It Happened One Christmas (31 page)

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Authors: Kaitlin O'Riley

BOOK: It Happened One Christmas
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Glancing up, he saw the telltale green leaves and white berries tied with a red ribbon hanging over them. Loving his future sister-in-law for pointing this out, Quinton laughed. “Well, if I must . . .”
He lowered his head to capture Lisette's sweet mouth in a gentle kiss. Recalling all that had happened between them earlier that evening, his heart overflowed with love for her. Hardly able to believe everything had worked out so well, he squeezed her hand in his.
Everyone clapped and they were soon handed crystal glasses full of champagne. Toasts were made to the health of Colette and Lucien's new baby boy and to Lisette and Quinton's surprise engagement.
“Congratulations, Roxbury.” Jeffrey Eddington shook Quinton's hand, a wide smile on his face. “Now I won't have to kill you.”
“Thank you.” Quinton laughed good-naturedly. “I appreciate you looking out for Lisette.”
“My pleasure. She's like a sister to me.” Jeffrey's expression turned serious. “There's bound to be talk over the cancellation of your wedding, you know. However, if the Duke of Wentworth gives you any trouble, my father will back you publicly. He would do anything to help Lisette. I think he fell a little in love with her the night of the ball.”
“Who wouldn't?” Quinton hugged Lisette to him tightly. To Eddington he added, “Thank you.”
Jeffrey turned to Lisette and asked, “I don't get the impression you wish to escape this wedding, do I?”
“No,” Lisette stated emphatically. “Never. But it is now your turn to get married, Jeffrey.”
“Oh, I am far too young to entertain thoughts of marriage yet,” Jeffrey quipped dryly. “Besides, where would I find someone as special as you?”
“Can we please, please open presents
now
? ” Yvette pleaded with impatience to the room in general. “I've been waiting all night.”
Jeffrey called out, “Can someone please let this sweet girl open her Christmas gifts?”
“
Oui
, we can open presents now! Yes!
Joyeux Noël!
” Mrs. Hamilton finally acquiesced to her daughter.
Grabbing Jeffrey's arm, Yvette dragged him to the Christmas tree with her and began to hand out gifts.
Laughing, Quinton still held Lisette's hand in his. “Aren't you going to open any of your presents?”
Lisette shook her head, a satisfied smile on her pretty face. “No.”
“Why not?”
Quinton's lovely new fiancée looked up at him, her eyes glistening with love. “I don't want anything else. I have already received the best Christmas present ever. You.”
He kissed her, knowing that what had happened that Christmas made him happier than he had ever been. He had gained the woman he loved. “Merry Christmas, Lisette.”
31
Sing We Joyous, All Together
Saturday, December 27, 1873
 
After Tom came home to Framingham's garret on Christmas Eve, at first his mother didn't believe the tale he told. With some meat pies and a pair of practical warm gloves as a gift for her, he described to her what had happened at the lovely little bookshop. He presented her with the elegant Christmas card that had his name written on it neatly. He showed her the copybook where he was to practice his letters. And he gave her the money.
“They gave you all this? For nothing but the promise of a job after she met you on the street last week?” his mother asked, her usual weary expression replaced by a look of incredulity. “Tom, that doesn't make any sense at all.”
“Well, they did.” He couldn't believe it either at first. Tom had been nervous walking home that night with the money. But luck had been with him for he did not meet up with Tall Jerry and the other lads. The snow and cold weather must have kept them inside.
“And she wants to teach you to read?”
“Yes, and Miss Hamilton wants to meet you, too. We're to go to the shop together after Christmas. She might have a job for you, Mama.”
“What would I do in a bookstore?” she scoffed. Anna Alcott gave her son a hard look. “Tom, did you steal these things from the shop?”
“No!” he protested vociferously.
He would never steal anything from Miss Hamilton. No sir. That lady had been too good to him already, and he would never betray her in that way. And Mr. Roxbury, too. After his promise to his mother, he would never again take anything that didn't belong to him as long as he lived. He would never let either woman down. And that was a promise he made to himself.
“Mama, I swear it. If I was going to steal anything, it wouldn't be a copybook. It would be something much more useful. Miss Hamilton is a very kind lady. Truly. Just come with me and meet her.”
“I don't know . . .” His mother hesitated, her eyes on the copybook. Her fingers traced the lines Tom had written to form the letters of his name. Then she glanced at the pretty Christmas card, with the gilt edges and raised letters. A flicker of hope glowed in her gray eyes.
“You'd like her,” Tom cajoled, giving her his best smile.
“She's very nice. And the shop is a grand place. Miss Hamilton would never say mean things to you like Madame La Fleur did.”
Anna Alcott smiled and shook her head in amazement. “It just seems too good to be true, Tom. But if it is true, I think this might be the best Christmas we've ever had.”
 
 
In the end, Anna's curiosity got the better of her and she did come with Tom to the bookshop two days after Christmas. Bundled up against the cold, mother and son made their way to Hamilton's Book Shoppe, just off Bond Street.
It was early and there were no customers at the bookshop yet, but Lisette waited nervously for Tom to arrive. At least she hoped he would arrive. That little boy had found his way into her heart in a surprisingly short amount of time, and she would be very disappointed if he did not appear. Lisette had come up with an idea to help both Tom and his mother, and she hoped they would be receptive to it. She had told her family everything about him and had Colette's approval to hire him. Paulette was at the shop with her that morning, having recovered enough from her cold to resume her responsibilities, and was looking forward to meeting the boy.
When the bells over the front door jingled to herald their arrival, Lisette looked up from the counter with a welcoming smile.
“Good morning, Tom! I'm so glad to see you again.”
The little boy smiled with relief. “Good morning to you, Miss Hamilton. I've come just like you said to. And I brought my mother.”
Lisette walked around the counter to greet them. “Hello, Mrs. Alcott. It's a pleasure to meet you. You have a very special little boy.”
The woman's eyes grew wide, as if she didn't know how to react to such kindness. “Thank you.”
“And I would like both of you to meet my sister, Miss Paulette Hamilton. She's the one who is really in charge here at the shop. But I've told her all about you, Tom, and how bright you are and how we'd like for you to work here.”
Tom looked at Paulette, who had stepped forward to meet them. “Another Miss Hamilton?”
“Yes.” Paulette grinned at the young boy and his mother. “It's nice to meet you both. Mrs. Alcott, do you read?”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Not very well, I'm afraid.”
“Well, we can help you with that,” Lisette declared. “If you both would like, I can arrange for lessons.”
“Why on earth would you do such a kind thing?” Tom's mother asked.
“I've lived above a bookshop my entire life, Mrs. Alcott, and it pains me to think of people not being able to enjoy books. I see great promise in your son. And I understand how hard it is to balance the desire for an education with the need for wages. My sisters and I can be of assistance in that area,” Lisette explained. “I've offered your son a position here, delivering books and messages and helping us around the shop in general. He will receive a fair wage, but he will be expected to attend reading lessons. Tom told me that he would like this arrangement, but I would like to have your approval for him to accept the position.”
“Why, why, yes . . .” The woman's gray eyes welled with tears. “You have no idea how happy that would make me to have my son learn to read and write properly.”
Tom held his mother's hand tightly. “See, Mama? I told you she was nice.”
“He's a very good boy,” Anna Alcott said. “He won't cause you any trouble at all. He will work hard.”
“I've already recognized that goodness in him,” Lisette said, handing the woman a handkerchief.
“Bless you,” she said, dabbing at her teary eyes. “I'm so thankful, I don't know if I have enough words.”
A knowing look passed between Lisette and her sister, along with a quick nod of approval, before Paulette chimed in. “Mrs. Alcott, my sister and I have another suggestion we would like to propose to you.”
Anna Alcott looked at Paulette in awe. “Yes?”
“Our family used to live upstairs, above the shop, but we no longer do so,” Paulette explained. “We were thinking it would be nice to have someone stay at the shop full-time. We cannot always be here as much as we would like, and we would feel better if we had someone living in the rooms upstairs. It would ease our minds greatly knowing that someone was always at the shop. Caretakers, so to speak. Someone who would make the refreshments that we serve to our customers and things of that nature. We have been discussing the idea for some time, but agreed that we needed a nice family to take up residence.”
Lisette said, “You and your son could live here above the shop in return for helping us. We were wondering if you would be interested in taking the position?”
Swaying a bit, Tom's mother looked as if she might faint, and even Tom's eyes filled with surprise. “I wasn't expecting anything like this,” she murmured.
“You mean we wouldn't have to live at old Framing-ham's anymore?” Tom asked. “We could live right here?”
“Well, that would be up to your mother, Tom,” Lisette said. It would be months before Quinton's houses were ready for Tom and his mother to move into, and the idea of little Tom going back to live in the slums of Saint Giles repulsed her. She had been thrilled when this idea had occurred to her. And as soon as she met Tom's mother, she instinctively knew they were a perfect fit. “But I assure you, the rooms upstairs are lovely, and we would pay you a salary, of course.”
“Live here? In this lovely neighborhood? Working for you ladies? With my son learning to read?” She looked at both Paulette and Lisette with gratitude. “You'd be changing our lives for the better. How could I refuse such an offer?”
Tom gave a little whoop of joy, his smile brightening the room.
“Thank you both,” his mother said, her voice trembling with emotion. “I don't know that I can ever thank you enough for all this.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Paulette said kindly. “Now why don't I take you upstairs and show you the rooms to see if they are to your liking?”
Mrs. Alcott smiled. “I'm sure they are more than suitable for us.”
The bells above the door jingled as Quinton Roxbury entered the bookshop, looking like a golden prince. A thrill of delight raced through Lisette at the sight of him.
“Well, Tom, I see you made the wise decision to come back,” he said.
The boy beamed at Quinton. “Yes, sir.”
After Lisette introduced her fiancé to Mrs. Alcott, Paulette took Tom and his mother upstairs to see the rooms.
“So they have accepted the position?” Quinton asked when they were alone, taking Lisette's warm hand in his.
“Yes.” Lisette nodded in satisfaction. “She's a very nice woman and this will be a good change for both of them. Tom is so happy.”
“Not as happy as I am.” Quinton leaned down and kissed her lips, and Lisette's heart skipped a beat. “I cannot wait to marry you, Miss Hamilton.”
They had decided to wed quietly in a small ceremony with just their family around them next month, followed by a wedding trip abroad.
“And I cannot wait to be your wife, Mr. Roxbury.” Quinton said, “I believe this has been the best Christmas I've ever had.”
Filled with happiness, Lisette kissed her fiancé back. “I couldn't agree with you more.”
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed reading
It Happened One Christmas
as much as I loved writing this story! Christmas is my favorite time of year, so setting Lisette and Quinton's romance in December seemed to make their story even more romantic.
Now, if you are interested in learning what happens with the two youngest Hamilton sisters, I've included part of the first chapter of my next book—which, of course, is about the fourth sister. When self-assured, strong-minded, and practical Paulette Hamilton meets a handsome widower with a dark and dangerous past, will she throw caution to the wind and follow her heart? You'll have to read the book to find out, but here's a little preview in the meantime. Enjoy!
Thanks for reading! Kaitlin O'Riley
www.KaitlinORiley.com

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