The look in his eyes remained hard and, instead of taking a step back, Lord Gillingham took one closer. “You−”
“I must insist you leave!” Anne objected to his inappropriate approach. No longer concerned for his feelings, she drew back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Now!”
Lord Gillingham tensed, but he kept his distance. Still, he seemed more than a bit reluctant to comply, no doubt another accusation on the tip of his tongue. However, before he could give it voice, a snowball hit him hard on the side of his face, sending him sprawling into the snow.
“She’s looking for you.”
Lost in thought, Tobias flinched at the sound of his brother’s voice. “Pardon me?” He turned to look at Phineas and found him cutting his way in-between the leafless trees surrounding them. After seeing Anne almost kissed by Lord Gillingham for a second time that day, Tobias had walked off, his thoughts in need of peace and quiet.
Still, Louisa’s words continued to echo in his head.
Yes, she was right. He needed to speak to Anne. But how? What ought he to say? Tobias shook his head, for whenever he thought of addressing her, his mind went blank as though all words had tumbled out of his ears. It was a strange sickness indeed! Did all men suffer from it when they lost their hearts? Or was it only him?
In truth, Tobias could not imagine his brother ever at a loss.
“Anne is looking for you,” Phineas elaborated, the look in his gaze watchful.
“I thought she’d gone inside with Lady Leonora.”
Phineas shrugged. “Well, since she’s free to come and go as she pleases…” His voice trailed off and his brows rose into arches as he looked at Tobias. “Can we focus on what’s truly important here? Anne is looking for you and,” he looked Tobias up and down, “she looks about as nervous as you do.” The usual chuckle followed that observation.
Tobias tried to ignore the somersault his heart performed in that moment. “Where is she?”
“Near the maze,” Phineas told him. “You should go and find her.”
Indeed, he should. But what then?
“And you should hurry.”
Tobias tensed. “Why?”
Grinning, his brother leaned a shoulder against a tall tree trunk. “Because I saw Lord Gillingham move toward her when I stepped away, and we all know what his intentions are, do we not?” His brows wiggled meaningfully.
Tobias wanted to slap that smug smile off his brother’s face. Instead, however, he cursed under his breath and rushed past him. His feet moved with a swiftness he would not have thought possible, and his gaze darted past the lake the moment he stepped out of the grove. The tall-growing hedges on the other side of the large house were easy enough to spot, people rushing in and out, shrieking and laughing as snowballs flew in all directions.
Quickening his steps, Tobias crossed the snow-covered lawn before his eyes fell on Anne standing on a small slope near the maze with none other than Lord Gillingham. Tobias could have groaned as a physical pain shot through his middle and then reached up to squeeze his heart, holding it in a painful grip as another breath struggled past his lips.
While Lord Gillingham seemed to edge closer, Anne was all but leaning away from him. Her chin rose and she squared her shoulders in a way that made Tobias smile and sent a sense of pride through him. She was indeed beautiful and breathtaking, but also brave and bold and−
His heart faltered in his chest when Anne took a step back but was immediately pursued by Lord Gillingham. The man’s face looked tense, and he appeared more than a bit reluctant to respect Anne’s demand for more distance.
Gritting his teeth, Tobias suddenly felt a snowball whir past him. His head flew around, his eyes sweeping over the many guests still playfully engaged in a wintry war before they returned to Anne.
Then he stilled, and a dark smile came to his face as he sank down and scooped snow into his hands, packing it tightly into a hard, unyielding ball.
By now, Tobias was no more than a few dozen feet away, and while he certainly could have called out or simply rushed over, in that moment he chose option three.
Pulling back his arm, he took aim and then sent the snowball flying.
Of course, years had passed since he’d last hurled such a missile; however, it seemed Fortune smiled on him that day. His aim was true, and the snowball hit Lord Gillingham square on the cheek, knocking him off his feet.
Anne looked momentarily taken aback. However, when her gaze found his, such a luminous smile spread over her face that Tobias wanted to kiss her then and there.
Instead, he rushed up to her, held out his hand and said, “Come with me.”
Without a single glance at the man on the ground, Anne grasped his hand and then followed him into the maze, laughter spilling from their mouths as they hurried through the snow.
Away from Gillingham.
Away from Phineas.
Away from Lady Louisa.
Away.
Chapter Fourteen ~ Mine to Kiss
Anne thought her heart would pound out of her chest as she followed Tobias through the deep snow. The hem of her skirts was soaked and her feet felt chilled, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was her hand in his, warm and safe.
With each step, the rest of the world fell away as the sounds of laughter and shrieking dimmed. The tall, snow-covered hedges hid them, wrapping them in a place of their own as though no one else existed but them.
Still, they moved onward until they reached the center of the maze, a stone bench flanked by two oak trees, standing like sentinels on each side. The snow on the ground looked untouched, their footprints the first to leave their marks. Stillness lingered as soft flakes began to drift downward from the heavens. Only a few: one here, one there, dancing in the chilled air.
And then Tobias stopped and turned to look at her, his hand still holding hers. She could see his warm breath like a puff of smoke as it mingled with the icy air around them, his cheeks flushed red. His eyes looked darker than they usually did, the clear, bright snow putting them into a stark contrast. Still, the same familiar warmth lingered in his gaze as he looked at her. “Is it true?” he asked then, and his hand tugged on hers, urging her a step closer.
Anne swallowed, noting the change in the way he was looking at her. “Is what true?”
He inhaled a deep breath, and the pad of his thumb brushed over her knuckles, sending another one of those teasing, tingling shivers down her back. “Do you love me?”
Anne’s heart stilled in shock. “But, of course, I do,” she laughed, afraid to be the first to say it out loud. “How can you not know that? I’ve loved you all my life.”
Tobias’s lips thinned, but the right corner of his mouth quirked slightly, telling her that he understood without a doubt what she was doing. That she was afraid. “I meant,” he began, once again urging her a step closer, “are you in love with me?”
Anne could not help but wish the ground would open and swallow her whole. Instead, heat rushed to her cheeks as mortification burnt through her. Please, do not let him laugh at me!
A smile teased his lips. “Your cousin suggested that…”
Curse Louisa! “She simply meant that I care for you greatly as I always have.”
Slowly, Tobias shook his head. “That is not what it sounded like. Indeed, she made it unmistakably clear that you−”