Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story

Chapter 18 - O, Christmas Tree

The sunrise was still just the slightest dash of pale red and gold in the east in the middle of the darkest time of the year when Kate lay in bed enjoying that sweet and light early morning slumber, not yet fully awake but not entirely asleep either. She could feel that the room was chilly, since the fire had died out at some point during the night. Their servants knew better than to disturb them in their bedroom at night, or at any part of the day, as a matter of fact. But, underneath the heavy down blankets and next to her husband's body, it was wonderfully warm and cosy. Kate listened to Anthony's breathing and indulged the feeling of having him there, so close to her again. A moment later, or it might as well have been an hour, she opened her eyes when she felt a featherlike touch on her cheek. Anthony's face was just a few inches away from hers and he studied her with a tender, almost vulnerable look, as if he was watching the most beautiful painting in the world. Softly he brushed away a few long dark strands of hair behind her ear and let his fingers run slowly down her jawline. Kate cast a fond, but still sleepy smile at him.

"Good morning..." Anthony whispered with a smile and kept caressing her face gently.

"The best of mornings..." Kate smiled back at him and gave him a few slow kisses from where she was laying on her side, which seemed to be the only comfortable position nowadays. Anthony pulled her closer and tucked his legs in so that they were weaved together with hers. "Have you been up all night?" She smirked at him and ran her thumb along his cheekbone.

"Almost. I wanted to feel him kick at last, but there was nothing..." Anthony sighed. "Can you believe that this will be our last Christmas alone?" He smiled and let his fingertips wander down from her face to her round belly. "Next year there will be three of us." He breathed out, just as an ear-shattering high-pitched scream tore through the walls from the corridor. First it sounded like Hyacinth, then as Gregory as well and Finally even like Francesca.

"Alone, you said...?" Kate chuckled, but looked a bit worried by all the sudden hysteria.

"What the hell..." Anthony swore, jumped up from the bed and quickly donned a shirt. Kate followed him, swiftly wrapping a large woollen blanket around her nightgown. "The house better be on fire or something... If it is just your damned dog who has once again brought in a dead bird or something, I swear to God I will roast him, prop an apple into his mouth and serve him up at dinner tonight..." He muttered and yanked the door open. "What the devil is going on here?!" He yelled at his siblings, who apparently ran around screaming in the hall.

"SNOW!!" Hyacinth shrieked, stopped for a moment to look at Anthony, before rushing down the stairs in a large fur hat, thick winter boots and a long unfastened woollen jacket. Kate gasped as she heard what Hyacinth had said, rushed back to the bedroom window and jerked the curtains open so violently that they almost came loose from their fastenings.

"Oh...!" She exhaled when she saw the first rays of sunshine glimmer over the landscape that was covered in a thick layer of untouched, glistening white snow. It was so beautiful that it almost hurt her eyes. She began to dress up as hastily and floppily as Hyacinth apparently had, while Anthony kept staring at all the commotion like his entire family had finally lost their last crumbs of sanity. "What are you waiting for, get dressed!" Kate exclaimed as she dashed out into the hall past him. The other bedroom doors were opening as well, revealing a seemingly excited Colin and Eloise, in addition to a much less excited and much more tired Benedict. Kate hurried down the stairs as fast as she could in her condition, finally darting through the exterior doors and into the cold outside air. The stingy frost immediately bit quite harshly at her cheeks, which her husband had just so fondly caressed, but she did not pay it any mind. She had already slumped down to her knees on the ground and was scooping up the snow in her bare hands, marvelling upon how cold it was and how fast it nevertheless melted away on her skin. It was so much more thrilling and enchanting than she had remembered, though her mind now kept flooding with memories of all the snowmen, castles and lanterns she had built as a young child in London. Kate could not stroll down her memory lane for long, because a snowball suddenly came swishing by her ear, missing her head only by an inch. "Hey! Who did that?" She called out and saw Gregory grinning at her from afar.