Christmas time was one of Dahlia's favorite times of year. She loved how happy everyone seemed, loved that all her family was in one location, loved the excuse to bake a lot. It was as if there was magic in the very air. The smell of holly and fur boughs lingered with the scents of hot chocolate, cinnamon, cookies, and puddings. It was the best smell in the world. Dahlia was sure if she ever smelled amortia this is what it would smell like .... and, her mind added warming her cheeks, like the scent of the spices that always lingered around Mr. Honeyduke.

Across the room her uncle's family was arriving the number of guests in the room swelling as they began to greet each other. Dahlia's body relaxed as her eyes scanned over them for the farmiliar shape of Mr. Honeyduke. He had not yet arrived and she was trying not to worry about it, as evidenced by the fact that she was trying to maintain a conversation with Zinnia as she drank a cup of the delicious hot chocolate he had dropped off earlier that day. Had he not dropped it off she might have worried (at least more than she already was) that he was having second thoughts and would not appear. As it was, part of her still wondered if he would appear. And if he did? What then? They were not courting and it had felt awfully forward to invite him to the family gathering, but mother had encouraged her by telling her that Daffodil had invited a gentleman as well. That alone brought about more questions, but Daffy was less than indulging in those questions so Dahlia was left worrying about her own questions.

She had spent much of the day in the kitchen in an attempt to distract herself. In fact she'd spent much of the last several days, when she could be spared from the shop that is, in the kitchen preparing for her mother's Christmas Eve party. Dahlia had baked cookies, including ones that she knew Quin liked, as well as all of her sister's favorites. She'd made the Christmas pudding that would be served tomorrow. She had also made some breads and current buns. Anything she could think of she and made. Perhaps it was too much, but Dahlia hadn't wanted a spare moment to think. If she did she would probably have been questioning if her lack of lady like decorum in inviting Quin to this. At the moment it had seemed right, but now? Did he think her too forward? An odd thought to have for someone whose lap she had sat on. If that was lady like decorum then Dahlia was a goose. And seeing as she wasn't being trussed up for Christmas dinner she highly doubted she was a goose. So she had remained in the kitchen baking, distracting herself from it all.

In fact Dahlia had waited until it was much later than she ought to have to rush up to her room to change. It had not given her a lot of time to fret over her clothing - until now. Her fingers ran down the dusty rose velvet of her gown. She loved the gown with it's beautiful color against her hair, the satin ribbons that accented it in a slightly darker shade were simple yet effective. She'd sewn them on herself. Pearls would have looked gorgeous with the gown, Dahlia was quite certain, but as she did not own any she had had settled for a matching satin ribbon around her throat and had convinced Zinnia to help her arrange holly as an accent at the neckline of her gown. She rather thought it added the perfect Christmas touch to the gown.

Dahlia turned her attention back to Zinnia, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. It only reminded her of Mr. Honeyduke, Quin. If it were not for that then he would be right and it would be calming her right now, as it had the day of the bees. She had no idea what Zinnia had just said, she had been much to caught up in her thoughts as she stared at her cousins coming in to the room. "Sorry?" She bit her lip slightly, Zinnia would definitely know something was up. So she sighed and voiced her worry aloud for the first time all day. "He will be here, right?"

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