Page 3 of A Merry Christmas
Merry had little hope of anything coming of it, but it was hard not to be excited at something happening in the neighbourhood for once; that and the Fielding and Roxton siblings returning for their large festive gathering. When Lord Bruton and family had arrived to fill the always-empty pew at the front of the church, the entire congregation was aflutter. Merry had been entirely amused by the situation until she’d turned and seen the dark, handsome visage of the Honourable Barnaby Tremaine. Then, despite herself, she was all aflutter too. When he’d cast glances at her during the service, she’d felt a little breathless.
Afterwards, when they had been introduced, she had thought she might melt into a puddle when he kissed the air above her hand. She had become, in fact, a cliché that she had always made fun of. Thankfully, she had not swooned. The indignity!
Her family would never call on his, or vice versa, so when they met again, it was on the village High Street, at the house of mutual acquaintances, or at the village assembly, where he singled her out and danced with her twice. His attention towards her had been most marked, even to a practical girl like Merry who was not wont to have her head turned by a handsome face or elegantly tied neckcloth.
Nonetheless, even her sceptical father had to begrudgingly acknowledge that the Baron’s son was courting her, though he had not been asked to do so, as was proper. Her mother would never say so, but Merry knew she despaired of her daughter finding a suitablemate. The past fortnight had been a fairy tale, and now Joshua Fielding had arrived and threatened to ruin it all.
Joshua Fielding, who had been her first adolescent puppy love, yet had never been more than annoyed by her ploys to get his attention.
He had not been home for years—years—then reappeared as a dashing, handsome war hero and threatened to ruin her only chance at marriage. Her ire rose with each successive thought.
If her father did not object to Tremaine, then how could Captain Fielding?
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Merry forced a smile. She had completely ignored Captain Fielding for her own thoughts.
“Not at all. I was considering all the lovely gestures Mr. Tremaine has made towards me these past weeks, and how contrary they are to your opinion of his character.”
“Indeed. Has he spoken to your father, then?”
Curse her blushing cheeks! “Not yet, but he has hinted at his intention to do so.”
The insolent man raised one sceptical eyebrow at her. How did he do that?
“What are you two speaking of?” Mrs. Fielding asked.
“Merry was just informing me of her suitor.”
Mrs. Fielding frowned. “Do you mean Mr. Tremaine? Has he spoken to your father?”
“Not yet, ma’am.”
“Well, then,” she said, seeming pleased, “I need not worry that I did not invite him to dinner.”
“I imagine he feels no slight,” she replied.
“I think we should have dancing tonight. You still remember how to dance, do you not, Joshua?” she asked, moving on from the topic of Barnaby Tremaine.
“It is often required of the King’s men. I would not embarrass you, I assure you.”
“Well, one hears of such things, but you have not been here for me to know one way or the other.”
“You know I would have been here had I been able,” he said softly to his mother, and Merry melted towards him a little with his gentle tone towards Mrs. Fielding. A very little. She was still rather cross with his defamation of Mr. Tremaine’s character.
“My son, you may show us the waltz that is still forbidden by our rigid vicar. I hear it is beautiful to watch.”
Merry had read about the waltz and longed to try it. She had even practised the steps. But to dance it with him? Her stomach churned at the thought.
From the look on Mrs. Fielding’s face, Merry knew any objections would be fruitless.
As a rule, their dances were very jovial and lively—nothing at all the way she expected the waltz to be. Perhaps someone else would object, and she would be able to avoid it.
“Why have you not yet married and set up your nursery, Joshua?” Simon, one of the brothers, asked from across the table with a gleam in his eye. It was just the sort of thing Merry would have expected one of the mothers to ask, but the brothers did like to tease.
“From what I can see, the nursery is already full enough.” He seemed undisturbed by the taunt.
“Do not tell me you intend to abstain from marital bliss and fatherhood?” Simon continued.
