Merry Christmas, My Love

“Penrose insists I must return to bed.”

“Where she will remain for another week.”

With a shake of her head, the dowager opened the door to the duke’s apartments and Penrose marched through, and headed directly to the large canopied bed in the middle of the room. He deposited his wife onto the mattress and pulled up the covers. “Stay here.”

To Penrose’s dismay, Merry covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

“Oh, my dear,” the dowager soothed as she hurried forth and sat next to Merry on the bed. “It is difficult, I know.” She glared at her son.

He stretched out his palms in supplication. “What did I say?”

“Miss Merry, guess what? Lord Brandon said we can all go ice skating this afternoon.” Lady Charlotte entered the room, buttoning her pelisse.

Merry rolled over and cried harder.

“What’s the matter with Miss Merry?” Clare followed Charlotte’s footsteps.

They all stood staring at the woman sobbing on the bed. The dowager cupped her jaw in her palm and shook her head. The girls clutched each other’s hands.

“Everyone out!” Penrose’s decree had the dowager and girls scurrying to the door.

Once the door closed, he stood, his hands clasping open and closed as he walked slowly to the bed. “Sweetheart?”

She didn’t answer, just took a shuddering breath.

Sighing, he sat next to her and pulled her into his arms. “I am so sorry, my love.”

She hiccupped and curled into his chest, almost as if she could crawl under his skin. “I don’t know why I’m crying.” She took the handkerchief he handed her and blew her nose. “I have a beautiful, healthy baby, and I feel fine. There is nothing to be unhappy about. Is there?”

He smoothed the hair back from her forehead. “Mother tells me all women have these ‘spells’ after childbirth. It will pass.”

“If only I could feel useful. Nanny brings the baby to me a few times a day, but then whisks him right back after I feed him. She says he needs to be bundled in his bed all the time.” She looked at him, tears clumping her eyelashes. “I want to hold him, play with him, count his fingers and toes. Maybe sing him a lullaby.”

Gently, he rubbed the back of her neck until he felt her tightened muscles relax. Apparently the way Polite Society dealt with its children by handing them off to a nanny, then a governess, was not going to work for his wife. Thinking back, it rarely worked for his mother, as well.

“All right, let’s go.” Once more he settled her into his arms and strode to the door.

“Where are we going?”

“To make you useful.”

“Bess, fetch Her Grace’s bedding and bring it down to the drawing room.” He barked his orders at the young maid which had her scurrying to do his bid.

Once they reached the drawing room, Penrose deposited Merry in a chair next to the fireplace. She inhaled deeply of the pine scented room, smiling warmly at the tree the footmen had brought into the house yesterday. The girls had been busy making decorations and placing them on the branches.

With his wife in confinement, there would be no Christmas Eve Ball this year, but he needed to work harder to make this a pleasant Christmas for her.

“Make up the settee so Her Grace can recline there.” He motioned to Bess as she entered the room, with a footman following holding sheets, blankets and a pillow.

Once the bed was made up, and assured that Merry was comfortable, Penrose left the room. “Don’t go anywhere, I will be right back.”

Merry grinned as Penrose kissed her on the forehead and strode from the room. How her opinion of him had changed since the day she had arrived with the girls in tow. At that meeting she would never have guessed what a caring, tender husband he would be. Of course, he was still arrogant and overbearing at times, but he more than made up for it in the way he tried so hard to please her.

“Well this is certainly a nice compromise.” Kitty placed a bowl of pine cones on the table near the door and surveyed the area. “This is a much more pleasa

nt place for you to recuperate.”

“I don’t need to recuperate. I feel fine.”