UnexpectedChristmas (10 page)

Gratified and thankful, he did not at first know what to
say.

Finally he went to his father and kneeled beside his chair.

“You are a better man than I. If someone took Caro from me I
could never be so generous. I salute and thank you, sir.”

His father swallowed and then patted his son’s head.

“Do you want to go tell your Caro?”

Sebastian now had enough proof of his father’s big heart to
smile and make his request.

“Will you go with me? I know it is dinnertime and you must
appear at the table. When you can, send word to me and I’ll join you. I would
like you at my side. I ate earlier. I needed fortification.”

His father nodded and Sebastian made his careful way back to
his room. The effects of so much laudanum were dissipating, and he thanked the
powers that be as his brain returned to normal functioning, even though his arm
hurt like hell. He was amazed and humbled at his father’s support. He thought
of the agony his father must have felt when he lost Althea. Everything he’d
revealed showed a love that had never diminished. He’d always known his
father’s treatment of his wife was meticulously correct. He’d never thought to
question why he’d never noticed any passion between the two. He did not doubt
his father had remained faithful to his mother in every physical aspect. But
now the sadness he sometimes saw in his mother’s eyes made sense.

This was a side of his father he found hard to believe. An
optimism he’d not expected flooded his being. His father had given him the
information he needed to make Caro realize his sincerity.

His love didn’t have a chance. He’d have her no matter what
obstacles she threw in his path. He’d not spend the rest of his life secretly
mourning the only love he’d ever want.

His father had had no choice. Sebastian did not mean to let
that happen to him. The very thought of losing Caro was painful beyond belief.

He waited in his room for his father. He would breach Caro’s
formidable pride but with reinforcements. First of all, he would look his best.
Ringing for Bates, he bathed and changed. Fawn-colored trousers that hugged his
thighs, snowy linen with a little lace at the cuffs. He even let Bates put on
newly polished Hessians, much to his man’s delight. In spite of Bates’ wincing
he’d had him cut one sleeve of the beautiful shirt so the splints could be accommodated.
He left off his coat, not wanting to spoil another garment and knowing Caro
would not care. He threw it over his shoulders.

He preferred both of them naked, in any case. And soon.

He wanted her to acknowledge every kiss, every caress they
had shared. He wanted her to welcome his body into hers with the full knowledge
they would share their passion every night for the rest of their lives. By god,
he’d fuck her all night once he had the chance.

He waited for his father. His father, whom he’d learned to
treasure instead of to dread. Perhaps his current trials with Caro would all
seem worthwhile someday, if only for the fact that he now knew he was loved by
a man who’d always seemed distant and unfeeling.

A priceless insight indeed. A gift from Caro. Better than
any Christmas gift he’d ever received.

He could not help but smile as he settled down to plan his
approach to win his reluctant love.

* * * * *

The marquess appeared a little before Sebastian had expected
him. He looked as haughty as ever, still Sebastian could see a subtle
difference in his eyes that assured him of his father’s support. With a brief
nod, he started down the corridor—not to Caro’s room, as Sebastian expected,
but in the opposite direction.

“She’s in the conservatory,” the marquess stated. Sebastian
grinned. Of course his father would know exactly where he was going.

When they reached the garden the two handsome men marched
side by side. Caro saw them coming and paled, looking around is if to find an
escape and then tensing when she realized she couldn’t avoid them.

Sebastian grabbed her hand and held it tightly so she could
not turn him away.

“My father has something to tell you, my love. I think you
will find it quite interesting.”

The marquess took Caro’s hands from Sebastian and smiled.

“This lady is mine for a while, Sebastian. I have a story to
tell her that I hope will persuade her how much I would like to have her in our
family. Looking at Althea for the rest of my days would bring me a peace you
must allow me, my dear. May I sit beside you for a while?”

Caro’s face, a study as resentment for Sebastian, faded into
the true respect she had for his father. She honored him for taking Sebastian’s
cause to heart, when he could so easily have despised her. He was a fair man,
unusually so.

“I will be honored, my lord.”

The marquess cleared his throat, patted her hands, and
began.

“I have already told you I loved your mother. What I have
not told you is that when your father committed suicide I banded with other of
his friends. Your father was a most appealing man, even though he could never
control his desire for gambling. I am told it’s sometimes like an illness,
beyond desire for anything else, no matter how much a man might try to conquer
the vice.

“My friends and I managed to secure your father’s body and
bury him respectably. He is in the same graveyard as your mother. The
inscription we put on his stone was simply, ‘Beloved of Althea’. I will take
you any time you want to his grave. I’m only sorry I didn’t think to wonder
what happened to you. I’d never seen you and my thoughts were all on Althea. I
was most negligent there.”

Caro turned even whiter. She let her hands rest in those of
the marquess. She turned to Sebastian, seeing him smiling at her with a love
she was beginning to think was true.

“Sebastian?”

He moved closer and turned her lightly into his one good
arm.

“Yes, my love?”

“Is this real? Not that I doubt your father. Heaven forbid I
cast aspersions on such a wonderful gentleman. Yes, it must be real. I don’t
care what others think if I know he’s respectfully buried. Oh Sebastian. I can
live with my head held high, knowing the ultimate disgrace is not attached to
his name.”

Tears were rolling down her beautiful cheeks as she melted
against him. He cuddled her, lowering his head to hers, kissing her hair and
looking at his father.

“I can never thank you enough, sir. Not only for the present
but for your past actions. I am honored to be your son.”

The marquess cleared his throat.

“Then give me lots of grandchildren. And at least one little
girl in the image of Althea.”

He wheeled and strode away, his head only slightly bowed.

Caro suddenly broke from Sebastian and rushed ahead and
stopped in front of the marquess. His brows were raised in his most
aristocratic manner as he looked at her without smiling.

Caro smiled gloriously, as if he’d given her an affectionate
glance.

“My lord, for you I will perform miracles. Perhaps even twin
girls who will be the image of their grandmother. Yes, that is exactly what I
will do. And I always strive to keep my word, my lord.”

The marquess kissed her cheek, patted her hand and seemed
unable to speak, although he finally smiled.

Caro directed a roguish glance at Sebastian.

Striding to her, he caught her in his arm again. Looking at
his father, he grinned.

“That is exactly what we will both attempt to do. She needs
my cooperation and I’m only too happy to oblige.”

He sent Caro a hot glance that brought a smile and a blush
to her face.

“I have a special license in my pocket and would like to be married
on Christmas day in our own chapel. Is that acceptable to you, my lord? Your
approval would mean the world to me. You are a father to be deeply respected.”

“The servants will be in alt to have your wedding to
celebrate on this wonderful day. I imagine even more mistletoe boughs will
suddenly appear.”

Before the marquess could say more, Caro spoke again. “Will
you give me away, my lord?”

Then she caught her breath. “Oh no, you’ll be needed as
Sebastian’s best man.”

The marquess looked at this girl, the image of his
always-beloved Althea, and smiled a genuine smile.

“I think I can move quickly enough across the aisle to
manage both. Not many have such an opportunity. The
ton
will be vastly
amused. We’ll have to invite a few of them, you know. I’ll send out special
messengers.”

With a joyous look Caro turned to Sebastian.

“And my two aunts, if it pleases you gentlemen. They are
dears and I’m their only relative.”

At the marquess’s nod she continued, “You are so good to me,
sir. This will be a Christmas to remember and celebrate for years to come. I’ll
never stop telling our future children about the two wonderful men who changed
my life.”

The smiles of the marquess and Sebastian broadened, while
hers dimmed.

“Sebastian, what about Becky? I don’t want to send her back
to that dreadful school when I stay here.”

“We’ll keep her until her parents return. Now stop worrying
about others and concentrate on me, if you please.”

His father tactfully turned and strode toward the house.

Damn if he cared about his injured arm. Sebastian gathered
Caro as close to him as he could. He rubbed his erection against her skirts,
hoping she could feel how she aroused him just by her presence. She smiled and
wriggled her body against his.

He gasped and held her a little away.

“Christmas is two days away. The servants are already
celebrating and the house smells of spice punch and Cook’s wonderful baking.
While I’m sure it will bring unexpected delights, I’m not about to wait until
Christmas Day to enjoy the gift of you. Come with me to my bedroom, Caro. I
want you there every night for the rest of our lives. Will you come, my only
love? I long to begin our married life right now.”

She leaned back against him and smiled the smile of a
delighted angel.

“Of course, Sebastian. I adore what you teach me about love.
Will you promise to show me something new every night?”

He choked out a laugh.

“I’ll try, love. But you’ll have to cooperate. Maybe we can
even think up some new ways of making love no one has ever even contemplated.
But I’ll have to compensate for this damn arm for some time to come.”

She beamed at him.

“Christmas has never seemed so wonderful.”

She sighed and leaned against his side and cast him a
worried glance.

“I don’t want you injuring your arm, Sebastian. I can wait until
you’re better.”

Her eyes raked him, lingering on his hips and noting the
huge erection pushing against his trousers. Her eyes flared with passion and
Sebastian groaned. Damn if she wasn’t as ready as he was. She moved closer,
grinding against his swollen cock until he gasped and held her hips still.

She smiled like the imp she was, then reached down and
grabbed his prick, rubbing it through the cloth until he caught her hand. He
couldn’t let her continue unless he wanted to ejaculate in the garden. Besides,
they were in sight of too many windows. He could only hope his body had
shielded their actions and he could manage to walk to the house. Huge erections
were probably the norm when he even thought of fucking Caro so he’d better get
used to it.

“But I can’t wait. Don’t worry, my love. I’m not about to
injure myself so I can’t enjoy the most wonderful Christmas I’ve ever
envisioned. But you might have to get on top for a few nights.”

Caro stared at him, a puzzled look on her face, and he
grinned. Then he kissed her lips, stepping back and taking a deep breath when
she tried to draw his hips closer.

“I don’t know for sure what you mean, my dearest lord. But
I’m willing to try to oblige such an enthusiastic teacher. I can see this will
be an unexpected Christmas in more than one way. I can’t wait to learn what
you’ll teach me.”

“Nor can I wait to begin your lessons, my darling pupil.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her and then turned serious as he
grabbed her to him and kissed first her forehead, then her cheeks and then her
willing lips.

She broke away and looked up at him, her delighted face a
lovely picture he would remember through the years.

“Merry Christmas, my dearest lord. Let’s get started on my
lessons.”

Smiling at him with all the love he could want, she seized
his hand and started pulling him toward his room and their wonderful future.

Jean feels she’s very much a Californian although she was
born in Ohio. California has been home for a good many years. Life changed drastically
for her when she was six and her father died incredibly from an errant golf
ball. A dishonest insurance agent forced her sheltered mother to seek work, and
she became a teacher. Her hours required Jean to be alone in the house in the
afternoon, and since she was forbidden to leave ’til her mother got home, she
became an avid reader. The local library supplied most of the books and she
early focused on her two main interests, Jane Austen and King Arthur.

Reading is still one of Jean’s favorite activities, although
she sometimes has to push it aside to make room for her enduring love of
writing. Her journalism degree was used infrequently until recently. Marriage
and raising two children pleasantly got in the way. After twenty years of being
a real estate broker and with the kids raised, she finally could devote her
time to writing, her first love.

Few things in her life have been so satisfying, especially
when all her books have a happy ending. Wonderful to make happen. It only gets
more interesting when a secondary character demands his very own book. Who
would want to deny him? Not Jean!

Jean welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

Tell Us What You Think

We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
can email
the
author
directly or you can email us at
[email protected]
(when
contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).

Garland
of Druids: Message for Minerva

Garland
of Druids 1: Druid’s Daughter

Garland
of Druids 2: My Darling Druid

Garland of
Druids 3: Song of a Druid Princess

Garland of Druids
4: Kiss of a Druid Bard

Garland
of Druids 5: Druid Redeemed

Garland
of Druids 6: Druid Triumphant

Garland
of Druids 7: Druid Disdained

Garland
of Druids 8: Druid in Flight

Passionate
Pursuits 1: Fiery Pursuit

Passionate
Pursuits 2: Stormy Pursuit

Passionate
Pursuits 3: Forbidden Pursuit

Passionate
Pursuits 4: Dangerous Pursuit

Passionate
Pursuits 5: Daunting Pursuit

Shelley’s
Secret

Songs
of the Mages 1: Damien’s Destiny

Songs
of the Mages 2: Gareth’s Gambit

Songs
of the Mages 3: Jennivere’s Journey

Songs
of the Mages 4: Quest for Love

Garland
of Druids 1 & 2: Druid Desires

Garland
of Druids 3 & 4: Druid Duet

Garland
of Druids 5: Druid Redeemed

Garland
of Druids 6: Druid Triumphant

Garland
of Druids 7: Druid Disdained

Garland
of Druids 8: Druid in Flight

Songs
of the Mages 1: Damien’s Destiny

Songs
of the Mages 2: Gareth’s Gambit

Ellora’s Cave Publishing

www.ellorascave.com

Unexpected Christmas

ISBN 9781419948176

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Unexpected Christmas Copyright © 2013 Jean Hart Stewart

Edited by Ann Leveille

Cover design by Dar Albert

Cover photography by olly, vedagonzalex, Maksim Smeljov/fotolia.com

Electronic book publication December 2013

The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of
Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not
be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written
permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home
Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or
distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without
the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including
infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable
by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. 
(http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print
editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of
copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The
characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and
trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned
in this book.

The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume
any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the
multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Be sure to visit EC on the web
at www.ellorascave.com to find erotic reading experiences that will leave you
breathless. You can also find our books at all the major e-tailers (Barnes
& Noble, Amazon Kindle, Sony, Kobo, Google, Apple iBookstore, All Romance
eBooks, and others).

www.ellorascave.com