A Seasonal Pursuit (Regency Christmas Brides #1)

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER 15

R ose inhaled deeply as she exited the church the next morning, feeling rather satisfied with the length and content of the Christmas Day service. Mr. Alchurch was indeed a capable, charismatic speaker and his reminders about the Christian virtues of charity, faith, hope, and love were timely as well as apt. He did not drone on about any of the aspects, and made practical applications for each, emphasizing the humanitarian generosity that was so welcome to the less fortunate during the present season.

It did not sound like preaching coming from Mr. Alchurch. It sounded like a reasonable discourse with some well-thought-out ideas.

If Rose had anything with her to offer the poor at the moment, she might have wandered the village and done something about it. As she was only visiting, she would hope that Lady Standhope would allow them to help somehow tomorrow on St. Stephen’s Day, when gifts and goods were given to tenants and servants.

The day was bright and clear, just as Rose preferred in the winter, and the air was crisp and held notes of the fresh pine from within the church now behind her. It was a delicious feeling, and her heart felt lighter than it had in days. This was the beauty and magic of Christmas, she supposed. She did not wish to be home with her family, but her thoughts did turn to them and to fond memories of Christmases past with her immediate family, extended family, and sweet gifts she had received from her sisters’ children not so long ago.

A Christmas walk, Rose decided as she waited in the small line to greet Mr. Alchurch after the service. That was what she wanted to do when they returned to the house and everyone dispersed to their various activities. As she understood matters, nothing would happen of any significance until much later, when the feast would take place and some music and dancing would transpire afterwards.

On such a beautiful day, with such nostalgic feelings, in a lovely setting like this, how could she not embrace the chance to walk about in it?

She smiled at Mr. Alchurch as she reached him. “Lovely service, Mr. Alchurch. One of the best I’ve heard on Christmas.”

He inclined his head, putting a hand to his heart. “Thank you, Miss Portman. Coming from a woman as frank as you, I take that as a deep compliment. May God be with you this Christmas Day.”

Rose dipped her chin in a quick nod. “And with you, sir.” She moved on, knowing others would wish to give more effusive praise and desperate to get back to spending the day according to her own tastes and dictates.

“Miss Portman.”

Webb’s voice sent warm ripples down her spine, and she had to crane her neck before turning with a smile, seeing his children on either side of him, their hands in his, and the rest of his family following behind.

She’d forgotten that this was the local church for Downing House and thus would have all of the Rixtons in attendance this morning.

She did not have to force a smile for any of them.

“Good morning,” Rose greeted, returning Kitty’s small wave. “Happy Christmas.”

“And to you,” Lady Downing replied with a warm smile. She was holding little Susan in her arms, and the girl was far more interested in her grandmother’s necklace than anything else.

Rose looked at Webb quickly, his smile particularly warm with his children beside him. “I presume you are going home to Downing for the day.”

He nodded, his smile spreading. “For most of it, yes. I will return to Fairview for Lady Standhope’s feast this evening. We are having an early dinner at Downing so the children can be fully involved.”

“That sounds delightful.” Rose smiled at each of the children in turn. “You must all be so excited.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Webb suggested brightly.

Rose looked at him in shock. “On Christmas Day? Webb, this is time for your family.”

“And were your family here, I would understand taking the time to be with them instead,” he allowed. “But they are not. So why not join us? If you would prefer solitude, then, of course, return to Fairview with our compliments. But if you would like to eat two feasts today…” He trailed off, shrugging but still giving her an almost daring, cheeky smile.

He was inviting her in front of the children, which was entirely unfair. She bit her lip, torn between wanting to smack him for not asking her privately and wanting to hug him for thinking of her when he was going to celebrate with his family.

Webb raised a brow at her, apparently amused by her hesitation. “Come,” he murmured encouragingly, seeming to be asking without inflecting his tone in the usual way .

She could almost hear the word “please” following after. It was written in his eyes and held in the curve of his smile.

“Oh, very well,” Rose relented, smiling down at the children. “But only because I am very hungry and cannot wait.”

Molly and Kitty cheered, making her heart warm so sweetly, she wondered if it were actually stretching within her.

She looked at Lady Downing with a hesitant smile. “Will this dress be suitable enough? I can fetch something nicer from Fairview if you are all changing for dinner.”

“Don’t you dare,” Lady Downing scolded. “You look beautiful, and perfectly appropriate for Christmas dinner with our family.” She nodded in the direction of a path. “It is a lovely walk to the house from here. And it will help to tire the children out.”

“Shh! Mother!” Bash put a finger to his lips as they started to walk. “You are not supposed to reveal the master plan to those affected by it!”

“I meant you, dear,” his mother shot back at once.

Emily and Webb positively howled with laughter, while Fred made a tally mark in the air as though keeping score for his mother. Bertram, carrying his hefty son Dominic, only shook his head with a fond smile.

Rose walked beside Lady Downing, feeling it might be safer than walking with Webb, and wanting to give his children the chance to chat with him. Time worked differently with children, and they might have felt that their father had been gone for ages rather than just a day. As she watched him with Kitty and Pierce, she could see both of them chattering away and looking up at him with absolute adoration. There was clearly much to say, and he was doing his best to give both of them adequate attention.

“They do love him so very much,” Lady Downing said in a soft voice, her affection plain.

Cheeks heating, feeling rather caught, Rose shifted her eyes to Webb’s mother quickly. “I can see that. Has it been a particularly eventful time while he’s been at Fairview?”

“Not really,” she replied, laughing to herself. “But they still want to tell him absolutely everything. And they’ve worked so very hard on gifts for him.”

They passed the cemetery then, and Rose noticed that all of the adults lowered their heads respectfully. They did not stop speaking, if they were doing so, but their eyes were cast down and their manner subdued. Once they had moved beyond it, volume and energy resumed among the group.

Rose glanced behind them briefly, then ventured to ask, “Is Webb’s wife buried there?”

Lady Downing nodded, her smile turning sad. “She is. Sweet Mary, she was like a daughter to me long before she married Webb. And the children will likely not remember her at all. That breaks my heart, but they have recovered so well after her death. Webb has given them so much devotion and attention, and Emily and the boys fill in so beautifully. I don’t know how they would have managed without them.”

“And what of Webb?” Rose inquired hesitantly. “Who took care of him while he took care of the children?”

“All of us,” his mother told her. “And likely none of us. You know him a little—do you really think he would tell us how he was hurting or if he needed something in particular? He grieved, certainly, and it was some time before his smile reached his eyes once more. He rarely left Downing House, except for business, and even then, those trips were swift. It is only now that he has returned to social engagement for the sake of it.”

Rose didn’t know what to say to that. She had heard something of this from Webb himself upon their first meeting, but she hadn’t expected so much of a retreat on his part. It sounded as though he had become almost a complete recluse in the wake of his wife’s death, and that made her heart positively ache .

Her eyes began to burn with tears on his behalf, but she cleared them quickly with a cough. “You mentioned tiring out the children. Have they been particularly energetic this morning?”

“Oh heavens, yes.” Lady Downing bounced Susan a little, smiling at the girl. “Even this one. She feeds on the energy of the others, and they are desperate for the gifts they will receive and the gifts they have to give. I hope you do not mind, but it would be best if we do the gifts before our meal, so it is out of the way.”

“Not at all!” Rose reached out and ran a finger over Susan’s arm gently, which made the girl smile. “Christmas presents are a delight.”

They walked along the well-worn path away from the church and the village for a while, eventually turning upwards with the landscape and among thick patches of evergreen trees that lined the route. The air became heavy with the scent of pine, which was one of Rose’s favorite smells in the world. It was a delightful addition to the day, and as they were walking towards the celebration of Christmas, pine was simply perfect.

The path turned at a break in the trees and suddenly Downing House was before them, at a different aspect from when Rose had arrived with Webb the other day, and yet it was no less stirring. There was just something about this house, its appearance, its setting among the grounds, that she adored, more than the grandeur of Fairview and the elegance of other fine houses. Downing was certainly elegant and grand in its own right, but it was understated and simplified. Or refined, perhaps.

That was it. A refined elegance and grandeur that begged to be properly appreciated.

The group entered the house and removed hats, bonnets, cloaks, and gloves, the children immediately darting for the stairs and racing up. Even Susan and Dominic demanded to be lowered to the ground so they could follow the others unaided. They were, of course, a trifle slower than the rest, but the adults did not mind the reduced pace of ascending the stairs.

Rose slowed her step as they followed the children into the same drawing room they’d been in before, wanting to allow the Rixton family members precedence to their own Christmas gathering. She hung back while the children darted here and there with their small presents for all of the adults, smiling at the reactions of everyone. Molly was quite proud of the bookmarks she was giving to everyone, which had ribbon carefully woven through lace. Her governess had helped her start each, she explained, but she had woven the ribbon all on her own.

Dominic and Susan did not seem to have any presents to bestow, but enjoyed running back and forth anyway. Kitty and Pierce were a pair, offering quills and pen wipers for their uncles, music for their aunt, and a small book of poetry for their grandmother. Then all of the other children waited and watched while Kitty and Pierce took a larger present to their father.

Webb seemed genuinely surprised about it and knelt before his children to open it. A pair of comfortable-looking slippers appeared from the brown paper, and Kitty squealed and clapped her hands when she saw them. It wasn’t clear if she had forgotten that was the gift or if she was simply excited about it, but it was the most adorable reaction Rose had ever seen.

But then she looked at Webb. He was speechless as he looked at the slippers, then pulled both of his children into his arms, hugging them tightly. He kissed both and thanked them, his eyes appearing damp even from where Rose stood.

She quickly adjusted her opinion. That was the most adorable reaction she had ever seen.

Just when Rose thought the adults would start giving gifts to the children, Molly was running around again, this time with bits of greenery for everyone. It appeared she—with some help from capable adults—had arranged boutonnieres for the men and hair pieces for the women. Sprigs of holly or rosemary or hawthorn, or combinations of the sort, were now dotting buttonholes and carefully set hair. It was as entertaining as it was sweet, and Rose smiled as Emily and her mother helped each other fix the greenery into their hair.

Then, to Rose’s astonishment, Molly and Kitty came over to her, their smiles nearly identical, showing the family resemblance quite plainly.

“Miss Rose,” Molly began, her hands behind her back, “we didn’t make you bits for your hair like Mama and Grandmama.”

“Oh, sweet girl, that is absolutely—”

“We did something else,” Molly went on, completely overriding Rose’s attempt to soothe her.

She looked at her cousin, her tongue making a quick appearance between grinning teeth, then she brought forth an unmistakable crown of sorts. Kitty helped her to hold it, and they thrust it out to Rose. Ivy made up most of the crown, but there were several small white flowers strewn throughout, the handiwork clearly not that of children, but something they were just as proud of.

Rose put a hand to her heart and stooped to their height. “Oh, girls… That’s so lovely!”

“They’re Christmas roses,” Molly explained, her voice practically squealing now.

“Like your name,” Kitty added. She pointed at Rose for emphasis, her smile as sweet as her words.

Rose looked around at the adults, all of whom were watching the scene with varying expressions ranging from surprise to pride to delight. Webb was grinning as though this was the best Christmas ever, and he winked at Rose when their eyes met.

The lump in her throat responded in kind, cueing her eyes to water as she returned her attention to the girls. “It is the sweetest gift I have ever, ever received,” she told them in all honesty. “Will you put it on my head for me?”

Both girls giggled and moved to settle the crown on her head, needing a bit of help from Emily to make it steady. Once it was set, Rose took the girls in her arms for a hug to resounding applause from the family.

“Who wants presents from Uncle Fred?” Fred bellowed, breaking the moment and blessedly taking attention away from Rose.

The girls dashed away and Rose wiped at her eyes, rising from the ground with a faint sniff.

Webb was at her side in an instant, though she hadn’t seen him move. “I had no idea they were doing that,” he murmured low, putting his arm around her shoulders in a sort of hug.

“I wish I had something to give them in return,” Rose whispered, swallowing a faint hiccup of emotion.

His arm tightened around her, filling her body with light. “You’re here. That is gift enough.” He kissed her head, startling her, and then strode away to help Kitty open her present from Fred.

Rose watched him go, feeling her heart pounding hard with at least seven different emotions, none of which were willing to take the lead at being identified. Her eyes felt wide and rapidly drying, and her lips spread into a smile she did not comprehend nor intend. Nothing was making sense to her mind or in her body.

Nothing.

But it was Christmas Day and there was so much love in this room, she simply could not be bothered to untangle her feelings now. There would be time for that later.

Straightening her crown a little, Rose moved forward and sat down on one of the sofas to watch the children receive their gifts, reacting appropriately and enthusiastically for each.