“Why not? She’d be lucky to have a fine man like your brother.” All her money problems would be over, but I didn’t say it out loud for fear of offending her.
“Flynn recently claimed he’s going to be a bachelor all his life,” she said.
“Men have been known to change their minds.”
We came upon a grove of aspens, white against the blue backdrop. “Nature’s sculptures,” I murmured.
“Aren’t they, though?”
We continued to travel across the meadow until we came to the bank of a creek. I turned the horses so that we trotted along the edge of the water. The frozen creek was icy blue.
“Do stop for a moment, won’t you?” Josephine asked. “It’s such a peaceful scene. One of my favorites on the property. I always thought a cottage would be just right here by the creek.”
I tugged on the reins and called out to the horses to stop. The snow-covered meadow spread out in front of us in one direction. Across the water, the landscape changed to a thick forest. In the distance, over the meadow, smoke rose from the B
arnes home.
Josephine pointed into the forest. “Our friends the Coles live through there. They own the café in town.”
I’d seen the young men hustling around the café through the windows as I walked by one day. The Coles were dark-skinned men who would not have been able to own a business in the white parts of New York City. But here, things were different. Although most of the town appeared to be of European descent, it seemed no one here cared that the Coles didn’t look like them. There was the Wu family, too. Mrs. Wu and her granddaughter, Fai, seemed as comfortable in the Barneses’ household as Lizzie and Jasper. Josephine had told me that Lord Barnes had sent Li Wu to music school. I’d wanted to ask Josephine about both families, but hadn’t wanted to seem as if I disaproved.
“This is one of my favorite spots, no matter what time of year. This is one of the deepest and widest parts of the creek that runs through our property. In the summer, we swim there. As you can see, it’s frozen over now.”
“I hope you haven’t brought our skates,” I said.
She laughed and tugged on her scarf, exposing a small portion of her neck. “It’s not safe to skate here. The ice is unpredictable because of the depth of the water. It can crack and break. Falling under the ice is most likely death.”
I shivered. “You won’t have to tell me twice. That sounds horrid. Do the children know not to go near?”
She turned from the scenery to look me. “Yes, they know. Mama and Papa forbid them to walk on it, and even Cymbeline obeys.”
The sun had lowered farther, casting a gold tinge over the snow. Above, the sky had turned the dark blue of winter twilight.
Her eyes sparkled as she watched me.
I moved closer to her and brushed my thumb on the inward curve of her cheekbone. “This light becomes you, beautiful Josephine.”
She blinked but didn’t move. “Phillip?”
“Yes?”
“Have you ever kissed anyone before?”
Startled by the question, my gaze slid toward the creek before coming back to her. “One time.” A nurse before I left for the war had kissed me, surprising me so thoroughly that I’d just stood there like an oak tree for a few seconds before turning on my heel and running away as fast as I could. She was not to my liking. Too loud and brash and smelled sour. The woman sitting next to me now smelled nice. Very nice.
“Who was she?” Josephine asked.
I hesitated for a second in an attempt to decipher her tone. Would she think ill of me if I confessed to a kiss with a woman I didn’t know? However, I’d committed to telling her the truth and shouldn’t stop now. She’d forgiven my intrusion into her privacy by reading the letters. This would be a minor offense. “I never knew her name. I met her right before I shipped out. I was out with a few of the boys I’d trained with. She and several of her friends had joined us at a bar, and we all carried on until the sun rose.” I grimaced, remembering how we’d spilled out into the street, blinking in the morning light. She’d thrown herself into my arms and kissed me, then wished me luck. “She told me I should have a kiss before going overseas and possibly dying. I guess she decided that was her responsibility. She had breath that smelled of onions.”
“Onions?” Josephine’s eyes widened. “That doesn’t sound pleasant.”
“It wasn’t. But I don’t suppose all kisses are unpleasant. Not that I’ve had any other experience to test it against. I should like to. With you, most of all. I’ll look forward to the day you give me permission to do so.” I smiled and brushed my thumb along her delicate jawline.
My smile faded as her expression turned mournful. After spending so much time together over the last week, I was able to interpret her facial expressions. A slight downturn of her mouth told me she was sad.
“I kissed Walter,” she said, as if I’d asked. “Many times.”
My chest tightened. I didn’t want to know. Not how many times or if she’d found his kisses pleasant. The thought of his mendacious mouth on hers was more than I could stomach.