{"id":4410,"date":"2026-04-12T11:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christianregency.com\/blog\/?p=4410"},"modified":"2026-04-12T11:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T11:00:23","slug":"matchmaking-pudding-a-short-story-by-laurie-alice-eakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2026\/04\/12\/matchmaking-pudding-a-short-story-by-laurie-alice-eakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Matchmaking Pudding ~ A short story by Laurie Alice Eakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merry Christmas from Regency Reflections! Our gift to you is this charming short story written by Laurie Alice Eakes. This is a revised edition of a story\u00a0previously published in an American Christian Romance Writers (Now American Christian Fiction Writers) newsletter.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

\"Fire<\/a><\/div>\n

(Note: To the English, \u201cpudding\u201d is not the custard-like substance Americans call \u201cpudding.\u201d English pudding is more like a cake, though it Is boiled, not baked, and plum pudding does not necessarily contain plums.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Devere family entered the kitchen once a year. From Lord Devere, to his wife ; from Rebecca, the youngest of their nine children, to Sarah, the eldest , the family gathered around the worktable on Christmas Eve morning to take turns stirring the plum pudding. According to tradition begun a century earlier when the last Stewart, Queen Anne, \u00a0sat on the throne, each person prayed as he or she stirred\u2014prayed for prosperity and joy, prayed for strength and future spouses.<\/p>\n

“Let us say a special prayer for the new year,” suggested Belinda, the middle daughter.<\/p>\n

Everyone agreed\u2014except for Sarah. Christmas might now have more meaning to her heart , but to her, what went into and came out of the pudding needed a helping human hand, not divine intervention.<\/p>\n

She intended to control the disbursement of the charms, those tiny trinkets that made each slice of the pudding an adventure. When the family gathered with friends and neighbors to partake of the pudding, Sarah would ensure that each person received the charm that she thought befitted their needs.<\/p>\n

Belinda would receive the thimble, reminding her to be thrifty with her pin money. Rebecca would receive the wishbone because she, being so small, needed all the blessings she could get during the next year. Their father would find the anchor in his slice of pudding, for he was such a stronghold for all of them he needed a safe harbor himself. The crown would go to fifteen-year-old Geoffrey because he would enjoy directing the festivities as \u201cking\u201d and wouldn\u2019t be mean about his revels. Finally, to Lance would go the ring. Although he was only four and twenty, he was the heir and should wed sweet-natured Eliza. They\u2019d loved one another since infancy.<\/p>\n

Sarah frowned as she stirred the pudding with one hand and fingered the trinkets in her pocket with the other. \u201cAnd, Lord, don\u2019t bring Alexander calling again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eliza\u2019s older brother Alexander Featherstone had begun to court her, Just because I’m the only female in ten counties who hasn’t thrown her cap over the windmill for him<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Not that she was impervious to his looks, charm and intellect. She could love him. . .if he came around too often. She feared she already did love him; thus, she wanted him to stay away from her rather than add her to his quiver of fawning females.<\/p>\n

\u201cTharie.\u201d Rebecca, tugged on the skirt of Sarah\u2019s round gown, \u201cyou\u2019re taking all the turnth.”<\/p>\n

Sarah released the spoon and stooped to lift her baby sister high enough to grasp the wooden spoon. Once on the floor again, Rebecca looked up with a seraphic smile. \u201cI athked Jethuth for a huthband for Tharie.”<\/p>\n

Sarah grimaced. \u201cYou\u2019re better off praying for a wife for Lance. That won\u2019t take a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Belinda giggled. \u201cOh, I don\u2019t think it\u2019ll take a miracle\u2014for either of you.<\/p>\n

Blushing himself, yet smiling, too, Lance grasped the spoon from Belinda. \u201cI pray that Eliza accepts my offer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like excellent matches for both of you,\u201d their father said. \u201cWho has the charms?”<\/p>\n

\u201cI do.\u201d Sarah gave the trinkets to the cook to drop into the batter as she poured it into the bag for boiling.<\/p>\n

Except the cook wouldn’t drop them in. Sarah had persuaded her and the butler to press the charms into the pudding slices of the right people. The cook’s nod assured Sarah she would carry on the game, and Sarah followed the family upstairs to rest before church.<\/p>\n

At the service, Alex and Eliza joined the Deveres at the church. Somehow, Alex ended up sitting beside Sarah in the box pew.<\/p>\n

When they stood, he slipped his large, warm hand beneath her lace-clad elbow. When they prayed, he took her hand in his, and she couldn\u2019t pull it away without drawing attention to them. When they departed, he draped her cloak over her shoulders and allowed his fingertips to brush the side of her neck. Those were courting gestures, and she didn\u2019t know why he teased her so.<\/p>\n

Nor why God had ignored her prayer to keep Alexander away.<\/p>\n

Disturbed, she tried to climb into the carriage with her parents and younger siblings, but they declared the vehicle overcrowded and insisted she go with the Featherstones. But that carriage was also full, so Sarah and Alex strolled the half mile from village to the Devere estate over ground white and hard with frost, through air that turned white with each breath, beneath a sky that resembled candle flames frozen in black glass. Cold, Sarah didn\u2019t object when Alex tucked her hand in the crook of his elbow, then covered her fingers with his.<\/p>\n

At least she said she didn\u2019t object because of the cold. In truth, she felt warm all the way through, and that made her uncomfortable, unsure of herself.<\/p>\n

Sarah hated being unsure of herself. She never was unsure of herself\u2014except around Alex lately.<\/p>\n

Lord, I don’t want to be another foolish female with a broken heart over him<\/em>. But she feared she already was, for she’d seen him courting many girls in the decade she’d known him noticing females.<\/p>\n

The Lord seemed to be ignoring her. Alex sat beside her at the table as the butler carried in the pudding and began to serve. Smiling, she watched everyone take their first bite of pudding, anticipating the moment when each found his charm.<\/p>\n

But no one did.<\/p>\n

Family member after guest savored the rich sweet until half of everyone\u2019s slice vanished\u2014except for Sarah\u2019s, as she hadn\u2019t taken so much as a nibble of hers. Everyone glanced around the table, curious, \u00a0puzzled.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho\u2019th got a charm?\u201d sleepy-eyed Rebecca asked. \u201cI wanted the crown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone shook their heads.<\/p>\n

Lord Devere looked at Sarah. \u201cYou gave Cook the charms, didn’t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Father.\u201d Sarah glanced at the butler, who gave her a twinkling glance, and her stomach knotted, her heart pounded.<\/p>\n

Alex touched her arm. \u201cYou haven\u2019t touched your pudding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah read laughter in his gaze, and had to steel herself against running\u00a0 from the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, have a bite.\u201d He seized her fork and cut off a generous mouthful of pudding, then held it up for her.<\/p>\n

Face heating, Sarah sprang to her feet. “I don’t want pudding. I want to see everyone finding the charms I made certain they’d receive.”<\/p>\n

Everyone looked shocked that anyone dared interfere with the discovery of plum pudding charms\u2014everyone except for Alex and Geoffrey. They started laughing so hard the bite of pudding slid off the fork in Alex\u2019s hand and plopped onto the white linen tablecloth. The pudding fell apart to reveal the tiny silver ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cHurray!\u201d Rebecca clapped her hands. \u201cGod anthwered my prayer. Tharie will get married this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex turned serious. \u201cI certainly hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you!\u201d Sarah spun on her heel and fled with a cacophony of laughter and exclamations running behind her.<\/p>\n

She barely reached the nearest refuge, the winter parlor, before she heard footfalls behind her and felt a hand drop onto her shoulder, stopping her. \u201cWait,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n

She faced him, shaking. \u201cWhy? So you can make more of a fool of me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alex met her glare with a challenging gaze. \u201cMore of a fool than what you\u2019ve been making of me for the past three years?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah, everyone in the county knows I love you except for you.\u201d He clasped her hands between his. \u201cYou treat me like I\u2019m poison.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are as dangerous as poison if anyone gets too close.” When he kept gazing at her in silence, she plunged. “You love every female so much you don’t love any of us. My Christmas prayer was for \u00a0God to keep you away tonight.”<\/p>\n

“But God has other plans for us.” He took her hands in his. “What better time than Christmas to remember that He knows what we need more than we do?”<\/p>\n

Sarah frowned. “And you claim God believes I need you?”<\/p>\n

Alex grinned. “You wouldn’t care if I were here if you didn’t love me.”<\/p>\n

“Oh\u2014”<\/p>\n

He kissed her before she could say more.<\/p>\n

She still said nothing because he’d stolen her breath.<\/p>\n

“And I went through a great deal of trouble to ensure you got the ring.” His eyes pleaded with her. “Doesn’t that count toward you believing I love you?”<\/p>\n

“It’s cheating\u2014”\u00a0 Blushing, she began to laugh. “If I’m the only lady you’d do that for…”<\/p>\n

“The only one. A match made in”\u2014he kissed her again, his lips sweet from the confection he\u2019d been eating at the table\u2014”pudding.”<\/p>\n

Originally posted 2014-12-25 01:48:19. <\/small><\/p>

\"Listen<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Merry Christmas from Regency Reflections! Our gift to you is this charming short story written by Laurie Alice Eakes. This is a revised edition of a story\u00a0previously published in an American Christian Romance Writers (Now American Christian Fiction Writers) newsletter.\u00a0 (Note: To the English, \u201cpudding\u201d is not the custard-like substance Americans call \u201cpudding.\u201d English pudding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,418,3],"tags":[503,24,566],"class_list":["post-4410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas-holiday","category-free-stories","category-history","tag-christmas-pudding","tag-laurie-alice-eakes","tag-regency-romance"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4410"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4412,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4410\/revisions\/4412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}