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CHAPTER17
Weather conditions on Christmas day deteriorated into a howling blizzard, going to church was out of the question. Gregory held an improvised carol service in the entrance hall which most of the household attended.
After breakfast, the girls set up their puppet show. There was a muddled beginning with several false starts and lots of giggling. They performed the nativity using oddly dressed puppets under the tuition of Miss Evesham. There was much laughter, and not just from the children. Holly failed to keep a straight face. Eventually, after a peculiar-looking sheep dropped his coat and was revealed as a crocodile, Gregory guffawed with a delighted bellow.
The kittens were becoming extremely rambunctious in their play. Rather than wait until Boxing Day to give them to the children, as was the norm for the giving and receiving of gifts, Gregory decided the kittens would be revealed to the girls directly after luncheon. Boxing Day was often taken up with handing out Christmas boxes with bonuses for the staff, which could be time consuming and might cause him to miss seeing the girls receive the gift of their kittens.
The gong sounded, announcing the midday meal, and they all filed into the dining room.
The dressed table could only be called magnificent. Cut glass and silver cutlery twinkled under the candlelight. At the centre, bright crystallised fruit formed a pyramid, surrounded by brackets of scarlet holly berries. It was very festive.
Holly had placed a small package beside each of her stepdaughters’ place settings.
“What are those?” Gregory asked.
Clemmy was already undoing the ribbon on hers.
“Girls, these gifts are from your mother,” Holly informed them.
Silence fell, and Clemmy quickly put her package back down.
“I found them when I was tiding your mother’s things. She bought them for you and would want you to have them.”
The girls glanced worriedly at Gregory, obviously seeking his approval and permission to open them. He nodded, smiling reassuringly.
“Go ahead,” he encouraged when the girls still hesitated. He caught Holly’s eye.
She smiled nervously back at him, hoping he would not be annoyed with her over not consulting him about the gifts. The girls opened the necklaces. There were exclamations of joy as each slipped from their seat and ran around the table to ask their parents for help with the clasps.
“Thank you,” Gregory mouthed at Holly, and she sighed with relief, thankful that he understood.
The goose was superb, while the fruited Christmas figgy pudding, so rich and dark, was declared the best yet. Mrs Hicks was sent for, and Gregory praised the cook while the family all clapped in gratitude. Cook went pink with pleasure then hurried away, for she now had the downstairs luncheon to serve.
Replete, the family retired to the drawing room.
“Have I told you that I love you?” Gregory whispered and slipped a proprietorial arm about Holly’s waist.
“Have I toldyouhow much I loveyou?” she replied, snuggling into him.
They asked the children to remain out in the hallway while Holly and Gregory went into the room to round up the kittens. They needed to replace a number of Christmas decorations after the playful cats had dislodged them climbing through the tree.
Libby was invited inside first and allowed to choose from the litter. She homed in on the tabby with a cry of delight. Gathering her close, she declared the little bundle of fur’s name was Figgy because she reminded her of delicious Christmas pudding.
Kitty came next and went straight to the ginger and picked him up. Cooing over the pretty thing, she named him, rather predictably, Ginger. This left the tortoiseshell for Clemmy, who went into paroxysms of delight when she saw her gift, kissing the cat’s tiny head over and over with excitement.
“What will you call your puss-cat, darling?” Holly asked, kneeling beside her youngest stepdaughter.
“I want to name her after you but I can’t call her Holly, becoth we will all get muddled. Tho I thull call her Lathy, after the pretty old lathe you had on your wedding gown.”
Holly pulled her youngest stepdaughter into her side and kissed her.
The rest of the day was spent playing games and over indulging on cake and mince pies. They put the children to bed themselves giving nanny the evening off. Tucking in and kissing the sleepy girl’s goodnight, they left the door ajar so the nursery maid could hear if one of them cried out in the night. Gregory took her hand and led Holly down to his bed chamber. “I want you to sleep here with me from now onwards and use your own chamber as a dressing area. Feel free to change the decor of the room and make it your own.
She looked around and shrugged. “I like it just as it is.”
“I like you just as you are, but preferably unclothed.”
“What are you waiting for, my lord?” she said, opening her arms to him with a coquettish smile.
