Hey everyone! Enjoy this chapter, it's been a little strange writing about Christmas in this heatwave we are having in the UK lol. Anyway again, enjoy and please review xxx
Chapter 44 – Festive Fun (Part 1):
T'was the day before Christmas and 19 Montpelier Square was filled with merriment and joy as the last of the decorations were being put up. Fresh ivy, mistletoe, holly and laurel decorated the fireplaces in the parlour, drawing room and dining room. Tarzan helped pin up ribbons and paper chains and Archimedes hung up the Christmas cards whilst Jane and Annabelle took great delight in decorating the Christmas tree with the family's antique glass baubles as well as paper decorations that Jane herself had made as a little girl.
"It's so pretty Mama," Annabelle said as they stood back to inspect their work. Back in Africa, of course they didn't have a proper Christmas tree but the Porters would decorate the treehouse with flowers and ribbons as an alternative.
"Yes darling," Jane nodded happily, "it will be even better once the candles are on it… maybe we should put a couple more baubles over there? The left side looks a bit sparse, what do you think Anna?"
Annabelle scrutinised the tree and agreed that more baubles should be hung on the left hand side. She took some more of the decorations out of the box and carefully positioned them on the Christmas tree's evergreen branches. She liked breathing in its fresh pine scent.
"Much better!" Jane clapped her hands in satisfaction, "Now where is the star?"
"Dining room is done," Tarzan called as he came into the parlour followed by Archimedes, his tweed waistcoat unbuttoned and his shirtsleeves rolled up. Jane couldn't help but smile at seeing a couple of pine needles still in his dreadlocks from helping Thomas carry in the Christmas tree earlier.
"Fantastic, just need to put the star on top of the tree."
"I'll do it!" Annabelle called out but she was too small to reach the top of the tree.
"Here we go!" Tarzan lifted up his daughter so that she could place the silver star on top of the tree.
"Perfect," Jane smiled and went over to the Moses basket where William was gurgling. She lifted him out and placed him on her hip so that he could see the Christmas tree. William's green and blue eyes widened and then gurgled in delight as his big sister dangled a crystal bauble in front of him, bouncing light all over the parlour.
"Do you hear that?" Archimedes said and the Porters' ears pricked up at the sweet lilting sound coming from the square outside.
"It's carol singers!" Jane cried in excitement as the sound of children's voices became clearer. She went to the little silver bell on the fireplace and rang it eagerly.
"Daisy!" she called out and then rang the bell, this time with more vigour. The Porters rushed down the stairs to the entrance hall and they could hear the carol singers finish singing "Deck the Halls'.
"Daisy!" Jane called out again more loudly and a moment later Daisy came up from the kitchen, carrying a plate of freshly baked mince pies, dusted with icing sugar and topped with a sprig of holly.
"Very nice Daisy," Jane nodded after she inspected the pies.
"Yes'm," Daisy bobbed a curtsey and opened the front door. The sweet voices of the children flooded the entrance hall as well as the cold, crisp air as they started to sing the Sussex carol, with one little boy playing a violin. The Porters watched the carol singers wrapped up against the cold, their faces beaming and even Daisy couldn't help but join in with the singing. After they had finished the carol, Daisy held out the plate and before you could blink all the pies were gone, only leaving the sorry sprig of holly!
After Daisy closed the front door and headed back to the kitchen with the empty plate, Tarzan smiled at her. "I never knew that you had such a sweet singing voice Daisy," he said and the young maid blushed at his compliment.
"Thank you sir," as she bobbed him a curtsey, she smiled enough to show the adorable gap between her two front teeth and then hurried back down to the kitchen.
"Tarzan, my bracelet," Jane called over to her husband who was behind her, looking in the dressing table mirror, adjusting his cravat. He fastened the bracelet around her slender wrist and then kissed it, making Jane giggle.
"Will this dinner party be more daunting than the ball?" he asked as he looked at her in the mirror.
"Oh much less formal," Jane smiled back and lightly applied some rouge to her cheeks, "besides it's only a Christmas Eve supper party with Cecilia, Charles, Francesca Maggolini and her brother Giuseppe. It's the very least we can do for all Cecilia has done for us. Besides, she is bringing her sons over so Anna will have some company."
"Merry Christmas!" Cecilia and Charlie chorused as the Porter family ushered them into the house, followed by the rest of the guests.
"Brrrr blooming cold outside!" Charlie shivered as the servants helped the guests out of their thick, warm coats, "It's starting to snow hard out there!"
"Really?" Tarzan's eyes widened in delight and Charlie laughed.
"Of course! I forgot Tarzan my friend that you have never seen snow! Well let's hope it settles!"
"A snowy English Christmas is such a delight to behold," Francesca beamed, "everyone this is my brother Giuseppe."
"A pleasure to meet you all," Giuseppe Maggolini nodded respectfully. He was tall like Charlie and had raven black hair like his sister, but curly like a Michelangelo statute and his olive skin was slighter darker.
"Likewise," Jane nodded politely, "and welcome to our home."
"And these are our sons," Cecilia ushered her children forward to meet their host and hostess. "This is Percy, our oldest."
"Good evening Mr and Mrs Porter, Professor Porter," Percy said politely before pushing up his sliding glasses. He was nearly as tall as his mother and slightly gangly but still handsome, a spitting image of his father with auburn hair and grey eyes.
"And these are the twins Edward and Henry," Cecilia continued and the two blonde, identical twins stood quietly for a moment or so but then tittered, failing to curb their rambunctious natures.
"Delighted to meet you," Tarzan smiled, fascinated by the twins' complete alikeness. "Our daughter Annabelle is in the upstairs parlour so if you would like to go up there and play before dinner is served."
"Boys! What do you say?" Charlie called out sharply as the twins went to race up the stairs.
"Thank you Mr and Mrs Porter!" the twins chanted before rushing upstairs followed by Percy and then Martha, albeit at a more dignified pace.
"Good evening, I'm Annabelle," Annabelle greeted her guests somewhat nervously as the twins hurried into the upstairs parlour followed by Percy and then Martha, who was supervising them for the evening.
"Umm, I, I'm Percy," Percy stuttered and gave a rather shy smile. Being in a house with no sisters and going to Eton, an all boys' boarding school, he was not used to the company of girls.
"It's lovely to meet you," Annabelle blushed at the rather handsome boy, "how old are you Percy?"
"13. How old are you?"
"12 but I'll be 13 soon," Annabelle hastily added, secretly wishing that she was older, "so your brothers are twins then?"
"Yes the Gruesome Twosome!" Percy joked as he started to relax in Annabelle's company.
"Hey!" the twins called out indignantly but soon got back to getting out their tin soldiers.
"Henry is the slightly taller one if that helps," Percy added as Annabelle watched the twins starting to play with the little soldiers in great interest. He went over and sat cross-legged with his younger brothers, helping them set the soldiers out in battle formation.
"Can I play?" Annabelle asked, starting to feel a bit like a third wheel. She sorely wished Daisy was with her but she was busy working in the kitchen.
"No!" Edward snapped tersely.
"Soldiers are not for girls!" Henry added rather rudely. Annabelle wanted to scold them but reined her temper in. It would not be ladylike to be rude to her guests, as her mother would have told her.
"Say Miss Annabelle, I'll play a card game with you," Martha suggested calmly and the two girls sat down on the settee and Martha shuffled and dealt a pack of cards. They played Snap and every time one of them shouted 'Snap!' Percy looked over in with a slight forlorn look on his face.
"Can I play?" he asked once Annabelle and Martha had finished their game.
"Oh I don't know… I mean card games are not really for boys," Annabelle said rather pointedly and Martha shot her a disapproving look.
"Do, do, do you play, dr, draughts?" Percy stammered, his face getting slightly red in embarrassment. He cursed himself for not knowing how to talk to girls and felt very foolish.
"No," Annabelle shook her head. Seeing Percy's shyness made her feel guilty for snapping at him.
"We do have a draught set," Martha smiled as she got up and brought it over to the settee, "perhaps Master Percy can teach Miss Annabelle how to play?"
"Ummmm… alright," Percy nodded nervously and started to set out the counters on the chequered board. "One player has the black counters and the other player has the white counters. The counters are set on and can only move on the black squares. They can only be moved diagonally and if you approach the other player's counter and there's a space after it, you can jump over it and claim that counter. The person who captures all their opponent's counters first wins."
"I think I get it," Annabelle nodded as Percy finished arranging her white counters on the black squares. The two children played their first game of draughts whilst the twins avidly played with their tin soldiers, Martha keeping a watchful eye on them all.
"Golly gosh!" Percy was surprised to find himself losing and Annabelle couldn't help but make a little triumphant smile.
"I'm a fast learner!" she teased as she took her white counter and jumped over 3 of Percy's black counters, making her win the game!
"Well done Miss Annabelle!" Martha clapped her hands and Percy clapped too before shaking Annabelle's hand like a gracious loser, impressed by her skills.
"Shall we play another round?" he asked but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Masters Foxton and Miss Annabelle, dinner is ready," Thomas announced as he popped his head round the parlour door.
"Thank you Thomas, please tell our parents that we will be down presently," Annabelle replied, trying to sound as elegant as her Aunt Cecilia. Thomas smiled an amused smile and the children packed away the toys before joining the adults down in the dining room for dinner.
Archimedes sat at the head of the table with the three couples sitting facing each other and Annabelle sat next to Percy with the twins sitting opposite them at the other end.
"So Percy," Tarzan said as Thomas served up the starters and Carson poured out wine for the adults, "you attend Eton College, is that right?
"Yes Mr Porter sir," Percy nodded respectfully, "I have come home for the Christmas holidays."
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Ummmm," Percy hesitated, not sure of what to say in front of his mother and father.
"Percy enjoys academics more than sports," Charlie stepped in, "he prefers to be in the library than on the rugby pitch." His son blushed, knowing that his father wished that he were better at sports. He liked fishing, hunting and horse riding but was hopeless at team games.
"What subjects do you like best Percy?" Tarzan asked. Percy seeing the kindness in his host's face made him feel a little more relaxed at the dinner table.
"I do like English and History…. but Art is my favourite."
"Percy just adores drawing," Cecilia smiled encouragingly at her son, "he loves sketching jewellery designs."
"A perfect attribute for your eldest son to have, especially for the family business!" Giuseppe joked and everyone laughed, raising their glasses to Percy's artistic talents.
"So Jane, pray tell us about how you and Tarzan came to meet in the wild African jungles," Francesca asked eagerly and everyone looked to the couple for the delicious details.
"Well," Jane started, "it all started with a baby baboon called Manu." As she and Tarzan recounted their first meeting, everyone especially the twins listened in avid delight when Tarzan described them being chased by the vicious baboons along the twisting and twirling branches of the jungle.
"This is stupefacente!" Giuseppe Maggolini couldn't believe his ears, "I must paint this scene! Signore, Signora Porter you simply must pose for me, for a portrait. Tarzan, you can be dressed in leopard skins, swinging through the air, holding the fainting Jane, the damsel from the baboons in his arm, like a knight fighting off a dragon! It would be my most impressive piece to date!"
"And as your patron I will certainly commission it," Charlie beamed as he raised his glass to the notion.
"But I thought you wanted to paint more landscapes Mr Maggolini?" Jane asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the thought of herself being in a painting, possibly being displayed in the National Gallery.
"Well, I will get to paint the jungle in the background," Giuseppe smiled and then looked at her imploringly, "Oh Signora Porter, I beg you, please say yes."
"Oh Giù," Francesca laughed and playfully kicked her brother under the table, "I apologise Jane and Tarzan for my baby brother's tenacity, like a dog refusing to let go of his bone! Sometimes he doesn't know when to take a hint!"
"It's quite alright Francesca," Jane reassured her guest, "we might reconsider the offer of the portrait… so which part of Italy are you and Giuseppe from?"
"Sabina," Francesca replied, relieved that her brother had not caused any offence. "But our family sent us to Roma so that Giuseppe could obtain an apprenticeship with a Master and that I could train as an opera singer at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma."
Dinner was a delicious affair, including salmon with a champagne sauce, following the tradition of eating fish on Christmas Eve and then a variety of grand desserts that the children oohed and ahhed at, followed by cheeses, fruit and crackers.
Then they all went into the downstairs drawing room where the adults were served mulled wine and the children hot spiced apple juice. They played some parlour games including Charades and Blindman's Buff.
"I guess it is time for presents," Cecilia smiled as Carson and Thomas came into the drawing room, carrying beautifully wrapped gifts.
"Oh Cecilia, you didn't have to get us anything," Jane gasped as the servants placed them down on the table.
"Oh don't be silly!" Cecilia laughed, "It's just a little something from us Foxtons."
"Why thank you Charlie and Cecilia," Tarzan beamed with delight as he opened his present to see a collection of Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' stories. Archimedes was given a silk cravat with a sleek gold cravat pin, Cecilia gave Jane a wide brimmed hat decorated with large feathers and silk flowers and a set of pave hairpins whilst the Maggolinis gave the Porters tickets to see Tchaikovsky's ballet 'The Nutcracker' at the Royal Opera House.
The Porters gave the Maggolinis a collection of Mozart's opera scores, for Cecilia a bottle of her favourite perfume and a book of poetry and for Charlie a bottle of his favourite whiskey and a book on the history of British politics. For the boys, they gave Percy a copy of Bradshaw's 'Through Routes to the Capitals of the World and Overland Guide to India, Persia, and the Far East' as he liked trains and a set of marbles and jacks for the twins.
"For you my dear Annabelle," Cecilia held out a large red box and Annabelle carefully untied the bow and pulled off the lid. The girl gasped as she saw her present from her elegant aunt. It was a crimson red dress with a two tiered skirt, high neck and long sleeves, all the hems decorated with a double border of black ribbon and a black wide sash at the waist. There was also a matching high-waisted red coat with a black fur collar, cuffs and big black buttons along with a black hat and black boots.
"Oh Aunt Cecilia! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Annabelle cried in delight as she stroked the fine wool fabric of the coat before rushing over to hug her aunt with great fervour.
"Oh Cecilia, you shouldn't have," Jane commented as Cecilia hugged Annabelle affectionately and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh Jane I can spoil my niece can't I?" Cecilia laughed merrily and held the dress up against her niece. "You will look perfect for ice-skating in this."
"Ice-skating!" Annabelle's eyes widened in delight and turned to her mother, "Can we please go ice-skating tomorrow Mama? Oh please, oh please!"
"Can I go ice-skating with Annabelle too Mother?" Percy turned to his own mother, "before Christmas dinner?"
"Not Christmas Day Percy. We have church in the morning and then both your grandparents will join for the rest of the day. But you can go and skate at the Round Pond on Boxing Day."
"We want to go too Mother!" Henry and Edward chorused and the Porters and Foxtons both agreed to meet by the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens at 2pm on Boxing Day.
Once the present exchanging was done, everyone gathered around the piano and sang some Christmas carols. After a little more chatting and playing, the Foxtons and Maggolinis headed home as the twins were getting tired and restless, asking when Father Christmas was coming to their house.
Jane and Tarzan took their daughter to bed, who was sleepy but excited for the morning. They tucked her in and kissed her goodnight before checking on William and then settled down in their own bed.
"It's really snowing," Tarzan said as he pulled back the bedroom curtains to see soft white flakes falling in the black night sky, dotted with a few stars.
"So it is," Jane said as she got under the warm covers and Tarzan got in beside her.
"Merry Christmas," he said, his eyes gazing lovingly into hers.
"Merry Christmas," Jane felt herself blush and she giggled as Tarzan got out a sprig of mistletoe from under the bed.
"A Christmas kiss?" he said as he held the white-berried sprig above them and Jane giggled again.
"I can certainly provide you with one," she said before leaning in and gently caressed her husband's lips. Sure enough their kissing got faster and more passionate and before they knew it, their nightgowns were off and they were quietly, tenderly making love whilst the snowflakes gently floated down and settled on every inch of the square outside.