon. I've done that ever since I found her. She always comes back for that. She's never missed." He turned his head, staring wildly in every direction across the lawns. "Something's happened to her. I know it."

Worried again now, Pansy grasped his arm. "I'll help you look for her. She can't have gone far."

Samuel shook his head. "I've looked everywhere. I can't take any more time right now. I haven't fed the horses or groomed them yet. They'll be asking for carriages soon and I don't have any ready."

Pansy hesitated. She was giving up her midday break to see Samuel. She had maybe ten minutes left before she had to be back in the kitchen. She so wanted to spend those precious minutes with the man she loved with all her heart. Looking into his eyes, though, she could see the pain and fear in them.

Gulping back her disappointment, she said firmly, "I'll go and look for her. I'll get Gertie to help me if I can't find her. Mrs. Tucker will just have to understand." She tried not to envision the snippety housekeeper, arms folded across her flat chest, her strident voice demanding to know why in blazes two of the housemaids had decided to take valuable time off to look for a dog.

Mrs. Tucker could be quite scary when her temper was aroused. Even Gertie had a healthy respect for the housekeeper, and Gertie was taller and a lot bulkier than Mrs. Tucker. Gertie got away with a lot of things, but in the busy Christmas season, taking extra time off wouldn't be one of them. Even Mrs. Chubb, the permanent housekeeper, wouldn't be happy about that, though she'd be a lot nicer about saying so.

But Mrs. Chubb was away at her daughter's house, and now everyone had to put up with grumpy old Tucker the Terrible, as Gertie called her.

"Bless you, luv." Samuel threw his arms around Pansy's slight body and gave her a hug. "You know how much that means to me."

All thoughts of an outraged Mrs. Tucker flew out of Pansy's mind. Samuel was holding her in his arms, and that was all that mattered. He gave her a quick kiss on the mouth and let her go. "I have to run. Just keep calling Tess's name. If she hears you, she'll bark." With a quick wave, he disappeared into the stables.

Frowning, Pansy picked up her skirts again. If she had to cross the lawns, the hem of her skirt and petticoat would be soaked. She decided instead to go through the rose garden, where a paved path would take her to the other side of the lawns and closer to the woods. Maybe she'd run into Clive Russell, the caretaker. He could help her search for Tess.

Remembering Samuel's instructions, she started calling out the dog's name as she trotted down the path. The bushes in the rose garden were nothing but sticks, and the white trellis was completely bare of the white roses that climbed it in the summer. No place for a dog to hide there.

Working her way around the front of the country club, she heard a faint barking in the distance. Relief and excitement quickened her pace and she was running as she reached the end of the pathway.

Just a few yards away she saw a gentleman hurrying in the direction of the duck pond. Surprised, she chased after him. He had to be one of the guests, though why he was racing around the grounds in the cold she couldn't imagine.

The man disappeared behind the shrubbery, and then she heard the barking again. Louder this time. She also heard a shout, and her anxiety intensified as she sped toward the duck pond. She reached it just in time to see the gentleman wading out of the pond carrying a very wet and bedraggled dog in his arms.