There it was again, that endearment, darling. Holly beamed up at him.
“That is wonderful! Oh, but what about your mother? Did you not say that she was to join us?”
He shook his head. “Believe me, Mama would be the last to contemplate venturing forth in such inclement weather.” He pushed back his dark hair now damp from the melted snow and ushered her before him. “Come along, time for tea, and it is Friday, so there will be buttered crumpets.” He stopped. “Friday…we have been married a week today,” he said, sounding surprised.
Holly turned and faced him. She drew in a deep breath and braved herself to ask the question that had been uppermost in her mind all week.
“Are you sorry that you married me?” she asked.
He looked shocked. “Good God…no!” His arm stretched out, and he caressed her cheek, his thumb tenderly brushing the underside of her chin. “I realise that I have not been the easiest of men since we arrived home, but you have shown my daughters compassion and offered them your friendship. Your advice has been sound, and I trust your guidance with my, our, daughters. I count myself fortunate to have found you, darling girl.”
Her eyes brimmed with emotion. She flung herself at him, shocked at the yelled warning he gave while holding her back. He wounded her sensibilities.
“I am sorry, but look.” Gregory drew open his jacket pocket and produced two small kittens. Handing them to her, he rummaged in his other pocket and conjured a third.
Holly cuddled the tiny scraps of purring fur. One was tabby, the other tortoiseshell. Gregory held a ginger-and-white kitten in his hands.
“Ooo, aren’t they adorable? The girls will love them,” she cried.
“I hope so. Let’s get them up to the drawing room and settle them in a basket by the warmth of the fire. I’ll get someone to bring up an earth box for their use.” Gregory led the way back upstairs.
After spending the afternoon chasing the inquisitive balls of fluff as they explored their new home, Holly decided it might be safer to place the kittens below stairs, in the scullery. Nancy, the scullery maid, agreed to take full responsibility for them until Christmas day.
Chapter 15
A break in the weather meant that the sleigh was easily dispatched to collect Doctor Powell who attended upon Libby and removed her stitches. The doctor accepted Holly’s invitation to stay to lunch.
“I don’t recall a snowfall this deep in my lifetime. I remember my father telling me of the freezing winter of eighteen-eleven, but that was long before I was born,” the doctor informed them between mouthfuls of pheasant.
“That particular winter was responsible for my mother’s fear of snowy conditions. Apparently, she was trapped in a carriage for two days, along with her parents. The carriage wheel broke on the way home from visiting relatives one Christmas. Ever since then, she hibernates at the first sign of snow,” Gregory regaled the tale, giving a wry chuckle.
“I cannot say I blame her,” Doctor Powell responded.
“Oh, I don’t know, I love snow, especially playing in it,” Holly said.
“You are still a young woman. Wait until you are older and the cold affects your aching bones, my dear,” the aging doctor said, giving an exaggerated shiver.
Holly laughed.
“I must say, this is a most delicious luncheon, my lady. Please convey my compliments to the cook,” he enthused.
“Thank you, I shall pass along your praise.”
Gregory filled with pride at his wife’s gracious reply. She had more than surprised him over the last few days. Initially, he had thought her to be as immature as her age. He had suspected her likely to suffer some jealousy once she’d discovered that he had three daughters. Yet the reverse had been true. The affection and care she had lavished on his girls both astounded and touched him. She had swept away the lingering misery of Bunty’s death and somehow managed to reunite him with his offspring, turning them into a cohesive family.
Later, the doctor departed, muffled up against another arctic blizzard. As they waved him off, Gregory turned and suggested they visited the nursery. They walked in, and Libby leapt to her feet and lifted her skirts to proudly show them her scars.
“Doctor Powell said they would be barely noticeable in a few weeks’ time,” she told them gleefully.
“We have something to ask you,” Kitty interrupted Gregory’s reply, looking as though she might burst if she didn’t get something off her chest immediately.
He sat and pulled her onto his lap. “Well, what is so important that you are ill-mannered enough to talk over your papa?” he teased.
Kitty seemed suitably chastened for barely a moment. Her enthusiasm overcame any misgivings, and she chattered rapidly. “We have no play to perform at Christmas, due to Libby’s injury, and we have been talking. Anyway, we would like you to enact your wedding for us because we weren’t there to see you get married.” Kitty gabbled so fast she had to halt and suck in a lungful of air. She beamed a hopeful smile up at her father.
Libby and Clemmy quickly added their own pleas. Gregory swivelled to meet Holly’s amused gaze.
“It is entirely up to you, darling,” he said, shrugging.
Holly looked at her eager stepchildren and smiled at their hopeful faces. She nodded. “I think that is an excellent Idea, Kitty. You shall be my bridesmaids. It will be fun and romantic. Afterwards, we can celebrate by cutting the excellent Christmas cake that Mrs Hicks has made for us, and you can sing us the carol you have been practicing with Miss Evesham.”
Kitty clapped, and Clemmy danced about in a circle. His eldest daughter frowned.
“Libby?” he prompted.
“I don’t have anything pretty to wear to be a bridesmaid,” she said sadly.
Holly held out her hand to the girl. “Come with me, and I shall find you something. Your father will stay and play with your sisters while we ladies withdraw to my boudoir.”
Gregory mouthed a ‘thank you’ at his wife as Libby stood to follow her from the room. He picked up a story and sat sandwiched between his youngest daughters. He opened the book, and the girls snuggled into him expectantly.
Gregory realised that he was happy for the first time since the doctor had told him that both his wife and son had died in childbirth. He had never dared to hope that his pretty new wife might be as sweet-natured as his first, more spirited perhaps, but just as kind. Nor had he expected her to enjoy her duty in the bedchamber. This Christmas was turning out to be a new beginning, and he determined to do his part in making it as joyful and happy as possible. Ruefully, he acknowledged that this was an about-face on his part. At first he had resisted his wife’s ideas for Christmas, originally because he’d thought her to be rather young and foolish. He’d initially gained the wrong impression of her after witnessing her ridiculous dance with her friend at the ball. How wrong Holly had proved him to be. In fact, he was discovering that his new wife was a breath of fresh air, fun and resourceful. Gregory now congratulated himself on being a very lucky man to have found such a gem of a woman.
The next few days were taken up with preparations for both their wedding re-enactment and for Christmas. The house filled with the smell of rich spices which wafted throughout from the kitchen, giving the illusion that the draughty old mansion was warm and cosy. The inclement weather added to the inviting feel as gusting winds and driving snow rattled the old, mullioned windowpanes. Whistling breezes swept along passages and corridors; the moaning noises alarmed and upset Clemmy.
At one point, Gregory wondered if he would be able to fulfil his promise on delivering the fir tree for decorating, but there came a window of opportunity as one morning the gales dropped and the sun came out, turning the crystalline landscape into a shimmering wonderland. Gregory ordered his groundsmen to select a tree from the estate and bring it into the drawing room.
The children helped to decorate the tree using their threaded stars and cornucopias which Holly filled with sweetmeats and sugared almonds. She shooed th
e children away because she wanted to present the Christmas tree fully decorated as a glorious surprise on Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve dawned icy but bright. Gregory had decreed that any of the staff unable to visit their family due to the snow could opt to work Boxing Day and take a day off in lieu, to be arranged with Mr Williams.
The morning was spent in final preparations for the celebrations. The girls joined their parents in the dining room for luncheon, and then Nanny collected them to prepare for the ‘wedding’.
Gregory left his wife alone to dress and went to his study where he unlocked the safe and removed the Caulderbury jewellery which consisted of a set of tiara, necklace, bracelet, and ring. They were made up of glittering diamonds and rubies. He pocketed the ring and carried the other gems upstairs, where he knocked discreetly at his bedchamber door. Matilda answered, and he handed over the precious items with instructions that his wife should wear them.
He waited, accompanied by Nanny and Miss Evesham, who took her place at the piano. She was to play Mendelssohn’s Wedding March from A Midsummer Night’s Dream which had been played at the wedding of Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Victoria, The Princess Royal, when she’d married Prince Frederick of Prussia a couple of years previously in eighteen-fifty-eight. There was an expectant hush in the morning room, where it had been decided the ceremony should take place, the drawing room remaining out of bounds until after darkness had fallen and when the tree would be lit.
Williams, the butler, Mrs Lane, the housekeeper, and Mrs Hicks, the cook, had been invited to witness the event. They slipped inside the room discreetly and stood at the back against the far wall. Gregory was in front of the fire, hands clasped behind his back. He admitted to himself that he felt more nervous than he had on the actual wedding day a fortnight ago.
The door swung inwards, and Matilda stepped through. Miss Evesham began to play, and Holly walked slowly towards him. He thought she made a beautiful picture dressed in her wedding gown and shimmering jewels. How could he ever have compared her to Miss Havisham? His girls entered in order of their age and followed Holly in single file. Arranged behind her, they preened as they spread out their pretty skirts. He had to admit his daughters were delightful.
His wife seemed ethereal and utterly beautiful, her smile radiant when her gaze met his. The music stopped. He reached for her left hand and, holding a book of Common Prayer, he said:
“My darling girl, I Gregory Mounthurst, take thee Holly Mounthurst for my wedded wife, to love and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance, and thereto I plight thee my troth.” He leant towards her and placed a chaste kiss upon her cheek.
Holly smiled then swung away from him. He frowned. What was she doing? She held out a hand towards his daughters. Gregory watched as the girls glanced at one another other in confusion.
“Come along, I need you to stand next to your papa,” she chivvied.
The children huddled about him. Were they as perplexed as he?
Holly’s beaming face moved over each of them in turn.
“I, Holly Annabel Mounthurst, take thee, Gregory, Libby, Kitty, and Clemmy Mounthurst, to be my wedded family, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and cherish and to obey you, Gregory, until death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance, I hereby give each of you my troth.”
Libby began to cry. The girls pressed up against their stepmother. Arms encircled her, and each girl hugged Holly. Gregory’s eyes grew suspiciously moist. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the Caulderbury ring.
Coughing, he drew each female’s attention to him and reached for Holly’s left hand.
“With this ring, I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow, including gifting you with my three beautiful daughters. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
He slipped the ring onto her third finger until it rested against her gold wedding band. Pulling Holly into his arms, he kissed her soundly.
Afterwards, she stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. He listened. She voiced her regrets that she had no wedding gift to give him. Gregory kissed her to silence such nonsense.
The room echoed with resounding calls of “Amen!” and “Congratulations!” The staff came forward and offered their felicitations before slipping away one by one until the only retainers left were Nanny and Miss Evesham. The governess tinkled the piano keys, picking out the carol Silent Night. The girls understood their cue and gathered in front of the grand piano.
“Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright,” they sang softly, their sweet young voices working in harmony.
Gregory added his baritone to the last chorus, and Holly joined in and leant into his side. More carols followed, and then a footman arrived, pushing a tea trolley laden with pastries both savoury and sweet. Mince pies, made by the girls, vied with space on the top tier with an enormous white, frosted Christmas cake decorated with fine sugar holly and scarlet berries.
After tea, the girls were allowed to play with the Noah’s Ark set, and Gregory roasted chestnuts over the fire.
“Look, girls, night has fallen,” he remarked, glancing over at the darkened windows.
Immediately, the children clamoured to be allowed entrance into the drawing room. Gregory slipped away. Holly helped the youngsters tidy all the many wood-carved animals and birds from the Sunday toy set. Then they all moved into the hallway and waited outside the drawing room chattering excitedly.
The double doors were flung open, and Gregory ushered his family inside.
The tree was quite magical, its branches laden with flickering candlelight that reflected on the strings of Bunty’s beads that Holly had asked the servants to drape over the branches. Colourful candy twists in red and white hung scattered through the dark green foliage.
Clemmy clapped and danced about while Kitty circled in silent awe. Libby took Holly’s hand in hers.
“Thank you,” she said simply, her eyes shimmering.
Gregory came and stood behind them and placed an arm about each of them. He squeezed them gently to him. “Girls, you may choose some sweetmeats from the cornucopias you made and then come and sit beside the fire. I am going to read you a story before Nanny collects you for bed.”
The girls snuggled into him. Gregory opened the book.
“A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens,” he read, casting a smile at Holly.
Nanny arrived a little before he’d finished the ghostly tale, but she waited patiently just inside the door. He closed the book and looked at each of his daughters’ upturned faces.
“I hope none of you shall suffer nightmares tonight.”
“No, Papa, because we are good children, not like nasty Mr Scrooge! We shall have a visit from Father Christmas and be given sugar mice, which will prove what good girls we are,” Kitty told him.
“Libby?” Gregory prompted his eldest daughter.
She smiled at him. “I shall be fine, Papa. So many lovely things happened today that nothing will give me bad dreams tonight.” She stood and hugged him.
He held her close, knowing just who to thank for his daughter’s return to happiness. Glancing over Libby’s shoulder, he caught Holly’s eye and winked, delighted when she blushed prettily.
After the children left, he locked the door.
Chapter 16
“Gregory?” Holly queried.
He padded across to her and pulled her to her feet. His mouth closed over hers, he took his time kissing her. There was a rattle as someone tried the doorknob. Gregory ignored it; whoever it was soon went away. There was plenty of time before dinner for kissing. He ran his lips up her neck to whisper in her ear, “Remember earlier when you said you regretted not giving me a wedding present?”
She nodded.
He continued to whisper. Her neck flushed red at his salacious question.
She trembled, as he tightened his hold.
“I will,” she replied throatily.
“Later then,” he said with a wink.
“Yes...Gregory…?”
“Hmm?”
“Is it all right to, to confide something?”
“Of course, you may tell me anything. I am your husband.”
“I-I think I love you,” she told him softly.
He shifted her forward so he could look her in the eye. “Holly, my dearest girl, you have beguiled me, for I do believe I love you, too. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for banishing the gloom and unhappiness from this house. What can I possibly give you after all of your generosity?”
“A baby, Gregory.”
“Of course, I shall give you a son.”
He felt perplexed when she frowned. “What is it?” he asked.
“What if it is another girl?”
He hugged her close. “Then we shall have fun trying again for a boy.”
“But what if we never have a boy?” she asked anxiously.
“Then we shall make the best of our girls. I am rather partial to girls; they are a pleasure to have about. The house my mother lives in will be mine on her death and is not entailed to the estate. I promise you, and our girls, that we shall never lack for a home,” he reassured her and then kissed her.
Weather conditions on Christmas day deteriorated into a howling blizzard, so church became out of the question. Gregory held an improvised service in the entrance hall, and most of the household attended.
After breakfast, the girls set up their puppet show. There was a muddled beginning with several false starts. They performed the nativity using oddly dressed puppets under the tuition of Miss Evesham. There was a lot of giggling, and not just from the children. Holly failed to keep a straight face, and eventually, after a peculiar-looking sheep dropped his coat and was revealed as a crocodile, Gregory guffawed and bellowed with laughter.
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