"Yes, but first we have to remove Valentina's labels and sew in our own. I told her not to put her labels in when she sends us the shipments from now on," Ashley said.

Nina nodded. "You're right. We don't want anyone learning our source for these gorgeous negligees. They are going to make the city shop's reputation. Suzette knows some important people. Some actress is going to end up wearing one of these."

"It's getting near Thanksgiving," Ashley said. "Has the town committee decided exactly what the windows theme is to be this year?"

"Winter Wonderland," Nina answered. "The bulletin came last week."

"Ohh, then I had better get started working on a design," Ashley replied.


***

The days that followed seemed to fly by. The wardrobe arrived from Venice, and Ryan went into the city for a few days to supervise the unpacking and start his craftsmen on the restoration. They spent a quiet Thanksgiving, inviting Lina, Frankie, her son, and Nina to dinner. December came, and on the ninth the florist delivered a Waterford crystal vase of lavender roses with a card reading, Happy Birthday, cara Ashley, Bianca.

"Oh, I feel terrible," Ashley said. "Her birthday was on the third."

"Don't," Ryan said. "It's her way to remember things like that. She did not expect you to remember her birthday."

"The local florist is in shock that someone would have a Waterford vase delivered to him in which to put flowers," Ashley said.

That night as they sat down to the birthday dinner Mrs. B. had cooked for Ashley, Ryan said, "You haven't asked what I got you for your birthday."

"No, I haven't," she said, smiling.

He handed her a jeweler's box, and, opening it, Ashley saw a beautiful round canary yellow diamond set in Irish red gold. "I never got you an engagement ring," he said quietly. "I had the ring made for you in Venice and sent home for Byrnes to secrete. I didn't want you to find it before I gave it to you."

"Oh, Ryan," Ashley said softly as she took the ring from the velvet and slipped it on her finger. "It's beautiful. I've heard of yellow diamonds, but never before seen one."

"I thought it suited you," he answered. "Happy birthday, baby."

"Thank you, darling," she replied, leaning over and kissing his lips.

That weekend they began decorating the house for the holidays. Byrnes went off to the local nursery and returned with garlands of princess pine, which were then wrapped about the columns on the portico, and strung between them with lights. A enormous wreath of pine, pinecones, red berries, and white heather was hung on the front door. Electric candles were set in every window of the house, and on the twentieth Ryan and Ashley went back to the nursery to choose trees for the living room, the dining room, and the small parlor of their bedroom suite. A ten-footer had already been delivered and set up in the center of the round foyer. It was decorated with red plaid bows, papier-mâché lacquered red apples, and white lights. The one in the dining room had green and burgundy silk bows, and multicolored glass balls in ruby, sapphire, emerald, amethyst, gold, and silver. It had tiny white lights. The tree in the living room was done with Victorian ornaments, many of them authentic and beautifully preserved. It had multicolored tiny fairy lights.

The tree they had chosen for the parlor in their bedroom suite was set on a round table that was covered with a dark green velvet cloth. The table was placed near the fireplace. The tree was decorated with painted glass balls that depicted the various activities in Santa's workshop, and little red velvet bows. Its lights were multicolored.

"This is where we will put our gifts for us," Ashley said softly. "I have a very special gift for you on our first Christmas together, Ryan." And she smiled mischievously at him. "And I've found some boy toys that you'll like too," she teased.

"What do I buy the woman who has everything?" he asked candidly.

"I like beautiful and unusual things. And soft things. And you can always add to my Santa collection," she told him.

"The one in the dining room on the sideboard?" he asked her. "That's one fantastic accumulation of Saint Nicks."

Ashley laughed. "My grandmother started it for my father when he was a little boy. My mother added several pieces in the years that they were married. I began adding to it after my brother was killed," she told him. "I'm always looking. Ohh, Ryan! It's going to be the best Christmas ever! The house hasn't been so full in ages, and Christmas is when a house should be filled with family and laughter."

"Did you have to invite them all?" he asked in a pained tone.

"Ryan, Christmas Day will be our four-month anniversary. I know your older sisters are difficult, but surely by now they have accepted the fact that we are married. That what began as a marriage of convenience for us both has by some miracle turned into a love match. They backed off their attempts to sue you, didn't they?"

"Only because Ray and their lawyers told them to forget about it. They didn't have a leg to stand on. Dad's will just said I had to marry by forty, and I did. I won't be forty until spring. And Ma made some pretty dire threats. Remember, she's got a lot of money herself to leave one day, and the harpies are greedy."

"They just need to get to know me better," Ashley said. "Didn't they all accept our invitation for Christmas?"

"You asked them for two nights, Ash. They're dying to see how you live. Frankie has been enjoying torturing them. Having the harpies here is going to be pure hell on wheels." Ryan groaned.

"It will be fine," Ashley assured her husband.

He looked dubious, but there was nothing he could do to prevent his older sisters and their husbands from descending on them en masse for the holiday. For one thing, Mrs. Byrnes had been cooking up a storm. And Byrnes had been polishing more silver than Ryan had ever imagined even existed. And the daily housekeeper had, with Ashley's permission, been bringing two other women with her for ten days now. All the bedrooms were turned out: rugs, draperies, and hangings vacuumed, furniture dusted, the beds made with lavender-scented linens, feather beds, and lovely, puffy goose-down comforters. On the day their guests were arriving, small vases of red carnations and green pine were put in each of the bedrooms. By the time the extra-long limousine pulled up to disgorge his relations, Ryan was almost resigned. It was Christmas Eve, and the house smellcd ‹›t pine and cinnamon. He was in love with his wife, and lie-couldn't have imagined a year ago at this time how happy he would be. "Welcome to Kimbrough Hall!" he boomed jovially, standing on the portico. He embraced his mother.

They came up to him in birth order, as they had always done. Bride and Peter Franklin; Elisabetta and Paul Sweeney; Kathleen and Kevin McGuire; Magdalena and Frank Butler; Deirdre and Robert Napoli; Frankie and her son, Michael O'Connor. He greeted them each, and they moved on to Ashley, who stood next to her husband.

"Quite the lord of the manor, aren't we?" Bride said sharply.

"As a matter of fact, he is now," Ashley replied, smiling. "I'm so glad you could all come. Let's go in. It's cold. Byrnes will take your coats." She turned to speak to their own chauffeur, who was standing nearby. "Bill, will you help the limo driver with the luggage, please? Thank you." She led her guests inside, where Byrnes was waiting.

"Boy, you sure fell into it, didn't you?" the limo driver who knew Bill said.

Bill grinned. "It's like the old days my granddad used to tell me about, when he worked for a family. I even got my own digs above the garage."

The limo driver whistled. Then he said, "Let's get these bags inside. I got a long trip back to town, and the wife will have my head if I'm not back in time for church tonight." He opened the trunk of the car, and together the two men began getting the bags into the house, where Byrnes was waiting for them. Helping them, he led them upstairs, showing them the bedrooms where the bags were to be deposited. Then, coming back down, he handed the limo driver a plain white envelope.


"Merry Christmas from Mr. and Mrs. Mulcahy," he said. "There'll be another envelope when you come to pick them up on the twenty-sixth. Drive carefully." Byrnes opened the front door and ushered the driver out.

To Ryan's surprise the evening went smoothly. They sat down to a supper of shrimp cocktail, followed by small plates of pasta with a simple marinara sauce, followed by Dover sole broiled in butter with lemon, a marvelous casserole of carrots made with cheese and cream, tiny potato puffs, and a green salad. Dessert was a plain caramel custard in individual cups topped with raspberries.

Angelina Mulcahy smiled, well pleased. Her new daughter-in-law, while not a Roman Catholic, had known that December twenty-fourth was a fast day, although she hardly thought the lovely feast placed before them would qualify as a fast. She noted that her daughters and their spouses were eating to the point of silence. "Is there a church we may attend tonight?" Lina asked Ashley.

"St. Anne's," Ashley told her. "Ryan can take five in his car, and Bill will take the rest in the limo I rented for the weekend. The mass begins at eleven. That's why we've eaten early. I thought you all might like a little nap before church."

"Will you be going with us?" Kathleen asked pointedly.

Ashley shook her head. "I'll be at St. Luke's. I'm an Anglican. I'm driving myself. And before you ask, I don't intend to convert to Roman Catholicism. If this were a perfect world there would be no differences in religion to divide us, but it isn't a perfect world, and I prefer my own church." She smiled at Ryan's family.