Sophie rose and smiled at her maid in the mirror. “Not at all. I wish it were the fashion, as it would be so much easier to dress on a daily basis.”
“You could make it a fashion?”
She laughed softly. “That’s doubtful. You have a pleasant day, Miss Clark.”
“Are you not waiting for Lady Georgina?”
Sophie set her hand to the doorknob. “No. I think Mrs. Boyd was making boiled eggs today. I do so enjoy those.”
Miss Clark nodded. “I like them, too.”
After opening the door, Sophie slipped out and quickly descended the grand stairs, then strode through the entry and parlor to reach the empty dining room. Pleased that no one had yet come down, she moved to the window to view the pond.
Tam was just donning his skates, as he did most every morning. She waited, almost breathless, for him to take his first strides onto the ice. She loved watching him move. His movements were always so strong yet smooth. Finally, he took two steps on his skates to reach the pond and pushed off.
She sighed. She couldn’t help it. There was so much about him that she loved. Knowing he felt the same about her had left her in a constant state of euphoria and dread. She’d never imagined she would feel this way. While her classmates did, she’d honestly doubted a man to her liking would ever notice her. Tam was certainly not the type of man she’d hoped for, yet she found him perfect for her, even if he wasn’t perfect. She was not so naïve to believe he was a saint, not with the way he kissed. And with the way he made her feel, he—
“Oh, good. He’s just started.”
At the sound of Rose’s voice, Sophie turned. “Yes. He’s headed for the east side of the pond now. Why?”
Rose gave her a sly smile. “No reason.”
Dread filled Sophie’s belly. “Rose Ambrose, what did you do?”
“Nothing terrible. I just woke up before the birds and left him a message with that case of scotch he had sitting in the faculty study.”
“Scotch?” Dread formed in the pit of Sophie’s stomach. “What didyou do with it?”
“I wrote the word ‘ENJOY’ with it on the grass and then emptied the contents of all the bottles on the ice. If he hits it too fast, he’ll be soaked. It’s perfect.”
“Rose, alcohol melts ice. He’ll fall through! How could you?” Sophie spun and ran to the entryway, grabbing her cloak.
“It’s just in the shallows. It’s not like he’ll drown or anything. Though his feet will certainly get wet. Maybe even his knees.”
She didn’t need to hear any more. She ran down the corridor to the servants’ door, footsteps behind her letting her know Rose had followed. Sophie threw open the door and sprang outside. Tam was skating toward the east end, where Rose had done her damage.
Sophie ran, her anger at Rose combined with her worry over Tam, giving her more speed, but even as she approached the pond, she could see she wouldn’t be in time unless she ran across it to cut him off.
“Tam!” She waved at him. “Tam!”
He slowed his strides as he looked at her.
Grateful now that he’d turned toward her, she started off across the ice, but with no blades on her shoes, she had a hard time staying balanced.
Tam started toward her, a frown on his face.
She smiled to let him know nothing was wrong, then promptly lost her balance and fell. The ice beneath her gave way and suddenly she was in cold, wet darkness.
Chapter Seventeen
“Sophie?” Tam’s heartskidded to a halt for the briefest of moments, and then he was racing for the opening in the ice. “Sophie!”
Her head popped up above the water. “Help!”
The sheer terror in her voice cut him to the core. “I’m coming. Hold on to the ice.” He veered away from the straight track he’d been taking, as cracks spread out around her in a snowflake pattern. The last thing he wanted was to crack more ice, or he’d never get her out.
“I can’t. It’s too slippery.”
