Part Six #2
“Yes, I have a great-aunt Louise. She was a leading light in town during her youth, which – she likes to remind me – she spent doing dreadfully shocking things. Thus reminding me that I hadn’t kept up that side of the family, since I’d done nothing shocking at all.
” He sighed. “Of course, she stopped saying that after what Stephen did.”
“Yes, that must have had a serious impact on your family, Peter.”
“It did. But thankfully, we’ve been able to put it all in the past over the years.
Life goes on, regardless of the drama we experience.
For example,” he waved his hand at the room in general, “here we sit enjoying our breakfast, when just a few short hours ago I was making up ridiculous stories and you were cleaning hearths.”
“You have a valid point,” she agreed. “And it is a lovely breakfast too. Much nicer than the leftovers we were given at Blackfield Hall.”
Peter sucked in a hiss of air. “Those people...worst of the worst.” He angrily chomped down another rasher of bacon.
“You’ll hear no arguments from me on that topic. But perhaps we should look to the future.” She finished her toast, sipped her tea, then leaned back in her chair and stared at him.
“Peter, what am I going to do now?”
“You, Miss Dessier, are going to dress yourself up in the warmest garments Simmie can find for you, and then we shall take a walk, visit my stables so that I can say hello to my favourite mare, the sweetest horse I’ve ever met, and then? We breathe.”
“Breathe?”
“Yes. Breathe. When did you last stand outside, in the sunshine, and breathe?”
Eugénie thought about it. “Well, that would be...umm...never?”
“Exactly. How can we make any plans with heads full of things that really don’t matter?
” He pushed back from the table and came around to help her stand.
“We need to clear our minds, Eugénie. With luck, Aunt Louise will arrive late this afternoon. Then we’ll sit down and talk about the future. But now? At this moment?”
She watched his face, so full of life and laughter, like the man himself. There was little artifice in him, she guessed. Oh, he could make up a story when necessary, even including a wooden leg, but when it was important, he would not lie.
“At this moment, dear Eugénie, we’re going out to breathe.”
He looked at her and smiled. It took her breath away, almost stopped her heart, and rattled her down to her toes.
“Yes, I think we’d better,” she managed, promising herself that she’d never do anything as stupid as fall in love with Peter Northwick.
Her conscience kicked her as it whispered, “too late”.
They bundled themselves into thick clothing, wrapped woolly mufflers around their necks, and braved the cold, which even a bright sun couldn’t lessen.
Hand-in-hand they climbed over mounds of snow, laughingly knocked the stuff off branches onto the person beneath and even ended up building a snow figure.
Peter took her to the stables as promised, and she met several beautiful horses that terrified her. He laughed, and promised he’d teach her to ride. They finished their adventures breathless, after a quite energetic snowball fight, which Eugénie declared a draw, while Peter insisted he won.
Eugénie’s ribs ached from laughing and she finally collapsed into a snowbank. Peter, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with his own laughter, dropped down beside her, panting.
Then he rose on one elbow and leaned over her. “You have to admit that I definitely got the last shot in,” he declared, grinning from ear to ear.
Helpless to resist her desires, Eugénie reached a hand toward him, and he took it, warming it between his own.
At his touch she stilled, and Peter sucked in a breath as he stared at her.
“Eugénie,” he whispered.
“Peter,” she whispered back. “Oh, Peter...”
The kiss was inevitable and prolonged, as the heat between them threatened to melt the snow. Finally they pulled apart, still gazing at each other.
“It’s you...of course it’s you...”
“Yes,” she whispered, putting her gloved fingers to her lips, her incredible eyes wide with pleasure.
“Oh God,” he whispered back, his face filled with dawning delight. “It’s really you. I’ve found you again. And I’m never letting you go. You have no idea how long I...”
“Yoo hoo....”
The cry came from the carriage rolling over the snow toward the house. “Happy Christmas, you two. What are you doing down there in the snow?”
“Aunt Louise,” laughed Peter, sitting up. “So you want to know what we’re doing?”
“Peter,” whispered Eugénie.
“Hush.” He dropped a quick kiss on her lips, then helped her stand. “We’re getting engaged, Aunt. This is Eugénie, my fiancée.”
She almost fainted as his words rang out across the snow but managed to hang on to his arm.
“Oh jolly good,” laughed Aunt Louise. “I want to hear all about it, so have someone open that champagne I know your father kept in the cellars, and we’ll celebrate.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Hurry up, I can’t wait...”
Eugénie looked at Peter and smiled. “Neither can I.”