My clenched fist slammed into the half-finished snow artwork we were building. It felt very satisfying. ‘He told me he loved me!’
‘How atrocious. I can see why that would upset you.’
‘No! No, that’s not it!’
‘It isn’t?
‘No! I’m in love with him, too, curse him!’
‘You are?’ An expression of puzzlement crossed over her face that only the little sisters of attractive older brothers can produce. She shrugged. ‘To each her own, I guess.’
I punched the snow again, then grabbed some more to fill out the holes I had made in our wintery masterpiece of art. We continued sculpting in silence for a while. Finally, Adaira said: ‘Well, if that’s not what you’re angry about…what is it? Are you angry that he couldn’t keep Dalgliesh from taking you?’
‘What? No!’ I made a dismissive gesture. ‘That was nothing! I didn’t even need his help to get away. I freed myself and was just about to start on my way back when he arrived.’
‘You…you did?’ There was an unholy amount of glee in Adaira’s voice. Her eyes suddenly sparkled more brightly than the snow around us. ‘Dear me.’
I had a feeling that Mr Ambrose would be hearing quite a few comments on this subject from his little sister in the days to come.
Good. Very good indeed.
‘Yes. It’s not about the kidnapping. It’s not about him telling me he loves me on the ride back. But when we had returned, he…he…’ Righteous anger made me choke on my words. Adaira made soothing noises, and I managed to gather myself enough to get out the words: ‘He waited till the next morning - just one day after he swore that he loved me - and then he asked me to marry him!’
Silence.
Not cold silence. Not stony silence. No, this was a ‘Yes,-and-what’s-the-punch-line?’ silence.
It took Adaira a moment to realise there wasn’t one.
‘Oh. How, um…atrocious? Horrific?’
I punched the snow in front of me, trembling, with…rage? Fear?
‘I know, right? He said he loved me! How could he! How could he do this to me!’
‘Um, yes. I must say it’s really quite shocking. I mean, from love to marriage, how could anyone make that leap? It’s an outrage.’
‘Exactly! And that’s not the worst of it!’
‘It isn’t?’
‘No! His mother - your mother - wants it too! She approves of me!’
‘My goodness! How scandalous. Though I must admit I understand the feeling.’
‘There! There, you see?’ I jabbed a finger at her, accusingly. ‘Even you want me as your sister-in-law! This marriage madness is spreading like the plague!’
‘My apologies. I simply cannot help admitting that you are by far the least despicable candidate for sister-in-law that I have ever met.’
‘Gah!’ Pulling at my hair, I gave the half-finished snow sculpture a good kick. ‘Blast, blast, blast! Everyone is infected by this insanity! And do you know what’s the worst?’
‘No. What?’
‘Even I am tempted! I! I should know better than anyone else that this can only end in a catastrophe - and still, I keep having these flashes of pretty churches, and wedding dresses, and him and me together, and I think I’m going insane! And it’s all his fault!’
Adaira patted my back. ‘Deplorable! That miserable cad! I’ll help you eviscerate him.’
‘Thank you! You are a good friend.’