Page 51 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
“Ready, my love?” Oliver asked as Melisa placed her arm in his.
“Absolutely, my dear,” Melisa replied with a bright smile as they descended the stairs together, finally ready to greet the guests and enjoy their wedding reception.
Epilogue
The falling snow had kept the family indoors for the last few days. And though it might have been bitterly cold outside, all was warm within the Stanton family home. Thankfully, Melisa had finished her Christmas shopping with the rest of the Davone ladies and therefore they were all set for Christmas morning. As Melisa woke early that special morning, she was surprised to find herself alone in bed. She reached across the bed and felt the empty space where Oliver normally was beside her. As she pushed herself up onto her elbows, she could hear the faint sound of piano music being played from below.
Sliding out from underneath the warm covers, Melisa was quick to slip on her slippers and pull her house robe around her before stepping out into the hallway. She could feel the chilly air and knew that the servants hadn’t started to build fires in all the rooms yet. Therefore, she was curious to know why she was hearing piano music so early in the morning and wondered if perhaps Oliver was already awake.
As Melisa came down the stairs, she was shocked to see the main hallway decorated with garland, mistletoe, and poinsettias. There were also several new vases that held oranges and cinnamon sticks, filling the air with a pleasant aroma. She walked slowly down the hallway, enjoying the beautiful sight till she neared the drawing room where the door was open.
When Melisa stepped into the room, she was overcome by the beautiful transformation of the room. It was decorated for the holiday from floor to ceiling with garland hanging from every available place. The room smelled of pine and cinnamon as bunches of it were placed around the room, decorated with mistletoe. It was like walking into a fairy-tale as she looked upon a pine tree that had been set in the corner of the room, beautiful ribbons decorating the limbs. And on the other side of the room sat Oliver at a brand-new pianoforte, playing a Christmas tune softly on the keys. But when he saw Melisa standing in the doorway of the drawing room, he paused in his song and stood before walking over to her.
“Merry Christmas, Melisa,” Oliver said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Merry Christmas,” Melisa said, still speechless as her eyes moved all around the room. “Did you do all of this?”
“It may have been my idea, but Morgan and Eliza helped me pull it off. I’m afraid we’ve been up half the night getting it all finished for everyone,” Oliver said before placing a kiss to her forehead.
“But … why?” Melisa asked as she looked up into Oliver’s eyes.
“Because this is our first Christmas together and I want it to be very memorable,” Oliver replied as he led her over to the Christmas tree. There, beneath the branches, she noticed several packages. Oliver let go of her hand as he bent down and plucked a hanging present and then turned back to her as he placed it in her hands. “Merry Christmas, Melisa.”
Melisa was in awe as she pulled the ribbon, revealing a small velvet box at the centre. And as she opened it, she revealed the most mesmerizing silver ring with a turquoise stone embedded in the ring. She looked up to Oliver, her eyes wide as a broad smile crossed her face.
“It’s beautiful,” Melisa said as she looked lovingly into her husband’s eyes.
“When I saw it in the shop, it reminded me of the blue waters in Italy. I knew that you must have it,” Oliver said as he plucked the ring from the box and placed it upon her right ring finger. As Melisa looked down at her hands, a beautiful diamond on one and now the turquoise on the other, she felt full of love and appreciation for her husband.
“Thank you so much, my dear,” Melisa said as she wrapped her hands around Oliver’s shoulders and hugged him for all her worth.
“You deserve this and more, my love. For taking a chance on a poor, common man; the love you’ve given me is more than I will be ever able to repay. But I can show you my love in this manner from time to time,” Oliver said with a chuckle.
Slowly, others in the household began to come alive as the servants arrived for the morning work. They were all amazed by what Oliver and his friends were able to complete in one night, the house fully decorated for the holiday. Before their family awoke, Oliver and Melisa quickly dressed for the morning and were ready in the drawing room before anyone else came down to see the splendour of it all.
Melisa couldn’t contain her laughter as she heard her parents’ voices in the foyer as they came down the stairs. “Oh my goodness, look at all of this, my dear,” Lady Stanton’s voice rang out. Melisa could clearly imagine the shocked expression on her mother’s face, her voice continuing to ring out as she chatted happily about everything she was finding.
When they came into the drawing room, Melisa laughed at their shocked expressions, their eyes roaming around the room from top to bottom as they took in all the decorations and holiday spirit. Melisa couldn’t contain herself anymore as she stood from her chair near the fireplace and was quick to embrace her parents, wishing them both a merry Christmas.
“I can’t believe my very eyes,” Lord Stanton stammered after he’d finished embracing Melisa. “How did you do all of this?”
“It is not I who did this, Father, but Lord Quinn. He and our friends are responsible for the splendour of it all. And there are quite a few presents under that tree,” Melisa said with a smile, directing her parents’ eyes as she pointed to the large pine tree in the corner.
“Oh, how lovely,” Lady Stanton said as she moved further into the room, tugging her husband after her to see everything that had been done. Melisa joined her husband back at the fireplace as together they watched everyone come down for the morning. Melisa particularly enjoyed the excited way in which Signora Davone talked in excited Italian as she came downstairs with her family. Their expressions were the same surprise and awe as they came into the drawing room, excitedly talking and pointing to everything they could see.
“It is like a Christmas miracle,” Lady Stanton said as she joined her daughter by the fireplace.
“It truly is, isn’t it?” Melisa replied as she nodded her head. “How far we’ve all come.”
“Bravo, my dear boy, bravo,” Lord Stanton said as he clapped Oliver on the back before taking a chair next to him. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
“Well, I cannot take all the credit, sir. I did have two very good friends who helped in the decorating,” Oliver said, waving towards Mr and Mrs Lockwood as they came into the drawing room.
“Ah, Mr and Mrs Lockwood. I do remember you two from the wedding,” Lord Stanton said in greeting.
“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for our family,” Melisa said as the couple settled on the settee together.
“It is the least we could do to show our appreciation for all you two have done for us. We have no fears of the future,” Mrs Lockwood said as she exchanged a happy look with her husband. Melisa could only smile at them, feeling proud of being able to help them financially and to assure Eliza could be home with her child and not have to worry about finding employment. As Melisa looked at Eliza’s growing stomach, she felt a wanting of her own as she absentmindedly placed a hand on her own stomach where she once felt her own child.
