A lighthearted tale of Christmas long ago with a grandmother
and three of her grandchildren, one lost soul, a lady driven
to distraction, a recalcitrant donkey, and a flock of
determined geese.
Three years after being widowed, Therese, Lady Osbaldestone
finally settles into her dower property of Hartington Manor
in the village of Little Moseley in Hampshire. She is in two
minds as to whether life in the small village will generate
sufficient interest to keep her amused over the months when
she is not in London or visiting friends around the country.
But she will see.
It’s December, 1810, and Therese is looking forward to her
usual Christmas with her family at Winslow Abbey, her
youngest daughter, Celia’s home. But then a carriage rolls
up and disgorges Celia’s three oldest children. Their father
has contracted mumps, and their mother has sent the
three—Jamie, George, and Lottie—to spend this Christmas with
their grandmama in Little Moseley.
Therese has never had to manage small children, not even her
own. She assumes the children will keep themselves amused,
but quickly learns that what amuses three inquisitive,
curious, and confident youngsters isn’t compatible with
village peace. Just when it seems she will have to set her
mind to inventing something, she and the children learn that
with only twelve days to go before Christmas, the village
flock of geese has vanished.
Every household in the village is now missing the
centerpiece of their Christmas feast. But how could an
entire flock go missing without the slightest trace? The
children are as mystified and as curious as Therese—and she
seizes on the mystery as the perfect distraction for the
three children as well as herself.
But while searching for the geese, she and her three helpers
stumble on two locals who, it is clear, are in dire need of
assistance in sorting out their lives. Never one to shy from
a little matchmaking, Therese undertakes to guide Miss
Eugenia Fitzgibbon into the arms of the determinedly
reclusive Lord Longfellow. To her considerable surprise, she
discovers that her grandchildren have inherited skills and
talents from both her late husband as well as herself. And
with all the customary village events held in the lead up to
Christmas, she and her three helpers have opportunities
galore in which to subtly nudge and steer.
Yet while their matchmaking appears to be succeeding,
neither they nor anyone else have found so much as a feather
from the village’s geese. Larceny is ruled out; a flock of
that size could not have been taken from the area without
someone noticing. So where could the birds be? And with the
days passing and Christmas inexorably approaching, will they
find the blasted birds in time?
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy