would spill down her back at any moment and she wore sapphire drops in her ears. He flicked one with a finger. "Nice."
She smiled. 'They were Jo's."
"You look beautiful," he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. "And exhausted."
"It was a long day."
"It might get longer." He took her hand and lead her into the salon.
"The tree looks lovely. Look at those lights!"
And it did look pretty damned impressive, for a Christmas tree, with its electric light strings and crystal and silver ornaments. He poured her a glass of champagne. "To celebrate us." He winked at her. "Aunt Martha finally arrived. Late this afternoon. She should be down soon," he said, sitting down on the arm of her chair. "She's of that fashionably late generation."
"Yes, I will not deny it," Martha said, coming into the room like a queen, dressed in deep green with a necklace of large emeralds, matching earbobs, and a tall, green-feathered hair ornament. "Of course by arriving late there is the best chance of making a grand entrance. Although I must say that years ago, with all of us fashionably late ladies crowded together in the anteroom like a gaggle of geese, there weren't many grand entrances. Now, you must be Edward's Idalie. Come girl, give us a kiss and let me look at you. You must tell me all about the hammer. I think I would have taken it out of my handbag and clobbered the villain straight on."
Penny and Miss Clement joined them, and the noise level increased ten-fold. A four year old on Christmas Eve could do that. Penny was spinning around them like a top, chattering as if she had bottled up all those words she hadn't spoken and they were all tumbling out now.
And so went the night, with Aunt Martha including each of them, even Miss Clement in the conversation, ferreting out family stories and entertaining them throughout dinner with her recent travels. The woman was a keen observer Idalie playing the piano afterward and Ed saw how she watched Idalie, watched her as she played the piano and they sang carols and drank mulled wine.
It took three of them to convince Penny that the sooner she went to bed, the sooner Santa Claus would visit. But Ed felt sick. there were gifts, but no Josephine doll and he worried she would stop believing in the magic of Christmas. She had had a tough few months. She finally reluctantly agreed to go to bed when Martha pointed out that she was probably making him fly in circles over the city because he couldn't land his sleigh until she was truly asleep.
When Ed came downstairs, Idalie was sitting on the sofa with the packages she'd given Baxter, sound asleep. Ed bent over and kissed her forehead. "Wake up, my love."
"That girl needs to go to bed, Edward. Take her upstairs."
"No," I need to go home. I'm sorry, I'm--"
Ed swept her up in his arms and moved toward the staircase.
"Wait!" She hung out over his arm. "My packages. Put them under the tree, please."
Martha looked inside the bag. "Oh. Look." Her eyes teared up as she lifted out the doll with its long blonde hair and in her blue coat and beaver muff. "She does look like Josie."
"Idalie... How?" Ed stared at the doll. It was even more beautiful close up. The doll was perfect.
"It was Jo's, I gave her the first doll, but it was damaged. Pirate tore it up. the face was chipped, half a hand was gone. I thought it had been thrown out. But I found it two nights ago. I had to repair it. But look, she's perfect."
"She is. When did you last get any sleep? Wait, don't tell me. I can see it for myself. You're going to bed."
She lay her head against his shoulder and sighed, "Promises, promises."
Idalie awoke in Ed's arms. She was wearing an ice blue silk peignoir Martha insisted she wear...and keep, since Martha had never worn it, nor was she likely to. The silk felt like heaven against her skin. She had no idea how long she had slept, but remembered Ed kissing her and unpinning her hair.
"The doll," he said knowingly.
"They were out of blonde wigs."
He touched the short ends that just reached her shoulders. "I'll miss it."
"It will grow," she had reminded him. "You'll be surprised how quickly."
"What you gave up for me. For Penny. I don't think I could ask for a better gift."
And she