Winter Wishes: A Regency Christmas Anthology

by Cheryl Bolen

  Maddie watched as Verity lifted her teacup and sipped a mouthful, her movements dainty, as proper young ladies should be. Verity never did anything that wasn’t proper.

  “I’m tired, Verity, nothing more. And I have no wish to marry either of those men.”

  Especially not the last one.

  “Yes, well, not everyone has the stamina for an evening in society. I, of course, was something of an incomparable before I became engaged to Stephen. ’Tis a shame you will not follow in my footsteps.”

  “Verity.” The caution came from her mother, who had been silent until that moment, reading her newspaper.

  Verity thought reading the newspaper unfitting for a lady, but she was not brave enough to challenge their mother.

  “I’m just talking, Mama.”

  Verity wore a thick shawl around her shoulders to ward off the bitter chill that hung in the air. Golden haired, brown eyed, she was beautiful like their mother. Maddie had often heard men talking about her, and it was always flattering and nauseating. Maddie would rather be known for her wit or intelligence than the style of her hair.

  “No. You are deliberately baiting your sister. I wish you to stop at once, Verity.”

  “I was merely pointing out that she—”

  “Do you ever tire of that?” Maddie cut her sister off.

  “Maddie.” She ignored the caution in her mother’s tone.

  “Tire of what?” Verity flicked a curl over her shoulder, then nibbled on a corner of toast.

  “Being a sharp-tongued shrew.”

  Their mother’s groan did not deter Maddie.

  “How dare you speak to me in such a way!” Verity’s mouth formed a thin, angry line. “Mama, I insist you discipline her!”

  “How dare I?” Maddie got to her feet. “You’re always insulting someone. One hopes you show your fiancé your true colors before you marry, so he can run for the hills! You have the airs and graces of a princess... which I assure you, you definitely are not. What you are is a rude, spoiled, self-indulgent brat.”

  “Is it too much to ask for peace at the breakfast table?” Lady Spencer closed her paper with a crisp snap. “Stop this at once if you please, girls.”

  Maddie was too far into this to heed her mother’s words. She’d had enough of Verity’s pointed barbs.

  “How dare you!” Verity’s face was puce with rage now.

  “Girls.” Lady Spencer was out of her seat now. “That will do.”

  “You’ve said that already, Verity.” Maddie was not to be deterred. Her sister had been poking at her for weeks, and she was done with it. “Quite frankly, I’ve had enough of your sanctimonious ways.”

  “Mama, you must deal with her at once!” Verity threw her toast at Maddie. She caught it and took a large bite, chewing slowly while looking at her sister.

  “Desist!” Lady Spencer demanded. “Both of you will be quiet. You are giving me indigestion.”

  Maddie glared at her sister one last time and then threw the toast back harder. It hit her sister in the forehead. Luckily, it was coated in strawberry preserve.

  She then walked from the room.

  Stomping back to her bedroom, Maddie prepared for her outing. She and then made her way down to the front door.

  “Verity is different from you, Madeline.”

  Searching for her mother, she found her under the stairs, looking at the paintings of her father’s ancestors.

  “How did you know I was leaving the house?”

  “Because when you’re angry you want to get away from Verity in case you do her bodily harm.”

  “I would never physically harm her, Mama.”

  “I know, darling. Sometimes I look at you both and wonder how you can be sisters. You are strong and always challenging something or someone. Verity is quite content to simply be a young woman in society. She does not want more and is happy to be marrying Stephen, knowing he will care for her.”

  “She’s nasty.” Maddie moved closer, and her mother wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “No, she’s not; you provoke her into being nasty. Verity is unsure how to communicate with you, as she feels there is no common ground between you. You should try harder with her.”

  Maddie thought about that as she looked up at the painting.

  “Why are we looking at him?”

  “He’s an austere-looking chap, but it was his mustache I was looking at. Your father had one of those when I first met him. I made him remove it.”

  “You miss him very much, don’t you?”

  “Very much,” Lady Spencer said quietly. “But he shall be home soon, and finally we can leave for the estate.”

  Ian, Lord Spencer was a wonderful father; however, he spent a great deal of time helping run the country. She could not fault him in his duty, even if sometimes she wished he’d be selfish and spend more time with them.

  “Now, where are you off to today?” Her mother motioned her back to the front door, where a maid stood. “And don’t lie to me, I’ll know.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you!” Maddie tried to look outraged.

  “Yes, you would if it suited your purpose.”

  “You know me too well.”

  “Because you are just like me.”

  “I had thought to get some small gifts to give the staff before we leave London.”

  “That’s very kind of you, sweetheart, but where else are you going?” Her mother leveled her with the look that said she wasn’t moving until she had the truth.

  “I thought to visit Margaret and then go to the bookstore.” It was a lie, but it was better her mother was not aware of her youngest daughter’s actual intended location.

  “You will take James.”

  “Penny will be with me. I do not need anyone else—”

  “James!” Her mother walked to the stairs and yelled in a very unladylike manner. Seconds later a large footman appeared.

  “Mother, really, there is—”

  “You called, my lady?”

  “I want you to accompany my daughter... this one.” She pointed to Maddie, who was not amused. “You will stay at her side at all times.”

  James hurried down the stairs. Big and burly, he had been with the Spencer household for five years now. Maddie and he had an understanding of sorts. He didn’t give away her secrets, and she paid him handsomely for that. Usually in treats like candy or pies. James liked food.

  “I do not need to take James away from his work, Mama,” Maddie protested. “I will hardly get into trouble in a bookstore.”

  James cleared his throat, knowing very well there would be no bookstore visited today.

  “Then you will not go.” Her mother’s smile told her she had lost.

  “Oh, very well.”

  “That’s my grateful daughter. Now, James, should my daughter get into trouble and refuse to follow your direction, you have my permission to throw her over your shoulder.”

  “Very well, my lady.” The footman’s eyes didn’t betray what he was thinking.

  “Very amusing,” Maddie said.

  “Yes, well, you’ll forgive me if I don’t have complete faith in your ability to stay out of trouble,” Lady Spencer said. “There was that incident with the pony—”

  “I was ten.”

  “And the man on the street who was mistreating the horse.”

  “Yes, well, that happened only a few weeks ago. But he was being unkind and needed that pointed out to him.”

  Lady Spencer laughed. “I think he understood your meaning, dear.”

  Maddie kissed her mother’s cheek.

  “I need you to think about what I said, Maddie. You and Verity are different, but you are sisters. You’re strong and determined; she is equally so, but in other ways. This household will run in a far more harmonious fashion were you to at least attempt to find a common ground with her.”

  “Are you having this talk with her also?”

  “Of course.”

  Maddie sighed. “I am t
he epitome of a well-behaved woman every evening, Mama. Surely you cannot expect me to be that way in the day as well.”

  “The perfect miss, do you mean?”

  Maddie nodded.

  “It is quite amazing how you can be two different people. Your father thinks some man is going to get quite a shock one day when he realizes the woman he has married is actually a mouthy little baggage full of purpose and determination.”

  “I don’t think I want to marry, Mama.” Maddie pushed the vision of Gabe aside. He was not the boy she’d once loved.

  “One day you will find the right man, but for now simply enjoy being young. Now go and enjoy your outing but behave yourself. Remember, the reason I do not stop you from leaving the house is because I know you need to have things to occupy you, but if you break my trust that will stop.”

  Guilt settled heavily around her shoulders as Maddie left the house.

  Chapter 3

  The day was bleak. A flurry of snow was in the air, and it made the streets icy, so the carriage trip was a slow one. London in December was never a pleasant time, as the streets were often turned to sludge by the rain and ice. The Spencer women were awaiting Lord Spencer’s return from his government business so they could leave for Chasten, their estate, before Christmas Eve. Maddie couldn’t wait to start the celebrations, beginning with decorating the house and lighting the yule candle.

  She had not told her mother the entire truth about where she was to go, as she would have been forbidden from leaving the house. Maddie knew she would be in a huge amount of trouble were the truth to ever come out, but the risk was worth it. This was something she needed to do.

  “She’ll find out one day, Miss Spencer.”

  “But not today, Penny,” Maddie told her maid, who sat across from her wrapped up warmly in her winter coat.

  On her second day in London, Maddie had stumbled across a young girl lying in a doorway. Blind, she’d been huddled in a tight ball attempting to escape the cold. That girl’s name had been Hetty. Everything had changed for Maddie from that moment on.

  “But what can be done for the people in Spoke House if they must leave, Miss Spencer?”

  “I’m unsure as yet, Penny, but I will think of something,” Maddie said hoping she was right.

  Spoke House was in Spitalfields, where Hetty lived. A run-down old house where children went when they had nowhere else to run to. Often only a few were there when Maddie arrived, but some days there were as many as twenty.

  The problem they were now facing was that the landlord had given them an eviction notice, and Maddie had little time to find an alternative arrangement for the children before she left London.

  “It is sickening to think that house will become a brothel.” Penny shuddered.

  “I won’t let them be evicted without a fight,” Maddie said. There had to be something she could do.

  Maddie had found this piece of information out through the man who looked after the property for her.

  “Come, Penny, we cannot dwell on that at the moment. We have lessons to give,” Maddie said as the carriage pulled up outside what had once been a grand old house. James opened the door for her.

  “Bring the hampers, please, James.” The footman nodded.

  She’d had to sneak those out, paying more servants to keep silent, and Mrs. Fitch, her mother’s cook, for the leftovers she often contributed.

  All around them were buildings in various sizes. Smoke billowed from some chimneys, others had broken windows and missing boards. People scurried about on the filthy streets trying to get out of the cold. The once prosperous Spitalfields was now a desperate place that housed people of dire circumstance. It was many miles in both distance and circumstance from where she lived in Mayfair.

  “This place is dreary,” Penny said. “Thick black dust and dirt is everywhere. Have a care where you step, Miss Spencer.”

  “Yes. We are the lucky ones, living in the luxury we do.”

  Walking across the road, she had nearly reached her destination when she heard the clip-clop of hooves. Of course, there was nothing unusual in that, but Maddie, who was inherently nosy, had to look.

  Her eyes found the tall, erect form of Lord Lockhart. She quickly looked away.

  What is he doing in such a place?

  She doubted he had seen her, and even if he did, he would not be stopping. He wouldn’t give a fig that she was here in Spitalfields.

  The old Gabe would have. He’d cared about everything she’d said and done.

  Maddie hurried in through the doors of a building and out of the bitterly cold day.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the sweet little do-gooder.”

  Maddie didn’t hate many people in the world, but this man was an exception.

  “You’ll leave here at once and not approach my mistress again, Blackley.” James moved to her side.

  Frank Blackley. Local thug who believed he and his family controlled this area of Spitalfields. She avoided him where possible, but that was not always the case.

  “You are trespassing, Mr. Blackley,” Maddie said.

  “I want payment for you being here. The others pay, you should be no different.”

  Maddie’s fingers itched to slap the smug smile off his face. Loathsome beast.

  “Leave now,” James said in a menacing tone that made Maddie relieved her mother had insisted he accompany her.

  “I have told you, you will receive no money from me, Mr. Blackley. I am not intimidated by the likes of you, nor do I live in this area. I am immune to your brand of intimidation and blackmail.” Maddie kept her voice calm.

  His eyes narrowed and he leaned closer. James pushed him roughly back. He didn’t retreat far.

  “Oh, you’ll pay all right, don’t you worry about that. Remember to look over your shoulder, sweetheart, because I’ll extract that payment when you least expect it.”

  “That man is dangerous,” James said, watching him walk from the building. “It’s not safe here for you, Miss Spencer. Next time you’ll need to have both me and Peter with you.”

  “He will not harm a nobleman’s daughter,” Maddie said with a confidence she was far from feeling.

  “Him and his sort don’t play by the rules you live by, Miss Spencer. Please remember that.”

  With her heart still thudding hard inside her chest, Maddie started up the stairs.

  The building no longer held traces of the grand place that had once been inhabited by a family many years before.

  “It’s icy in here today, Miss Spencer,” Penny said, following.

  “It is, and the children will be feeling it.”

  Pushing open the door that led into the rooms she’d set up for teaching, she found them all seated in their chairs around a fireplace. They turned and greeted her with genuine enthusiasm. It had taken her many weeks to gain their trust, but now she had it was a wonderful thing. She had just taken a step closer when she heard his voice.

  “Madeline? What in God’s name are you doing here?”

  Chapter 4

  Gabe looked at Madeline, then around the room to the children who were seated watching them.

  What the hell is she doing here?

  Intrigued after reading the address on that deed of sale last night, he’d decided to ride past today. Gabe had been shocked to see Madeline walking across the road, even considering he’d found her in that office last night.

  “Go away, Gabriel; this does not concern you.”

  She turned from him and waved the footman, holding two baskets, forward.

  He watched as she opened one and began to hand out food.

  “Madeline, I insist you answer me.” Gabe moved closer.

  “You can insist all you like, but I shall refuse as this is no concern of yours, Lord Lockhart. Now, take your polished boots out of here before they get dirty. This is no place for you.”

  “Don’t you dare dismiss me.” Gabe stalked closer.

  She straightened, the gentle s
mile she’d been giving a young girl falling from her face. She shot him a look before addressing the children.

  “Penny is to take today’s lesson. I hope you have all been practicing your letters,” she said, her eyes on Gabe.

  There was a chorus of yeses, and then the woman with Maddie, presumably Penny, moved to the front of the seats and began to read from a book she held.

  Maddie ignored him and went between the children, handing out things from the baskets.

  Gabe only had so much patience.

  “Maddie,” he said with more force. “I want to speak with you at once.”

  “Why are you still here?” She threw him a frustrated look. “Leave, please.”

  She looked different today, less... less elegant? Less like the untouchable beauty he’d come to know... or thought he knew.

  Dressed in a deep blue velvet cloak, her hair, beneath the matching velvet bonnet, was in a simple bun at her nape, and her boots were a serviceable black leather.

  “What are you doing here, is more to the point?” Gabe replied.

  “She looks after us,” one of the children said. “She’s our angel, is Miss Spencer.”

  She was blind, he realized, her eyes sightless as her head turned his way.

  “Maddie loves me.”

  “Yes, I do.” Maddie hugged the girl. “Now listen to Penny’s story, Hetty.”

  He couldn’t take it in. The obnoxious Miss Spencer here in Spitalfields helping these young children.

  I hate that we have so much, Gabe, and some have so little.

  He remembered she used to say things like that constantly when they were children.

  “Madeline.” He tried to draw her away so he could question her, but she ignored him and shook her arm free.

  “Will you just go away please?” Her tone was flat and cold.

  “Why are you here?” Gabe countered.

  “That is none of your business, Gabriel. Now please leave.”

  “Why are you helping these children, Madeline? I demand you answer me.”

  “Someone has to,” she snapped, in a tone that the other inhabitants in the room would not overhear.