Gerard sat with his head back against the chair as he stared at the glowing embers on the Yule Log. Then he raised his arm that held a half-empty glass and took another hefty sip of brandy. He didn’t understand what had happened this evening. Everything had gone so well. The food was delicious, the champagne a lovely, bubbly accompaniment to the meal, the conversation at dinner had been affable and lighthearted. But when he had pulled the sprig of mistletoe out of his pocket something had gone terribly wrong. He had been so encouraged just moments before by something promising that he had seen in Isabella’s eyes and expression. But then she had abruptly changed and seemed apprehensive, almost afraid of him.
“My lord, please, I don’t know what to do!”
Gerard swiftly came to his feet as he heard the urgency in Jane’s voice, dropping his glass to the carpet unheeded. “What is wrong?”
“It’s Lady Isabella, my lord. She is ill and she won’t let me in her room to assist her. I think she has caught Mrs. Quentin’s illness. She is coughing something fierce.”
Gerard felt his heart race almost painfully in his chest when the thought of losing Isabella before telling her how he felt about her crossed his mind. Just as quickly, he pushed the worry away. He knew how to brew the ginger tea. He had watched her prepare it for Mrs. Quentin. Isabella was strong. He would make certain she would recover. There was no other option.
“Is your mistress’s bag containing the herbs still in the kitchen?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Good, I’m going to prepare the special tea. I will bring it to her without delay. You may wait in your room. I’ll call you if I need you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
As Jane hurried away, Gerard strode to the deserted kitchen and quickly located Isabella’s bag of herbs and the piece of ginger inside. He filled a kettle with water, stoked the fire and placed the pot on the burner. Forcing himself to remain calm, he sliced several pieces of the ginger as he had seen Isabella do the day before. When the water was hot, he dropped the pieces of root inside and allowed it to steep for several minutes. Then he poured the liquid into a teapot and stirred in some of the dried lemon rind. He placed it on a tray with a cup and saucer and moved quickly out to the hallway. There, he made one final stop. He opened the cupboard where Jasper kept the keys to all the rooms in the house and selected the one that belonged to Isabella’s bedchamber.
Without wasting any more time, Gerard climbed the stairs, taking them two at a time, being careful not to spill any of the precious liquid. He stopped outside her door, balanced the tray in one hand and knocked. No answer, but he could discern the sound of muffled coughing.
He slipped the key into the lock. “Isabella, it’s me. I’m coming in.”
Gerard entered the room and immediately saw Isabella lying on her bed in her night rail with her beautiful long black hair tousled against her pillow.
“Ger-Gerard, what…” She stopped to cough and hastily pulled the covers up over her chest.
“Shhhh…don’t talk, my dear. I’ve brought you some ginger tea. Now drink up. I’ll have you better in no time.”
Isabella gave him what could only be described as a grateful little smile. It provided him with the encouragement he needed. He helped her to drink three cups of the brew before she collapsed back against her pillows. “Thank…thank you so much.”
“Call it something I owe you for pushing you into that lake.”
She smiled at him again with obvious effort then closed her eyes and slept.
* * * * *
Two days later, Isabella was much improved, thanks to the diligence of Gerard. He had faithfully brought ginger tea to her every few hours until the worst had proved to be over.
“You look almost like yourself again, my lady.” Jane deftly swept up Isabella’s long hair into a comb.
Isabella smiled at her image in the mirror. Today she was wearing a satin gown of deep purple with a pearl necklace and tiny matching earrings. “Yes. I seem to have lost a little weight though. I’m very sorry to have missed the Christmas celebrations yesterday.”
“Mrs. Quentin fixed a good meal, my lady, but I believe yours were better.”
“Thank you for saying that Jane. I certainly need more practice before I could ever claim to be a real cook.”
“In a pinch you know all you need to know, my lady. All finished.”
Isabella stood and walked over to a small pile of packages on her bed. “Here, Jane, I want you to have this small Christmas gift; a little late but I hope you’ll enjoy it.”
“Thank you so much, my lady.”
A knock sounded upon the door and it suddenly opened. Augusta stood on the threshold. She studied Isabella intently before speaking. “You look very well, my dear.”
“Thank you, Augusta. I feel much improved.” She reached for another package. “I’m sorry I missed the Christmas party yesterday. Here is something for you.”
“Why, thank you, my dear. I have a gift for you in my room as well. I’ll bring it down to the dining room. You can open it there.” She turned to leave and then hesitated. “You might not have heard. A messenger arrived from London early this morning. Julia was safely delivered a baby boy on Christmas Eve.”
“Oh, that is wonderful news! I’m so happy to hear she and the baby are well.”
“My lady, if that is all?”
Isabella turned to her maid. “Yes, thank you, Jane.”
“Will you accompany me to the dining room to break our fast, Isabella?”
She hesitated and looked at the pile of gifts still left on her bed. “I need to take care of something first. I’ll be down shortly, Augusta. Go ahead and start without me.”
“I will, my dear. I find I’m extraordinarily hungry this morning.” Augusta left the room, shutting the door behind her.
Isabella sat on her bed and picked up one of the gaily wrapped packages. It was for Gerard. She hoped he would like what she had picked out for him.
A knock sounded on the door once more. “Yes?”
“It’s Jones, my lady. Lord Malden is askin’ if you could meet him in the drawin’ room.”
“Yes, of course. Tell him I’ll be there momentarily.”
Isabella stood, clutching Gerard’s present in one hand. After quickly checking her appearance in the mirror, she opened the door and slowly walked down the hallway. She and Gerard would be together in the room where something magical had seemed to happen. That was of course before she had gone and ruined the moment by shying away from him and subsequently becoming ill. Her heart began to race and echo loudly in her ears as she made her way down the stairs to the drawing room door. After a moment’s hesitation, she opened the door and entered the room.
“Isabella.”
As the thrilling sound of Gerard’s treasured voice reached her, Isabella briefly shut her eyes as an intense wave of some nameless emotion seemed to wash over her body. Was she still weak from her illness or was this deep-seated feeling of agitation that almost took her breath away that elusive thing called love?
“Isabella. It’s so good to see you up and about once again. How are you feeling?”
She didn’t say anything right away. How was she to answer such a question at this moment? She studied his dear, handsome face and looked directly into his deep-blue eyes. What she saw there gave her the courage she needed to speak.
“I…I feel breathless, Gerard. And it’s not because I’m ill,” she added hastily as he moved toward her with a look of concern on his face. “It’s because my pulse is racing and I can hear the sound of my pounding heart echoing in my ears. This is not the first time I have felt this way. I had a similar experience just before I became sick on Christmas Eve. I wish to explain, if it’s possible to do so, what happened that night.”
“I wish you would, my dear.” Gerard stood next to her and took one of her hands. “I didn’t understand what was going on. You seemed almost afraid of me.”
Isabella gripped his hand tightly. “No, no! I could never be scared of you. I knew you were going to hold the mistletoe over my head and kiss me after Augusta had her turn. I was simply hesitant, even reluctant to treat something that special as nothing more than part of a game or simple festivity associated with the holiday.”
“Are you saying that you would greatly value a kiss from me?” He stared into her eyes, looking somewhat bewildered.
“I…I realized that night that the grievances I had against you when we were children were a part of growing up. The experiences we had together when we were young are something I would never change or wish away. Those days together play a big part in who we are today. In my case, I always wanted to show you I was intelligent. You taught me to strive to be better, to be smarter. I owe it to you that I’m not content to simply paint and do needlework to pass my time. And I hope that your attention to detail and your dedication to your lands and estate are somehow connected to your need to be the responsible one in our group. Julia and I were very silly little girls. Even though we didn’t realize it at the time, we both looked to you for guidance.”
“What about my teasing? I thought that bothered you?”
“When I was younger, yes. But now I look back on those days with different eyes. I understand now that not only were you trying to get my attention, you were also attempting to make situations lighthearted and happy when they could have easily ended in disaster.”
“Are you thinking of the time you climbed up the tree after the kitten and told me you didn’t need my help?”
Isabella grinned up at him. “Yes, that was one of my more stupid mistakes. Julia and I were discussing that just the other day.”
“So what are you trying to say to me, Isabella?”
“I…I…” She was suddenly hesitant to say more. She looked down and realized she still held Gerard’s present in her other hand. “Here is your Christmas gift. I hope you like it.”
“Avoiding the issue, my dear?” Gerard chuckled as he took the package from her hand and slowly unwrapped it. He didn’t comment for several seconds. “Beautiful! It looks very like the area around my home.”
“I’m glad you like it. I found the landscape in a small shop in London. When you mentioned Malden at Julia’s house, I could tell your estate gave you immense pleasure.”
“I will hang it in my study and treasure it always, my dear.” Gerard turned away from her and reached for an item on a nearby table. “I too have something for you.”
“Gerard, you didn’t need to buy anything for me. I was simply a guest of your sister’s for the holidays.”
He studied her face in a serious manner before speaking. “Nonsense, there was nothing more I wanted in the world than to spend my Christmas with you, Isabella. Furthermore, this gift wasn’t purchased by me. It has been in my family for several generations and kept in my father’s study to be presented to the woman I wish to marry.” Gerard suddenly got down on one knee and opened a small box to reveal a glistening emerald ring surrounded by shimmering diamonds nestled inside. “I have loved you since I was that young, provoking lad who never wanted to leave you alone and eventually bothered you with my pestering ways. I promise you that I never intended to have anything from you but your undivided attention and your love. You will make me the happiest of men if you will consent to be my wife.”
“Yes, oh yes. I will gladly marry you. I love you so much.” She hesitated and looked down at Gerard who was smiling broadly but still balanced on his knee. “Come up here right now. This is the perfect moment for my special kiss even if you don’t have the mistletoe any longer.”
“I beg to differ, my dear.” Gerard pulled the piece of greenery out of his pocket and held it over Isabella’s head. “First, I want to put on the ring.”
“It’s beautiful!” It fit snugly on her finger. Isabella was mesmerized by the emerald. “Does it match my eyes?”
“Perfectly. Now, what about that kiss?”
It started as a simple kiss. But Isabella yearned for more. She wanted to be closer. She stretched out on tiptoe, melding the front of her body to Gerard’s. She raised her arms and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, playing with the coarse ends of his hair as she did so.
Wondrously, the embrace quickly became all she had coveted—his soft, full lips pressed fervently against her own in a gentle, warm caress. At that moment, Gerard loosened his grip on her back and slowly raised his head.
“That kiss was…” He stopped, took a deep breath and stared down into her eyes. “Even though there will be many, many more, I won’t forget this first one, Isabella.”
“Neither will I,” she sighed and moved to touch the piece of mistletoe that had fallen and become wedged between their bodies. “I must tell Augusta the news.”
“The mistletoe was actually her idea.” Gerard reached out and smoothed a loose lock of her hair.
Isabella giggled. “I should have known. Augusta has a soft, romantic side to her. Did she tell you about the masked ball and the gentleman who couldn’t claim a dance because her card was full?”
“Yes, she did, but I have to admit I wasn’t listening too closely.”
“She can get carried away when she starts reminiscing.”
“I imagine she’ll be very happy to hear our news.” Gerard placed her hand on his arm and led her to the door.
“She’ll be ecstatic.” Isabella grinned up at Gerard. “Especially when she thinks of the children who will shortly be occupying our nursery.”
Gerard laughed out loud as he held the door open for her. “Ah, Isabella, this unusual holiday is turning into the most wonderful one I have ever known.”
She gently squeezed his arm and looked into his shining blue eyes. “It has truly been a very happy Christmas!”
The End