Page 55 of The Ice Queen
Chapter Thirty-Four
Aflock of winter birds took off from the far side of the lake and soared into the gray sky. The hood of her cape fell back as she looked up, and the chilly wind kissed her face. For a moment, she was one with the birds and the wind.
“I have never understood your love of winter. How can you bear to be out here?”
Caroline turned and saw James approaching. His hands were stuffed into his coat pockets and a scarf was wrapped around his neck. From the unhappy look on his face, it was clear he did not share her passion for winter.
“Because I feel free when the icy wind hits my skin, and who could not love that vista?” she replied.
James came and stood by her side, facing the lake. “Alright, I will grant you that the view of the frozen lake is rather picturesque from up here.”
He cleared his throat. “How are you feeling now? I haven’t had the chance to speak to you since the unpleasantness of this morning. Before he left, Francis told me he was very worried about you. To be honest, so am I.”
“I am still a little numb with shock, and my arms will have bruises showing before the day is out. It is a relief not to be travelling home today. I don’t think my nerves could cope with being in a confined space with Harry. I still cannot believe what he did,” she replied.
James put an arm around her and gently pulled her to him. “I must say, it was very kind of Newhall to offer for us to stay on. Not everyone is so accommodating when it comes to the sniff of a possible scandal. Mind you, he does seem to have a bit of a protective streak when it comes to you.”
Caroline began to pick at the edge of the bandage on her left hand. She slowly pulled at a thread. “At least my hand is feeling better today. It aches less,” she said, changing the subject.
Julian had taken on the role of her protector, slipping into it with uncommon ease. Every time her thoughts turned to the man with those deep-gray eyes, she found herself unable to construct a clear thought.
She looked down at her hand. He had got under her skin with more than just a needle.
“That is good news. It was a devil of a mess when I first saw it. We were fortunate that Newhall has some battlefield surgeon skills. The stitches he made were worthy of a seamstress,” he replied.
She motioned toward the path which ran down to the lake. James was right, it was bitterly cold, but she needed to walk. Her mind was an uncertain whirl of questions about Harry, and Francis, but most of all, about Julian. “Could we please walk?”
The simple motion of putting one foot in front of the other soon created a sense of calm for her tortured mind. The frown on her face, however, still remained.
“Are you alright?” asked James.
She looked at him and nodded. “Yes, though at one point earlier today I thought I might go mad. The odd thing is that now that Harry has finally shown his hand, I am somewhat relieved.”
“Relieved?”
“Yes. Harry haunted my steps all summer. I never mentioned it to anyone because I thought he was just being protective of me. He withdrew when I had to spend time with Eve after she and Freddie had their falling out, and I thought matters had returned to normal,” she replied.
“Oh, I hadn’t realized things had become that difficult.”
“No, no one had. I thought keeping it to myself was the most suitable way to deal with it. Clearly, I was wrong,” she said.
James sighed. “I suppose Harry has been such a fixture around the Saunders house over the years that I never really took much notice of him. Most of the younger family members guessed he had a tendre for you, but I expect we all assumed that in time it would pass. Though, I have always found him a little odd,” said James.
“I lost count of the times I politely refused to dance with him, only to have Francis unwittingly play matchmaker. At least when things did finally come to a head, we were well away from London society. That is why I have hope for a sensible outcome. The idea of having to marry Harry is unthinkable,” she said.
She bent and picked up a broken stick from the ground, playfully poking James in his side with it. “Speaking of being odd, what is it with you and Guy Dannon’s wedding next month? I thought you would be happy to see him settled with your sister’s best friend. Leah is a lovely girl. I didn’t think you had an issue with her.”
When James gave a half-hearted shrug, Caroline saw it as a clear signal for her to leave matters alone. Something was not right about her cousin and the impending nuptials of his best friend. But with a world of her own problems to deal with, she decided it might be wiser to wait until they were away from Newhall Castle before she tried to press him again.
“Oh, what’s that?” James pointed in the direction of the stone cottage.
“I expect it’s a cottage for one of the castle ground staff, or a tenant. It must take a lot to keep an estate this size in shipshape,” she replied.
She did not wish to share the news with James that not only did she know the truth about the cottage, but that she had been there alone with Julian. As long as James remained in the dark, Caroline reasoned she stood at least a small chance of being able to repeat a private meeting with Julian.
Harry’s act of lunacy had achieved one unexpected outcome—Caroline was no longer afraid of what she felt for Julian. Her love was strong enough for her to take her chances and declare herself to him.
She had to find a way to be alone with him.
And to confess her love.
