The Christmas Heiress

by Adrienne Basso

  Edward blinked with astonishment. Had he heard correctly? Did his mother just admit she had made a mistake? Extraordinary! It was the nearest thing to an apology he would ever receive and Edward was pleased to realize it was sufficient to erase a large part of his hurt.

  "Since you are in such a congenial mood, Mother, I might as well tell you the rest of it. Miss Montgomery is without family, so I am providing her with a modest dowry and will also be increasing Jonathan's allowance."

  "You are not only condoning, but now rewarding this disgraceful behavior? Shocking!"

  "They are family, Mother, and as such deserve our love and support."

  Brighter color infused her cheeks as his mother wrestled with her emotions. Pride could manifest itself in odd ways, but Edward had counted on his mother's pride to carry her through this moment. He held his breath as he waited for her to make her final move. Then, to his great relief, the countess took a deep breath, pasted on a smile and stepped forward to embrace the newlyweds.

  The earl was not foolish enough to believe it would be so easy, but the first and most difficult hurdle had been breached. It was a good beginning, the best that could be hoped for given the circumstances.

  It was nearly twenty minutes until he was able to have a quick word with his brother. "Thank God that's over with,"Jonathan remarked.

  Edward shared his brother's feelings utterly. "It actually went better than I expected."

  "So, you believe Mother will eventually forgive me?" Jonathan asked with a skeptically raised eyebrow.

  "Eventually. We cannot expect too much, too soon. At least she is speaking to both of you."

  "So I should be grateful for small mercies?"

  "You should be happy you have such a delightful, loving wife," Edward said.

  "I am." Jonathan's expression visibly softened. "Evelyn's sweetness overtakes any of the bitterness in my life."

  "The power of love." Edward took a deep breath, then thrust back his shoulders. It was now or never. "I apologize in advance for upstaging you, but I am about to give everyone something to talk about for years and years to come."

  With a cryptic smile, Edward headed in Charlotte's direction. She was speaking with Lord Bradford and Lady Anne, but turned to greet him with a smile. Edward waited until she faced him completely, then reached out to grasp her hands, sandwiching them between his own, and sank to one knee.

  "Oh, Edward, do you feel ill? Have you a fever?" Charlotte's face was lined with concern as she bent over him, the back of her bare wrist pressing against his forehead.

  The maternal gesture calmed his racing heart. "I like it when you fuss over me."

  She jerked her hands from his grasp. "What game are you playing at, my lord?"

  "No games." He caught her wrists and pressed them to his chest. "I require your complete attention."

  "You have it. Now please, get up. People are beginning to stare."

  "Let them. I want everyone to see and hear me. But especially you. Are you listening?"

  "Yes."

  "Good." He cleared his throat, which had suddenly become dry. "I am a successful man, who has been given much by birth and achieved much through hard work, and yet I have come to discover that for all my worldly possessions and noble title, life without you is flat, uninspired, uninteresting.

  "Life without you, Charlotte, is life without meaning, life without happiness. In short, 'tis no sort of life at all." Edward swallowed and took a deep breath, to ensure his voice would remain loud and strong.

  "You, and only you, Charlotte Aldridge, are the woman I cherish, the light inside my soul, the love of my heart. It has taken me far too long to realize it and far too long to declare it, but I hope you can forgive the stubborn pride of a stiff-necked male and realize I speak the truth.

  "You are the most precious, stubborn, intelligent, amazing woman I have ever known," he continued, realizing that his future, his happiness, his very life depended on her reply, and he was not entirely sure what it would be. "Will you do me the supreme honor of marrying me?"

  Charlotte blinked. It must be the wassail. Or the scent of too much greenery. Or the exposure to the cold while taking two long carriage rides today or the champagne they had drunk at the inn that had turned Edward's mind to mush, had prompted this surprisingly public declaration and proposal.

  Then again, it was Christmas. A time when everything seemed magical, possible, a truly miraculous time of year. Did she dare to believe he meant it?

  The play of candlelight from the glowing Christmas tree across Edward's handsome face was hypnotic. Charlotte's eyes moved over him at leisure. There was so much to admire, so much to thrill her, so much to love. She smiled down at him with the depth of feeling she was finally able to admit and accept. She loved him.

  Not with the naive infatuation of a seventeenyear-old girl, but with the mature experience of a twenty-three-year-old woman. She loved him with all the passion she had held within her heart, with the devotion of a woman who knew and accepted his faults as well as his strengths, with the respect he had earned through his deeds and actions toward the members of his family and the many people who depended upon him.

  Charlotte saw the tenderness on his face, the love shining in his eyes. For her. Blinking back tears of happiness, Charlotte knew if she took a lifetime she would never be able to fully or accurately describe how wonderful that made her feel.

  One of her hands slipped from his and crept to the base of her neck. She struggled to find her voice through the lump of emotion in her throat. "Yes. Oh, yes, Edward, I will marry you."

  He stood, took her hand in his and drew it away from her throat. "Are you certain?"

  She smiled widely, her senses flooding with happiness. "Yes, very certain. I love you."

  He pulled her into his arms and began kissing her like a man who was starving. Lord Reginald cleared his throat loudly when the kissing seemed unlikely to stop. Laughing, Charlotte wrenched her lips away from Edward's, but could not take her hands from him, needing to feel his muscled arms to assure herself this was truly happening.

  Several people crowded in to offer the happy couple congratulations. But before he released her, Edward caught Charlotte around the waist, lifted her off her feet and twirled her around until she felt breathless and dizzy. She was giggling like a schoolgirl when he set her down, and she nearly stumbled into Jonathan's arms.

  `Welcome to the family, Charlotte."Jonathan gave her a big hug and kissed her cheek. "I have always wanted a younger sister to boss around and I believe you are the perfect individual for the position."

  She laughed louder, pivoted around like a ballet dancer and found herself gazing into her beloved Grandpapa's face.

  Words failed her.

  "Edward is a fine man," Lord Reginald said.

  "He is indeed."

  With a wavering smile, Grandpapa patted her hand. "You deserve only the best, Charlotte. That is all I have ever wanted for you, which is why I gave Edward my blessing to propose. But the decision is entirely yours to make."

  "I love him, Grandpapa."

  "Then you must promise me one thing, dear girl," Lord Reginald said, his eyes suspiciously bright with emotion.

  "Anything. "

  "Promise me that you will be very happy."

  "Always."

  They hugged and Charlotte held on tightly. Though she was about to start a new life, with a new man, her grandfather would hold a very special and important part of her heart.

  The moment they were able, the newly engaged couple broke off from the crowd for a private moment, the earl keeping one arm possessively around her waist. The intimate, loving glance he cast her way warmed her down to her toes. He kissed her lightly, but she sensed the passion smoldering beneath the tenderness.

  "My love," she whispered, her voice breaking and her eyes swimming with tears. Her sense of joy was like a tidal wave of happiness, rushing over her with an unstoppable force. "Will it be this way between us forever?"

&nb
sp; Edward winked wickedly at her. "Forever is a long time," he said with a smile upon his lips. "But if we work together at it, then yes, dearest, our days shall be like this always."

  EPILOGUE

  "Oh, my gracious!"

  Charlotte's exclamation was less a surprise and more a reaction of astonishment as she beheld the Christmas tree that stood in the corner of her drawing room. Although as she considered the enormous, bedecked, glittering pine she decided that stood was probably not the right word. Dominated was more appropriate.

  "Do you like it, Mama? Do you?" Elizabeth asked, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. "Tell us, please. We've been working ever so long to make it just right."

  Charlotte gazed down at her second child and smiled. The five-year-old's barely contained excitement was contagious, though in truth the tree was far too large for the room and the many branches were groaning under the weight of too many ornaments, ribbons, garlands, toys and as of yet, unlit candles.

  "Why, I believe this must be the most magnificent Christmas tree in all of England," Charlotte declared, wrapping the little girl in a tight hug. "Grander than the queen's own, I am certain of it."

  "Father told us you would say that," Iris Rose, age three, announced with a superior air.

  "Did he now? Ah, your father knows me very well indeed."

  "He knows everything!" Iris Rose insisted.

  Charlotte bit back a grin. Her third daughter was a solemn, highly intelligent child, wise beyond her years, who adored and worshiped her father. The feeling was mutual, though Edward loved and spoiled all four of his girls equally. Charlotte sincerely hoped Iris Rose would still hold him in the same esteem when she became a young woman and he turned protective and possessive, scowling at her suitors.

  "Won't Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Evelyn be astonished when they see our tree?" Elizabeth piped up. "And William, too, though he is still a baby."

  "We must make certain to keep him away from the shiny ornaments," Edward said with concern. "Babies tend to put everything in their mouths when they are William's age."

  "Did I do that when I was a baby?" Regina wanted to know.

  "Once or twice," Charlotte answered, remembering what an active, inquisitive toddler her oldest daughter had been. Unknowingly, she and Edward had chosen the most appropriate child to be Grandpapa's namesake.

  What nervous, anxious parents she and Edward had been at first! Constantly fretting over how much Regina ate and slept, wondering if she was too warm or too cold, staying up half the night with worry the first time she came down with the sniffles.

  Fortunately, it had gotten easier over the years. By the time Anna was born this past spring, they were old hands at being parents, though the countess on occasion reminded them that they would someday regret indulging their children to such a great extent.

  Which was highly ironic, since the countess was often as guilty as the rest of them when it came to spoiling the girls, and they in turn adored spending time with their very elegant grandmama.

  Charlotte settled herself on the settee, then reached for her youngest daughter. Holding a baby in her arms had always soothed her, given her great comfort. As she watched Edward lift Iris Rose so that she could closely examine an ornament on the tree, Charlotte's heart filled with love and joy. She was lucky indeed to have so much happiness in her life, to have four beautiful daughters and a husband who loved them all so completely.

  It had taken much longer for Jonathan and Evelyn to become parents, but after years of trying, young William was born. At two, he was a contented baby, the pride and joy of his parents' lives. The couple lived a much simpler and more reclusive life than Charlotte and Edward, but thanks to the earl's help and Jonathan's prudence, they suffered no financial hardships.

  Charlotte was pleased when, following William's birth, the young family had leased a small property not far from Farmington Manor. It enabled them to visit often and kept the relationship between the brothers solid and strong.

  The countess had eventually resigned herself to Jonathan's decision to have Evelyn as his wife, though she was always reserved in her dealings with her former companion. William's birth had done much to endear Evelyn to the countess and there was no denying that she made her husband a very happy man.

  "Will Grandpapa be coming down soon?" Elizabeth asked.

  "I miss him," Iris Rose injected. "'Tis always more fun when he is here."

  "Grandpapa is taking a nap," Edward replied. "But he will join us soon."

  Charlotte could barely bring herself to meet her husband's eyes. Such an innocent word, nap. Yet for Charlotte a nap was a chance to experience the burning urgency of passion, to renew the emotional commitment, to achieve the bliss and peace of sexual fulfillment with the man she loved.

  The earl had once told her it was far more delightful to take a nap with a partner, and during the course of their marriage he had continuously proven that statement correct.

  "Grandpapa told me he had something special for each of us to add to the tree," Regina said.

  Charlotte, who was cuddling baby Anna on her lap, gazed over the infant's head at Edward. The earl merely shrugged, and she knew that he was aware of whatever extravagant gift her grandfather had decided to give the girls this year. Lord Reginald was shameless in his indulgences and they had long ago given up any attempt to limit his overgenerous tendencies, knowing it was a fruitless endeavor.

  As the years passed, Lord Reginald's visits to Farmington Manor had become longer and longer and he now stayed with them for months at a time. Charlotte sincerely hoped he would consider their offer to move in permanently. Quincy Court was too far away and she wanted him nearer so she could keep an eye on him. His health remained strong for a man in his seventies, but Charlotte worried that he was lonely.

  Her grandfather thoroughly enjoyed the commotion the girls brought to the household and seemed to thrive on their antics. There was also an opportunity for Lord Reginald to be among his peers when he came to the manor. Edward had gone to considerable expense to renovate and refurbish the dowager house to his mother's satisfaction. She entertained often, and since it was less than a mile from the main house, Lord Reginald was a frequent guest.

  Edward sauntered toward Charlotte, handsome as ever, his grin still seductive even after all these years.

  "What are you thinking?" he asked as he leaned over and kissed the baby gently on the head. "Are you concerned that the tree is too large?"

  Charlotte smiled. "The tree is always too large, Edward, though in truth I would be highly disappointed if it were not. I have come to expect certain things from you over the years, you know."

  "Gracious, I've not become boring and predictable, have l?" he asked in mock horror.

  "Hardly." She leaned in and kissed him until her knees felt weak, pulling away only when the sound of the girls' giggles reached her ears. "I truly adore Christmas. "'Tis the perfect time for us to remember and give thanks for the blessings of the season."

  Edward put his arms around Charlotte and they snuggled close, the baby between them. "We are lucky that our blessings are not limited to the season, my love, but remain with us throughout the year."

  About the Author

  Adrienne Basso lives with her family in New Jersey. She is the author of seven Zebra historical romances and is currently working on her next. Adrienne loves to hear from readers and you may write to her c/o Zebra Books. Please include a selfaddressed stamped envelope if you wish a response.