by Alexa Aston
Merryn awoke to a cheery fire in the grate. She stretched lazily and saw Geoffrey hovering above her, a tray in his hands.
“Good morn, sweetheart,” he said, love for her shining in his hazel eyes.
She pushed herself up and placed the pillows behind her back before leaning against them.
“I’ve brought you something to break your fast.”
“I’ve missed mass?” she asked.
“Aye. I thought it best to let you and the babe get some extra rest.” He placed the tray in her lap. “You might even want to nap this afternoon in order to stay awake during midnight mass tonight.”
She took a piece of the bread and spread jam from a small pot over it. Sinking her teeth into it, the tangy fruit spread filled her mouth with a sweet flavor and she sighed.
“I’m also at your service today,” Geoffrey told her.
“Bathing me wasn’t enough?” she teased.
“The men will only train for half the day. Gilbert can supervise them. I want to help you place the Christmas greenery.” He paused, sadness crossing his handsome face. “I’ve missed doing it.”
Merryn clasped his hand. Even as a boy, Geoffrey had enjoyed the Christmas season. She couldn’t imagine what he went through during his years of suffering, alone, feeling abandoned. This would be the first Christmas since his return. She would make it their best Christmas yet.
“I will be glad for the help,” she said warmly. “The children have already gathered the holly and ivy and are excited about placing it today. They’ll be thrilled that you will supervise them. They do love you so.”
“And I them.” He raised her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss against her knuckles.
A knock sounded at the door and Geoffrey left their bedchamber to go to the solar. He returned moments later, a rolled parchment in hand.
“Raynor’s sent us a missive. No need to reply.”
He perched on the bed at her feet and broke the wax seal before unrolling the message.
“Read it aloud,” she urged as she sipped her ale.
My dearest Geoffrey and Merryn –
Greetings from Beatrice and myself during this most Holy season.
Oh, how things have changed for us all since last Christmas. You, Geoffrey, are home where you belong, surrounded with love from Merryn and the twins. And I? Who knew I would have found true love, much less become Baron of Ashcroft?
This is my first Christmas away from Kinwick in many years. I hope we can celebrate the birth of the Living Christ together next year, whether at Kinwick or Ashcroft. For now, my darling wife and I are surrounded by the many relatives that the Earl of Lovet has gathered for us to meet during our visit to his estate. After so many years in isolation, Beatrice is enjoying getting to know all of her kin her uncle has gathered under one roof. It will take time for us both to get the names of all of these cousins straight but ’tis obvious that they have opened their hearts to her and want to make up for all the years she was missing from their family. I gaze at her and see that beautiful dimple as she smiles during the stories they tell and find that whatever our future holds, we will live it together in love.
My wish to you this Christmas season is to hold fast to one another and tend to your garden of love each day. Beatrice and I plan to call at Kinwick on our way home next month. She has written a new song she is eager to play for you, while I want to see how Ancel and Alys are progressing in their sword skills. I suppose with a babe coming that I will need to fashion another sword for this new de Montfort child.
My best wishes to you, dearest Geoffrey and Merryn. You are as close to me as family and next to Beatrice, the people I trust most. Have a happy Christmas and much love.
Raynor
Geoffrey cleared his throat and rolled up the parchment. He rose and placed it on the table, where she knew he would read it several more times.
“I know you will miss Raynor’s presence at Christmas this year,” she said.
“We spent many of them together, both as boys and then as soldiers on the battlefield.”
He returned and sat next to her, cupping her cheek. “I couldn’t be happier for him. To have found Beatrice and being elevated to Baron of Ashcroft has certainly changed his life.”
“I’m glad he was willing to forgo spending Christmas at Ashcroft in order for Beatrice to meet all of her father’s relatives.”
Geoffrey’s thumb stroked her cheek. “Raynor is the same as I am. We are men who would do anything for the women we love.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her long and slow.
She would have been happy to couple with him but Geoffrey broke the kiss. “The day is wasting away. You need to dress. I told Father Dannet that we would attend to the church and trees this morning before we decorated the keep.”
He reached for his cloak and slipped it about his shoulders. “I’m off to check on Mystery. His knee was a bit swollen yesterday. It shouldn’t take long. I’ll meet you out front with the apples.”
Merryn rose from the bed and put on her chemise and an older cotehardie, one she didn’t mind getting a little dirt on as they decorated inside and outside the keep today. Before she went downstairs, she pinned on the sapphire brooch that she wore next to her heart every day. It had been Geoffrey’s wedding gift to her, one that she’d worn through the years and would continue to wear to her grave. She draped her cloak around her shoulders and exited the solar.
In the corridor, she passed Tilda and said, “Would you have the piggies brought to the solar?”
“Aye, my lady. Shall Diggory and I place the coins in them?”
“Nay, I think this year we’ll have the children do that with us.”
“Very good, my lady.”
Merryn continued downstairs and the twins greeted her as she entered the great hall.
“We have two barrels of apples waiting outside, Mother,” Alys said, skipping about. “Father says we’ll use them to decorate the trees for Adam and Eve Day.”
“Eve wasn’t very nice,” Ancel pointed out. “She ate an apple when she wasn’t supposed to. And she made Adam eat one, too. It got him in trouble.”
Alys tapped her foot. “Adam didn’t have to eat anything he didn’t want to. He chose to eat that apple, Ancel. Don’t blame Eve for what Adam did on his own.”
“She brought it to him,” her brother said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.
“He’s the one who took the bite. She couldn’t make him bite and chew,” Alys retorted.
“They were both guilty of not obeying God,” Merryn said. “Let’s leave it at that.” When she saw Alys eying Ancel, she pulled her daughter aside and whispered, “Don’t even think about making Ancel do something he doesn’t want to do.”
“Yes, Mother,” her daughter said meekly, though mischief still danced in her eyes.
“Let’s join your father outside,” Merryn said and took their hands as they left the great hall.
Geoffrey awaited them, standing next to two large barrels filled with bright red apples.
“Why do they call today Adam and Eve Day, Father?” Ancel asked.
“The Church honors Adam and Eve as the father and mother of all people. Remember this morning during mass? Father Dannet told their story. ’Tis a tradition to recall their tale the day before Christmas each year.”
“That’s why we place apples in the trees near the chapel,” Merryn added.
“I’m glad they ate the apple,” Ancel declared. “I like the taste of them. If Adam and Eve hadn’t eaten one, then we wouldn’t eat them today.”
They spent an hour nesting the fruit in different branches as a light snow fell and then surveyed their work.
“What’s next?” Alys asked.
“The crib,” Merryn said. “I’m not sure where it is.”
“Diggory will know,” cried Ancel. “He remembers everything. I’ll go ask him.”
She watched her son race toward the keep, where their steward kept his office. Alys took o
ff after her brother, both children leaving footprints in the snow. Geoffrey came and stood behind her, wrapping his arms about her, his chin resting atop her head.
“I marvel each day how we created such perfect creatures,” he said.
Merryn leaned against him. “They are good children.”
He rubbed her belly. “I wonder what this one will be like.”
“Very different from Alys or Ancel,” she replied. “This child will be who he or she is. It may resemble one of us but be unique in its own way.”
They stood together in silence, reveling in being together, until the twins came racing down the stairs of the keep.
“It’s in the stables,” Ancel called, running in that direction, Alys right on his heels.
Geoffrey slipped Merryn’s arm through his. “Let’s go get the crib for the Christ Child.”
They found it in a stall near the back and Geoffrey hoisted it onto his shoulder to bring it back to the chapel. Ancel and Alys each scooped up a bit of hay to place inside it. Father Dannet met them in the chapel and told Geoffrey where to place the crib. The children put their hay inside and Alys artfully scattered more around the base of it.
“Why do we not put a babe in it?” she asked. “We could use one of my dolls.”
“Good Christians await the birth of the Christ Child,” the priest explained. “He is the reason for this season of love. The empty crib allows us to anticipate Christ’s arrival.”
“Let’s go back to the keep,” Merryn suggested. “We need to put up our decorations there.”
As they worked placing holly and ivy, she told them the tale of the Three Magi and the gifts they brought to Mary’s son, who was the Son of God.
“I know what gold is,” Ancel said. “What is myrrh? And frank . . . frank . . . what is it again?”
“Frankincense,” Geoffrey said. “It’s a fragrant gum resin that can be used in incense. Myrrh is similar. A wonderfully aromatic gum resin you extract from a tree. It can be mixed into incense or a perfume. Even added to wine. The Magi brought very valuable gifts to the Holy Child.”
“We give gifts to our tenants, don’t we, Mother?” Alys asked. “On Boxing Day.”
“Aye. That’s what we’ll work on next, children. We’ll stuff the hollow clay pots with coins and ride with these pots in a wagon around the estate the day after Christmas. Each household receives one of the piggies and the man of the cottage will slam it to ground. When it breaks, he can retrieve the coins within. I think the two of you are old enough now to accompany your father and me around Kinwick so you can help us distribute the pots.”
“Yea!” Alys grabbed Ancel’s hands and they began dancing around the great hall.
“They are a pair,” Geoffrey said and then took her hands and also swung her around.
Merryn danced until she ran out of breath and begged him to stop.
“The babe is awake and kicking,” she said, winded by the exertion. “Ancel, Alys, come here.”
The twins ran to her and she took each of their hands and placed them against her belly.
“What are we doing?” Ancel asked.
“Wait,” Geoffrey told his son. “You’ll see.
Suddenly, a grin spread from ear to ear on their son’s face. “I can feel it! I can feel the babe.”
Merryn flashed Alys a warning sign not to reveal that she’d experienced the same thing last night. The girl understood and nodded.
“Oh, ’tis wonderful, Mother,” she said. “The little one is excited about Christmas.” Alys stroked Merryn’s belly. “You won’t be here for this Christmastime but you’ll be a part of our family by the next one.”
“All right. Let’s go fill the piggies,” Merryn told her family.
As the twins ran ahead of them, Cook came out, a worried look on her face.
“My lady, you’re needed in the kitchen. We need to talk about some of tomorrow’s dishes.”
“Go,” Geoffrey said, kissing her hand. “I’ll have them count out the coins and be ready to slip them through the slots by the time you arrive.”
Merryn returned to the kitchen with Cook. “Is there a problem?”
“Nay, my lady. I merely wanted you to taste a few of the special foods that you have requested for Lord Geoffrey.”
She relaxed. Geoffrey had finally regained his appetite weeks after he’d arrived home. She’d taken extra care to create a Christmas Day menu that would contain not only traditional dishes but ones that were his favorites. She spied a servant lifting Yule dolls from the oven. Of all the treats, the gingerbread people were her husband’s favorites.
While Merryn waited a few minutes for them to cool, she sampled the foods Cook put before her and approved them all. After that, she reached for a Yule doll and bit the head off one of the little people.
“Mmm. Perfect,” she declared.
Just as this Christmas would be with her husband home safe and sound.
Chapter Six
They attended midnight mass and, afterward, Geoffrey carried a sleepy Ancel back to the keep while Diggory, his steward, did the same for Alys. He and Merryn got the twins tucked into bed and went to the solar. He tried not to think of where he had been this time last year as he curled his body around his wife’s and fell into a deep sleep.
They started Christmas Day at mass again and then broke their fast in the great hall. He enjoyed how festive it looked with all the bright greenery. The trestle tables remained in place since the feasting would begin at noon.
“I think I’ll take the children for a short ride,” he told Merryn. “They’re restless and eager for the activities to begin. This way, they won’t be underfoot.”
“Not for too long,” she cautioned. “The snow looks as if it will start again at any moment. Be sure they secure their cloaks firmly around them.”
“I will.”
Geoffrey kissed her and then told the twins to fetch their cloaks and two apples apiece from the kitchen and meet him at the stables. They flew up the stairs, laughing with excitement. He’d always been drawn to horses and saw that both Alys and Ancel took after him. Through the fall, he’d seen that they practiced riding on gentle mounts with tough mouths.
Today would be different.
He retrieved his cloak and hurried to the stables, wanting to arrive ahead of them.
“Are they saddled and ready?” he asked the groom that met him.
“Aye, my lord. Both. They are, indeed, beauties.”
Geoffrey had looked at his stable of horses and not found what he wanted for the twins within them. He’d traveled to Winterbourne, hoping Hardie might have more suitable mounts. His young friend did and had the two horses delivered to Kinwick early yesterday morning. Geoffrey had seen them settled when he’d told Merryn he was checking on Mystery. He wanted the gifts to be a surprise to her as much as the twins.
Ancel and Alys arrived with their apples, their cheeks already flushed by running from the keep to the stables.
“Face toward the keep,” he ordered sternly.
Without question, the twins turned away. He could tell Alys was itching to ask him why but she obeyed nonetheless. Geoffrey signaled the groom and the two horses were led out.
“You may turn around,” he said.
When they did, both sets of eyes lit up. Ancel shouted with joy while Alys began dancing around.
“You got us horses, Father,” Ancel said, beaming. “A true Christmas gift.”
“Come, let’s meet them.”
Geoffrey had each child approach slowly and pet their horses gently while he shared their names and where he’d purchased them and how old they were.
“Now, raise your hand, palm up. Let them sniff you so they can learn your scent.”
He had them stroke the horses more and told them to offer one of the apples they’d brought.
“Place it in the palm of your hand and raise it slowly. They’ll take what’s offered them.”
He’d made sure each horse had a good temper an
d no bad habits before he’d purchased them. Hardie had wanted to give him the pair but Geoffrey insisted he pay for them. He was already in Hardie’s debt. After the Earl of Winterbourne’s death, the young man had freed Geoffrey from the vile dungeons he’d existed in for years.
“Are you ready to ride?”
He lifted each child and placed them on their mounts.
“Just sit a bit. They need to get used to you.” He signaled the groom, who brought Mystery to him, and Geoffrey swung up into the saddle.
“We’re not going to go far. Your mother doesn’t want you to catch cold. We’ll walk your new mounts around the baileys and if that goes well, we’ll ride outside the gates for a short while. Follow me. And remember, these aren’t the nags you’ve been used to. Both these horses are much younger and have sensitive mouths so don’t tug on your reins too hard.”
“Yes, Father,” both children replied.
He led them away from the stables and around both baileys, having them stay in a line behind him before he peeled away and rode next to them to observe their postures and how they handled their mounts. Since all went well, he had the gatekeeper open the gates and allowed them to follow him in a brisk trot. After half an hour, they returned to the castle grounds and back to the stables.
Dismounting, he gave Mystery’s reins to a waiting groom and helped Alys and then Ancel down.
“You both did an excellent job, as did your new horses. Tell them how good they are and offer them another apple.”
He watched with approval as both twins awarded their horses with the treat and said, “Let’s return to the keep. You have a lot to tell your mother.”
His children took off, galloping almost as fast as a horse. Geoffrey strode after them, keeping pace. They scurried up the steps of the keep and burst through the doors, calling for their mother.
“She’s in the solar,” Tilda told them.
The twins ran up the stairs.
“You gave them their horses?” the servant asked.
“You knew about it?”
“Hmph. There’s not much that happens at Kinwick that I don’t know about,” she said saucily and returned to the great hall.