to get her piece of furniture packed and ready for shipping. The palazzo was incredible. We could see the whole city and the Grand Canal from our bedroom. And, Nina! The bed was seventeenth-century, with a mirror in the canopy! Oh, the food was good too, but a little too much seafood for my taste.'
'A mirror in the top of the bed?' Nina chuckled. 'I'll have to program that into one of my fantasies for the Channel. Maybe I'll go to Venice and take Casanova for a lover. I think I'll be a sexy sixteen-year-old virgin for him.'
Ashley giggled. 'You know, I had such a good time I didn't even miss the Channel. I'm probably not going to need it now. Ryan and I are getting along terrifically. And wait till you see what I brought back from Venice for the New York shop. I found a source. She has silkworms, a mulberry orchard, peasant women who actually spin the silk, and she designs the most gorgeous negligees. I bought six.'
'We can't sell them?' Nina said.
'They are going to be outrageously expensive, and I believe the city shop is the only one in which we'll carry them. Valentina will ship me six garments, three times a year. Everything is handmade. She just can't do any more, and she has her own shop. We'll have them for Christmas, Valentine's, and the June brides.' She set the embroidered satin lingerie case on the shop counter and opened it up.
'Wow!' Nina said, looking down at the ice blue silk nightgown on top. Carefully she examined it, noting the almost invisible stitches. 'It's only two pieces,' she said. 'It's amazing. And it's so simple, but my God, it's sophisticated and elegant. I agree. This is strictly for the city shop. We couldn't sell this in Egret Pointe.' She looked at the other five garments. Then she said, 'You want me to ship these to Suzette?'
'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,
'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-mache 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
'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
