Chapter Seven
It was the coldest December that the small town of Cryer’s Bluff had ever had. Or so the news said. Agatha smiled whenever she heard that bit of information repeated on the television. She had been hearing it a lot over the last few days, but for the life of her she just couldn’t remember a winter that had made her feel as warm and as full as this one.
She tuned out the sound of the weather report as she looked out one of the stained windows of Henry’s Manor. Her breath curled in soft, white vapor before frosting against the glass. She wiped it clean with the palm of her hand and continued watching the snow fall on the manor grounds. It was a thick, blanketing layer of white that turned the entire landscape into one uniform, blank canvas.
Only a single line of gray interrupted the snowy layout, the main road leading up to the manor that had been shoveled and salted and was being kept clear by several snow ploughs that Henry had rented. Agatha smiled at the thought of Henry. Her arms curled around herself and her belly as the familiar warmth that came with thoughts of him filled her up. She could never have thought, in a million years, that she would have found someone like him.
It had been such a whirlwind of a romance, an absolute fairy tale of a story. Agatha smiled and shook herself as the phrase ‘Cinderella story’ entered her thoughts. She chuckled despite herself and pressed her palm against the cool, stained glass window. “More like beauty and the beast,” she murmured to no one in particular.
Agatha smiled and closed her eyes. There had been a fair bit of awkwardness at the office in the beginning. After all, it’s not every day that the CEO of a successful company falls for one of the accountants.
The logistics of it, Agatha remembered Henry using that word, the logistics of it had been the trickiest bit to handle. It was hardly appropriate workplace behavior and the tabloids had had a field day with the story, trying their best to make it sound sleazy and unethical. Agatha had known better, deep in her bones, with a certainty she had never before experienced, that this was it, that Henry was the one for her.
Henry, on their fourth date would confess just as much to her, confirming what she felt as well. He had wanted her to move in with him after the second month of dating, but she was the one who had wanted to take it slow. But despite their precaution, time had flown by so quickly, and before she knew it, she had gotten pregnant. Henry had been ecstatic. And now it was Christmas. Their first Christmas together. Agatha couldn’t stop smiling at that thought.
“Would Madam care for some tea?” Agatha turned slightly at the sound of Stevens’ voice. He had been one of the best surprises of the relationship she had with Henry. Their first encounter had been a very rushed, panicked “Defeat the rabid werewolf” kind of an affair and even after that, poor Stevens had the considerably large chip of being the butler of what could easily be considered modern day royalty.
He had quickly proven almost all of Agatha’s preconceived notions wrong. Not only had he been one of the most polite and professional people she had ever met, but more importantly, he had been one of the kindest. In him, Agatha had found not only a trusted confidante but an easy bridge into the lifestyle and culture of the Cranes’.
Whenever she found herself ‘weirded out’ by the reality of her situation, by Henry’s unique condition, it was Stevens who provided perspective and support to her. He was the one who had guided her into the rituals and traditions and quirks of the Crane household. He was the one who had held her hand while Henry had locked himself in the steel doored basement of the manor during one of his sessions and it was he who had helped Agatha and Henry gain some valuable alone time away from the prying eyes of tabloids and townspeople.
“Thank you, Mr. Stevens.” Agatha smiled as she accepted the warm drink from him, bringing it to her lips for a quick sip. “It’s delicious!” she said. She had learned early on that Steven was as sensitive to false compliments and praise as any person could possibly be. Any praise that was offered had to be sincere or it would be rebuffed as politely and as sharply as only a British butler could, with impeccable manners and acerbic wit.
“Thank you Ma’am.” Stevens smiled with the slightest bow of his head and turned to leave.
“Stevens?” Agatha called after him, stopping him before he could leave “Why did Henry want me here?”
Steven arched a brow, the corner of his lips twitching ever so slightly as he replied, “I believe it’s called a ‘Christmas party’ Ma’am.”
Agatha smirked slightly. “Right…..and I’m Jennifer Lopez.”
Stevens bowed smartly. “Very good Ms. Lopez,” he said and turned to leave crisply
Agatha couldn’t help but chuckle again. In a world full of magic and werewolves and CEO boyfriends, Stevens helped provide much needed grounding and perspective.
The sense of anticipation and anxiety that Henry had exhibited when he had asked her to spend Christmas together had surprised her. It was more than the nervousness that any boyfriend might exhibit when taking a step towards commitment, it was….something more… something Agatha couldn’t quite put her finger on. She sighed and downed the rest of her tea, pushing the thought out of her mind. It was their first Christmas together, and she was determined not to let anything ruin it.
She was about to follow after Stevens into the main dining room when a flash of light from outside caught her attention. She walked up to the stained glass window and peered out at several pairs of headlights making their way up the main path to the manor. A frown crossed her face as the cars, three of them, all black, all expensive looking, stopped at the main door and one by one emptied their passengers. Family, friends and coworkers started entering the building.
Agatha turned to walk away from the window and stopped abruptly when she saw Henry standing there in the doorway.
“Oh!” she gasped softly.
Henry smiled at her. “I…uh…I hope I didn’t startle you.” His arm found its way around her waist and she had to smile at how easy and right it felt to have him touching her.
“Just a little.” She gently caressed over his lapel, noticing the presence of a white flower there. “You didn’t say there would be guests. Not that I mind.” She looked up at him as he smiled mysteriously and said nothing. They walked together to the top of the stairs and that’s when Agatha realized, looking down at the gathered group of people in the lobby, what this was.
She looked up at Henry. He smiled at her, that annoying, charming, mysterious smirk of his that always made her go weak in the knees.
“Dear Agatha,” he began as the people downstairs quieted. “We haven’t known each other that long yet. But the past months have been the best of my life. I couldn’t be happier that we will soon be three. There’s only one thing in the world left that I want. And I hope you want it too.”
Henry got down on one knee, the people below them clapping and cheering. He held out his hand, the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in his hand. “Will you please be my wife?”
“Yes,” she murmured, barely audible. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. “Yes!” she said again, loudly this time, as she flung her arms around his neck. He kissed her amidst an explosion of cheers and cries. This had been a wonderful year. And the best was yet to come.
*****
THE END