The Christmas Fig Read online

  She’d wailed, screamed, and sobbed, but to no avail. Edward remained true to his promise to Millicent’s father that day, and by doing so solidified his position as master of his house. By the time he was finished, his wife’s pretty white bottom was the shade of a ripe cherry. When he let her up, she hopped around the room, her slender hands rubbing her buttocks feverishly as she cried like a little girl. Edward watched her from where he sat on the bench at the foot of their bed, waiting to see how she’d react once the pain had subsided. He was fully prepared to give Millicent another dose of correction if she expressed anger at a warranted spanking. But that second dose was not necessary. Running to the bed, she collapsed face down.

  “It’s over, Millie. Calm down, darling.” He moved to sit down on the bed beside her, his hand gentle on her back.

  “How can you say that?” she asked. “You hit me! You hate me!”

  “I don’t hate you.” He smiled at her simple, childlike perspective. “I love you very much, Millie. But I must protect our interests. As a barrister, I am often in charge of the funds of clients. I cannot be proven to be publicly irresponsible. Your actions put me in such a position today.”

  “Oh, no…” Her sobs became heavier. “I had not thought of it that way… Oh, Edward! Can you ever forgive me?”

  He picked her up and pulled her into his arms. “My dear wife,” he said. “I’ve forgiven you already. You did wrong, you were punished, and you learned a lesson. I will not hold a grudge. However, you should know that if you disobey me, a sound spanking will always be my response.”

  She nodded, her lip trembling prettily as she tried to rein in her emotions.

  “Good girl,” he said. “Now give me a hug.”

  Her arms around his neck had been the sweetest feeling. And just as her father had promised, correction had worked wonders on Millicent and their marriage took a turn for the better. It wasn’t always perfect; from time to time she still needed a spanking to remind her to be good. Edward could not ever anticipate stronger measures being necessary.

  That was about to change.

  Chapter Three: Just a Peek

  The bag of chestnuts was warm in Millicent’s hand. She blew across the top, hoping to cool one enough to pluck it out with her gloved hand. When Caroline had offered to buy her the treat, she’d accepted shyly and not without a little envy. Caroline Hillington had been buying things all day; what was one more item to a woman who obviously did not have to live on a budget?

  The two women were sitting on a bench in the park watching the geese glide around the pond. Caroline had sent her first load of purchases home with the driver, who was expected back soon to take the two women to shops on the other side of town.

  “That’s where the best shops are,” Caroline said, popping a chestnut into her mouth. She looked over at where Millicent sat with just one small purchase—a wool scarf for her father—wrapped in brown paper. “You’ve not bought very much today.”

  “I’m… waiting for the better shops,” Millicent replied.

  “That’s probably smart,” Caroline said. “All of what I’ve bought so far is for servants and Tom’s associates. These other shops are best for close friends and family. The goods are far superior.”

  Millicent clutched the wrapped scarf closer to her, wondering if she should return it and get something better for her father.

  “The furrier is there,” Caroline said. “And the silversmith.” She sighed and smiled, looking out at the lake. “I just love this time of the year.” She pointed to the road. “Oh, look. It’s Drake with the coach.”

  Drake, the Hillingtons’ driver, was a tall, stooped man. Once he pulled up, he clambered down from his seat on clearly arthritic legs as Caroline impatiently waited for him to open a door she could have opened herself.

  Inside the coach, Millicent’s friend apologized for the driver’s slowness. “I shall talk to my husband about having him replaced. I’ve still half a day of shopping tomorrow and don’t fancy standing in the chill whilst someone takes forever to open my door.”

  Millicent started to ask Caroline whether it was fair to dismiss an old man before Christmas, but she bit her tongue, reminding herself that Caroline wasn’t just anyone but the wife of a senior partner in Edward’s firm. It would not do for her to appear disapproving.

  The route back to the shops was crowded. Millicent stared out the window as they went. The hurried streets contained many interesting sights for a young woman who’d grown up in a country house. Poor mixed with rich here, and she felt a stab of pity when she saw a woman not much older than she trudging along with a laundry basket on her hip. She wore no coat, and was visibly shivering against the chill.

  “That poor thing,” she said aloud.

  “Try not to vex yourself on their behalf,” Caroline said when she saw Millicent staring. “The poor are a fixture here, but it does no good to feel sad for them.”

  Millicent looked up at the other woman, surprised by her callousness. Caroline caught her gaze and smirked. “Really, dear. You’ll learn. They’re like rats… unavoidable. If you wish to feel better, leave alms at the church for them. That’s what I do.”

  It seemed like a good method for buying one’s way out of guilt, Millicent thought. And she did feel guilty, being in the warm carriage in a cloak while the poor woman outside clutched a basket with fingers red and raw from the chill.

  “Look, here are the shops just ahead!” Caroline’s voice was excited as she sat forward in her seat, pointing out the various stores, each more inviting than the last.

  “Stop here, Drake!” Caroline banged on the inside front of the carriage with a cane obviously left on the seat for that purpose. She grumbled and sighed again while waiting for the driver to open the door. When Millicent exited behind her, she found herself facing the most exquisite toy store she’d ever seen.

  “Haverford’s Toy Company is the place to shop for children,” Caroline said, heading in without a glance back at her driver. “Our little darlings love the things we get from here.”

  Inside, Millicent stopped to look at a monkey banging together two cymbals when its gears were wound with a key placed into an opening on its side. The detail of the little toy was perfect, from its tiny fingers to its mischievous simian face.

  “My Ronald would like these.” Caroline was looking at a row of tiny lead soldiers with smart, hand-painted red coats and hats. As she pondered how many her son would need, Millicent caught sight of a little girl standing outside, staring in at a doll. The child’s hand pressed against the glass as if longing to touch the toy. Her hair, like the doll’s, was blond, albeit matted and dirty.

  “Please wrap them.” Caroline was behind her now, instructing the shopkeeper to pack the soldiers she’d selected. “And have someone fetch me that doll for my Penelope. She’ll love it. She doesn’t have a blond one.”

  “Very good, Madam.” A clerk scurried over to lift the doll from its stand. Millicent felt her heart twist a little at the sadness filling the little girl’s eyes. She had to look away when the small hand lifted to wave goodbye to the toy she’d been admiring.

  “Someone should keep those filthy children away from the shop,” Caroline said as they departed moments later. They were heading to the furrier now, and Millicent could sense her companion’s irritation at her having fallen quiet. So, remembering her promise to Edward to make the outing a pleasant one, she did her best to put the poor woman and child she’d seen out of her mind. Caroline was right; after all, the poor would always exist. It was hardly her fault that they existed, and it was no sin to be born into a polite society with nice things. In fact, it was probably a sin not to enjoy it. Millicent decided to just take a leaf from Caroline’s book and throw herself into shopping.

  And there was so much to appreciate. The furrier had the finest things she’d ever seen, and she was almost speechless with longing when her eyes fell on an ermine hat with matching muff. Millicent could alm
ost see herself wearing the set on a snowy day, and felt her first stab of jealousy when Caroline plucked the set up and announced it was just what she’d been looking for. Oh, how she longed for the day when she and Edward would be so wealthy to make such an extravagant purchase commonplace.

  By the end of the afternoon, Millicent had exhausted her budget to the last penny. She was happy with her purchase that included a new pipe and watch fob for Edward and some fine lace-trimmed handkerchiefs for her aunt. Seeing her packages mingled with Caroline’s in the coach made her feel less self-conscious about having had less to spend.

  “So, what is Edward getting you for Christmas?” They were on the ride back and Caroline had just finished telling Millicent about the new cloak she was getting. “It’s from France,” she’d boasted.

  “I don’t know what I’m getting from Edward,” Millicent confessed. “He’s already done the shopping and the packages are under the tree.”

  “He’s making you wait to find out? How quaint.” She laughed sharply. “How do you know you’ll even like what he’s gotten you?”

  “Oh, Edward has good taste.” Millicent brightened. “And he’s so thoughtful. He’s had a good year with the firm. So he’s been bringing me little gifts every day to keep my mind off the ones under the tree. Yesterday he got me chocolates, and they were…”

  “Let me give you some advice, dear,” Caroline interrupted. “He’s gone all day, right?”

  Millicent nodded.

  “Have a peek at those presents,” Caroline advised. “He’ll never know. That way if something isn’t to your liking—say you find out he got you the wrong style of hat—you can point out a hat like it out on the street and casually mention that it’s not your type.”

  Millicent’s mind shot back to the spanking she’d endured just the day before. She could hardly tell the obviously spoiled Caroline that in the Hargrove household, there was a price to pay for that kind of disobedience. So instead she pretended the suggestion was a fine one, and certainly something to consider.

  It was a relief to finally get home. And there was much to do, like wrapping the presents she’d bought. Millicent hummed to herself as she adorned each gift with a bow and a hand-lettered card before placing it under the tree. Edward was working late, so wrapping gave her something pleasant to do. She felt her mood lighten even further when the maid began preparing the evening meal and the scent of savory stew wafted from the kitchen.

  The watch fob was the last thing she had to wrap. Kneeling before the tree, she placed the little package among the others. As she did, her hand brushed the bow on the large red package that had been the object of her obsession since her husband had placed it under the tree nearly a week earlier. Now she lifted the box, testing the weight as she’d done before. She set the package in her lap, running her fingers over the pretty paper. It was still three days before Christmas. It seemed an eternity. Would it really hurt so much to know ahead of time what she was getting?

  Millicent thought back to what Caroline Hillington had said. It made sense, she thought, as she ran the tip of her finger down the seam on the side of the box. What if he had misjudged her tastes and bought something that she wouldn’t like? There was only one more day before the shops would be closed for Christmas.

  It was so easy, sitting there with the tempting package in her lap, for Millicent to justify doing what she’d promised herself and Edward she would not do. She told herself as she began to carefully pull the wrapping away that she was doing it for her own good—for his own good. By opening the presents and making sure she liked them, she would guarantee that come Christmas morning her reaction would be one of genuine happiness.

  The wrapping opened without a tear. Gently, she set the box down and lifted the lid. When she saw the contents, she had to cover her mouth to suppress a scream of sheer joy. Inside was an ermine muff and hat, just like the one Caroline had bought earlier at the furrier. Millicent picked the muff up, putting the velvety soft fur to her face as she sighed with happiness. Her husband had chosen well. It was a gift beyond her wildest expectations.

  Now her eyes fell to the other box, a long one. Hastily, she rewrapped the muff and hat and put the gift back in place. She was giddy with excitement now as she reached for the next one. Millicent could hear the cook in the kitchen and craned her neck to make sure she wasn’t being observed before quickly removing the wrapping on the second box. As with the first, she managed to get the wrapping off intact. This box was heavier, and she bit her bottom lip with excitement as she lifted the lid.

  Her eyes instantly filled with tears when she saw what was inside. This box contained a perfect china doll. After she’d married Edward and they’d moved into the house they now shared in town, he’d found a doll’s foot among Millicent’s things. When he asked her why she had such a curious thing, she’d explained that it had come from a doll her mother had given her—a doll with auburn hair and a blue dress that had become an object of solace after her mother had passed away. Then one day the doll had fallen from the carriage and been crushed under the wheels. Millicent described being distraught, and how she’d insisted that her father retrieve a broken piece so she could at least have it as a keepsake from her favorite toy.

  Millicent knew that Edward must have asked her father for details about the doll to find one that so closely matched it. She smiled as she wiped a tear away from her eye, and then felt a sudden stab of guilt. Both gifts were absolutely perfect—presents from a thoughtful husband who knew exactly what the woman he loved wanted.

  Hastily she rewrapped the gift, her heart sinking by the moment. There would be no surprise now on Christmas morning. She’d ruined it. What’s more, she’d denied Edward the one thing he’d likely been looking forward to, seeing her first reaction.

  The cook called to her from the kitchen and Millicent answered back that she was coming as she pushed the second package back under the tree, stood, and wiped her eyes. No sooner had she entered the kitchen than the front door opened and Edward arrived home. Millicent plastered a smile on her face as she went to greet her husband, trying to seem as natural as possible.

  “So, did my little wife have fun Christmas shopping?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “You’re late. Did they hold you up at the office?”

  “No.” Edward reached into his pocket. “I had to stop to pick up a small gift for my darling one, to reward her again for her patience.” He held out a small box and Millicent almost turned away, so unworthy did she feel at that moment.

  “No smiles?” he asked.

  She forced one. “Of course,” she said. “Thank you.” She took the little box and held it. It was wrapped in red like the larger of the two gifts under the tree. Her fingers were shaking as she undid the wrapping.

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, looking at the ring inside the little box. “Oh, Edward.” Millicent began to cry as she beheld the silver ring with a single pink pearl in a claw setting. She knew Edward thought her tears were due to emotion, when they were really for the shame she felt.

  “Put it on,” he said.

  She did. “It’s lovely. I don’t deserve it.”

  “Of course you do,” he replied.

  “Thank you, Edward.” She kissed him gently on the cheek. “Why don’t you go get ready for dinner? It’s ready. I’ll see the cook out and then we’ll eat.”

  Millicent went into the dining room, missing what happened next. She did not see her husband reach into his other pocket to pull out another present, smile, and then lean down to tuck it beneath the tree. She did not see his smile disappear as he stared at the largest package. She did not see the expression of a man who suddenly realized his wife has lied to him.

  Chapter Four: The Ginger’s Bite

  It was the bow that gave her away. Edward was a man with an eye for detail. In her haste to return the bow to the package, Millicent had moved it left of center. Upon inspecting the package, he found mismatc
hed seams indicating that the first—and the second—had been opened.

  Of course, his first reaction had been one of hurt. Edward had been very good to his young wife. He thought the spanking he’d given her the day before had cured her of any desire to disobey. He recalled the promise he’d made to her when they’d first married—that direct disobedience would always be met with a spanking. But as he pondered this hurtful breach of trust, Edward Hargrove decided Millicent’s actions called for sterner measures.

  He was not a man given to anger, though. Unlike Millicent, he was patient. So when he arrived at the dining room table, his demeanor gave no indication that he was upset. He spoke of his day, of the latest case he’d been given to handle. As he talked, Edward silently noted his wife’s nervousness while pretending not to.

  “That, my dear, was an excellent dinner.” He stood from the table. “Do you like your ring? I’d thought to see you admire it more.”

  “Oh…” She looked down at it. “I love it, Edward. But I don’t deserve it.” She twisted the ring with her finger while looking at him.

  “My dear wife,” he said. “You are quite deserving. In fact, I have something else to give you.”

  “Oh, Edward,” she began, shaking her head. “I don’t…”

  “Now, now,” he said, walking over and raising her to standing. “I know you’re about to tell me that you don’t deserve what I’m about to give you. But I believe you’ll agree that you do. So be a good girl and wait for me in the bedroom. Let me get the dishes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Edward kissed Millicent on the head and she turned and walked to the bedroom. Picking up the plates, he headed to the kitchen and put them on the counter. The maid would get them in the morning. He had something else to do.

  The small piece of ginger root was kept in a small box in the pantry. Part of it had already been peeled, likely used for the gingerbread their cook was fond of making this time of year.