Christmas at Ravencrest: A Dark Hero Christmas Short (Reluctant Heroes) (5 page)

Chapter Four

E
lizabeth never did make it to her library. Mrs. Radcliffe’s novel would just have to wait until after the Christmas festivities were over. Once she returned to the house after attending Gavin’s mysterious condition and admiring the new kittens, it was time to dress for dinner.

T
here was a full table even with her younger brother and her grandfather not present, and so she had to perform her duty as hostess at dinner. Donovan was at the head of the table. Elizabeth took her place beside him, as he preferred. Uncle Gareth sat across from Chloe Ramirez. Kieran O’Flaherty, Elizabeth’s older brother, and his friend, Mr. Barnaby were in attendance, along with Michael’s tutor, Mr. Marceau. Donovan’s steward, Mr. Duchamp, also joined them for dinner. Elizabeth did her best to keep the conversation flowing and make sure each guest felt welcome at her table. She marveled at the relaxed, amiable atmosphere with her grandfather absent.

After dinner, they retreated to the salon. Uncle Gareth and Elizabeth entertained the gathering by playing Christmas carols while the rest sang. Elizabeth played the pokey old harpsichord while Gareth accompanied her on his cello. It was perhaps the most sorry Christmas concert she’d ever heard, akin to mewling barn cats. The harpsichord was not in the best of condition
due to neglect. If Michael were present, he could augment the sounds of the harpsichord and the cello, perhaps bring the two instruments closer to a reconciliation with his violin. Alas, he was upstairs, still recovering from his wound. Elizabeth wished she had a piano-forte to play. Her mother had had a fine piano-forte when they lived in London, but her stepfather sold it to pay for some of his debts. The chorus of men singing Christmas carols helped mask the missed notes and the gathering seemed to be having such a good time she soon forgot her concerns about the mediocre instrumental accompaniment.

After the
six men finished singing a hearty rendition of
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
, Chloe suggested they play a game of charades. Mr. Duchamp chose that moment to make his escape, as he was not one for socializing very much. They all bid him a kindly good night as he did not live at the plantation house but must return to the steward’s cottage.

The game of char
ades was lively, even if they had an odd number. Kieran, Barnaby and Mr. Marceau made a team of three, whilst Chloe and Gareth formed their own team. Elizabeth was pleased to have Donovan as her partner as his clever wit kept the company guessing until they had to beg him to reveal his word choice. It was
hospitality.
Everyone grew flummoxed as he kept giving clues that everyone mistook as being of a medical nature instead of the correct meaning. The party broke up close to midnight.

*   *   *

The following morning, Elizabeth was up early. She hurried to the kitchens to make certain things were progressing well. When she attempted to go into her library to enjoy her usual pot of hot chocolate and her book before the well members of the family emerged to share a communal breakfast, the butler brought another minor crisis to her attention.

Puck, her cat, h
ad gone missing. No one recalled seeing him since last night. This brought real panic. Puck was still a kitten. He was four months old, but still capable of getting into a lot of trouble. Elizabeth rallied the staff and they made a search of all the rooms downstairs. The kitten was nowhere to be found. He was a sturdy red tabby. Elizabeth had been given him as a gift during the voyage here by the cabin boy on
The Pegasus
. 

She
searched every possible closet on the ground floor with the help of the maids. There had been so much preparation going on in recent days for the holiday it was possible he’d crawled into a closet and been shut in.

Elizabeth’s heart pounded
in her chest. She kept imagining all manner of nasty things that might have happened to her pet. Had he wandered outside and been hurt by one of the dogs? No, the Mastiffs were big and obnoxious and yet they didn’t attack the stable cats, they knew better. Still, if he wandered outside, a snake may have found him. The gardener had reported a large snake was observed hiding beneath some of the heavier undergrowth.

Her cat
was very dear to her. Giles, the butler, knew this, as did most of the staff. The footmen were directed to continue the search upstairs in the guest rooms. After nearly an hour of searching the butler took his mistress by the elbow and gently directed her to the salon, explaining the chubby feline had been recovered. Lo and behold, sitting in the chair was her husband, Donovan, who was calmly holding her cat. Also, her morning chocolate and her novel were sitting on the table, having been moved from her usual spot in the library.

“Good morning, my sweet.” Donovan said, holding Puck against his chest. The tabby was purring contentedly.

“Where did you find him?” She asked in wonder. “We’ve been looking everywhere.”

“I
n Michael’s room. It seems he slept with your brother last night. I found him when I was checking Michael’s progress.”

“That is not possible.
I distinctly recall Puck lying on my feet last night.” She insisted, crossing her arms over her chest. What was Donovan about? He was behaving oddly, sending her out on false errands and delaying her in her household schedule.

Was the man trying to keep
something from her? Or was he just trying to get into the Christmas spirit for her benefit, albeit in an obnoxious fashion.

Don
ovan shrugged at her comment and behaved as if he hadn’t inkling as to how the cat could have been in two places at once. He chucked the happy tom beneath his chin. Puck purred louder in response. Donovan didn’t look at her. He kept gazing contentedly at the cat as he stroked the tom’s bright orange striped coat. “Do you have a twin? Or are you living up to your name? Your mistress named you after a very naughty little forest sprite, as I recall.”

“And furthermore, I’d like to know w
hy you played such a rotten prank on me yesterday. Having the servants take part in it, honestly, Donovan. You’re acting like a schoolboy with your odd antics. I thought you well beyond such childish behavior.”

H
e actually laughed. “You’ve been distracted with our house guests and planning the Christmas festivities of late. I wanted you to see that the boy has recovered his speech.” He smirked. “It worked. You went rushing out to see what was wrong with little Gavin. I was able to accomplish some Christmas magic while you were out of the house.”

Elizabeth wanted to smack him. He was so self assured, so confident. And
she wanted to hug him, too. The man was charming and exasperating, all at once. How peculiar she found it that he had such a contrary effect upon her.

She moved from the door to the man she loved. She bent down to kiss him on the cheek and to take her precious kitten from him. “You shouldn’t involve the servants in your mischief. They can hardly decline to participate when you order them about and pay the
ir wages.”

Donovan’s self satisfied grin annoyed her. He wasn’t one to take correction from others. Why should
he? The man was a nobleman. He was rich and owned the island they resided on. However charming he may be, at times, life with Donovan Beaumont could be trying.

Sensing her annoyance, he
gazed up at her. The look he gave her made her insides do a queer little flip. He was a clever, handsome devil, with dark hair and eyes as bright as the sky on a cloudless day. “I told Gavin if you seemed angry to show you his surprise in the stable. Did he show you the new kittens?”

“Yes.” She said, feel
ing the tension leave her body at the thought of those delightful furry little bundles. Oh, he knew her well, this complex and demanding man. “Yes. He showed me the kittens. And he has promised them to me.
The entire litter
, if I wish.”

It was stretching the tru
th. Elizabeth didn’t care. She would have a small revenge on this man. And to think she was carrying his child? Would she be forever at the mercy of her spouse and a very precocious little boy?

She sat
next to her husband and allowed him to pour her morning chocolate. With a smile Elizabeth continued her fabrication. “I told Gavin I’d take them as soon as they are weaned, in about--hmm---six weeks. We’ll be moving them to the house. They can keep Puck entertained. And, they can sleep with us. All five. And Puck, of course. You know how I adore cats. Just imagine six kittens in our room at night, not just one.”

Donovan’s brow darkened. “
I think not.”

“T
hey will be in
my
room, in
my
bed.” She insisted as she gave him an impervious look she had been practicing for some time in the mirror. “Whether you choose to be there or not is entirely up to you, sir.”

He didn’
t say anything, but his brow was furrowed. Deeply furrowed. Elizabeth sipped her chocolate and smiled pleasantly at him, enjoying her own prank. Perhaps later she’d recant. Not too soon, however. If he wanted to play tricks on her, then she’d repay the favor in kind.

Show her the kittens, indeed!

Elizabeth assumed an air of dignity and outrage as she sipped her chocolate. She tried, very hard, to not smile at his suggestion to the boy. Show her the kittens to soften her anger! Oh,
darn the man. Donovan knew her very well.

At last, her mouth softened and an unwilling smile replaced her hard frown. Kittens. Yes, just thinking of the soft furry little darlings made her feel light and happy again.

Uncle Gareth and Chloe came down the stairs. They paused at the entry to the sunny yellow salon and peered inside. Seeing the inhabitants therein posed no threat to his amour, Gareth bent his ebony head toward Chloe. As he did so the thick serpentine locks he had twisted into clumps moved like snakes about his shoulders. His dark face hovered beside Chloe’s pale lips and they shared a quick kiss beneath the mistletoe. Once the kiss was ended, Uncle Gareth reached up and snagged a berry from the bunch and stuck it into his vest pocket.

“So, nephew
?” He grinned, his brilliant white teeth flashing against his dark lips. “Care to wager which one of us will collect the most berries by midnight tonight?” His good hearted chuckle echoed in the room, breaking the tension between Donovan and Elizabeth. Gareth had that effect on everyone. His natural warmth and pleasant humor were contagious. Few people could remain sullen in his presence, Donovan included.

“Yes. I’ll take twice the  number as you.”
Donovan replied to the challenge.

As if to goad him, Gareth kissed a distracted Chloe on the cheek and then reached up to pluck another berry with his long, lean brown finge
rs. “I have two berries now, how many do you have?”

“None, but the day is early.” Donovan stood. “Breakfast awaits, my lad
y.” He offered Elizabeth his hand. She rose from her chair, set her kitty on the seat and took Donovan’s arm. He led her under the doorway and stopped. The wide grin on his face told Elizabeth what was coming. Sure enough, he leaned close and engaged her in a searching kiss, that, had they been alone, would have quickly led to more kissing and less clothing.

As it ended, he reached up and snatched two berr
ies. “That’s worth two.”

“Stop it,
both of you.” Elizabeth chided as Chloe giggled and the men grinned at her like impudent rogues. “This is for tonight. No more kissing under the mistletoe until the party, understood?”

Gareth sighed
and shook his dark ebony head at her censure. “It’s going to be a long day, I fear.”

“You can kiss me.” Chloe put in boldly, as it was only the four of them gathered. “She jus
t meant you couldn’t do it here and steal all the berries before the party starts.”

That livened Gareth’s eyes. 

“Oh, I’ve plenty for you to do, Uncle Gareth.” Elizabeth informed him. “And you as well, my lord. You can help Chloe and I hang the greens after breakfast. And I would like to have a Yule log in the fireplace even if it is too balmy here for a roaring fire. It’s tradition. The two of you could ride out and search for one this afternoon. You could take Mr. Marceau with you and Mr. Barnaby as well. They are our guests. They need to be properly entertained. You are the hosts, so you can have the task of entertaining them today. Kieran can’t ride with his arm in a sling, however. He’ll have to stay behind.” Elizabeth bit her lip, realizing her impromptu plan to entertain their male houseguests left out her older brother.

“He can ride in the wagon. We’ll need a wagon to bring back a tree trunk as you require.” Donovan added. “That’s a go
od idea, Lizzie. You and Miss Ramirez will come with us. We’ll make it a picnic on the beach near the lagoon. What do you think, Miss Ramirez?” He looked to Elizabeth’s friend for support. “A chance for all of us to get
out of the house
for the afternoon.”

“
Yes
. How romantic.” Chloe Ramirez beamed at Donovan. “Madame, we can pick more greens and some bougainvillea to decorate the table for tonight’s feast. Oh, it will be such fun!”