The Christmas Curse

by Ruby Moone

  The Christmas Curse

  By Ruby Moone

  Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

  Visit jms-books.com for more information.

  Copyright 2017 Ruby Moone

  ISBN 9781634865821

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  Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

  Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

  All rights reserved.

  WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

  This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States of America.

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  The Christmas Curse

  By Ruby Moone

  December 1806

  If asked, Jared Templeton would have said he was not a dog kind of man. His interactions with canines of any kind usually ended with him being at least growled at, and on occasion, bitten, so he was somewhat surprised when a large, shaggy beast with suspiciously large, shiny teeth appeared beside him one evening and trotted alongside him as he walked to his Mayfair home. As the collar of his great coat was turned up to his ears, his hat pulled low, and his hands safely encased in leather gloves, he felt safe in acknowledging the beast’s presence.

  “Hello dog,” he said, casting it a sideways glance.

  The dog looked up at him, tongue lolling, and Jared could have sworn it smiled. It huffed a short bark, its breath misting in the cold air, then looked ahead, and loped along beside him. Jared couldn’t help but smile. How odd. The dog stayed with him from Piccadilly, all the way to his Half Moon Street house, and sat beside him patiently as he opened the door.

  “Well, goodnight,” he said to the dog who was looking up at him, tail swishing.

  It barked.

  “I see. Thank you for your company.” He bowed and went into the house. He headed for the study, which overlooked to road, and saw the dog sit for a while on his front step and then trot off down the street. So began a curious friendship.

  * * * *

  The following day the dog joined him on his walk home, again from Piccadilly, and Jared was surprisingly pleased by the company. It trotted alongside him until he arrived at his house and fished in his pocket for the key. The dog sat patiently by his side as he did so, and then leaned heavily on his leg and looked up at him.

  “Are you venturing a hint?” he asked the dog as he pulled the key out of his pocket. The dog leaned even more.

  “You may be acting friendly now, but I assure you if I pet you, you will be growling at me in no time at all.”

  The dog dipped its head and rubbed against him.

  “Oh, come now. Doing it a bit brown?” Jared risked a cautious pat to the head. The dog leaned into the caress, and then licked his gloved hand. Jared petted it again, and tried not to notice the beast was shivering in the frigid December air.

  “You should go home now. Get warm.” He gave him one last caress, and then went into the house confident that the dog looked robust, well fed and cared for, meaning he did have an owner somewhere and would most assuredly not be spending the night in the cold.

  A week later, the dog was still meeting him on Piccadilly and escorting him home. The weather had warmed, unexpectedly for December, no doubt as a prelude to snow, so he took off his glove to deliver his now customary petting once at his door. He was amazed at how soft the dog’s fur was. Deep, thick, and endlessly inviting waves of dark brown and tan. The dog whined softly, and pressed against his hand. Jared smiled and scratched his ears and again, he was sure the dog smiled.

  “You like that.”

  The dog cautiously licked his bare hand. It was warm and wet and Jared was reluctant to say goodbye. Eventually, he closed the door and then went to watch him trot away.

  * * * *

  Another week passed, and Christmas was fast approaching. Every day, the dog greeted him and trotted alongside him, and Jared had taken to chatting to him as they walked. On days when it wasn’t raining, or freezing cold, they sat on a bench near Green Park for a little while. The dog jumped up beside him and leaned against him, keeping him warm, and Jared told him about his day. It was good to have someone to talk to who he knew could never betray his secrets. In his line of work, a man had to take care, very great care. He was always utterly scrupulous about checking that there was absolutely no-one in earshot before unburdening himself to his companion. Working for the Alien Office meant he was unable to discuss his work with anyone since it largely involved the monitoring of people, if one were to be polite, spying if truthful. Monitoring the activity of foreign agents on British soil was tricky work, but suited to someone like himself who preferred a solitary life and had the knack of blending in. It was good work for an unremarkable man.

  “You are jolly easy to talk to,” he said to the dog as they leaned against each other in the cold. “Although I imagine if my colleagues could see me now they would be certain I have bats in my attic, and have me in Bedlam before you could blink an eye.” He laughed and the dog’s tongue lolled and he nosed his hand until Jared took off his glove and scratched his ears. “You’re not a French spy, are you?” he said, and laughed when the dog licked his hands and then tried to reach his face.

  They sat until Jared was shivering and then set out towards his house. Lights shone in the windows of the houses opposite as people gathered, getting ready for dinner and an evening of entertainment. As he watched, the dog nuzzled closer and nosed at his hand again. He stroked his head absently.

  “Are you alone on Christmas Eve night too?” he whispered, whimsically. The dog barked. It started wagging its tail, its rear end dancing about as he pressed closer. Jared stroked its head.

  Jared hesitated, then unlocked the door. “I swear you understand what I say.” He sighed and looked at the dog. “Come in,” he said, holding open the door. The dog hesitated on the threshold, looked up at him, and then trotted in. Candles burned in the hallway as always, but the house was empty, his staff having left for the day. He preferred not to have live-in staff, which outraged his family, but he could easily eat at his club, he rarely entertained, and on the very odd occasion he had company, he preferred not to have to sneak about. His valet arrived early in the morning to dress him and ensure he was presentable, a housekeeper and a parlour maid ensured the place was neat and tidy and that he didn’t starve, and that suited him fine.

  The dog ran this way and that, sniffing his way along the floor, pausing here and there, and then sniffing some more. Jared dispensed with his outer clothes and hung them neatly. The hallway was freezing cold, but the study promised warmth. He opened the door, and indeed, the fire still burned, candles were lit, and the room was cosy and snug. He held open the door, and the dog trotted through and made straight for the fire as Jared quickly shut the door. He turned around a few times and then settled himself as close to the blaze as he could get. Face on his paws, he looked up at Jared, and again, Jared could have sworn he smil
ed. He piled more logs on the fire, lit a couple more candles, and held his hands out to the warmth of the blaze.

  “Are you hungry?” he said to the dog. His ears pricked up, and he looked at him, but his head remained on his paws. Jared sighed. “I’ll wager you are. Wait there.”

  Jared set off to the kitchens, and wondered if the dog had an owner somewhere. He didn’t seem to be underfed, and his coat was glossy and thick. He had to admit he would be reluctant to lose his company.

  The kitchen was warm as the large range burned steadily thanks to his housekeeper’s detailed instructions, and her insistence on tutoring him in the art of the range so it could be maintained in her absence. Jared put a kettle on to boil, and then headed for the pantry. He found his customary roast beef supper on a plate. When the kettle boiled he made himself some tea, added bread and cheese to his meal, and set off back to his guest.

  When he returned, the dog was exactly where he left him. Sitting up now, head cocked to one side, he was clearly waiting patiently as he’d been told to do, ears upright and alert. When Jared walked towards him with the food in his hand, the dog whined and dipped his head low. He was trembling, and his tail wagged in a shivery kind of motion. Jared smiled at him. He was a handsome beast. Long brownish black fur and a sharp, pointed muzzle. He was probably a breed of some kind, but Jared had never paid enough attention to dogs to know what he might be. He just knew he was an incredibly handsome dog with intelligent green eyes.

  “Here.” Jared put the plate he had brought for the dog onto the floor and put some beef and some bread on it. The dog stared at him. Immobile, almost frozen. Jared was puzzled. His father’s dogs always fell on food like the starved animals they probably were. This dog appeared to be waiting for permission.

  “Eat,” Jared said. “Please?”

  The dog moved to the plate and sniffed tentatively, then delicately picked up a piece of the beef and ate it. Jared watched as he put some of the meat into his own mouth and chewed. The dog picked up some bread and ate that, and then methodically cleaned the plate.

  “Do you like cheese?” Jared asked, and put some cheese onto the empty plate. The dog sniffed it and then reared back with a muffled growl.

  Jared laughed. “I’ll take that as a no!” He picked the cheese up off the plate and replaced it with the last of the roast beef. The dog looked at him for a moment, and then came to him and licked his hand before polishing off the last of the food.

  Jared drank his tea and watched the animal settle down in front of the fire. He listened to the church bells strike eleven. Almost Christmas. He thought of his family at home in Sussex. He might have liked to see them at Christmastime, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to enter the circus that was the Templeton household. It would be party after party, all the great and the good trying to outdo each other, and every girl within a twenty-mile radius on the hunt for a husband, aided by his mother. He was safer in his little house in the city, and he sent silent thanks, yet again, to his grandfather for bequeathing him the sanctuary he so badly needed.

  He spent a good half hour ruminating in the firelight whilst the dog snoozed on the rug. It was surprisingly companionable. He was staring into the flickering light when the dog shuffled closer. It rather crept across the rug on its belly, and then laid its head on Jared’s booted feet.

  Jared peered down and laughed. “Are you tired?”

  The dog blinked at him.

  “Perhaps we should go to bed. I’ll leave you here with the fire. You will be warm enough.” He got up and threw more coal and wood onto the fire, banking it so that it would burn through the night. He bent and petted the dog’s head. “Sleep well,” he whispered.

  * * * *

  Jared made his way upstairs to his bed chamber, still deep in thought. He ignored the whining from the study, sure that the dog would settle down. In his chamber, he undressed and hung his clothes carefully before pulling his nightshirt over his head, settling the soft material over his naked skin. He banked the fire and sat in the chair beside it. It was difficult not to think of Matthew. He stretched out his naked feet, wondering where his slippers were, but the fire warmed them. Matthew. The man who promised him the world, and then married a pretty girl. The man who couldn’t understand why Jared was upset, why he didn’t want to be his grubby secret. Jared scrubbed his face and lay his head against the warm leather of the chair.

  A noise from downstairs startled him. A sharp bark. Two. Accompanied by rather vigorous scratching of the door. Then the dog set up with a continuous barking. Heaving a sigh, Jared got up from the chair and pulled on his robe. He ran lightly down the stairs listening to the cacophony from the study, disappointed that his generosity in allowing the dog to stay inside was misplaced. He’d warmed himself, been fed, and now he wanted to roam the streets again. No doubt looking for companionship. And why not? Jared half wondered if he shouldn’t be doing the same.

  He opened the door, and the dog whined and twined about his legs, rubbing its head against him, and licking anywhere it could find.

  “There now,” Jared said, patting it and petting it and getting thoroughly licked. “Do you want to go home now? Is that it?” Jared went to the door and set about unbolting it, but the dog stared at him for a moment and then bolted upstairs. Jared shook his head, and locked the door again. He ran up the stairs, but there was no sign of the dog. He went to his bed chamber, and there it was. Sat in front of the fire, tongue lolling, and dammit if the creature wasn’t smiling again.

  Jared’s heart melted. He closed the door, undid his robe, laid it over the chair, and then sat cross legged on the floor in front of the dog in his nightshirt. The firelight flickered over them both, and the logs crackled and hissed.

  “I’m taking it you want to stay?”

  The dog wagged its tail hard, and edged a little closer, dipping his head. Jared took its face between his hands and scratched his ears. The dog’s eyes closed in an expression of bliss. Jared smoothed the fur and stroked gently. He settled himself on the rug with his back against the leather chair, and the dog lay partly on him. Jared stared into the fire and buried his hands in the dog’s fur, enjoying the feel of him lying beside him, and not feeling quite so alone. He lay his head against the arm of the chair and stared into the flickering firelight as he ran his hands through the soft fur.

  “So, where did you come from?” he asked. “Why did you pick me to follow?” The dog licked his hand. Jared sighed and kept petting. “This is not how I expected to spend Christmas, you know. I thought I was going to spend it in bed being thoroughly pleasured by a handsome man.” He smoothed the dog’s ear. “Does that shock you?” He looked down at the dog who was leaning heavily. It nosed his hand, so Jared continued petting him. He stared into the fire again. “I thought he loved me. I’ll wager that shocks you even more.”

  The dog shifted until he could lay his head on Jared’s chest and look up at him. His eyes were a deep, mossy green and seemed to be filled with adoration. It was welcome. “I don’t know why you picked me to follow, but I am terribly glad that you did,” he admitted, stroking the dog’s head again. “Do you know, I hadn’t realised how lonely I’ve been?” He scratched the dog’s ears thinking how true that was. He naturally kept himself to himself. Large groups exhausted him, but sometimes he yearned for someone to share his life with. Hence his attempt with Matthew.

  “Thank you for coming to me.” Jared found he felt curiously emotional. The gratitude that he felt in the companionship the dog had offered him was deep and profound.

  “I’ve never got on with people,” he told him. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like them very much.” He rubbed his cheek against the top of the dog’s head and ran his fingers through his deep coat. “Nanny always said I was a difficult boy. She certainly slapped me often enough, and my father…well. The less said about him the better. He caught me kissing one of the stable boys. Didn’t like that at all.”

  The dog shuffled closer and licked Ja
red’s face.

  “I think that’s why I get on well with working in the Alien Office. No-one to spill secrets to. Would you like to stay?” he said, looking at the dog and scratching his ears. “For good?”

  The dog shuffled even closer and closed his eyes.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll get you a leash tomorrow and we can go for long walks.”

  The dog leaned heavily, and Jared shifted until his arms were around him, stroking and petting. They sat like that for a while, until the church bells chimed midnight.

  “Midnight,” Jared whispered as the bells pealed. As the last bell faded, he bent and kissed to dog on the head, then rubbed his face against the spot. “Happy Christmas,” he said.

  The dog whined and licked his face.

  Jared permitted it for a moment. “Thank you. I love you too,” he said and smiled as he wiped his hand over his cheek.

  The dog squirmed out of his embrace and ran around in a circle then stopped. He put down his head and made soft whimpering sounds.

  “What is it?” Jared asked, sitting up to pet him, but the dog shied away.

  * * * *

  The dog went rigid. Jared moved to comfort it, but as he held out a hand he stopped, unable to process what he was seeing.

  The fur was disappearing. Melting away to nothing. In its wake a pale, muscled body was revealed. The dog grew in size and Jared backed away, almost falling over the chair. He held on to the back of it, placing it between him and the dog…thing…like a shield, and stared.

  It stood. On its hind legs, only they weren’t hind legs, they were human legs. Long, muscled, human legs. Naked legs.

  The dog shook himself. The last of the animal fur melted away and Jared found himself staring open mouthed at the most handsome young man he had ever seen. Tall, like himself, in fact, they stood eye to eye. Dark hair stood in wayward curls about his head. Deep green eyes, and far, far too much naked skin, muscle, and sinew. A smile started at the corner of his mouth, revealing slightly crooked white teeth, and a dimple in one cheek.