Montgomery Family 01 - Lost Pleasures Found (13 page)

C
HRISTMAS EVE ARRIVED, and everyone worked together to decorate the house. Holly and evergreen were brought in and placed around the doors and on the banister. They hung wreaths above the hearths in all the main rooms of the house, and mistletoe hung from the crystal chandeliers. There was a festive feeling about the house, and Melody was getting excited about all the celebrations planned. Henry and Nelson brought in the Yule log. It was enormous, and it barely fit in the fireplace. Right after they returned, it began to snow, so they were going to have a white Christmas after all. Everyone gathered in the drawing room before dinner. Henry and Melody spent most of their time with Helen and Kathryn before dinner. Again, Kathryn was allowed to dine with the adults, and Melody knew she was very excited. Henry’s uncle kept staring at Kathryn, and Melody did not like the way he was watching her. So she turned to Henry and said, “Your uncle keeps watching Kathryn, and I don’t feel comfortable with the way he is looking at her. Have you noticed this?”

“No, I haven’t been paying attention. Where is Kathryn?” he asked. “She was here a minute ago.”

Melody saw Kathryn over by the pianoforte, and Uncle Theodore had approached her. She looked over at Melody and indicated she wanted her to come over. So Melody said, “Henry, she’s over by the pianoforte, and I think she wants us to come to her.” They walked over as Kathryn moved toward them, and she had a scared expression on her face. Uncle Theodore put his hand on Kathryn’s arm; she shrugged him off and quickly moved over and stood beside Henry.

Henry looked down at her and said, “Hello, sweetheart, are you all right? We thought you looked as if you needed us.”

Kathryn held tightly onto Henry’s arm as she said, “I’m just having a good time, but I’m getting a bit hungry. When will we go into dinner?”

Henry smiled at her and said, “I’m sure it should be soon. Are you getting bored with all this adult talk? Look, there’s Simpson now coming to announce dinner.”

Dinner was excellent; every course was delicious, and everyone was having a splendid time. Most of the guests were laughing and joking, and even the duke seemed to be having a good time. After the dessert course, the duchess stood up and asked all the ladies to join her in the drawing room, so they could leave the gentlemen to their port and cigars.

Melody walked over, sat down by Kathryn and asked, “What was really going on earlier when you motioned for us to come over to you? Something was going on. Is everything all right?”

Kathryn did not meet Melody’s eyes as she said, “I don’t like Uncle Theodore. He always wants to touch me, and it just doesn’t feel right. I know he’s my uncle, but I don’t care for him at all. Every time he comes for a visit, he tries to corner me when I’m alone, and he gets an odd look in his eyes, and it scares me.”

“I’ll talk to Henry and let him know how uncomfortable he makes you feel. Why don’t you stay here with me when the gentlemen join us, so Uncle Theodore will stay away,” she said, just as the gentlemen came in, and joined them. The duke indicated that it was now time to hand out the presents. Henry gave Melody a beautifully wrapped gift. When she opened it, she found a gorgeous emerald necklace, bracelet, and earbobs to match. She looked up at Henry with tears in her eyes and said, “These are just beautiful. I have never had anything this lovely. Thank you, Henry.”

“I decided to get you emeralds, because they’ll bring out the green flecks in your lovely eyes, and they match your wedding rings.” He picked up the gift Melody had given him and opened it. It was a handsome leather-bound book of Shakespeare plays. “Thank you. You remembered that I love to read and Shakespeare is one of my favorite authors.”

Everyone admired Melody’s jewelry, especially Helen and Kathryn. Their parents had given each of them a lovely strand of matched pearls. They loved the hand-stitched handkerchiefs Melody had given them and the book of poems from Henry. Melody gave Henry’s parents hand-monogrammed handkerchiefs as well.

One of Henry’s cousins, she thought it was Harold, began playing Christmas carols on the pianoforte, and everyone gathered around to sing along with the music. Someone suggested they roll up the carpets and dance. Soon, they were all dancing and having a marvelous time. Melody was surprised to see Henry’s parents dancing, who otherwise were always so stiff and proper. Melody and Henry ended up under the mistletoe, and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. After midnight, everyone headed upstairs to their rooms, because they knew the next day would be a full day.

When Melody woke up on Christmas morning, Henry was still sleeping. She loved to watch him when he slept. He always looked so peaceful. As she started to get out of bed, she felt Henry’s arm pull her back as he said, “Good morning, were you going somewhere? I hope not, because I have plans for you.”

With delight in her voice, she said, “I was just going to look out the window to see if there’s enough snow to cover the ground.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Let’s look together.” They went to the window, and when they looked out, they did indeed have a lovely white Christmas. Henry kissed her, and soon they ended up back in bed, so it was much later before they made it outside to see the pretty snow. The snow lasted several days; everyone went on sleigh rides, and they even had a snowball fight with Helen and Kathryn.

It was sometimes difficult to find time for them to be alone, but they would usually find a way to be together. After the snow melted, they found other ways to entertain their guests. Each night, they would play either charades or cards, and one evening they took turns reading one of Shakespeare’s plays, which everyone seemed to enjoy tremendously. Most of Henry’s relatives stayed through the twelve days of Christmas. The majority of the family was very polite and seemed to genuinely like her. Kathryn stayed close to them, and she did not have any more contact with her uncle. Melody had told Henry about her conversation with Kathryn, and he told her he would handle it. Since Uncle Theodore stayed away from Kathryn, he must have taken care of the issue.

Melody and Henry planned to leave when the rest of the family left. Finally, that day arrived. Helen and Kathryn came down to see them off, told them they would miss them and that they would write everyday. Melody knew she would miss Henry’s sisters, but she would not miss his parents. She was so pleased that Henry was able to find a house for them so they could be together.

The trip took all day, so they arrived well after dark. The house he had found was a small cottage, but it was certainly big enough for them. It was two stories with ivy climbing the walls. While the rooms were small, they were comfortable, and Melody was sure she would be very happy there. The cook, Mrs. Holden, had supper ready for them when they arrived.

After dinner, Henry stood up, stretched, and said, “Melody, I have to be at the garrison very early tomorrow, so I think I’ll turn in. Are you ready to come to bed?”

“Yes, I’m ready. It’s been a long day, and I feel as if I could sleep for a week. While the holidays were wonderful, they were very exhausting.” Melody was thrilled that they would be sharing a bedroom. When they entered their room, the bed had been turned down and their nightclothes were lying on the end of the bed. He turned her around and unbuttoned her gown so she could put on her night rail. They both were so tired that they climbed into bed and fell asleep right away.

The next day, Henry was already gone by the time Melody woke up. After breakfast, she decided she would go out and explore the town with Millie. They walked down the main street and looked in many of the shops. Canterbury was a much larger town than she realized. It was a very old place, and there were several wonderful old medieval churches to explore. She looked forward to doing that in the near future. The shops were delightful, because many of them were in medieval structures on narrow winding streets. The bookshop had many works by her favorite authors, and they had the new Minerva Press novel she had been looking for. By the time they got back to the cottage, Mrs. Holden had luncheon prepared. The food was simple country fare but very delicious. Melody spent the rest of the day reading her new book. Henry got home at six o’clock, and they had a quiet meal and talked about his day.

“I had a very busy day. I was in meetings with my superior officers all day. We received some news that the Congress of Vienna wasn’t going well. Talleyrand is giving the coalition some problems. I’ll rest easier, once everything has been agreed upon. We don’t want to punish the French people, but they need to accept King Louis the XVIII, for he is now the rightful ruler. It will take years to clean up the mess that Bonaparte left behind. How did your day go?” he asked.

While lying down her fork, she said, “I took a walk around town, and then I read this afternoon. I’m overjoyed we can be together like this. I love this sweet little cottage, and Mrs. Holden is very friendly. I just know we’ll be happy here. Sanderford Park is beautiful, but this cottage is so much more comfortable. It reminds me of my parents’ home.”

“I’m pleased you like it here. Just remember I won’t be able to be here very much. There will be some days that I may not be able to get away at all. I hope you won’t get too lonely,” Henry said as he leaned back in his chair and sighed with contentment, replete from his meal.

Melody smiled over at Henry and said, “You told me how it was going to be, and I’ll be fine with that. I would rather have a little of your time than none at all. All I ask is that you let me know what is going on, so I won’t worry about you. Last night, was the first time we just slept together, and it was nice, but I hope that tonight you won’t be quite so tired. I know I’ve got my energy back.”

“Never fear my dear … I’m more than ready to fulfill my husbandly duty. In fact, why don’t we go upstairs and I’ll show you.” Henry slowly pulled her up the stairs, while gazing deeply into her eyes and once they were in bed, he tenderly made love to her, before they fell asleep.

The days went by slowly, but the evenings passed quickly. Their nights were filled with passion. Everyday, they learned more about each other and fell more in love. Henry was very considerate, and whenever he was not going to make it, he would send Mansfield to let her know when or if he would be home. She enjoyed their little cottage; she was making things so that it looked more like a home. She knew Henry loved the way she took care of him, and she could not think of a time when she was as content.

Shortly after they arrived in Canterbury, Melody received a letter from her parents, telling her that Lily had died while she was giving birth and that the babe had been stillborn. The tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of Brandon and Lily and how happy they had been about the baby. Melody was so distraught that she cried all afternoon. When Henry arrived home and saw her, he rushed over to her and pulled her in his arms as he asked, “My darling, what is wrong? For you to be this upset, something terrible must have happened. Are your parents all right?”

“Oh, Henry … it’s so horrible.” Melody trembled in his arms as she continued, “Lily … Lily died while trying … to have their baby … and the baby was stillborn!”

Henry patted her on the back, trying to comfort her. “Oh, Melody, I’m so sorry! I know how close you were to them. God, Brandon must be devastated by this. Please write to him and offer him our condolences. I know that if anything were to ever happen to you, I would not want to go on living.” Melody sobbed, and she was shaking from emotion. As he cradled her in his arms, he said, “My love, please try to calm down. I fear you’ll make yourself sick if you don’t stop crying.” Henry picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. He laid her down on their bed, then lay down beside her and gathered her in his arms. She cried for a long time, but eventually she fell asleep.

Henry just laid there and held her while she slept. His poor darling had worn herself out from all the crying. He felt terrible about Brandon’s loss, and he knew he would not be able to survive if anything were to happen with Melody. While he wanted children, he would not want them at the cost of Melody’s life. He prayed that Melody did not become pregnant anytime soon.

Time passed, and Melody let go of her grief. Henry was relieved that she seemed to be back to normal. She was eating again, and he had even gotten her to laugh at one of his jokes. He knew she still was deeply saddened about Brandon’s loss, but she was making a valiant effort to be cheerful. The rest of January passed, and soon, it was almost February 10. Melody’s birthday was in two days. He had ordered her a beautiful diamond pendant necklace, and he hoped she would like it. He knew she would be happy with whatever he gave her, but he wanted to give her something special, something that showed her how much he loved her. The morning of Melody’s birthday, Henry told her he would probably be home early, and he hoped they could have a quiet evening alone. He made no mention of her birthday, because he wanted to surprise her that evening. He kissed her good-bye and left.

After he left the house, to go to the garrison, she wondered if he remembered it was her birthday. He did not say anything at all about it. She would be very disappointed if he had forgotten, and after all, she would be one and twenty and that seemed important to her. The mail came, and it was a package from her parents with a letter. She decided she would wait to open her present until Henry got home. She went to talk with Mrs. Holden about what she wanted her to fix for the evening meal, and then she decided to do some reading that afternoon.