The Christmas Wager (11 page)

the evening.

Thomas did his best to ignore the servant as he bathed. It

felt odd to have someone else in the room besides Andrew,

these days.

Was this to be the end of their friendship, then, he

wondered? The thought dismayed him. Though they had only

known each other for three years, he could no longer imagine a

life without Andrew at his side. He was more than a mere

friend. Thomas could confide in him as he‘d never been able to

with anyone else; he could depend on him in all

circumstances—apart, perhaps, from the present circumstance.

And there was nobody else in the world around whom Thomas

felt so comfortable, so relaxed.

I’ll do anything to keep him.

The moment he thought it, he wondered if it was true.

Would he really do anything? The image that came to mind

made him blush. But more disconcerting than what he was

thinking was the way his body had responded to it.

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He hunched forward and folded his arms across himself,

embarrassed to let the servant see him in this state. ―Thank

you… I‘m sorry, but you must be new to the hall.‖

―Yes, sir,‖ the young man replied, ―I started last year, when

my older brother, John, left to get married.‖

―Oh, yes. I remember John. What‘s your name?‖

―Percy, sir.‖

―Very well. Thank you, Percy. That will be all. I can dress

myself.‖

Thomas saw the young man glance down at the way he

was hiding himself with his arms, and he suspected the boy

knew perfectly well why he was being asked to leave. But he

merely bowed and said, ―As you wish, sir.‖

The servant left and Thomas relaxed slightly. But not

completely. For the first time, he began to wonder if there

might be a real danger in remaining close friends with Andrew.

Was it possible that he might be dragged down with Andrew?

The thought frightened him. But more frightening was the

possibility that perhaps he didn‘t need to be dragged down.

Perhaps he was already there. After all, he‘d never found sexual

relations with women to be particularly exciting. And he had

certainly never loved a woman.

Was he capable of loving a man?

The water had gone tepid, so he stood and reached for the

towel draped nearby. As he dried himself, he reflected that

Susan appeared to be the only one in the household who was

truly happy this Christmas.

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Chapter 14

THE musicians arrived an hour before the party was to begin.

Andrew was down in the dining room, having tea—for once, by

himself—when Simcox let them in. Andrew could hear the

butler telling them, ―Welcome to Barrington Hall, gentlemen.

We‘ve been expecting you.‖

His curiosity getting the better of him, Andrew wandered

out into the great hall. Joe and Derrick recognized him

immediately and seemed relieved to see a familiar face. ―Here

we are, Your Lordship! Just like we promised.‖

Andrew smiled warmly at them. ―I‘m so glad you could

make it.‖

Joe doffed his hat, and elbowed Derrick, who did the same.

There were three other men with them, and they all followed

suit.

―If the gentlemen would care to follow me,‖ Simcox said,

gesturing toward the rear of the hall, where the doors to the

ballroom stood open, ―I‘ll show you were you‘ll be performing.‖

The men did as they were told, and Andrew decided to trail

along after them.

He hadn‘t yet seen the ballroom. It was spectacular. The

room itself was cavernous, with great arched ceilings, and rows

of glass windows along three sides. Five massive chandeliers

were hanging just a few feet off the floor, being lit by the

servants before they were to be hoisted up to the ceiling on

heavy chains. Six gigantic Christmas trees, decorated with red

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and gold ornaments, adorned the ballroom—one in each of the

four corners, and two against the walls in the middle of the

room. And beribboned evergreen garlands were to be found in

every archway. The Barringtons, Andrew reflected, were

nothing if not ostentatious. It was difficult to imagine Thomas

coming from this environment. He was a bit spoiled, it was true,

but he never seemed to feel the need to remind people of his

rank or wealth.

The tables that lined both sides of the ballroom, to either

side of the immaculately polished dance floor, also belied the

―informal‖ description of the dance that Thomas had given the

locals. Duchess Barrington seemed determined to impress.

Each of the tables was laid with a fine white linen tablecloth

and brightly polished silver settings, with a centerpiece of

evergreen, red ribbons, and candles.

Joe and his crew trailed after Simcox, looking around

themselves in awe. The orchestra platform was at the midpoint

of the room. It had been designed for a much larger group of

people than the pub musicians, but someone had seen to it

that only a few chairs had been placed in the very front of the

platform, and the rest was taken up by one of the giant

Christmas trees, behind the musicians.

―The guests should begin arriving within the hour,‖ Simcox

informed them, as they settled themselves. ―Might I offer you

gentlemen some tea while you wait?‖

―Beggin‘ your pardon, sir,‖ Derrick said, ―But we like to

have some ale on hand. Just to keep us goin‘. If it ain‘t too

much trouble.‖

―Certainly, sir. I shall have some brought to you

immediately.‖

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THE guests began to arrive about an hour later. Thomas was

forced to stand in a line, alongside his parents and Edward, to

greet people as they arrived. Susan stood beside her father,

dressed in a hunter green dress of rich velvet that provided a

striking contrast to her bright red hair. She was lovely, and

greeted each guest with a small curtsy.

Thomas hadn‘t seen Andrew since their quarrel and try as

he might, he couldn‘t stop fretting over it. They hadn‘t fought

once in three years, and now they were at each other‘s throats.

The situation was intolerable.

Rebecca came downstairs with her parents to greet

Thomas and his family—apparently, they were staying for the

weekend—then she departed to the ballroom to mingle with the

other guests, taking Susan with her. The little girl had endured

about as much standing in one spot as she was capable of.

The stunned expressions on most of the villagers‘ faces,

when they entered the hall, were relieved of their outer

garments by the servants, and greeted by Duke Barrington

himself, might have been amusing had not Thomas been so

mortified by the ostentatiousness of the whole affair. His

mother had always been inclined to extravagance when she

threw functions at the hall. That had never bothered him when

the other guests were nobility, as that was simply the way the

game was played among noble houses—everyone attempting to

outdo one another in their spending and trendiness. He could

hardly fault his mother for playing the game well.

But this was different. These people had comparatively

little, and were looking to spend Christmas Eve with good

friends and family. He feared they might find this elaborate

Christmas Eve dance to be in poor taste, if not actually

insulting.

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But as more and more people entered the hall, shaking the

fresh fallen snow off their coats, Thomas noticed that most of

the guests seemed fascinated by the hall and their hosts.

Perhaps to these people, this was largely an opportunity to

satisfy their curiosity about life at Barrington Hall and its

residents. If that were the case, Thomas mused, he wished

them an enjoyable evening of gawking and peeking in linen

closets—figuratively speaking.

When the stream of incoming guests had slowed to a

trickle, Rebecca came out of the ballroom to inform them that

the festivities were about to commence. She smiled at the duke

and Duchess Barrington, as she slipped her arm through

Thomas‘s, then gave a brief nod to Edward. ―I‘ve left Susan in

the capable hands of Mr. Nash.‖

―Thank you, Rebecca,‖ Edward replied stiffly. Thomas had

the distinct impression that his older brother was perturbed

about something, yet he couldn‘t imagine what. Surely Edward

didn‘t have an issue with Susan being left in Andrew‘s care.

In fact, when they entered the ballroom, they found

Andrew and the twins chasing Susan and some of the other

local urchins around the pillars. Andrew was laughing along

with the children, looking happier than he had since he and

Thomas had begun quarreling, and the sight of it warmed

Thomas.

―Your friend will make a good father one day,‖ Rebecca

observed with a smile.

Except that that would never happen, Thomas reflected

sadly.

Well, it might, if Andrew were to deny his nature and

marry. But Thomas found that thought oddly upsetting and

pushed it forcefully from his mind.

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Andrew glanced up and saw him walking with Rebecca on

his arm. Thomas tried to give him a look that conveyed how

trapped he felt, without being obvious to those around him, but

Andrew either didn‘t catch it or chose to ignore it. His face went

dark, and he turned back to the games he was playing with the

children.

THE sight of Thomas with Rebecca on his arm was excruciating.

It didn‘t matter that Andrew knew Thomas wasn‘t in love with

her. The duke was determined to forge an alliance between his

house and Rebecca‘s, and he was bound to use Thomas to do it,

regardless of Thomas‘s inclinations. Truly, as arranged

marriages went, this one seemed far less odious than many.

Rebecca was a stunning beauty and possessed of considerable

charm. Thomas might protest, but he could do far worse. And

it was really a better life for him than lazing about the club for

the remainder of his years, depending upon the good graces of

his father for support. Rebecca could give him children and

make him wealthy enough to live out from under the influence

of his father.

Duchess Barrington, as he was learning, never missed an

opportunity for drama. She ascended the short steps up to the

orchestra platform, along with the duke, and Simcox called out

for silence.

―My dear friends and neighbors,‖ Duchess Barrington

effused, ―it‘s so good of you to come to our little gathering this

Christmas Eve. For many years now, this house has been in

mourning over the passing of our beloved Anne, the wife of our

son, Edward. She is sorely missed. But the time has come to

once again ring in the Christmas season with joy, as I‘m sure

Anne would have wanted.‖

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The rest of the speech was mercifully short, and soon

Duchess Barrington was calling for the musicians to play. Joe

and his troupe were nervous, and started a little rough, but

soon found their rhythm.

There was some reluctance among the guests to be the

first on the dance floor, but Duchess Barrington proved adept

at dragging people away from the light refreshments Cook had

sent out from the kitchen before the party kicked off, and soon

she and the duke were dancing to the merry jig with surprising

adroitness. Simcox had also already begun serving the wine

and ale, which no doubt served to loosen people up. It wasn‘t

long before the dancing was in full swing.

―Would you care to dance, Miss Susan?‖ Hew asked,

bowing low to the girl.

Susan looked distraught. ―I don‘t know how.‖

―Nonsense!‖ the lad declared. ―Anybody can dance. Even

Duncan.‖

The little girl giggled as he grabbed her hand and whirled

her off to the dance floor. She didn‘t know any of the steps, but

judging from what Andrew saw, neither did Hew.

Not far from where he was standing, Thomas was dancing

with Rebecca, and the sight made Andrew‘s heart feel weary, as