Pleasant glanced down at her little sister’s concerned face and summoned a smile. “Let’s make a stop at the butcher’s before we go home, shall we?”
Fiona’s eyes instantly widened. “I thought Mama always said meat was too expensive?”
Pleasant lifted her chin. “Well, I promised you that we would have a Christmas to remember, and I intend to keep my word.”
The price might be too high to pay, but even if she had to cover the cost by selling her body at Madame LeFleur’s establishment, she intended to honor that vow she’d made.
Her siblings deserved that much from her.
Pleasant inhaled the scents of cinnamon, apple cider, and baked ham as she laid the main course on the table for supper that Christmas Eve. For the first time in years, their modest lodgings smelled festive and the eager faces of her siblings made it all worthwhile.
She’d even dressed for the occasion like a true hostess, donning her green, satin dress and her fine underclothes. For this one, brief moment in time, they would enjoy a holiday without the burden of toil, and the worry about what lay around the corner.
That afternoon, after they’d left the butcher’s shop, Pleasant had purchased more greenery to drape about the fireplace. Although she couldn’t fit a Yule log in the small grate, she’d added more coal, and there was a larger fire burning than usual. She had even managed to fashion an actual kissing bough with the sprig of mistletoe, which had been above the front door, along with some of the leftover evergreen, a few apples, and several candles in the middle, which were lit. The ball hung from a string over the mantel where three, brown paper-wrapped packages sat on the floor, waiting to be opened the next morning.
And although Cornell had promised to come by that day, he still hadn’t made an appearance. While his absence broke her heart, Pleasant did her best to hide her true feelings from her siblings. She would not take that joy away from them when that was all that mattered to her.
Just as they were about to sit down for dinner, there was a knock at the door. Pleasant’s heart instantly leapt, expecting to see Cornell, but when she opened the door, she was surprised to see Lord Haverton and his family on the other side. “Miss Hill,” he bowed in his true, lordly fashion. “May we come in?”
“Of course, my lord.” She moved aside so that they could enter. Louisa and Frederick instantly went to join her siblings. “We were just getting ready to eat. Won’t you join us?”
“Only if we might contribute,” Lady Haverton commented as she gestured to the coachman, who stepped down and brought in several packages. The last of which was something that smelled entirely delightful. “Yorkshire pudding,” she announced with a conspiratorial smile.
As they were removing their outerwear, the earl glanced around. “Has my brother not yet arrived?”
Some of Pleasant’s merriment dimmed. “No. He’s not here.”
“Hmm. That’s rather odd,” he muttered. “I thought he said—” He was interrupted by another knock at the door. “Ah. That must be him now.”
Without giving Pleasant a chance to move, he crossed the room and opened the door. Pleasant’s heart thudded against her chest when she saw Cornell’s familiar face. And after a brief greeting for the earl, his green gaze shifted and caught hers. As he took in her attire, they visibly twinkled, and her body heated in response.
He removed his outerwear and she saw that he was wearing the same finery as well. He glanced around the room as he walked toward her, completely handsome and devilishly charming. He stopped and offered her an apologetic grin. “Sorry I’m late. I had a few things to take care of.”
“You’re here now,” she returned. “That’s all that matters.”
He offered his arm to her. “Shall we eat?” he asked.
Dinner was filled with fun-filled conversation and laughter. Once they were happily satisfied, they returned to the modest sitting area where a multitude of packages awaited. They all took a seat where they could, and as her siblings excitedly tore into the packages, Pleasant’s eyes filled with tears at the generosity from Lord and Lady Haverton.
When Fiona opened her gift to find a new doll, Louisa remarked, “Papa thought Fi should have a brand new doll instead of one of my old ones. I agreed.”
Pleasant laughed as the boys also opened presents amid similar, jubilant smiles, and she couldn’t help that Cornell was right.
It truly was a Christmas miracle.
Once the merriment had simmered down somewhat, Cornell rose to his feet. He brought Pleasant with him to stand before the mantel. As they stood underneath the kissing bough, he addressed the assembled. “I’m sure you all know that, for the past three weeks, this woman has been my apprentice. She is quite skilled at the trade, and I fear that someday, she might actually teach me a thing or two.”
Pleasant smiled amid a few chuckles. But when he turned to face her, her breathing stuttered. And when he dropped down on one knee, she couldn’t stop a gasp from escaping. He withdrew a small box from his jacket pocket and opened the lid. “Miss Hill, you have taught me what it means to be an honorable man. I may have fought in numerous battles for king and country, but it was you who showed me what it truly means to be a man, and what the power of love and forgiveness can do. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
A sob escaped from her throat, but she managed to nod and answer with a rather squeaky, “Yes!” He rose to his feet and slipped the exquisite, emerald ring on her finger.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him unabashedly in front of their entire family. “I love you, Cornell,” she sighed happily.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he drawled. “And so will Madame Caron when she delivers your trousseau.”
She looked at him with sudden understanding. “That was your order?”
“You dared to think otherwise?” he teased, and then he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Pleasant.” He glanced up at the kissing bough and looked back at her with genuine affection shining from his eyes. “And I promise that I always will.”
Epilogue
One year later…
Galway, Ireland
“When are they going to get here?” Fiona asked impatiently.
“Stop whining.” Niall rolled his eyes, but there was a decided twitch to his mouth.
Fi turned on him with a mutinous glare. “Louisa is my friend!” She pointed an accusing finger at Conner. “And I know he’s excited to see Freddy. He writes to him as much as I do Louisa.”
“That may be true.” Niall shrugged. “But at least he doesn’t look like a lost puppy dog with its nose pressed against the glass.”
“Must you all bicker constantly?” Three pairs of eyes turned to their elder sister. Pleasant was sitting in the parlor with her siblings, crocheting a pair of booties for the child that would arrive any day. But at her rebuking tone, her siblings fell silent.
“Sorry, Pea,” they grumbled in unison.
