Read The Christmas Wager Online
Authors: Jamie Fessenden
Tags: #m/m romance, #Novella, #Historical--European, #Holiday, #gay, #glbt, #romance, #dreamspinner press, #jamie fessenden
―And of course I should never have said… what I did,‖
Thomas pushed, desperately hoping to find the right words.
What did Andrew want him to say? He would say or do
anything to make it better. If he only knew what was needed.
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Apparently, he had failed again. For Andrew looked even
more put out now than he had a moment ago. ―Perhaps we
should simply not speak of it.‖
―Of course. I‘m very sorry.‖
He considered leaving while Andrew dressed, but his friend
seemed to shrug off his foul mood after splashing some water
on his face. ―Hand me a towel, please.‖
Thomas did so, and was rewarded with one of Andrew‘s
sardonic smiles. Perhaps he was forgiven. It surprised Thomas
to realize how much that mattered to him.
―Will we be bringing Susan along?‖ Andrew asked him.
Thomas raised his eyebrows. ―I‘m ashamed to admit I
hadn‘t thought of it.‖
―You‘re a terrible uncle.‖
It was intended as teasing, Thomas knew, and he took it
as such. ―I am. Simply horrid. But I‘m the only uncle the girl
has, so she shall have to make do.‖
―Then we‘ll take her along?‖
―Of course. If she wants to go.‖
Andrew ran a comb through his golden curls. ―Of course
she will. Especially with the twins along.‖
Yes, Thomas thought. Somehow, after only a day together,
the thought of it was beginning to feel natural—him and
Andrew, the twins and Susan. Almost like a family. Much more
so than his parents and Edward ever had been.
―This is turning into quite an expedition,‖ Thomas
commented. ―Finish dressing, then. I‘ll go fetch the little
moppet and meet you downstairs.‖
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ANDREW had hoped to avoid Duchess Barrington this morning,
but the duchess was already having her tea in the dining room,
and she called to him as he passed by.
―Mr. Nash. Won‘t you join me?‖
―Good morning, Duchess Barrington. I would love to, but
your son has got it into his head to go into town this morning.‖
The woman waved this aside as of no consequence. ―He
can wait. You simply must have your morning tea. Running off
without it is positively uncivilized.‖
Not in the mood to argue, Andrew sat down at the table
and allowed her to pour for him. Once the aromatic steam hit
his nostrils, he realized he did in fact want tea.
―Now,‖ Duchess Barrington said, passing him the sugar,
―What are you and Thomas up to?‖
―Thomas wants to deliver the invitations to the dance, in
person.‖
Duchess Barrington‘s eyebrows went up in surprise.
―Really? That‘s unusually industrious of him, isn‘t it?‖
―Oh yes, Your Grace,‖ Andrew replied, laughing, ―It‘s very
unusual.‖
―Well, you shall have to speak to Henrietta before you leave.
She‘s been making up the invitations. And you and Thomas
need to see what can be done about hiring musicians. I haven‘t
the faintest idea how one goes about hiring local musicians.
We‘ve always brought them in from London, but there simply
isn‘t time to do so for this dance.‖
Between retrieving the invitations, rousing the twins, and
making certain that Susan was properly bundled up for a day
out in the cold, it was nearly an hour before the expedition to
Barrington was properly on its way.
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―Lud!‖ Thomas complained, sitting beside Andrew in the
carriage. ―Why is it that nothing can ever be done quickly
around here?‖
Andrew shrugged good-naturedly, then noticed Susan
practically standing in her seat beside Hew and Duncan to look
out the window. ―Sit down, please, Susan. Hew, please make
sure she stays seated.‖
They were sitting in a proper carriage this time, protected
from the elements. But that didn‘t mean the little girl couldn‘t
get bounced around if they hit a rut in the dirt road.
―I‘m trying, sir. Here now,‖ Hew told Susan, ―sit in my lap
if you want to see out the window.‖
Susan did as she was told.
―Duncan is sleeping,‖ she said, a moment later.
Hew made a rude noise. ―That‘s ‘cause he‘s a lazy sod.‖
―I‘ll thank you not to use such language around my niece,‖
Thomas said, though Andrew could hear the humorous
undertone in his voice.
―Begging your pardon, Your Lordship. I meant no
disrespect.‖
Susan looked back and forth between the two of them for a
moment, a puzzled expression on her face, then asked her
uncle, ―What‘s a sod?‖
―Never you mind. Duncan may sleep until we reach
Barrington, then we‘ll wake him.‖
It was no longer very early by most people‘s standards—
though Thomas still felt he should be in bed—by the time they
reached the town. Andrew had been reading the names off the
invitations to Hew so that the boy could help him sort them by
which houses were next to each other. As in most villages, the
streets of Barrington were crowded with dwellings and shops. It
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would have been ludicrous to use the carriage while visiting. It
would have done them little good, and probably blocked the
streets. So they had the coachman wait for them on the
comparatively wide main street, while they walked, taking
turns carrying Susan when she tired.
The townspeople looked genuinely shocked when they
opened their doors to find Lord Barrington standing there. But
Thomas surprised Andrew by being charming. It wasn‘t that
Thomas couldn‘t be charming—indeed, Andrew often found
him very much so. But Thomas was generally disinclined to be
social. In the five years he‘d lived at the University Club, he‘d
made only a few casual acquaintances. And Andrew was his
only true friend.
Yet here the young lord was, doffing his hat and putting on
a dazzling white smile as he handed over one of the invitations.
―I do hope I‘m not disturbing you,‖ he was saying, ―but we‘re
throwing a dance at the hall tomorrow evening—Christmas Eve.
Very informal. I realize you may have already made plans—I do
apologize for the short notice. But if you possibly have the time,
I would consider it an honor if you and your lovely wife could
join us.‖
He must sincerely want the dance to be a success
, Andrew
thought. Was it all for Susan? Or love of Christmas? He
suspected not. For all of his apparent contempt of his father,
Thomas seemed to be struggling with a need to please the man.
If the dance wasn‘t a success, Andrew had an unpleasant
feeling that the two would never be able to reconcile. The duke
would continue to regard his youngest son as lazy and good for
nothing. And Thomas might give up trying to please the old
goat.
House after house; shop after shop, they went. Most of the
townspeople seemed to be shocked that someone from the
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manor would bother to visit them in person. And this was
paying off. Thomas‘s friendliness and lack of arrogance soon
had people smiling and chatting amicably about what to wear
and would children be welcome? Thomas assured them that
children would certainly be welcome, and Susan was becoming
visibly excited at the prospect of other children to play with.
The pretty little girl did her own share of charming, as well.
Andrew hadn‘t wanted to bring her for that reason—he‘d
genuinely thought Susan needed more time with her uncle,
and an adventure, as well. But he‘d also known she would lend
an air of respectability to the proceedings.
And what they lacked in respectability, the twins more
than made up for in joviality and trustworthiness. They were
familiar faces to nearly everyone in town, and their presence no
doubt helped a great deal. As much as a lord from the manor
might make everyone feel they had to be on their best behavior,
Hew and Duncan put them all at ease.
It was a pleasant day, with a brief stop at the local pub for
luncheon and to allow Susan to warm herself by the fire. This
ended up dragging on, as Thomas and the boys discussed the
dance with the patrons and found some musicians willing to
play at the dance.
―Here now!‖ the owner of the pub, a burly man with
whiskers to rival Father Christmas himself, exclaimed. ―Joe,
you‘re promised to play here on Christmas Eve!‖
―I‘m sorry about that, Ned,‖ the fiddler replied, looking
sheepish, ―I really am. But His Lordship here is offering to pay
me four times what I‘d be able to make playin‘ here.‖
His friend, a piper by the name of Derrick, nodded in
agreement.
―Well, that‘s loyalty for you,‖ Ned said, disgusted. ―Leaving
me high and dry! I should call in your tab for that. Both of you!‖
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―Gentlemen,‖ Thomas intervened before things got ugly.
―I‘m distressed to be the cause of trouble, when I‘m merely
attempting to arrange a good time for all of us. My good man,
please, I‘d very much like it if you could attend the dance, as
well. Isn‘t there some kind of amicable arrangement we could
come to?‖
There was, though it cost Thomas a great deal to get Ned
to agree to close the pub for the night. But no matter—they
now had their musicians.
Late in the afternoon, they left town in the carriage and
rode around to some of the nearby farms. The estate was quite
large, and there simply wasn‘t time to stop at every out-of-the-
way farmhouse. But they visited as many as they could,
encouraging all to extend the invitation to their neighbors,
before the sun began to sink in the sky.
Susan had fallen asleep in Andrew‘s lap by that point. ―I
would suggest we head back, so Susan can nap properly,‖ he
told Thomas.
―Very well,‖ his friend replied. ―Then we can have dinner.
I‘m famished.‖
When they arrived at the hall, Hew and Duncan ran off to
find their own dinner, and Andrew carried Susan up the steps
into the hall. Thomas had stopped just inside the main door,
which forced Andrew to step around him. Then he saw what
Thomas was gaping at.
―Father!‖ Susan cried, suddenly wriggling to be set down,
all trace of sleepiness gone. Andrew lowered the little girl to the
floor, and she ran across the great hall, weaving in and out of
the servants bustling throughout the room, to throw her arms
around the legs of a tall, chestnut-haired man.
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This, then, must be Edward, Andrew thought. The
resemblance to Thomas was unmistakable. A bit taller, perhaps,
handsome, but with features much more severe than Thomas‘s.
Edward took little notice of his daughter, barely patting
her head with one hand, as he glared at his younger brother.
―Father told me you‘d come.‖
Thomas merely nodded without saying anything.
Edward glanced down at Susan and said, ―Go up to the
nursery, Susan. I shall come up to see you after I‘ve spoken
with your Uncle Thomas.‖
The girl‘s expression turned solemn, and for that alone
Andrew wished he might knock her father silly. But he had no
say here.
When his daughter had gone upstairs, Edward said,
―Thomas, I wish to speak to you in my study. Alone.‖
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Chapter 10
―YOU are in
no
position to criticize the way I raise my daughter!‖
―No,‖ Thomas replied coolly, ―I‘m not. What I
am
in a
position to do is ask you what in blazes you‘ve done to
Barrington Hall? When I lived here, Christmas was a time of
celebration and music. The Barrington Ball was one of the
annual highlights of the county!‖
Edward gave him a smoldering look. ―I think the county
can survive with one less ball.‖
―No doubt. But why?‖ Thomas poured himself another
splash of wine. He preferred brandy, but he needed his head
clear, if he was going to deal with Edward‘s pigheadedness. His
older brother was far too much like their father.
―I don‘t see any reason why we
must
throw a ball,‖ Edward
said.
―Because Barrington Hall has thrown a Christmas ball for