Better than a Present by Cynthia Moore

While in London on business during the Season, Lord Paul Russell, attracted by a beautiful woman, fails in securing a place on her dance card. The next morning when he returns to Cornwall, he wonders if this mystery woman will still be available. Bored by all the eligible gentlemen she meets, Lady Samantha Grayson desires more than their meaningless conversations and preoccupation with silly fashion requirements. Only one gentleman catches her eye, but she misses her chance to speak to him, never encountering him again the rest of the Season. A sudden snowstorm on Christmas Eve morning catches Samantha alone and unprotected. When she seeks shelter in a nearby cottage, she is astonished when the door opens to the very man who caught her interest in London a few months ago. What was doomed to be an uneventful Christmas, to her pleasant surprise could be better than a present.