Gerard pulled back the curtains on the window in his bedchamber and studied the frosty white world outside in the dim early-morning light.
“The snow looks mighty deep, my lord. Are you certain we’ll be able to collect somethin’ to serve as a Yule Log without gettin’ lost?” his valet spoke out while he was laying out Gerard’s warmest clothing.
“There is a dense wooded area near the back of the house. I’m confident we will find something to serve the purpose without going too far away.”
Gerard buttoned up his shirt and accepted a freshly ironed strip of linen from Jones’ hands. He swiftly and masterfully tied the cravat in his favored Mathematical style. Then he quickly finished dressing in dark-blue trousers, matching coat and a woolen beige waistcoat. He tugged on his newly polished Hessian boots with a sigh. “These won’t stay in such pristine condition for long, I’m afraid.”
“I brought you an extra pair, my lord, so you be covered, so to speak.”
“You think of everything, Jones. Thank you.”
“It’s my job, my lord. It’s my job.”
Gerard walked to the door and put his hand on the knob before turning around to speak. “Meet me at the back door in an hour. I’ll be in the dining room if you need me.”
“Certainly, my lord.”
Gerard walked swiftly down the deserted hallway to the stairs. He paused briefly to listen for any sounds of activity. Everything was still and silent. Perhaps Isabella and Augusta were still asleep, although he thought it unlikely. Even with the unusual circumstances surrounding this holiday, he was conscious of sensations of happiness and anticipation on this Christmas Eve. It was hard to imagine that the ladies wouldn’t have been affected by similar expectations as well.
He opened the dining room door to find the table set for two people instead of three as it had been the evening before.
“Gerard, there you are. I was just going to send Jane up to inquire if you were ready to break your fast.”
He turned toward the sound of Isabella’s voice and found her standing on the threshold. She had donned a cherry-red gown with short puffed sleeves. A green ribbon embellished the neckline as well as the edge of her sleeves. “Good morning. You look very festive, my dear.”
“Thank you very much. You look quite dashing as well.” She grinned up at him and blushed rosily. “I meant to say that I never have found fault with the way you are turned out.”
Gerard smiled back at her as he valiantly fought the urge to kiss her luscious lips. “You must thank Jones for his successful efforts then.”
“Yes…yes, I will.” She hesitated before clearing her throat and beginning again. “Please sit down. Jane will be bringing in tea and toast momentarily. We also have ale if you wish.”
“That would be fine. I only see places for two at the table. Is Augusta still in her bed?”
“No, no. Augusta is awake and doing quite well after I applied the salve last night. She claims the pain in her joints has disappeared. She has returned to her room to retrieve her shawl and will join you momentarily.”
“You aren’t eating with us, Isabella?” Gerard tried unsuccessfully to keep the disappointed tone out of his voice.
“I’m sorry but it’s absolutely impossible for me to sit down right now. I have decided to roast two of the joints of beef and one chicken as well as the goose. They went into the oven an hour ago. I have also located the necessary ingredients for the mince pie and plan to roll out the dough shortly.” Isabella began to back away toward the hallway.
“Please don’t try to do too much. You should enjoy the day as well,” Gerard reminded her.
“I’m finding I like cooking almost as much as I love dabbling with my herbal remedies. But don’t be concerned. Jane has been a great help to me. Here she is now.”
Jane entered the room carrying a tray full of toast, a teapot and cups and a jug of ale. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”
Augusta tottered into the room at that moment. She was all smiles. “Good morning, all. Ah, I see you brought milk and sugar. I have everything I need.”
“Good. Jane and I must return to the kitchen. We’ll leave you two to enjoy your meal.”
Isabella turned away with Jane at her side. They left Gerard to the now almost hysterically happy mercies of Augusta Hatch. He listened with one ear to the lady’s effervescent description of a masked ball she once attended as a young woman. From there, she moved on to tell of an extremely handsome gentleman who had asked for the pleasure of dancing with her only to learn that he was thwarted in his desire because her dance card was full.
Gerard managed to extricate himself only by promising to locate a piece of mistletoe during his search for the Yule Log and greenery.
“You must hide the mistletoe upon your return, Gerard. Then pull it out and kiss me when I least expect it this evening after dinner.” The lady laughed gaily as he left the room.
He was gratified to see the men gathered and waiting for him near the back door. Jones helped him into his caped coat and then handed Gerard his gloves, hat and scarf. “Let’s stay together as much as possible. I think the woods behind the house will be our best chance to find something to use. Ideally, a recently felled tree that is not too large for us to carry is what we should look for. Jones, bring along that bag for the pieces of greenery.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Gerard led the way through the thick, frozen slush. Fortunately, although it was still snowing, only a light dusting of powder was falling. He had no trouble seeing where he was going. Before long, they arrived at the edge of the wood.
“Fan out but don’t go too far away. Call out if you see anything suitable.”
Gerard looked at several possible trees only to determine they were too large and or too heavy to carry. Then he spotted one lone trunk jutting out of the snow. Upon closer examination, he found it had rotted away on the inside. All the while, his thoughts were of lovely Isabella. It had been so wonderful to sit with her in front of the fire discussing his estate and the intricacies of crop rotation. Gerard was very impressed by the extent of her knowledge on the subject and looked forward to further conversation with her. He sincerely hoped Isabella wasn’t exhausting herself by doing so much to make this holiday meal for them.
“Over here, my lord!”
Gerard and the others followed the sound of the voice to a clearing a short distance away. There in the middle appeared to be a tree trunk that had just recently collapsed under the weight of the snow. It looked to be of a manageable size.
“Very good…George, is it?”
“Yes, my lord. Thank you.”
Gerard directed all the men to take out their knives and gather some pine limbs and holly branches. Remembering Augusta’s command, he located a large piece of mistletoe and hurriedly thrust it in his pocket. Then they placed the greenery in the bag and Jones lifted it up onto his back. Gerard and the rest of the men hoisted the log up on their shoulders and made their way back to the house.
* * * * *
Isabella closed the door to her bedchamber and walked down the hallway to the stairs. She had taken a moment to freshen herself before the evening meal was served. She took a deep breath as she made her way down to the front hall. It had been a long day but miraculously, everything seemed to have turned out well. Even Augusta’s coveted mince pie looked delicious with a golden-brown crust and a small bit of sweetmeats peeping invitingly out of the opening at the top.
She wanted to check the appearance of the dining room table. Jane had assured her that it looked very beautiful and festive. She opened the door to discover Augusta busily placing pine branches and bits of holly down the center of the table.
“Isabella, what do you think of my handiwork?” Augusta stood back and beamed at her.
The room sparkled in the glowing light cast by the large chandelier hanging over the table. Shining porcelain plates topped by soup bowls painted with a golden trim were framed by well-polished silverware in front of three empty chairs. Crystal wineglasses gleamed beguilingly at each place. The entire table was covered in a shimmering white damask tablecloth. The greenery and red holly berries contrasted with the white to create a colorful, festive brilliance.
“It’s beautiful, Augusta. Everything I imagined a dining room should look like before a Christmas Eve dinner.”
“My lady, are you ready for us to bring in the soup?” Jane stood anxiously in the doorway.
“Have you seen Lord Malden? Has he come downstairs?”
“I’m right here. I wanted to procure some champagne to go with our dinner tonight.” Gerard appeared holding a shiny bottle in one hand. “It’s rather dusty in the cellar. I couldn’t bring something so dirty to this beautiful table without cleaning it first.”
Isabella studied Gerard’s attire covertly. He was dressed in formfitting nankeen trousers with a light-blue satin waistcoat that appeared to be shot with a silver thread, topped by a dark-blue coat that hugged his muscular frame in a captivating manner. His cravat was tied quite skillfully to rest at a spot just underneath his firm, chiseled chin. On his feet were gleaming Hessian boots.
“A-Augusta and Jane have both worked magic and made this room quite perfect for our Christmas Eve dinner celebration.” Isabella struggled to keep her voice steady as Gerard’s arrival seemed to have drastically affected her pulse rate. She reasoned with herself that she was simply nervous about the upcoming meal.
“Shall we sit down?” Gerard stood back to allow the ladies to proceed him to the table. Jane collected the soup bowls from each place setting and hurried away to the kitchen.
After Gerard helped the ladies into their chairs, he brandished the champagne as he released the stopper with a loud bang. “Ah, that is the true sound of a celebration.”
Augusta giggled as she held out her glass to be filled. “It’s been a long time since I had champagne.”
“Not since Julia’s wedding,” Isabella reminded her.
“Ah yes,” Augusta answered in a dreamy tone of voice. “What a lovely party that was.”
“I wonder how Julia is doing.” Isabella frowned and looked at Gerard. “I suppose there’s no chance we will hear anything?”
“If a rider was able to get through in this storm, he would head to our homes first believing we received the notes telling us of the change in plans.”
“You’re probably correct.”
At that moment, Jane, Jones and George entered the room, each carrying a bowl of steaming soup. The dishes were carefully placed in front of them.
“My lady, we will bring in the trays of meat and vegetables followed soon after by the pie. I want to let you know that Mrs. Quentin is feeling much better and wishes to resume the cooking tomorrow. Also, the men and I will clean the dishes after the meal tonight. You are to relax and enjoy yourself this evening,” Jane finished in a tone of voice that would brook no argument.
“Hear, hear!” Gerard stood and raised his glass. “To our impromptu cook, Lady Isabella, who has far surpassed herself in truly exceptional circumstances and earned our sincere thanks.”
“You’re all very welcome.” Isabella felt her face growing warm as all the servants moved inside the room and began to cheer. Augusta and Gerard joined in the applause.
“We’ll return shortly, my lady.” Jane left the room followed by the other men.
The three of them were left to enjoy their dinner. The topics of conversation were general and lighthearted, pertaining mostly to their own unique experiences since arriving at the estate. Gerard kept the champagne flowing freely. Isabella vaguely registered the fact that her glass seemed to never fall below the half-full mark. She had to admit to herself that she had done well with the meal. Augusta and Gerard were quite obviously taking pleasure in the food. Each of their plates had been filled and emptied more than once.
“That was delicious, Isabella. I’m ready for a slice of that pie.” Augusta took a gulp of her champagne and wiped her mouth with her serviette.
“Excellent, my dear.” Gerard grinned at her. “I confess I’m almost sorry to hear Mrs. Quentin is taking over.”
“Thank you both for your compliments. I’m happy I was able to produce tasty meals with so little past experience.”
At that moment, the dining room door opened to reveal Jones bearing the mince pie and Jane following behind with a stack of empty plates and a knife.
“At last!” Augusta sighed and smiled with clear pleasure.
“Will you do the honors?” Isabella asked Gerard as Jones placed the pie on the table and Jane proffered the cutting utensil.
Gerard expertly cut the sweet and placed equal amounts on each plate before handing out the slices. Augusta wasted no time biting into her piece.
“Divine, my dear!” she exclaimed as she paused for breath and rolled her eyes. “Even better than my own mother used to make.”
“My, that’s praise indeed,” said Gerard with a chuckle. He took a bite. “Mmm…delicious, Isabella.”
The three of them lingered over the pie while finishing the last drops of champagne.
“Shall we move to the drawing room, ladies?” Gerard inquired as he put the empty bottle inside the wine bucket. “You haven’t seen the Yule Log we collected today.”
Augusta struggled to rise from her chair. “With pleasure, Gerard. It appears I’ve eaten too much again. I need to sit by the fire for a spell.”
Isabella hurried across the room to offer her assistance. “Here, let me help you.”
Augusta took her hand with a grateful smile. “Thank you, my dear. Now, Gerard, you hold my other arm and I will arrive in the drawing room in style being escorted by such a perfect, handsome couple.”
“Miss Hatch!” Isabella felt her cheeks turning red as she heard her companion’s comment.
“You’ve reverted back to your childhood once more.” Gerard grinned at her. “It’s Augusta now, remember?”
“Oh, oh yes.” Isabella led the way into the room, looking everywhere but at Gerard.
“See what I have found!”
Augusta suddenly stopped moving forward and tugged on Isabella’s arm. “He has a sprig of mistletoe,” she whispered as she moved to stand close to Gerard.
Isabella raised her head and found herself staring into the depths of Gerard’s glimmering blue eyes. At that moment, she felt as if she were peering into his soul. Her heart suddenly constricted and felt heavy inside her chest. Unexpectedly, the answer came to her. She loved Gerard. Not in a brotherly fashion based on all their experiences as children but as a woman who now recognized the value of those episodes as an important part of growing up. Memories she would always cherish.
As Gerard slowly turned away from her to bend over and place a kiss on Augusta’s cheek, Isabella unexpectedly felt the stirrings of worry and concern. Her first kiss with Gerard must not happen in such a silly, gamelike circumstance. Their embrace must be memorable, extraordinary and unforgettable.
Isabella’s eyes widened as Gerard moved toward her. How could she get away without forever putting herself in his disfavor?
She opened her mouth to speak but abruptly stopped and placed one hand over her mouth. Her throat suddenly felt wooly and sore. She was going to cough any moment. Oh no! She had caught Mrs. Quentin’s illness.
“I…I’m suddenly very, very tired. I…I must retire for the evening.” Ironically, Isabella felt grateful for the convenient excuse. She managed to force out the words and hurried out the door.