“Oh, Daisy!” Bess said in frustration as Melchior shook his fist at the unrepentant beast munching the painted cardboard circle. “You are the absolute limit.”
Rory laughed. “Penton Wyck abounds with unruly women.”
“And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ned said, offering Melchior his crown as a replacement.
This year, the Three Kings would present themselves to the Infant Jesus without one diadem. Drums and recorders burst into the introduction to “The Holly and the Ivy,” and the parade set off at a jaunty pace for the village.
“Amen,” Rory said, taking Daisy’s rein and turning back to smile at Bess with such love in his eyes that she felt ready to fly up into the sky with happiness.
Her life brimmed with blessings. A home she loved. Dear friends. A husband she adored. And now a baby. How could a merely human heart contain this overflowing gratitude?
***
The 1823 Penton Wyck nativi
ty play was memorable on a number of counts. A lovely performance from a very pretty Angel of the Lord. Some particularly fine singing from the heavenly host. A mere two kings graced with crowns. A Joseph losing control of the donkey at a crucial moment so the manger ended in a hundred splintered pieces, and Baby Jesus had to make do with half a beer barrel for a cradle.
And a Mary who cried like a waterspout all the way to Bethlehem.
Mistletoe and the Major
A Regency Novella
By
Anna Campbell
Copyright © 2016, 2018 by Anna Campbell
annacampbell.com
Cover art by Beetiful Book Covers
E-book Formatting by Web Crafters
www.webcraftersdesign.com
Dedication:
To my dear friend Jeanne Adams
Mistletoe and the Major
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 1