Page 22 of Snowbound Regency Christmas
Chapter Thirteen
Andrew knew he would spend a restless night, the probability of Sadie’s husband drowning, possibly in the cell next to his, high on his mind. He had no basis of fact in the matter, but the ordeal magnified itself as it had on the mail coach. Would it never end?
Bless Rosie Harte. She sat beside his bed, and when he could not be consoled, she told him to move over and held him until he slept. When he woke later, she was gone. He lay in bed, oddly conflicted. Was this truly how people spent Christmas? He almost longed for a ship again, and soon.
Something changed in the morning. He came to breakfast thoughtful and worried, trying to decide if he wanted the Navy Board to hurry up with that dratted notice, or toss it into a pigeonhole on someone’s desk to languish until peace broke out.
Rosie Harte had other ideas. Looking surprisingly chipper for someone he knew he had kept awake too many hours, calming his midnight anguish, she announced to them all over bacon and eggs—Matilda just stared at the bacon—that it was time to remember Christmas.
‘I promised Master Hadfield Christmas,’ she said. ‘Pass the toast, please.’
‘Dear daughter, what do you propose?’ Fred asked, his eyes merry.
‘That Matilda, Master Hadfield and I find some holly and ivy, and make a wreath for the sitting room. What say you?’
So he found himself with a basket on his arm, and in the company of two charming females, one who skipped ahead, and whirled about as the mood grabbed her, and the other walking more sedately beside him.
Good Lord, was he too shy to speak? What an idiot. To his relief, Rosie took over the conversation. ‘Did you notice Matilda’s new dress?’
Of course he did not. He was a man. ‘Oh?’
Bless her heart, Rosie overlooked his stupidity. ‘Aunt Dorothea never could bring herself to discardmyoutgrown dresses. They were all in a trunk in her room. Mary Hale has assured me she is good at alterations but this one fitted Matilda without anything needing to be done.’
Say something sensible, he commanded himself.Force yourself.‘Uh, did I notice this morning that Mrs Hale had on a better dress than sackcloth-and-ashes workhouse clothing?’
Oh, Rosie. She looked at him as if he were a genius. ‘Bravo, Master Hadfield,’ she teased. ‘You noticed!’
It was a lucky guess. ‘Certainly,’ he lied.
‘Aunt Dorothea has more housedresses of her own. Granted, Mrs Hale is too thin, but my aunt had a sash that worked this morning, with alterations to come. You noticed. Good man.’
He decided to confess. ‘Rosie, I didn’t notice anything. I just didn’t want you to think me a drooling fool. Now you know.’
What did this darling woman do, but murmur ‘Rough ground,’ and put her hand in his. ‘Don’t tell me stretchers again, Andrew Hadfield,’ she said. ‘I know you didn’t notice.’
‘Wise is woman,’ he told her, gleeful to notice how she pinked up at his comment. When she turned the full force of her beautiful eyes on him, his heart performed its own impossible feat and melted.With my blue eyes and yours, he thought impulsively,our children will have blue eyes, too. What was hethinking?
Rosie moved on with her plans, granting him a reprieve from sensible statements. ‘My aunt will spend the next few days acquainting Mary with her duties, and Matilda, too, who is now in charge of my kitten.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘You cannot imagine how pleased Aunt Dorothea is to return to her own house soon. Mary couldn’t have given anyone a kinder Christmas gift.’
He nodded, on sure ground now. ‘Mary took me aside before breakfast and said the same thing to me.’ He took her hand and looped it through his arm, so he could feel her body closer. ‘You cannot fathommyrelief to see the widow of my sailing master in a good home where she and sweet Sadie’s child will be safe. If this is Christmas, I want more of it.’
‘It’s Christmas,’ she assured him, ‘but I have never seen one so strange, either.’
Matilda proved to be adept at scouting out holly and ivy. His basket was filled too soon to suit him. He wanted to walk and walk. He stopped, surprised at his sudden realization. ‘Rose, do you realize that I haven’t had to stop and rest?’ he asked. ‘I’m not even tired.’
‘I wondered if you would notice.’
‘I’m fit for duty.’
A shadow crossed her face. She turned away. When she spoke, her voice was neutral. ‘Yes. The navy will want you soon.’
They had wandered to the outskirts of Endicott, Rose quiet now, with Matilda walking beside her, wary again, and not the cheerful child who had skipped and whirled. He wondered why, until Rose stopped and knelt beside her.
‘Matilda, you have nothing to fear in Endicott,’ she said, her voice steady. ‘No one means you harm here.’
‘No more workhouse?’
‘Never. Let us go down Chandler Street and I will show you Aunt Dorothea’s house.’
