Gift of Love by Cynthia Moore

Author:Cynthia Moore [Moore, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, historical, English, Christmas, Regency
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2017-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

Lady Winton, Miss Frost, and Rebecca moved to the drawing room immediately after breaking their fast. A housemaid joined them to assist with unwrapping ornaments that were placed among the greenery. One footman also stood by with a ladder to help hang the mistletoe.

Lady Winton handed several tiny wax tapers to Henry the footman. “Secure these candles to the leaves over the fireplace mantel.”

“Yes, my lady,” Henry replied as he sprinted up the ladder holding the tapers in his free hand.

Miss Frost lifted a small, gaily decorated chest in bright green and red from off the floor and deposited it on the table in front of Rebecca, trailing her shawls behind her. “Inside are the little wax dolls that you like to place among the greenery. Mrs. Cord told me she put them in this chest, which she discovered empty in the attic after the other crate broke apart.”

“Thank you. Perhaps Sally can assist you with arranging the sweetmeat and almond papers.” Rebecca indicated the young housemaid standing shyly in the corner of the room close to the door. She looked down at the chest and uttered an exclamation of surprise. “Mother, look at this.”

As Miss Frost approached Sally and began to assemble the various fruits and nuts in wrappers for the estate children, Rebecca picked up the small container and brought it closer to her mother. Lady Winton studied the brightly colored item intently. “Is that not the chest that you made when you were about thirteen or fourteen years old?”

“Yes, it is. I thought it had been lost years ago.” Rebecca gingerly placed the little chest on the floor and opened the lid. She reached inside and pulled out a wax angel carefully wrapped in a piece of white muslin. There were nine more similarly bundled angels in the box. When she had removed all the figures, Rebecca noticed that a tiny piece of the crate lining was lifted slightly in one corner. She reached inside in an attempt to fold the material back in place. Her fingers located something wedged underneath. The diminutive object came loose with a slight tug. She inspected the item and then began to giggle. “Mother, look what I have discovered. I had forgotten all about this. It is a tiny carved tree made from oak. Adrian made it for me about the time I made this chest.” She held the object up for her mother to hold.

Lady Winton studied the little tree intently. “It has an inscription on it, ‘To Becky. With Love, Adrian,’” she read out loud. “How wonderful that you found this, my dear. It is a very special keepsake.”

Her mother carefully dropped the carving back into Rebecca’s outstretched hand. She wrapped it in a discarded piece of muslin and placed it upon the table in front of her. “I shall bring the little tree to the party tomorrow night. I doubt if Adrian remembers making it for me.”

“Somehow I do not believe he has forgotten it, my dear.”

Miss Frost interrupted their discussion.

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