Page 54 of The Hidden Heart

“Yes, miss.” The butler turned to her with a smile. Though he had been somewhat startled by her forthright manner at first, he had come to like and rely on Jessica a great deal, particularly over the past couple of days, with the bothersome problem of their many uninvited guests.

“I could not help but notice that there are no Christmas decorations in the house.”

The butler’s smile fell away. “No, miss.”

“I would not want to add to the servants’ burden at a time like this, but it occurred to me that adding some Christmas decorations might just lift everyone’s spirits. You could send the gardeners and grooms out to cut down some fir boughs. It isn’t far to the spruce trees in the garden. They would not have to trek very far through the snow. There are some holly bushes right by the back door. And the men are idle, anyway, with the snow. I think everyone would feel better just to smell the scent of them, don’t you? And it would keep the female guests occupied, too. We could make bows from red ribbon and fashion a mistletoe ball, decorate the mantels and doorways with garlands. Perhaps some of the men could help hang them.”

Baxter looked at first eager, then wistful. “Oh, yes, miss, it would brighten up the place, and it would, as you said, give people something to do. But…well, we haven’t celebrated Christmas here for many years now.”

“Not at all?” Jessica asked, amazed.

“Oh, His Grace does not deny us our own dinner and Christmas festivities. He gives us gifts on Boxing Day, of course. But he does not want the house decorated. It…hurts too much, you see. There were decorations all over the house when the accident occurred.”

“Oh. That is too bad. Miss Gabriela will be terribly disappointed. Children are so fond of the Christmas celebration.”

“Yes, miss.” His eyes grew sadder. “Our own little Alana loved the holidays. I know Miss Brown told you about the tragedy.”

“Yes, she did.” Jessica paused, then asked, “Did the duke forbid you to put up the decorations this year?”

“Well, no,” the butler admitted, looking thoughtful. “He did so the first year after the deaths, of course, and then the next, when I asked him, he refused in no uncertain terms.”

“Four years have passed,” Jessica pointed out. “Perhaps he has simply grown used to not having them. But that does not mean he would object to a few garlands being hung here and there, a few touches of holly and mistletoe. Miss Gabriela and I decorated the General’s house every year at this time, and I was thinking how happy it would make her to do so here. It is a very sad time for her, you know, having just lost her great-uncle,” Jessica added. “And I am sure the other guests must be feeling a trifle blue, as well, knowing they may miss Christmas with their loved ones.”

“It would be nice for her,” Baxter mused. “I suppose it might be all right if I asked the gardener to cut a few branches.” The older man smiled, and Jessica could see anticipation beginning to shine in his eyes. “I’m not sure what His Grace would say,” he hedged, looking torn.

“If he says anything, just tell him that I asked you to,” Jessica suggested. She was not at all sure Cleybourne wouldn’t fly into a taking about the decorations. But she did not think that he would blame Baxter. He would bring his complaints straight to her. And, frankly, right now she did not mind the thought of a little row with the duke at all. It would be far better than his locking himself in his study all day, ignoring her.

“I am sure he will tell me about it if it displeases him,” she went on confidently.

“Of course, miss.” The butler turned and hurried off, smiling with anticipation.

It did not take long for the servants to get into the holiday mood. The gardeners and grooms brought in armloads of fir boughs and strands of ivy, and Jessica, Gabriela and Miss Pargety were kept busy most of the day, making bright red bows and knotting them into the garlands, and intertwining holly leaves and ivy, showing clusters of shiny red berries. Even Leona deigned to help, wrapping wire with a ribbon to form an open ball in which to hang mistletoe, which was, she told Lord Kestwick with a sly smile, her favorite holiday plant. Mistletoe was hung in the doorway to the formal drawing room, and garlands were wrapped around the banisters of the stairway and hung over mantels. Soon the air was filled with the refreshing scent of the garlands, and the house took on a festive air. Miss Brown brought out a supply of red wax candles, which they placed about the house, sometimes wrapping a wreath of holly or ivy around the bottom of the candle.

Rachel, waking from an afternoon nap, heard some of the hubbub and came out of her room to find the upper hallway being decorated. She gazed around delightedly at the red candles on the hall tables, the garlands decorating the tops of door frames. After that she insisted on sitting up in bed despite her cold and helping Gabriela twine holly leaves and berries into small wreaths for the candles.

“It’s lovely,” she told Jessica with a smile. “I cannot believe that you convinced Cleybourne to let you do it.”

“I didn’t ask,” Jessica admitted, a trifle too breezily.

Rachel stared. “He doesn’t know?”

“No.” Jessica shook her head.

“You are a brave woman.”

At that moment there was a bellow from downstairs. “Miss Maitland!”

Rachel and Jessica looked at each other.

Jessica shrugged. “I think he has discovered it.”

Looking not the slightest bit worried, she got up and strolled out of the room.

* * *

It did not strike Cleybourne right off that the house had been decorated. He had made it almost to the stairs when the scent of the garlands finally sank in on his consciousness. He stopped and for the first time took a hard look around him.

There were garlands of greenery wrapped around the railings, dotted here and there with clusters of holly leaves and berries, and anchored to the fine wood with bright red bows.