Carols & Courtship

Thursday, December 18 {EDITED}

When Holly awoke on Thursday morning, a bright light shone through the curtains of her bedroom window. She had fallen asleep with the letter in hand so she slid quickly from the warm folds of down filled blankets to stash it away before Augusta came in to dress her for the day.

Holly pulled back the curtains to see blue skies overhead. The endless snow had paused if only for just a while. The morning sun was brightened by the white that covered their grounds, almost too bright for Holly's sleepy eyes to look at.

Augusta entered soundlessly. "Good morning, Miss Ambrose," she said quietly so as not to surprise Holly.

"Morning, Augusta," Holly replied, turning into the room. "Can we skip the crinoline today? I will be doing a lot of embroidery and I would prefer to be comfortable." She wouldn't mind sitting around in a petticoat with extra ruffles and no one would be any wiser.

Augusta nodded and pulled out a simple linen dress for Holly to spend the day in. Holly favored this dress more than the others. The bodice had buttons up to the short collar and the sleeves were shorter with cuffs that turned up at the elbows. The periwinkle and white pinstriped skirts had enough ruffles and pleating in back to be considered stylish, but the front went straight down — a perfect gown for an afternoon of sitting at a sewing table.

Holly arrived at the breakfast table to find only her mother and father were left. The men had evidently taken the boys sledding, and Maria and Hortensia had already moved to the sitting room.

"Good morning, Holly," Mrs. Ambrose chirped. From what Holly could tell it looked like she was trying to keep from smiling.

"Good morning," Holly replied, lumping clotted cream onto her scone.

"You're being particularly tight-lipped this morning," her mother observed.

"I'm still waking up is all." Holly helped herself to ham as well. She had told them about her trip to the Solarium in the carriage home but they seemed to think there was more to the story. "I told you everything last night. Archibald is definitely courting me."

Mrs. Ambrose overturned a tureen of gravy in her excitement. "This is good news indeed!" she exclaimed grabbing Colonel Ambrose's hand. Holly looked to her father and saw he was also pleased.

"But why me?" Holly asked, a question she had been pondering last night as she fell asleep. "He could have any young woman of title or fortune. My dowery can't be enough to tempt a man of his station, can it?"

Mrs. Ambrose cut her husband a wide eyed look and she pressed her lips into a thin line. Holly could tell they were hiding something. She had spent enough time under their roof to know the signs. "Can it?" she asked again.

Mrs. Ambrose didn't reply and only became fascinated in a stray thread on the table runner.

"If I don't have a dowry you can tell me," Holly declared, pushing her plate of breakfast away.

Colonel Ambrose folded his paper and set it aside. "It isn't that, dear. Quite the opposite, actually."

Holly paused, her mouth open slightly in confusion. She bit back her questions and let her father continue.

"We have had several incredibly good years. I've made a great deal of successful investments with my partners in London and we're able to give you a dowry of sixteen thousand."

Holly sucked in a deep breath, her jaw falling completely open.

"Close your mouth, dear," Mrs. Ambrose scolded. "You're not a fish."

"Does anyone know?" Holly asked, suddenly feeling less like an upstart for encouraging Archibald's feelings towards herself.

"Well," Mrs. Ambrose started with a sheepish grin. "I may have mentioned it to Mrs. Weston and you know how much of a busybody she can be—"