A Christmas Bride by Jo Ann Ferguson

Author:Jo Ann Ferguson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781453248348
Publisher: Open Road Media Young Readers

Eleven

“What the …”

Timothy looked up from where he had been watching Serenity help Theodora thread cranberries and crab apples along a string that reached from her chair nearly to the hearth in Grandfather’s favorite reading room. He laughed when the earl wiped spots of juice from his face.

“I thought this was supposed to be dried fruit,” Lord Brookindale grumbled.

“Apparently some of it is not totally dry.” Timothy handed his grandfather a handkerchief. Sitting back on the floor and picking up his own needle and piece of thread that was almost covered with fruit, he asked, “How long does Aunt Ilse want this strand of dried fruit?”

“She said to fill up all the threads.” Serenity turned to look at the lengths of stringed fruit that snaked around the room. “It appears that we are almost finished.”

Theodora chuckled as Serenity held a piece of fruit for her to slip the needle through. “That is good, because we are nearly out of fruit.”

“Mrs. Gray told me that this last canister was the final one she could spare unless the household wanted to be without fruit for the rest of the winter.” Serenity edged the crab apple closer to Theodora’s needle. “Watch out for my fingers!”

“I am trying.” Theodora giggled.

Timothy glanced at his grandfather as the earl laughed along with the little girl. Serenity might have come into this household as a stranger, but she was showing those who lived here how to be a family. Since Serenity had brought Theodora to join in family events, there had been a return of his grandfather’s gentleness that Timothy recalled from his own childhood.

When his grandfather stood, Timothy came to his feet as well. He followed the earl to the other side of the room and nodded when his grandfather held up a bottle of wine. Taking the glass the earl handed him, he was not surprised when his grandfather said, “You must want to say something very important to me, or you would not have wandered so far from Serenity’s side.”

“Shall I simply say that I am pleased at how well Serenity has fit into this family?”

“Bah!” Lord Brookindale sniffed his disagreement. “You had no worries about that, for you told me from the onset that she seemed perfect to be your bride.”

“Don’t confuse optimism with practicality.”

“That I would never do, my boy.” He sat in a chair near the table where the rest of the bottle of wine waited. Looking back at where Serenity was laughing with Theodora, he added, “Tell me what is truly on your mind.”

Timothy wished he could obey that order. Yes, the whole of this was going far better than he had had any reason to expect, but he still wished to be honest with his grandfather about the tale he had spun. Swallowing his sigh before it could betray him, he replied, “I am pleased that Serenity has opened our eyes to Theodora.”

“Yes, she has.” Lord Brookindale’s smile dimmed. “She dares to love that child, no matter the consequences.”

“That seems to be her way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.