title: Mistletoe Not Required (Harlequin Kiss)
author:  Anne Oliver 
description: Anne Oliver lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She is an avid romance reader, and after eight years of writing her own stories, Harlequin Mills and Boon offered her publication in their Modern Heat series in 2005. Her first two published novels won the Romance Writers of Australias Romantic Book of the Year Award in 2007 and 2008. She was a finalist again in 2012 and 2013. Visit her website www.anne-oliver.com.<br /><br />
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  ![](images/00003.jpg)
  
  The Mistletoe Mishap
  
  Aileen Fish
  
  THE MISTLETOE MISHAP
  
  Copyright © 2013 Aileen Fish
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  Chapter One
  
  
  Marlton House, Derbyshire
  
  
  December 1815
  
  Isabella Stone stabbed her needle into her stitchery as if doing so would
  awaken some magical genii to grant her a wish. If she could, she’d wish to
  escape from her cousin’s home, Marlton, where she was spending the Christmas
  holidays. Not that she didn’t love her cousin, Lady Caroline, and the rest of
  the family. But Aunt Minerva planned to introduce Isabella to her future
  husband at the Winter Ball.
  
  Sitting at her elegant escritoire, Aunt Minerva scratched the name on a piece
  of paper containing the list of suitable matches for whom Isabella. “And Lord
  Heathwood is looking for a new wife.”
  
  Caroline wrinkled her nose. “Mama, he has three noisy, uncontrollable brats.
  You can’t wish for Lella to start her marriage that way.”
  
  “But she would be a countess. A young lady can overlook 