Page 10 of The Twelve Days of Love

Chapter Three

December

“Isee London, Papa!” Cora cried.

“Where?” asked Thomas, who sat upon Luke’s lap as the carriage rumbled along.

He held his youngest up to the window, catching the excitement in the carriage as they approached the great city.

They had come to town for a few purposes, primarily the reading Catherine would give at Evie’s tomorrow morning when the bookshop opened. She had already sent early copies of The Friendly Lion and he thought it her best effort yet. So had Caroline, who had remained at Fairhaven. She was growing larger by the week and Luke had insisted she stay home and rest before the others descended upon them for Christmas. This year, it would only be Jeremy and his large family, along with Hudson, who helped run several of the St. Clair businesses. Rachel had just given birth to her sixth child the previous week and was recovering at Edgemere, while Laurel, Anthony, and their three children preferred spending the holiday with the orphans at the orphanage they ran, wanting those children to receive special attention at this time of year.

The children chattered happily about seeing their five cousins and how they would be teaching them The Twelve Days of Christmas chant. Luke had begun working with them in secret a month ago, knowing since several of his children were younger than Jeremy’s that they would need the extra practice to commit the entire rhyme to memory. He had explained it was a surprise to Mama and how they mustn’t ruin it. Though he’d worried one of them—Thomas, in particular—might give things away, so far they had kept the secret.

They arrived at his brother’s townhouse and the children scrambled from the carriage, greeting their aunt and uncle and cousins with squeals and hugs. Delia, the bossiest of Jeremy’s children, announced they were to have cakes and milk in the schoolroom and marched all the children up the stairs, Luke laughing as she did so.

Jeremy and Catherine took him to the drawing room, where they had tea.

“Have you considered petitioning the crown to see if females might become part of the army?” Luke teased. “At eleven, Delia already makes for a formidable leader. Why, I believe she would have stacked up quite nicely against Wellington. The pair of them would have defeated Bonaparte sooner had Delia been in command of British troops.”

“She is a handful,” Catherine agreed. “I pity the man who tries to control her.”

“It will take a very special man to wed Delia,” Jeremy agreed. “But when she finds her soulmate, she will love him fiercely.”

They caught up on family gossip and business affairs and he told them about the chant he wished to teach his nieces and nephews as a Christmas present to Caroline.

“I remember her discussing Mirth Without Mischief,” Catherine said. “It was one of her aunt’s favorite books.”

“Stinch managed to locate a copy of it, which was next to impossible,” he shared. “That is how I know the rhyme. I’ve been practicing it with my children and would love for yours to join in it on Christmas Day as the first of her gifts.”

“The first?” Jeremy asked, his brows knitting together.

“Yes, it is called The Twelve Days of Christmas. It is about the many gifts presented to a lover from the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany.”

“What else are you getting Caroline?” Catherine asked with interest.

Jeremy chuckled. “You’ve done it now, Luke. You’ve set the bar high and all the St. Clair women will now be expecting twelve gifts instead of one.”

Luke told them about some of the presents Caroline would receive during the period and how a footman had brought a few down from London that Rachel had helped to choose. They were now hidden in the stables, a place he doubted Caroline would visit since she wasn’t riding in her present condition.

“We will only stay for three days after Christmas since we are putting on a country ball to celebrate Twelfth Night,” Jeremy informed him. “You will have to let us know which of the gifts Caroline enjoys the most.”

After tea, the children were summoned to the drawing room, where Luke explained the cherished book he would give to Caroline and how he wanted them to perform the rhyme for her.

“That sounds like a lovely idea, Uncle Luke,” Jenny, Jeremy’s oldest, said. “Can you help us learn this chant now?”

“You can hear it since we’ve been practicing it—and Lucy has written out copies for each of you.” Luke pulled the folded sheets from his pocket and distributed them. “Why don’t you listen to it once and then we’ll try it all together?”

His children knew the rhyme and its rhythm by heart and performed it for their cousins, who clapped in delight when it ended.

Timothy, Jeremy’s oldest son, had his brothers and sisters go stand with their cousins and they said the chant together. The three adults applauded enthusiastically and Delia marched the group off to go practice a few more times before the visit ended.

The next day, they all attended Catherine’s reading, which was a resounding success, and went to the tearoom afterward for sandwiches and scones. Stinch gave Luke another volume, which would be a different gift for Caroline, and then he left his children in Jeremy’s hands. The cousins would play together while he picked up two more of his wife’s presents.

And attend a meeting at Bow Street.

He had received monthly reports from Jack Blumer and knowing they would be in town for a few days, Luke had scheduled a meeting with the Bow Street Runner.

Stopping first at an art gallery, he approved the painting which he had purchased and asked for it to be sent to his townhouse. Next, he picked up a pair of earrings at his favorite jewelers’ shop, eager to see them dangling from his wife’s earlobes.

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