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In fact, for once, Gabriel was pleased with one of his brother’s romances. Even more so, he couldn’t help but feel that there was something more behind his brother’s reasoning than just a little fun, as so often was the case, or even just to get the chins of thetonwagging.
“You truly like this woman, don’t you?” Gabriel asked, with the beginnings of a smile plucking up the corners of his lips.
“Do not change the subject, Gabe!” Jonathan insisted and in a moment, he had rounded the desk and shoved his hand under Gabriel’s arm. “Now get up and make yourself presentable before we are late.”
Gabriel knew without a doubt that his brother’s lack of willingness to answer the question meant that he most definitely did like Miss Chelsea, perhaps even more so than Gabriel had first expected.I wonder if he is as taken by her as I am by her friend?He wondered, finally relenting to his brother’s insistence to go and get prepared.
Though Gabriel wasn’t sure, he would ever be prepared for anything that centred around winter or Christmas again, even if it involved one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes upon.
“See, Gabe, I told you she would be here!” Jonathan hissed into Gabriel’s ear, jabbing him in the ribs with his elbow as they arrived at the edge of the small frozen lake upon the grounds of Lord Belvoir’s residence where the skating party had been set this year.
Gabriel’s heart hammered the moment that he followed his brother’s gaze to find that both their sweethearts were already standing out on the ice a little way around the lake. Though they were unmoving and clutching hold of each other’s arms, they did not look at all uncomfortable, and Gabriel quickly got the sense that he and his brother were sure to make fools of themselves.
“Come on,” Jonathan urged him, grabbing hold of his arm just above the elbow, just as he had done in the study. Before Gabriel could even think to protest, he was being dragged across the snow at the edge of the lake, unsure what was solid beneath him and what was not.
Though he had stepped out onto ice at the edge of frozen bodies of water in Italy many times as a boy, the thought of travelling out into the centre on a pair of blades made him feel quite nauseous. In fact, just seeing Miss Julia at the edge made him uncomfortable, and he had to fight not to yank her right off it the moment that they stepped close enough.
“Oh! Lord Sutthers! Mr. Tatford!” Miss Chelsea exclaimed the moment that they drew near, and it was clear from the looks on both women’s faces that they had been eagerly awaiting them.
From the fact that everyone else was already partnered up or skating in groups, it was clear to see that everyone else was much too preoccupied to notice the four of them standing at the edge of the lake. If one thing could be said for skating parties, it was that everyone was too happy with their own fun to be bothered about gossiping.
Though he had already seen Belvoir’s house lit up and decorated in wreathes and all manner of Christmasy items with even the lawns covered in snowmen and snow angels likely made by the younger ones of the party, he breathed a deep sigh of relief to know that Christmas time seemed to be one of the few times when gossip and scandal seemed to ease off a little.
A time of goodwill and fun,he thought, repeating the words his father had so often said to him every year before his death.
“Please, won’t you join us?” Miss Chelsea asked Jonathan the moment that they arrived close to where the two girls were standing. Gabriel watched, feeling a little unnerved at just how easily she released Miss Julia’s arm and skated over to the very edge of the lake to hold out her hand to Jonathan.
Leaving the beautiful Miss Julia standing there, looking quite awkward, Gabriel couldn’t help but wish he was able to skate just so he could hurry out to her and help her feel less so.
“We will gladly join you,” Jonathan assured her before gesturing down at his feet. “Though we will need a moment to put on our skates.”
“There is a log just there for you to sit on,” Miss Chelsea pointed out, gesturing behind him. Sure enough, there was, and Jonathan wasted no time in sitting down to kick off his boots and put on the skates that his father had brought them their first Christmas in England when the lakes had not frozen over entirely, leaving them unable to actually use them.
All too soon Jonathan was in his skates and awkwardly meandering towards the edge of the lake with his arms out and flailing like a baby goose just hatched. Gabriel gritted his teeth, feeling sick at the thought of looking so ridiculous in front of Miss Julia.
“Come on, Gabriel, it isn’t that bad!” Jonathan called to him after he had stepped out onto the very edge of the ice and snow fluttered off the blades of his skating boots. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time. You always were the quicker learner!”
“You mean you’ve never done this before?” Miss Chelsea asked, looking astonished even as Jonathan wobbled out onto the ice with his hand in hers. Gabriel wanted to warn his brother not to make them look like fools, butit was too late.
Jonathan’s feet almost slipped right out from under him the moment he set both feet on the ice and he was forced to clutch hold of both Miss Chelsea’s hands just to keep himself up, his shoulders hunched with caution.
Gabriel had to at least bite his lip, thinking how funny his brother looked, yet the moment passed when he thought he had little choice but to join him. It was made even less of a choice by the fact that Miss Julia was watching all three of them, and the thought of leaving her out there on the ice alone made him feel quite ill.
He would have liked to have encouraged her off the frozen lake entirely, maybe even walk with her into the icy copse of trees close by for some private time, but he wasn’t sure that would be worth the risk even if it meant getting her alone for a while.
“Neither of us have,” Jonathan huffed as like he was out of breath by the time he finally managed to straighten up properly though if Gabriel looked closely he was almost certain that he could see his brother’s knees still knocking together with nervousness.
“Well, in that case,” Miss Julia said, a brilliant smile upon her voice as she skated gracefully to the edge of the lake, “I will just have to teach you, Lord Sutthers.”
He was about to protest that perhaps it would be better for him to remain off the ice, just in case one of them came into any trouble, when a few more couples went flying past them, looking as though they were having a wondrous time. The smiles on their faces left Gabriel in little doubt as to the fact that he would have liked to put such a smile upon Miss Julia’s face.
Either way, she gave him no choice as she gestured to the log where his brother had sat and suggested, “Come on, get your skates on or we will all freeze from standing around doing nothing.”
Though he was fairly well dressed for the winter, he had to admit she was right. He was certainly beginning to feel the cold in his bones. Doing as she suggested, he dropped onto the log and adjusted his scarf tails out of the way so that he could kick off his boots and put on his skates.
When he next looked up, his brother and Julia’s friend were already well off over the ice. Though his brother still looked mildly uncomfortable, he certainly made it look quite easy. Miss Julia was left alone, still hovering at the edge of the lake with her arms crossed over her chest, rubbing her arms up and down as if she were cold.
Seeing that his skates were tied, she smiled and dropped her arms to her sides again before holding out her hand to him. “Come on. I have been told that I am an excellent teacher.”
