Someone in the house had taken the time to make each of the cash gifts, twenty-five dollars, into origami ornaments. It was both clever and cute at the same time. He would have to remember to thank everyone for the extra effort being put forward for this celebration.
“Your lordship, there is a phone call for you. It’s the balloon company again.” Duncan didn’t laugh out loud, but he had to work hard at not doing it. “They have called here several times now. Do you think they do not understand English?”
“I’m sure they do. But last night, I decided to take them up on the offer of having twice the number of balloons on site. I’m sure he’s just making sure.” Nodding, Alexander walked away. Duncan made his way to the phone.
After dealing with the man about the balloons, Duncan walked around the rest of the rooms on the main floor. It was going to be quite fun, he thought. Pausing in front of the portrait of his mom, he told her how much he loved her and wished she was there too. It was the woman he was going to meet that had him so nervous, and he told her that.
Duncan spoke to his mom daily. Even with all the brouhaha going on, he still made time to sit and have a conversation with her. It was a comfort for him to talk to her, even though he thought the rest of the household thought him off his rocker. Today, this time, was no different. He smiled up at her when he took his usual seat to talk.
“Judith will be here in a couple of days. I’m as nervous as I’ve ever been in my life. To think, so long ago, you knew who was going to be my other half.” Alexander, his butler, friend, and someone he depended on a great deal sat him down a cup of tea, as well as some scones fresh from the oven. Taking one, Duncan looked up at his mom. “I’ve been able to locate the ring. I don’t know if you remember or not, but I had mislaid it. I didn’t lose it so much as I didn’t have it in the first place. I remembered, of course, after I found it. I had sent it to be cleaned several days beforehand. I’m so glad they sent it to me, or I don’t know how much more I would have had to look through the things you left for me.”
He thought about the gifts he’d gotten for the birds. “I’ve put them in the kind of wrapping paper I knew you’d get a kick out of. I’ve also made sure that Miley gets the other crown, as you asked me to do. Every day you have had me do one chore or another, and I feel so much closer to you than ever before.”
When he’d located his mother’s book, he’d not had much time to look it over. When they’d first moved to New Town, Duncan read it from cover to cover. Sometimes he’d read some passages over and over. Not that he wanted to read any words she’d put to paper for him back then, but he’d been grief stricken by her death. However, now she had a daily chore for him to do with the Christmas party she’d told him to have. Today he was to rest. He was no better at that then she’d been, he thought with a grin.
“When she gets here—well, perhaps not exactly when she arrives—I’m going to ask her to marry me.” He had rethought that several times over the last days. “Or I’ll have her propose to me. I don’t know yet. However, I do know that she is going to make the perfect queen for us. She’s the most beautiful creature ever made. With the exception of you, Mom.”
Duncan didn’t think he was off his noodle in talking to his mom daily. He had a good head on his shoulders, and he’d been highly educated, having gone to several colleges in his lifetime. Duncan thought himself easy to get along with as well. But he was sure of one thing. Every thought, every word he’d been practicing to say to Judith, would go out the door when he laid eyes on her close up.
“I’m going to be worse than a small school boy, all tongue-tied and everything. I swear to you, Mom, I’m going to make a total fool of myself, you just watch and see.” He laughed at himself. “I’ve seen other men with their loves. I would love to say that I’m not going to be so sappy around her, but I have a feeling it’s a male thing, and I’ll be so much more sappy than any other of my genre.”
After telling her everything he’d done since their last talk, Duncan made his way outside. Out here was where most of the decorations were being put up. Standing back out of the way of the workers, Duncan thought it looked just like he’d envisioned it, like a castle made of fun and sweets.
The children, twelve of them in total, not counting the men and women that were there to help, would be arriving on the morning of Christmas. He had thought to have them spend the night in the castle, but it wasn’t to be. The red tape he had to go through to simply have a party for them had nearly taken all his time. The gifts also had to be approved by the home the
