REGENCY CHRISTMAS. by Eloisa James. I Dreamed Three Ships Came Sailing In. They were weaving the kissing bough. "We'll add holly," said Caroline, Lady

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1 REGENCY CHRISTMAS by Eloisa James I Dreamed Three Ships Came Sailing In They were weaving the kissing bough. "We'll add holly," said Caroline, Lady Spence, "because it's masculine, and ivy because it's feminine. You need both of them." "Why?" enquired solemn little Anna. She was seated on a hassock at her mother's feet, weaving rosemary among the prickly holly. "It's an old tradition. Of course, one doesn't need holly, but it is pretty." "These white berries aren't nearly as pretty as the red ones," Anna pointed out. She held up mistletoe. "Tradition," her mother said, trying not to think about the way John used to pull her under the kissing bough. She was beginning to tie small presents intended for the staff onto the crown of greens. When Caroline was growing up, the gifts on the bough were for the family, but there was no family now just herself and Anna. Although Donne, their butler, and Mrs. Peystock and the rest of the staff were almost like family. But when she thought back to the raucous, joyous twelve days of Christmas when she was growing up, the country house seemed terribly quiet. "May I play snap-dragon this year?" Anna enquired. "Absolutely not. You might burn yourself. Snap-dragon is for young ladies." "I am a young lady." 1

2 "You are barely seven years old," her mother observed. "That is not old enough to snatch raisins out of burning brandy." Anna nodded wisely. "I know that it's a very tiring game. Last year Eleanor's father and mother played snap dragon until the wee hours, and the next morning her mother just kept yawning and yawning." Caroline smiled to herself. Since Eleanor's little brother was now some three months old, she had an idea that the brandy and the raisons may have migrated to another sort of pleasure. "There's no one for me to play with, not this year." Anna didn't say anything; she seemed to have finally accepted the announcement delivered by one of Wellington's own men. Her father John had died, far away in France, five months ago now. Five months, and seventeen days. Did you and Papa play snap-dragons the first time you met? Caroline pulled the string tying a present to the bough so tight that green needles fell at her feet. Not that year, darling, no. We met at a Twelfth Night ball held after Christmas. Tell me about when meeting Papa? You know that old story, Caroline said, grief pressing at the back of her throat like a familiar, if unwelcome, visitor. Please? It was a particularly grand Twelfth Night party, she began. At the duke s residence at Stillberry Mansion, Anna interrupted. When I go to my first ball there, I shall wear the same rose silk with the knots of pearls. 2

3 That poor costume is already out of fashion, Caroline said, laughing. You ll look a fright. No, I won t. Papa told me that you looked as beautiful as the queen, like a pink flower that he wanted to eat. She broke into giggles. Isn t that silly? As if anyone would eat a flower! Very silly, Caroline managed. Anna climbed to her feet and began dancing around the room. And after Papa saw you, he asked you to dance, and then he asked you again, and after that he just watched you and forgot that he was supposed to be dancing with other ladies. I m afraid that he was quite obvious about it. Everyone noticed. Of course, he was. Papa knew you would be his wife the moment he saw you. And then, with an abrupt change of subject, she asked, "Do you know what my favorite carol is? Cradled in a Manger? That was last year when I still was a baby! I ll sing it for you. I saw three ships coming sailing in," she sang. Caroline sighed. All those months of longing for just one ship to come home from France, just one it seemed it had been too much to ask. Tears pricked her eyes and she jumped to her feet. "I saw three ships come sailing in, on Christmas Day, on Christmas Day," sang Anna with the high, simple clarity of a child. "I need to talk to Mrs. Peystock about the Christmas feast," Caroline said, looking down at her daughter's bent head. She had her father's chestnut brown curls. 3

4 "Shall I eat with you, rather than in the nursery?" Anna asked. "Just like last year," Caroline promised. "You probably don't remember, but " "Yes, I do remember. I do. Will you leave an extra place for Papa, the way you did last year?" Caroline swallowed. Then: "Not this year, darling." Anna's large eyes filled with tears. "I want to leave a place, Mama. I don't want Papa to have nowhere to sit on Christmas. He'll think we forgot him! His ship might be coming in, just as I was singing it." Caroline sank to her knees and gathered Anna's sweet little body into her arms. "We'll never forget him, darling, never. He's here with us, in our heart, forever." Anna sobbed, and Caroline tightened her arms. "All right, dearest. We'll leave a place for Papa." After a while Caroline shook out her skirts and headed downstairs to talk to Mrs. Peystock about gilding the peacock's beak. 'Twas a tradition that went all the way back to her great-grandfather, though she couldn't imagine that she and Anna would make much headway through a bird of that size. Sure enough, the peacock was of daunting size once the butler carried it with majestic solemnity to the dining room table. "It's rather large, Donne," Caroline said faintly, as the butler began to carve the bird. Snow was beating against the mullioned windows of the dining room. "It will serve the household for weeks," he said cheerfully. In the distance Anna heard the distant thud of the door knocker. 4

5 Donne tsked. "There are those who are thinking it's Thomassing Day for the whole twelve days of Christmas, my lady. You can't imagine how many we've had asking for alms, at the front door and the back." "Did I give you sufficient money, Donne? I should very much dislike to turn anyone away during the season." "More than enough, my lady. As generous as your father ever was and more." There was a distant clatter in the hallway that sounded as if more than one poor woman had arrived for Thomassing. Donne turned toward the door, frowning. "I told Peters to " But the door burst open, and there was a man with chestnut curly hair, with laughing brown eyes, wearing a huge greatcoat wet with snow. His eyes went straight to hers and he held out his arms. But Caroline froze in her seat, thinking it must be a dream. Until a small figure streaked out of her chair, screaming "Papa!" And then Caroline stumbled to her feet, whispering "John." A moment later they were both bundled into the laughing embrace of Lord John Spence, a colonel in Her Majesty's Seventy Third Regiment, who he was explaining things that Caroline hardly heard. Only Anna knew the truth of it. "The ship came in, it came sailing in!" she shrieked. "The ship came sailing in on Christmas morning, just as I was singing it!" Copyright 2008 Eloisa James 5