Arabella couldn’t help but return her infectious smile. “I am pleased to be a part of it.”
“Come,” her grandmother encouraged, “I want to show you the saloon.”
As they entered the saloon, Arabella saw that tables lined in the center of the room with all types of decorations for the trees.
Her grandmother pointed at the tables. “We have sweetmeats, almonds, raisins, fruits and toys,” she said.
“How many children are coming?”
“Sixteen.” Her grandmother glanced over at the tree Arabella had selected. “It is not too late to remove your tree from the saloon.”
“Whyever would we do that?”
“Because it looks rather pitiful next to the tree that Colin selected.”
Arabella frowned, knowing her grandmother made a valid point, but she didn’t dare admit it. There was nothing wrong with her tree. It may not look as splendid as Colin’s tree, but it would provide the children with ample opportunity to decorate.
“I think the children will enjoy the opportunity to decorate two trees,” Arabella said.
A twinkle came to her grandmother’s eyes. “You remind me so much of my Aunt Victoria.”
“How so?”
“She was born in Germany, but her family moved to England when her father was assigned as the ambassador,” her grandmother explained. “She was quite the beauty in her day, or so I have been told, and she took the London Season by storm.”
“I fail to see how we are similar,” Arabella remarked.
Her grandmother laughed. “She was stubborn, and she insisted on having her manor filled with trees for Christmas. It always smelled liked an evergreen forest in her home.”
“That does sound delightful.”
“Victoria outlived three husbands and died when she was eighty-five,” her grandmother continued. “Her first two husbands died from heart failure.”
“How awful,” Arabella said. “How did her third husband die?”
“He was trampled by a horse when he crossed a busy street in London.”
Arabella stared at her grandmother. “What a terrible story!”
Her grandmother gave her an innocent look. “I never said it was a pleasant ending for her third husband.”
“Regardless, I would have hoped for a happier ending for her.”
“Very few people live a life without tragedy to accompany it.”
Arabella walked over to her tree and ran her fingers over a green branch. “Wouldn’t it be grand to have a life that was filled without anguish or sorrow?”
“Then how would you learn and grow?” her grandmother asked.
“That may be true, but it would save me from heartache,” Arabella replied. “I feel my heart is too broken to ever heal.”
Her grandmother walked over to her and laid a hand on her sleeve. “I have discovered that the most beautiful things have dents and scratches. It’s proof that they have had a life worth living.”
“Thank you for that, Grandmother.”
She smiled. “You are still young, and you have a bright future ahead of you.”
“We both know that is not true.”
