AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Though Gabriel had great faith in her, he had far less in himself, and just getting to the edge of the lake was a great difficulty. Holding his arms out to balance himself, he stepped awkwardly out onto the ice, feeling as though he might slip up and end up right on his rear at any moment.
He felt only a slight relief the moment that his gloved hand slipped into Miss Julia’s. “The first step is always the hardest,” she said with a kind smile and Gabriel felt his heart racing, unable to stop from thinking that she sounded almost like his father might have done when they were children, or maybe even their mother when she had been trying to encourage them to do something.
In fact, those were the kindest and most encouraging words he had heard from anyone on English soil for as long as he had been there, and it took him aback so violently that he almost toppled right over.
“Are you alright?” Miss Julia asked, tightening her grip on him and beginning to urge him further onto the ice. “Bend your knees slightly, not too much, just a little. It helps with the balance.”
Soon enough, though still extremely wobbly and uncomfortable, Gabriel was at least able to put one foot in front of the other. Yet he was extremely relieved that Miss Julia did not appear to be in any hurry to let go of him. Now, even more so than ever, he was relieved at the lack of attention everyone else on the ice was paying.
Getting into the swing of things, Gabriel found why it was so easy to lose oneself in skating.. As they skated arm in arm, Gabriel barely even noticed when the carol singers started to sing on the far bank of the lake. In fact, the magic all around him, from the singing to the snow and the smell of warm apple cider, all rolled into one, and the only thing he could clearly see or hear was the woman skating beside him.
Her smile was warm and encouraging as she helped him pick up his pace, pointing out whenever he was doing something that might cause him to lose his balance, and yet his focus was entirely on her. Several times, Miss Chelsea and his brother skated around them but he hardly noticed, too intent on his own skating partner.
Suddenly, Christmas was not quite such a devastating and grievous time. The easy-going nature of the woman at his side, along with everything else around him, made it possible for him to remember his childhood and how he had so loved the time of year.
With Christmases spent as a family in Italy, all Gabriel could think of was the joy and cheer that had always surrounded them, the love and affection given to them by their parents and even by several members of their mother’s family who had not disowned them due to their mother’s choice of partner.
“I think it might be time for you to try it alone,” Miss Julia said and, half-distracted by his fond memories and thoughts of how Christmas might not be so bad after all, Gabriel almost missed the moment when she released his arm. He was skating alone for only a few moments, becoming more and more wobbly when he realised that he was headed straight for a child.
Though the little boy looked quite confident on his own skates, he did not appear strong enough or fast enough to get out of the way and Gabriel flailed his arms, unsure what to do in order to avoid a crash.
Then, just as the panic had set in, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a hand grab hold of his arm and yank him to a halt. Without thinking, he gripped the person who had stopped him, more than a little relieved when he managed to pull himself around to face her and found that it was none other than Miss Julia. She was smirking up at him as though she was more than a little amused by his floundering, and when he saw her bite her lip, he was sure she was trying to stop herself from laughing outright.
“Do you think this is so funny, Miss Julia?” he asked, but he never got the chance to hear her response. Something hard hit him square in the back and it flung him into Miss Julia. With nothing else to do, he gripped hold of her tightly as they skidded and spun, their skates allowing them to move unhindered over the ice.
“Gabriel! Look out!” he heard his brother shout a moment too late, and they hit the edge of the lake, flying into the embankment that was nothing but a huge pile of snow.
Flipping at the very last moment, using his body to protect her, Gabriel found himself on his back in the snow. Miss Julia laid atop him, panting with about as much effort as he was.
The sound of skidding skates came from somewhere nearby, but Gabriel did not even try to look past the woman’s beautiful face as she lifted her head and smiled down at him once more.
“Are the two of you okay?” Gabriel heard his brother call, and he knew it was likely Jonathan who had come skidding to a halt to check on them. In response, all Gabriel could do was lift a hand from where he had been holding onto Miss Julia’s waist. Lifting it up as high as he could, he offered his brother a thumbs up, still desperately trying to catch his breath.
“There’s nothing to see here!” he heard his brother call. “They’re fine!”
And several sets of skates skirted away from them, the sounds receding into the distance as though those closest to the incident had stopped to be sure that everybody was alright.
“What just happened?” Miss Julia exclaimed, still looking down at him with shock in her blue eyes. Although Gabriel’s back was pressed right into the icy cold snow, he could barely feel it with her warm body pressing him down into it.
“I believe someone skated right into us,” Gabriel said, unable to hold back laughter and the two of them were laughing together as though they both could imagine just how silly they both must look.
As their laughter died, Gabriel still could not take his eyes off hers, though her laughter had caused a strand of hair to fall loose from her fur-lined hat and so he quickly reached up to stroke it away from her face.
The smile dropped from her lips even as he stroked the strand of hair away and tucked it back beneath her hat. Cupping his gloved hand against her cheek, he could feel the warmth of her skin and saw the way her cheeks blushed.
And in the next moment, he could not stop himself from leaning up to kiss her. Breath caught in his throat, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers, feeling her body trembling atop his own.
Surrounded by walls of snow they were entirely protected from the eyes of passersby and the sound of Miss Chelsea and Jonathan talking close by assured him that his brother was already on lookout duty as though he knew all too well what was going on upon the embankment. Gabriel would likely have done the same for his brother if the roles had been reversed.
The kiss was long and passionate, with Miss Julia kissing him back just as tenderly as he had kissed her. Possessively, he wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her down on top of him as though she were a blanket and he was desperate for her warmth, as though he needed her merely to survive.
And when their kiss finally broke, Gabriel saw his own startlement reflected in her gaze, a look that said,did you feel that?
“Ahh, cousin Jonathan, I was wondering whether I might find you here,” came the voice of Barnaby Tatford, the cousin their mother was adamant for them to get to know better even though he was just another of the family who had shunned them for all of their lives. “Is Lord Sutthers in attendance also?”
“I… I think we should probably figure a way out of here,” Miss Julia suggested, looking a little uneasy and Gabriel knew she was right even though the last thing he wanted to do right then was leave the safety and privacy of the snow-covered embankment.
“Yes, cousin, he is, though I do believe he is quite tied up at the moment,” Jonathan responded, “Why don’t you skate with us? I am sure he shall come and find us later on.”
