Page 34 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
“What better time to enjoy them than when crises loom overhead?” Harrison rounded the desk, placed his hands on Cedric’s shoulders, and forced Cedric to a stand. Or rather, Cedric let him. “A break is what we need,” Harrison insisted.
“I do not think that is a wise use of our time.”
“I care not for your opinion, for we shall proceed regardless.” Harrison began pushing Cedric towards the door, both hands braced on either shoulder.
Cedric sighed, but let him. Maybe that would be the distraction he needed. God knew that sitting at his desk all day was not going to help his predicament, no matter how much he wished that wasn't the case.
They decided to walk since Gunter’s was not very far from the office, a suggestion made by Cedric. A suggestion he immediately regretted when he began to recall the day he first met Lady Winterbourne. Come to think of it, she had been loitering in his mind since that day, only becoming obnoxiously present after their dance. Cedric gritted his teeth as he made his way past the same spot he’d saved her from nearly getting trampled by a passing carriage.
At last, they made it to Gunter’s. The little bell above the door signaled their entrance and a few of the patrons within glanced curiously at the door.
One of whom was Lady Winterbourne herself.
At first, Cedric thought he might have imagined her. At the rate at which he thought of her, perhaps it would not be so outrageous to assume that he was also seeing her when she was not present.
But no, it was her. His steps slowed the moment their eyes met. Her hand paused midway to her mouth, a tiny spoonful of lemon ice inches away from her lips. For a moment, Cedric forgot where he was and what he had come for. All he saw was her.
But then he noticed Lord Sotheby sitting across from her, trying to get her attention. Cedric felt something dark take root in his chest. He looked away, hating the feeling.
Of course, he shouldn't be surprised that she was being accompanied by a gentleman. She was a beautiful lady, after all, and still quite young. After watching her be approached by gentleman after gentleman at last night’s ball, it should not surprise him to see that the most persistent of them all had called on her the next day.
It certainly shouldn’t bother him either—but he couldn’t deny that the dark feeling spreading through his body felt remarkably close to envy.
***
Caroline felt him the moment he stepped through the door. Immediately, she forgot about everything else.
Lord Sotheby was still talking of course, telling her what he thought of being in London during the winter months. Caroline had just decided to actually partake in the conversation when the Earl of Colenhurst decided to appear in the flesh. It was as if she had conjured him herself.
How was it possible for him to look even more handsome than last night?
Their eyes met the moment he stepped through the door and Caroline forgot to breathe. Her heart stopped in her chest. And she was vaguely aware that she probably looked like a downright fool staring at him like this, in a room full of people no less. But then again, he was staring at her too. And in a far more intense manner.
Louisa’s words came rushing back to her. Surely the earl wasn’t really smitten with her?
Suddenly he looked away as if she no longer existed. It felt like he’d doused her with a bucket of ice cold water.
Caroline quickly looked away, embarrassed.
“Which do you prefer, my lady?” Lord Sotheby’s voice came floating back in, completely unaware of her wandering mind. “Wintertime or summertime?”
“Summertime,” she answered immediately, focusing far too intently on her lemon ice. “I do not handle the cold very well.”
“Neither do I,” Lord Sotheby remarked, sounding pleased by that similarity. “As it were, I am only in London for business, though I am happy now that I decided to stay a little longer. Otherwise, I would not have met you.”
She managed a smile at that, glancing up. At that moment, the door opened and the handsome couple from that fateful day walked in. Simon and Isabella, if Caroline recalled correctly.
The gentleman wore that placidly false smile that immediately brightened—but did not touch his eyes—the moment he spotted the earl. Caroline didn’t miss the way Isabella pulled herself straighter, brushing an invisible lock of hair away from her face and patting her cheeks. Like she was primping.
Caroline realized why a second later.
“Cedric!” Simon greeted loudly, earning the attention of a few patrons seated nearby.
Caroline watched as Lord Colenhurst stiffened. The gentleman he’d entered with also went rigid, looking uncertainly between Simon and the earl.
Slowly, Lord Colenhurst turned to face the newcomers. Despite the distance, Caroline heard him say, “No matter how hard I try to prevent it from happening, I keep seeing you both. What a pity.”
Simon’s smile dipped into what Caroline could only describe a sneer for such a brief moment that she wondered if she had imagined it.
