All I Want for Christmas...is you (8 page)

He laughed. “The downstairs parlor is full of
people. Including your future groom.” He stood and pulled her out
of bed and set her on her feet. “Polly has your bath ready, your
gown laid out.”

She blinked. “Now. I’m getting married
now?”

“Yes, dear girl. You should have seen Lucas.
He has quite left society with their mouths hanging open.
He’s…well, he has arranged everything. Even a honeymoon somewhere
warm he said. Now go. Don’t keep the man waiting.”

She went, and in a daze bathed, had her hair
done, was gowned in ivory silk and raced down to find the parlor
indeed full, including Jerome, a couple of dukes, two viscounts,
her brother, and the beaming face of her aunt, the duchess.

Then her eyes found Lucas, who stood by the
Christmas tree, wearing formal black and white. He was smiling, his
eyes shimmering with emotion, and he held his hand out toward
her.

Rena walked to him and took it, looking up
and finding her future in his gaze, a wonderful life of love and
laughter, Christmases that would remind them of this very special
one.

Lucas saw there all that made him set the
city on its heels and had him pounding on doors like a fool,
rushing in his house and telling his staff to prepare for his
bride.

He saw life and love and someone who would
give everything meaning, and he saw all he had wanted and asked for
years, what he asked for this Christmas; the woman of his dreams.
Overwhelmed he cupped her face and kissed her passionately.

“Good God,” the old duchess proclaimed
loudly. “I have gone completely deaf. Why, I did not even hear the
vows.”

Once the laughter died down and the couple
stopped kissing; Bram assured her that the ceremony was just
beginning.

Much to Verena and Lucas’s amusement, the
preacher yelled the ceremony toward the old duchess, until the
kissing part came again. They were still kissing when Bram herded
everyone into the dining room.

Jerome put in as he saw the couple slip out
and into the earl’s coach later, “Did he really ask for her
hand?”

“Yes.” Bram stood by his elbow. “He gave such
a moving speech that even I…began to consider there might be
something to this forever love thing.”

Jerome shoved his brandy into Bram’s hand.
“Drink this. It will cure any such afflictions, old man. In fact, I
am going to find the rest of the bottle.”

The End

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Authors note:

As to the decorating of Christmas trees in
this story, I used this reference link;
http://www.christmasarchives.com/trees.html
,
taking the liberty to make use of the information provided here
that "The British public were not fond of the German Monarchy, so
did not copy the fashions at Court, which is why the Christmas Tree
did not establish in Britain at that time. A few families did have
Christmas trees however, probably more from the influence of their
German neighbours than from the Royal Court."