“Thank you,” she said shyly. “It was fun.”
“Wasn’t it?” he grinned. He looked back at the snowman. “You know, I do not think he is quite finished.” Carefully, he unravelled the scarf around his neck, winding it around the neck of the snowman. “There. Now he is ready to take on the world.”
Evelina laughed. “But you need your scarf! Your neck will freeze.”
“I have another,” he said, his mouth twitching. “I am willing to sacrifice this one for the benefit of our snowman. I think it really suits him. Don’t you?”
Evelina laughed again, a giddy laugh, as she contemplated the snowman. He looked rounded and white, and the red scarf trulydidcomplement him. The flash of red against the white background was a startling contrast.
“A pity we didn’t have a hat as well,” said Evelina, tilting her head to the side as she contemplated him. “Nowthatwould truly be the icing on the cake!”
Jude laughed. “Ah well. Maybe next time.”
“I should go,” she said, picking up her basket.
“Would you like me to carry that for you, milady?” he asked. “I should be of some service to you. And I need to head back to the manor, anyway.”
Evelina hesitated, but then she passed him the basket. There was no harm in him carrying it for her and walking back to the manor with him. Was there? In fact, it would look better if hewascarrying the basket when they entered the grounds. It would look like he was just offering her assistance in the proper way, as if he were chaperoning her, even if it wasn’t part of his regular duties.
They set off together towards the house in silence. When they left the woods and entered an open meadow, Evelina felt like she was still under the same spell. She didn’t want it to end. She felt giddy and young and entirely forgetful of who she was… and who he was.
She picked up the skirt of her gown, running through the thick snow, leaving a trail behind her. “Come on!” she cried, beckoning him.
He hesitated, looking unsure for a moment. But then he grinned, putting down the basket and chasing her. Evelina bent down, picking up a ball of snow, before hurtling it at him, laughing.
He managed to duck it. Quickly, he did the same, scooping up a pile of snow and rounding it into a ball before hurtling it at her.
“Ouch,” she cried, as the ball hit her leg.
They kept throwing snowballs at one another until Evelina collapsed onto the snow on her back, laughing hysterically. Jude collapsed beside her. He was laughing as well, trying to catch his breath.
Evelina gazed up at that perfect blue sky. “How beautiful it is,” she whispered. “It seems to go on forever.”
He was lying on his back, gazing up at the sky. “The sky is different here than Shrewsbury,” he said slowly. “It does look endless. I have noticed there seem to be so many more stars in the night sky here.”
Evelina turned her head to look at him. His profile was as handsome as looking him straight in the face. “Are you liking it here, then?”
He nodded. “I do. It was time to move on and start something new.” He exhaled slowly. “It is beautiful countryside around here. How close are we to the Welsh border?”
“It is only a few miles away,” said Evelina, smiling at him. “Almost as soon as you leave England and are in Wales, the country changes again. It becomes quite wild and mountainous. It is quite remarkable.”
He turned to look at her. “Have you journeyed there much?”
She nodded. “Yes. When Mama was alive, our family would often go for day trips to Wales to visit old castles.” She hesitated. “You really should take the opportunity to visit the country if you get the chance. I can give you a list of castles that are worth exploring if you like.”
“You like castles?” he asked in a soft voice, his green eyes almost luminous.
“I do,” she said, her smile widening. “They are so interesting to explore! I like the history. It is fun imagining who lived there and what happened so long ago.”
“I have never been to a castle,” he said. “If I get the chance, I will do it, milady. Thank you.”
Evelina hastily looked back at the sky. Her heart was thumping painfully. It was intimate being here like this with him, and she knew she was flirting with danger yet again. She knew she shouldn’t have indulged in that snowball fight with him, nor be lying next to him like this, talking in an almost dreamy way about the sky and castles.
“I might make a snow angel,” he said suddenly, grinning at her. “Would you like to as well?”
“Snow angel?” Evelina’s breath caught in her throat. “What is that?”
“Have you never made snow angels before, milady?” he laughed. “I thought every child made them during winter. We used to do it quite often in winter at the orphanage.”