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  “He found the noise and mess when we dyed the newspapers a little distracting. I was wondering whether he’d find our putting up the tree and setting out the greenery even more bothersome,” she said, hoping it didn’t sound like she was belittling her husband. She genuinely respected him and didn’t want to be one of those women who were always putting their menfolk down.

  “Barnabas is acting like an old man. I swear, sometimes he seems older than Father was. It’s time he started acting more like the young man he is instead of a staid old parson,” said Theodora hotly.

  An idea flashed into Georgina’s mind. “What if we got one of his friends to take him out somewhere for the day? Perhaps Mr. John Smith—”

  She looked at the other women. As soon as she mentioned Mr. Smith, Theodora got a dreamy look in her eyes. Ah yes, she’d wondered if the young woman had a tendre for the handsome bachelor. He was rich, well born—his mother was the youngest child of a duke—and had perfect manners. It would be an excellent match. Of course, she’d seen Mr. Smith dance with Sapphira as often as he’d danced with Theodora. Georgina sighed. Sapphira was so stunningly beautiful, a diamond of the first water who cast every other pretty girl into the shade. Nevertheless she would suggest to her brother Simeon he invite Mr. John Smith, his sister Anne, and their mama to Kingsdene over Christmas. Simeon was sure to have invited other eligible gentlemen and mayhap one of them would interest Sapphira. In fact, she’d suggest he invite the Earl of Mitcham. He would be an excellent catch for Sapphira and had shown some interest in her during the Little Season.

  She brought her mind back to the conversation. Frances Ridley was speaking. “I think you should write to Miss Anne Smith, inviting her to help decorate the church and suggesting that her brother might care to take Barnabas out for the day. Men are so de trop at these things. Miss Smith is a very sensible young woman. I’m sure she’ll be more than willing to help out.”

  “That’s a very good plan, Mama. Theodora will enjoy the day much more with Anne’s company too.”

  ****

  While it would be an exaggeration to say the decorating went smoothly and without incident, it was accomplished with no injuries or major upsets. Emmy did fall off the ladder, but a sturdy young footman caught her as she landed, and rather than being hurt, both of them seemed to enjoy the encounter.

  Georgina heaved a sigh of relief. Decorating at home with the help of her twin brothers and young sister was always prone to erupt into fights or damage. Here everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves, and the tree looked particularly pretty. The colored paper flowers, the ribbons, and the apples gave it a very festive look, while the wreaths of greenery over the windows and along the mantelpieces with holly berries dotted here and there were fresh and brought a wonderful scent of the outdoors with them.

  The church, she had ensured was decorated as similarly as possible to the past, so Mr. Ridley would feel comfortable and relaxed there.

  Mr. and Miss Smith joined them for a casual family dinner afterward, and Georgina was relieved to see Barnabas seemed genuinely pleased with the results of their work, even going so far as to pat her hand while they walked into dinner.

  Chapter Four

  Barnabas wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be angry at the neat way his family had gotten rid of him while they decorated. On the one hand, it was a blessing not to have to listen to people tramping in and out of his house and see muddy boot prints up and down the hallways. On the other it made him feel a trifle superfluous and less the head of the house than if he’d been there making decisions. Or at least looking involved and decisive.

  Would Georgina start to ignore him? Sidestep him to do the things she wanted behind his back? Besides, he’d said she could have a tree. He just hadn’t realized quite how much noise and mess that would mean.

  He sighed. Decorating aside, he needed to buy gifts for his family, and John had assured him that after giving his mother and sister gloves for the past three years it was time to expand his gift-giving repertoire.

  Well, it was all taken care of now. They’d gone to Rundell and Bridge, jewelers at Ludgate Hill, and he’d bought the prettiest necklaces—sapphires for Georgina, pearls for Theodora, and garnets for his mama. The house was decorated, he had a clear idea for his Christmas Eve homily, and now he wanted to visit his wife’s bedchamber. But he’d visited her just the previous night. His dick bounced with joy as he remembered her sucking it. And she’d had a very busy day. Should he perhaps stay away for a few more days?

  His cock pulsed angrily at the thought. He’d promised himself the joy of touching her luscious ass. Mayhap he could just touch her tonight, not enter her, but just kiss her, hold her, and bury his face in her breasts as well as look at her ass.

  He knew some men preferred to shove their dick inside a woman’s ass instead of inside her cunny. For a start, that prevented pregnancy and it was better than forgoing sex for the long weeks a man ought to wait after a new babe was born. But also, he’d heard after a woman had given birth to a number of children, her ass was much tighter and more pleasurable than her cunny.

  Of course it was much too soon for him to think of entering Georgina that way, and she was still very, very tight, clasping him in her wet heat and driving him wild as he thrust into her. But to touch her there, to see her response, to lick her soft skin, surely that would not be objectionable.

  Having talked himself into it, he shrugged out of his clothing, and, naked under his dressing robe, he tapped on the connecting door.

  She was sitting up in her bed with a book, wearing a plain white bed gown that came up high to her neck, clearly not expecting him.

  But just as his heart fell in disappointment and his cock shriveled sadly in despair, she looked up at him and gave him the most wonderful smile. Instantly his dick arose again, his heart almost pounded its way out of his chest, and he felt his face almost split in half with his smile.

  “Are you too tired to spend time with me tonight?” he asked, hoping her smile was a better guide to her thoughts than that demure nightgown.

  “Of course not, Barnabas. I’m used to being busy and your servants are wonderful, always helpful and hard working.”

  He nodded and sat on the side of the bed. She dropped the book onto the table beside the bed, and he held her hands, playing with her fingers. The skin was soft but her fingers were strong, long, and elegant. Next time he bought her a gift he’d get her a ring. Those fingers deserved to be ornamented with sapphires to match her eyes and the necklace he’d just bought.

  She lifted her gaze to his and he almost drowned in the deep pools of her eyes. He found himself leaning forward before he knew it and claiming her lips for a long kiss. Instantly she opened her mouth to him, welcoming his tongue inside, then dancing her tongue in his mouth in response until he sucked on it. Finally they broke apart to breathe, and he untied his dressing robe, letting it fall to the floor as he climbed into the bed.

  He promised himself all he’d do was cuddle her, but her warm body against his felt so very good, he couldn’t resist sliding his hands up under the cotton fabric of her bed gown and holding that lush ass. Willingly she pressed her body against his and his cock grew as it felt the heat of her soft belly.

  He pulled her gown up so he could slide one of his legs between hers, and she pressed her cunny against his thigh. Damp. She was already damp, prepared for his dick in her.

  Forgetting his plans, he climbed over her, picked her ass up in both hands, and drove deep inside her with one mighty thrust. Her wet heat enfolded him, welcomed him, nearly drove him wild as he thrust in her again and again. With her ass in his hands like this he could reach so much deeper inside her, and she seemed to be appreciating it too, lifting her hips into his on every stroke.

  He let his smallest fingers slide into the crack between her cheeks, feeling the heat there and touching the tiny puckered ring of muscles.

  Her hands were balancing her body on the bed, and she seemed concentrated on meeti
ng his movements, so he slid one finger inside the tiny hole. Molten, fiery heat greeted his touch, burning away every restraint. He wanted more of her.

  Holding her ass on one hand, he slid his finger deeper inside her, stroking the walls of her channel. He rose higher on his knees and with his other hand he touched her nubbin, stroking it in time with his cock in her cunny.

  Touching her in so many places at once was overwhelming, his cock was full to bursting with his seed. He gave her nubbin a small pinch and thrust a second finger in her ass. She groaned and her cunny contracted, grabbing his dick so hard for a moment he worried it might break. Then he exploded inside her as she continued to milk his cock.

  Gently he slid his fingers out of her ass and leaned forward to kiss her. In that moment he knew he could never let her go. He was more than fortunate in his bride, she wasn’t just intelligent and beautiful, she was perfect for him. Despite bringing noise and dirt into his house.

  ****

  The Christmas Eve service was wonderful, Georgina thought, the choir leading the singing of the Christmas carols, Mr. Ridley telling the age-old story of the birth of the Christ child, then coming out of the old stone building, everyone holding a candle, to see the finest dusting of snow upon the ground.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said to Theodora, who nodded.

  The roasted meats, plum pudding, and mince pies had never tasted so delightful, she thought.

  The next day’s church service was almost an anticlimax, but she still enjoyed singing more Christmas carols and wishing everyone peace and joy. The staff all had Christmas day to spend with their own families, but there was more than enough food left over from the previous night’s meal to feed the four of them.

  Instead of using the formal drawing room, they sat cozily together in the ladies’ sitting room with a big fire burning brightly to warm them and Theodora playing for them on pianoforte. They read, sewed, and quietly chatted all afternoon and evening.

  It was very peaceful and pleasant, but far different from what Georgina was used to, where the children played noisy parlor games, and the adults were not much more restrained, simply preferring card games to Blind Man’s Buff.

  Boxing Day was quite a contrast, with everyone up early preparing the boxes to go to the different families. The parish children came in the morning to collect their gifts. As well as the large honey cakes Cook had made for each of them, this year they were each given a rosy red apple from the Christmas tree. Georgina had ensured there were enough ribbon bows on the tree so that each young woman received one red one and one white one.

  For the babies born since last Christmas, there was a soft cotton shirt each, for the frail elderly some warm blankets, and for fatherless families and those where the breadwinner had not been able to work, a box of food from their own gardens, plus some of Cook’s delicious mince pies.

  One of the families who particularly concerned Georgina had a husband who drank his wages each day, often leaving his wife with no money to buy food and his six children hungry. After talking at length to her mama-in-law, they’d packed a box of food for them that held only things he couldn’t readily exchange for alcohol. “He’ll take the ribbons away from the eldest girl I know, but I shall encourage the children to eat their honey cakes on the way home.” She sighed.

  “Barnabas has had the oldest boy work for him for food a few times, but the father was angry and insisted the boy be paid in coins instead, so that didn’t help much,” explained Mrs. Ridley.

  “There must be something we can do. Has anyone tried to talk to the man, to find out why he drinks so much?”

  “I don’t recall my husband ever saying anything about that. I hadn’t thought there might be a reason, other than general unhappiness, driving him to the alcohol. It can’t be good for his insides.”

  “I shall ask Mr. Ridley about it,” decided Georgina.

  ****

  Barnabas sat by the fire in the study at Kingsdene. He’d retreated here with Simeon and a few of the other men simply to get away from all the noise and chaos of the house party for a few hours. His head was aching from the cacophony and his brain was reeling with trying to keep all the names straight of the people here.

  Simeon, Georgina’s older brother and head of the Arnott family since their parents had been killed in a carriage accident three years before, he knew. The man had arrived at Oxford during his own final year. But Simeon had been obliged to leave to take over his role as head of the family before graduating.

  The Dowager Lady Arnott he also knew. She was quite a character and someone his mama had kept in contact with through the years.

  But paying attention to the rest of the family was a challenge. Next in age after Georgina was Amos, still at Oxford. He was very much the modish young buck and much more lighthearted than the steady and reliable Simeon. Simeon, a man much more to his own taste, had taken to running the family estates with great vigor and was doing an excellent job, as far as Barnabas could tell.

  Then there was the beautiful Sapphira, who had come out in the Little Season. She already had a crowd of admirers, some of whom were here at this house party. Most notable among them was the Earl of Mitcham. Another was his good friend John Smith. He’d wondered whether John might make a match of it with Theodora, but poor Theodora was a mere a candle snuffed out by the bright sunshine of Sapphira’s elegance and beauty.

  Joel and Micah were the mischievous twins. Always causing a stir, always in trouble, a right handful those two. They were going to Eton in a few weeks’ time and he’d lay a monkey they’d be sent down inside a term.

  And finally there was Deborah. She was just a child as yet but already bade fair to be as beautiful as Sapphira but without the older girl’s quiet, gentle nature. Deborah had a dash of the twin’s audacity, and Barnabas was very glad he wasn’t her guardian. He wouldn’t put it past her to elope with a half-pay officer before she was officially out.

  Also in the house party were Mitcham’s mama, John’s sister Anne and their mother, and a round dozen of the local gentry most of whom were only visiting for the parties and hunting, not staying here.

  Of course a man needed to go into society, and it was his duty to find an eligible match for Theodora, but really the noise and bustle here was more than a man could bear. At times like this, he wished Georgina had been an only child. Christmas Day had been much more to his liking with just the four of them sitting quietly and peacefully at home. All this noise! His poor aching head. I want to go home!

  ****

  Just as the maid brought in Georgina’s morning chocolate, Simeon knocked on her bedroom door, asking if he might speak with her.

  “Of course,” she replied, sitting up straighter in bed, the lap tray with her chocolate and some letters, across her knees.

  Emmy stood poker-faced by the window as Simeon opened the door and didn’t pause for breath before asking, “Have you seen the children this morning? Did anyone mention what they were doing today?”

  “Why no. Have they escaped from their tutor, Mr. Gordon, again?”

  “Exactly. Mr. Gordon assumed they’d be in the stables, but they aren’t and neither is young Peter.”

  “That is bad news. They consider Peter to be their best friend.”

  “Well he’s certainly willing to attempt any mad trick they think up!” Simeon sounded exasperated.

  “You don’t think they’ve come to any harm?” Georgina felt a trickle of fear deep inside her.

  “Of course not. But they may indeed be causing someone else to go off in an apoplexy!”

  “Deborah is missing too? Mayhap they’ve escorted her somewhere.”

  “If they have, you can rest assured it’s somewhere I don’t want her to go.”

  That was, unfortunately, likely to be true. “Have you questioned the servants yet?”

  “No. I hate to make a fuss with the house full of guests. I was hoping you’d know.”

  Simeon left and Georgina turned to Emmy. “Have yo
u heard anything that may help solve this mystery? I’m not happy in my mind that Deborah’s missing as well as the twins.”

  “No, miss.”

  “Mayhap it’s a storm in a teacup then. Still, I’d best get dressed in case anyone needs my help.”

  Georgina owned to a growing sense of unease. It wasn’t like Deborah to disappear and she was a beautiful child. Were the stories about slavers who stole children true? Surely the children were simply playing somewhere?

  She brushed her hair into a simple style and hurried downstairs to the morning room.

  The house was in an uproar with servants running to and fro, Mr. Gordon a shivering mass of nerves, and the Dowager, her turban askew on her white curls, threatening to disinherit Joel and Micah. A threat outside her power to enact, but enough to frighten a young maid into hysterics.

  Fortunately it appeared most of the house guests were still in their rooms, hopefully unaware of the drama happening downstairs.

  Simeon’s cook took this inopportune moment to announce that a very large bag of potatoes had disappeared from the lowest shelf in the pantry and to demand the head of the perpetrator.

  Into this scene of complete and utter chaos walked Mr. Ridley, his Hessians tied with gold tassels and his coat a tribute to his tailor.

  Georgina’s heart, which had been pounding with fear about Deborah and to a lesser extent the boys, began to beat in a totally different way as she gazed at his beauty, and remembered, with embarrassment, she’d dressed in haste and simplicity, not suitably for a house party. In her upset, she’d almost forgotten she was now a married woman with a position to uphold, not just a worried sister in her childhood home.

  He seemed to find no fault with her appearance as he stepped up to her, took her hand in his, and lightly kissed her knuckles.

  “The twins in mischief again?” He grinned.

  “I don’t know. They’re missing. Deborah is missing as well and that does worry me.”

  “What’s missing is my big bag of potatoes. How can I prepare potatoes escalope for all these people with no potatoes!”