“I guess that’s that,” she said at last, as they met up with Diana and Hattie in the carriage. “I’ve been here with a sort of mental tether to California this whole time. It’ll be nice to be able to enjoy my new life without worrying about the things that were simply never meant to be.”
Clyde smiled and put his arm around her as they rode off towards the inn. “It’s...hard to find the right words. I’m so completely overjoyed. I’m so grateful that you had the courage to give me a chance,” he said as his eyes welled up a bit.
The wedding reception was to be held at the inn. It was a part wedding fete, part Christmas party for all those who were staying in the inn. It hadn’t struck Millie until now that she and Clyde would be needing their own place to stay instead of living in a room and the cellar in Diana’s home for the rest of their lives. But that could wait until after Christmas, surely.
Everyone cheered as they entered the house. Millie hadn’t anticipated that the throngs of people there would be so big. Aaron Pratt, Matthew Ford and Mrs. Cooke had all gone ahead of the bridal caravan and set everything up. Now that Diana was back in her element, she resumed her hostess duties.
“We have punch and pie if anybody wants some,” she announced. “And of course, later on we will have a Christmas feast to welcome the holiday.”
Mr. Pratt rolled in a small upright piano from somewhere in the recesses in the back of the large house. He sat down himself and began to play a bouncy tune. Everyone around started dancing. Millie danced with Clyde, smiling up as she gazed into his face.
“I’m glad I finally allowed you to sweep me off my feet,” she told him. “I could get used to feeling special like this.”
Clyde chuckled at her. “I’m going to hold you to that when, in the future, you’re feeling cross with me.”
After a while of dancing in which Millie felt that time slowed and allowed her to relish the moments, everyone finally sat down at the various tables that had been set out exactly like they had been on Thanksgiving. The newlyweds were given their own private table at the front of the room.
Hattie and Diana went around, placing plates of pie and glasses of purplish punch in front of every guest and party-goer. They started at Millie’s and Clyde’s table, of course.
Once the passing out of refreshments was done, Hattie held up her glass. “A toast to the groom and the bride,” she announced. “May they have a wonderful and fruitful life together.”
“To the groom and bride!” everyone echoed and sipped their punch.
After everyone ate their pie and drank their punch, Aaron went back to his piano playing, pounding out practically every Christmas song that he could think of. Everyone returned to dancing. That’s when Millie realized something.
She sidled up to Diana. “There’s no Christmas tree here,” she pointed out, as if no one else had noticed the lack of spruce in the room.
“I thought that we might do some decorating later this evening, whilst the revelers are resting before dinner. Not that I expect you to do anything other than rest and be blissfully happy.” Diana smiled and raised her eyebrows a bit at Millie. “You are happy, right?”
Millie blushed and nodded. “Exceedingly,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help you decorate for Christmas. Besides, how else am I supposed to show off for my husband further?” She winked.
It dawned on Diana then that Millie was hoping to give off more impressions of herself as a skillful housewife. She had first proved it to Clyde by helping to make the Thanksgiving dinner and dessert.
“You’re crafty,” Diana said to her with an impressed smile. “I won’t refuse you then. But do get some rest before we get started. You’ve had a long and busy day.”
When the celebrations came to an end, Millie took her leave so she could indeed get some rest from the day’s events. She went up to her bedroom and Hattie helped her out of the cotton and lace wedding gown. Lying on her bed, she drifted peacefully off to sleep thinking about her new husband and what the future held for them.
She startled herself awake about an hour later, when she heard the sound of activity going on downstairs in the living room without her. Oh goodness, she thought. They’ve started without me.
Millie supposed that she should have asked for Diana to wake her up when they were ready to decorate, but that didn’t much matter now. She threw on her crushed velvet dress and came quickly down the stairs.
Mr. Pratt and Mr. Ford were carefully standing a tall fir tree up in the corner of the living room while Diana and Hattie looked on, giving them suggestions about where it should lean and planning out which colored candle should go where.
“Well now, there’s a tree that’s guaranteed to make our Christmas morning merry and bright.”
They all turned to look at her as she came to the bottom of the staircase. They were all smiles, including Millie. As soon as she came into the room, she set to work on sewing a nice blanket to go under the tall, green Christmas tree. It was made of white tablecloths, making the tree appear as though it was standing in snow; like it had never left the wintry forest where it had come from.
“I wish I hadn’t just slept for so long,” Millie said, frowning a bit. “Now that I’ve seen this, I surely won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
Even though the anticipation would likely keep her up for hours, Millie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this excited about Christmas. In New York, it had been a fairly solitary affair for her. But in Ogden, she knew deep down, that she’d never have to worry about being lonely again.
Chapter 14
The morning of Christmas arrived and Millie was out of her room and down the stairs before she heard anyone else stirring from their beds. She was relieved to see that she wasn’t the only one awake at such an early hour. Other guests smiled at her and she smiled back. When she got to the bottom of the staircase, she looked up at the tall tree, decorated with lights and vivid colors. The white blanket she’d made for the occasion was now covered with beautifully wrapped gifts of every size, shape and color. She didn’t anticipate receiving anything from below the tree. My gift was already given to me, she thought gladly. My gift is getting to live here with all of these lovely people, and marrying a gentleman who truly understands me.
Just as she was thinking it, Clyde appeared from his bedroom down below the rest of the house. He was dressed in a smart suit; the kind that she had once had a difficult time imagining him wearing. He smiled and came over to Millie at once. She was wearing her crushed velvet dress again, not having adequate time to make another dress for herself what with the wedding and the holiday season. As he gazed upon her, she could see that it didn’t matter to him what she wore.
“Merry Christmas, Mrs. Roberts,” he said, bringing her into a warm hug.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. Roberts,” she replied, hugging him back. It felt heavenly to be held by him. “Did you sleep well down in your dungeon?” she asked him, teasing.
Clyde let out a laugh and nodded. “As a matter of fact, I did. Did you enjoy your slumbers up in your princess tower?”
Millie smiled at him. “I did,” she said. “Although I slept about as well as a child does on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that this day might bring.”
This pleased him greatly. She could tell by his expression. His brown eyes seemed to sparkle in the colorful candlelight. “That’s good, because I have a Christmas gift for you that’s worthy of anticipation,” he boasted, placing his fingertips into the tops of his pants pockets.
She knew that he was trying to get her to ask what her present was, but she wasn’t going to take the bait that easily. She smiled wryly at him. “Oh? I thought our exchange of presents happened yesterday.”
Another big smile stretched across Clyde’s face. “Vows don’t quite count as gifts,” he countered. “Though I will accept them graciously from you, since they weren’t easily given by you.”
Millie looked at him c
uriously. Then she looked up at the Christmas tree. “I haven’t really had time to think of anything other than marrying you. That’s been my priority.”
Moving towards her, Clyde planted a kiss on her forehead. “That’s it. That shall be my Christmas gift: the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Laughing softly, Millie smiled at him. “I can put it into a needlepoint, if you’d like.”
They held hands and took in the majesty of the tree for a while longer. She was pleasantly surprised to see how well they went together. He had been right all along. He had always been right. Even their playful jabs at each other had a certain unique sweetness to them. She could see now that his words had never been meant to demean her or make her feel foolish in her decision-making. He had been looking out for her and keeping her best interests at heart always. She might not ever know how he knew her soul so well, but she was deeply grateful that he did.
“Would you like to see your present now?” Clyde asked her then, looking around and noting that more one by one, more guests were making their way out of their beds and down the stairs. “It requires leaving the inn, but we can always come back for Christmas dinner tonight, if that’s what you prefer.”
Now Millie was intrigued. “Oh? You didn’t intend to give me one of these presents under the tree?”
He shook his head at her. “What I’ve got for you won’t fit into a box or under a tree.”
She blinked at him, giving him a skeptical sort of look. They walked hand in hand out of the room and out the front door of the house. Clyde acted as though they wouldn’t be missed, but Millie had a feeling that Diana and Hattie would ask about her whereabouts. The three ladies had become friends almost overnight, and Millie didn’t want that to be taken for granted now that she was married to this man.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked him as they strolled along the wintry road. A few small remnants of ice were there along the sides of the street, but they were easily avoidable if one knew where not to step.
“First of all, I thought a short walk might do us both some good. I know that you’re fond of getting air when you have been cooped up inside for days.”
She looked at him expectantly. “And? Where are we walking to?”
Clyde chuckled. “You’re not very fond of surprises, are you? I’m taking you somewhere that, I hope, will be the start of the new life that you’ve always wanted.”
Millie’s breath caught in her chest. He was taking her home.
The walk to Clyde’s house wasn’t actually very long. He didn’t even live that far from Diana! She wondered now what Hattie had been talking about; filling her head with all kinds of silly stories. Though she had to admit that Hattie had succeeded. Her interest in Clyde had only grown after that discussion with the assistant innkeeper.
His house was similar in style to Mrs. Pratt’s, although perhaps not quite as big. It was made of wood and stone, painted the same white color that she noticed a lot of the homes on the street had. The front door was painted a bright red. “Beautiful,” she said earnestly.
“I think so too,” Clyde replied.
Millie smiled as she gazed up at her new home, and then she blushed a bit when she realized that Clyde was gazing at her instead of the house.
“This isn’t your only gift, of course. This is just the first one. The next one should come as a complete surprise.” His eyes lit up with excitement. He enjoyed giving her things, clearly. Even more than he enjoyed receiving things, it seemed.
He let her by the hand up onto the front porch and then inside the sweet little home. Millie admired the décor of the interior. It wasn’t fancy. In fact, she could see that there had been some truth to what Hattie had said actually. There was some simple wooden furniture – chairs and tables – and one low couch in the living room, but it didn’t appear to be a house that was well lived in. At least not yet. Millie had plans for it now that she knew that this was her home, too.
“We can host our own parties here,” she said joyously, sitting gently down on one of the chairs. “Once we get some more decorations and a bit more furniture.”
“If you like,” Clyde agreed. “But this still isn’t the surprise. Wait here.”
Millie didn’t know what to expect anymore. A new home for her to decorate and live in with him was more than enough. She would no longer have to while away the hours during the afternoons. She knew that she was going to miss him when he went to work in his blacksmith shop, but being able to work on this house would help her feel accomplished and make the time they were apart go faster.
Clyde smiled lovingly at her once more and then left her sitting there in the living room, contemplating all of this. When he returned, Millie could see that he was holding something small in his hands but she couldn’t, for the life of her, guess what it could possibly be.
She smiled playfully at him. “Wait,” she said. “I thought you said that you were giving me something that didn’t fit in a box or under a Christmas tree. That looks like it could.”
Clyde grinned at her. “It’s not the object itself. Listen.”
He came towards where she sat and held the gleaming object up to his lips. Now that he was closer to her and more in the light, Millie was delighted to see that what he was holding was an instrument – some kind of pennywhistle that she had no doubt in her mind that he made.
Clyde began to lightly blow into the pennywhistle, tooting out a pretty little ditty for her. It sounded like the playful tweeting of birds during a sun shower. Millie was absolutely mesmerized by everything about this. She smiled and clapped as soon as his song was done. “That’s marvelous! Did you make that yourself?”
“I sure did,” he said with a nod. “It’s perhaps not my best craftsmanship, but it’s the first instrument I completed. I wanted to show you what I can do with it.”
“How did you learn to play?” Millie asked him.
Clyde shrugged and smiled. “I practiced,” he answered. “I have more like this downstairs, if you would like to see.”
Of course he made these instruments in his basement. A blacksmith was simply the most comfortable in a dark, cool place. Millie understood more of the rumors now, and why he chose to sleep in the cellar at Diana Pratt’s house. I hope that he doesn’t intend for me to sleep in the basement with him, she thought jokingly to herself.
He offered his hand to her and she took it. She took hold of his pennywhistle, too, examining it and feeling surprised by the lightness of it. “You could easily sell things like this, alongside the tools you make.”
Clyde laughed lightly. “Maybe. Though I don’t think there’s much call for musical instruments around here.”
“Oh no,” Millie said, shaking her head emphatically at that. “There’s always a call for music. It aids in keeping life bearable.”
He led her down the long, slanting staircase and into his basement cellar. It was about what Millie had expected, dark and cold and filled with mostly rundown old furniture and other forgotten things. However, upon further exploration, she happened upon what looked like a bookshelf but was holding nothing but silver and brass colored instruments. She gasped a bit when she saw how many there were. It was enough to supply a whole band with instruments!
“Clyde! You have been busy.” She turned her face to look at him, smiling in her wonderment. “You just keep all of this to yourself?”
He stepped over towards her and took the pennywhistle back from her, gingerly touching it with his fingertips. “Not anymore,” he said. “This is my passion and I am sharing it with you.” He gave a short toot from the whistle again.
Millie smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. She supposed that everyone had a passion that they carried close inside them. Not everyone’s passion needed to be shared with the world. The fact that Clyde was sharing his music and his beautiful instruments with her made them all the more special in her eyes.
“Now that you’re here with me, I reckon I don’t need to spend all
my time in this cellar,” he said to her as they cuddled. “I want to make things together with you. Things that’ll make this drafty little house feel like home.”
Millie beamed at that. “I did rather hope that I’d be seeing more of you now that we’re married and we’ll be living here together…”
Clyde pulled away from her just enough to give her a kiss. It was sweet and warm. She knew that he was content because he hadn’t stopped smiling since bringing her to his home and showing her his collection of instruments. “What do you say we decorate this ol’ house some?” he asked her then. “I know it’s already Christmas, but since we’re going to be here and all, why not make the place merry to go along with our happy new life?”
Millie let out a laugh and nodded her head. “That sounds like a lovely idea to me.”
Before long, they’d bundled themselves up in coats and scarves and they strolled out together in search of a worthy tree for Christmas. As they were approaching a promising fir, she slipped on some snow and fell. Clyde rushed to help her and found that she was laughing.
“Are you all right?” he asked her, smiling now that he could see she was more amused than shocked or harmed.
Millie nodded and stood up with the help of his offered arm. “It’s cold,” she told him. “You should see.” She brought a hand from behind her back and gently mushed some snow into his face.
“Ahh!” he shouted, and then he was laughing too. “So cold!”
Soon they were chasing each other around in the snow, tossing it about and laughing ‘til they cried a little. Millie had never experienced such fun in all her life. This was indeed going to be a first Christmas to remember for many joyous years to come.
THE END
Mail Order Bride: Mary’s Secret
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 27
