Page 28 of Snowdrops and Winterberry
“He decided he was going to scare them. So, late on the night they settled in at the boathouse, he hid beneath the only window in the building and waited for their lantern to be extinguished.”
Again, Adam could feel Lord Jonquil silently laughing. And again it made him smile.
“James had brought a lantern.” Lady Jonquil looked at Adam as she told her story. “Holding it near enough to oddly light his face, he slowly stood, framing his face in the window, the only thing visible there to the two boys inside.”
Adam looked up at Lord Jonquil. “What did you do?”
“We screamed.” He laughed out loud at that. “He played quite the trick on us. Scared us near out of our wits. Once we realized he was the specter in the window, we dashed from the boathouse and chased him all over the grounds. It was quite a lark.”
In the very next instant, the housekeeper arrived with a tray, one side of it holding a plate of ginger biscuits and the other two rows of glasses. Following right behind her was the butler,carrying a bowl of wassail.
“Do you feel ready to have some biscuits and wassail?” Lord Jonquil asked him quietly.
“Yes, please.”
The arms that had kept him warm and reassured dropped away. He climbed down and crossed to the table to claim his Christmas goodies.
Everyone was talking and smiling. Lady Jonquil expressed her delight at having her favorite ginger biscuits. Adam took small sips of the hot apple drink, the taste reminding him of his Christmases with Father at Falstone Castle. It made him a little sad, but it also felt nice to enjoy part of it again in a place that was so happy.
He set his glass down and walked over to Lady Jonquil. He tugged lightly on her dress when she didn’t realize he was there. She turned toward him, and her eyes brightened when she saw him. She always looked excited when she saw him. He liked that.
“Thank you for Christmas,” he said.
Lord Jonquil stepped over to them and set his arm around his wife. “This has been a beautiful Christmas celebration.” To Adam, specifically, he said, “Thank you for sharing it with us.”
Adam wasn’t one who smiled often, but he couldn’t help himself just then. Every bit of him felt happy. Everything about that moment felt perfect.
“I suspect,” Lord Jonquil said with a little laugh, “Mr. Simpkin and Nurse Robbie wish we’d managed to find some mistletoe.”
“Why is that?” Adam wasn’t certain what Lord Jonquil was trying to say.
“It is a tradition at Christmastime,” Lord Jonquil said, “for a couple who are caught under a sprig of mistletoe to exchange a kiss.”
Adam looked over at Nurse Robbie and Mr. Simpkin, whowere standing beside one another, talking with the butler and housekeeper. “Why would they want to kiss each other?”
“I believe,” Lady Jonquil said, “they are falling in love.”
Falling in love? Adam hadn’t thought that. He hoped it wasn’t true. When people fell in love, they often married. And when people got married, they went away.
But Nurse Robbie wouldn’t leave him; he knew she wouldn’t. She loved him. He was her wee Adam. And she was the only person who had never left him behind.
Chapter Twelve
The Christmas celebration had goneas well as Robbie had hoped. Better, in many ways. Adam had clearly been confused at first, but he’d quickly embraced the joy of it. Watching him play with such abandon and glee had done her heart good. He’d always been such a serious child. With so few opportunities to play with other children, he didn’t really know how.
Lord Jonquil was proving an oddly perfect playmate. He’d a restless joyfulness about him that was infectious. His boundless enthusiasm helped Adam feel courage enough to participate in something so unfamiliar to him. But the gentleman was also attentive and quick to address the wee boy’s struggles and concerns.
Again and again her thoughts had returned to that moment when, without warning, Adam had burst into tears. Lord Jonquil had held him and comforted him precisely the way a loving father would. Seeing it had offered Robbie’s heart a little respite from the worry that had rested there for months. She felt so terribly alone in her efforts to give Adam stability and reassurance.
She stood at a small window near the back of the house. Though she told herself she hadn’t any particular reason for placing herself in that specific spot, the more honest part of her knew why she was there. Through the glass she could catch the smallest glimpse of Howard working out in the garden corner. His stone had finally arrived, and he’d hired on local men to help with building the garden wall. They were making quick headway. She enjoyed watching him take pleasure and satisfaction in his work.
Adam had spent time that morning studying the horse Howard had carved for him. He’d listed for Robbie all the bits ofit he found interesting or lifelike. Her little lad appreciated the gift, and receiving it served as a testimonial that he was thought of and cared about. What a good and kind man Howard was proving himself to be.
And, oh, the tender moment they’d shared the night it had rained. Warmth spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes every time she thought back on it. Nothing in that brief touch of his arms to hers and her lips to his cheek ought to’ve impacted her as much as it had, and yet she felt in many ways as if everything had changed in the length of those few breaths.
Into her reverie came the sound of footsteps. She assumed a neutral expression and looked over her shoulder to see who was passing by. It was Lady Jonquil. She didn’t continue on her way but stopped at the window as well.
“Forgive the intrusion,” she said.
