Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,305

face. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Anne frowned, staring at Louisa’s hand before moving her gaze to her cousin’s face. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Louisa shrugged. “Well, you must be as blind as a bat if you cannot see that that man loves you.”

Anne’s jaw dropped, and her heart stumbled.

“You cannot know that,” Leonora threw in as she stepped forward, giving up her observational post for a more active one. “Although I do hope you’re right, we cannot know if Mr. Hawke did not kiss Anne for any of the reasons she listed.”

“Oh, he didn’t!” Louisa objected vehemently.

Leonora crossed her arms over her chest. “How would you know?”

“I simply do,” Louisa insisted. “I was right before, wasn’t I?” She looked from Leonora to Anne, a challenge in her wide blue eyes. When neither one of them objected, she turned to Anne. “You do not see him as a brother, do you?”

Smiling, Anne shook her head. Indeed, here and now, that thought seemed ludicrous. How could she ever have thought of him as a brother?

“Then trust me now,” Louisa pleaded as she once again grasped Anne’s hands. “Go claim that man before Lord Gillingham manages to spoil everything.”

Anne swallowed, now more terrified than ever before to have been mistaken. To lose Tobias despite her cousin’s reassurances. No longer would she be satisfied with his friendship. No, now, she wanted more. A curse of her own making. But did he as well?

“I promise I’ll speak to him,” Anne mumbled, at a loss as to how to breach such a sensitive subject. “Perhaps tomorrow or−”

Louisa groaned, “At your pace, I’ll die of old age before you two finally tie the knot!”

Anne stared at her cousin. “How can you be so certain?”

“I simply am,” Louisa told her with a gentle smile. “If you were me and you’d seen what I’ve seen, you would be as well. Trust me, dear cousin, and don’t wait too long. Or you’ll forever regret it.”

Chapter Eleven ~ Lady Louisa’s Moment

With two dozen guests staying at Windmere Park, breakfast was a rather loud affair. Cheerful voices echoed up and down the table as plans were discussed, discarded, altered and ultimately agreed upon. Tobias, however, only had eyes for Anne.

Never in his life had he been as oblivious to the world around him as he was now. He barely noticed what he put in his mouth and chewed for his focus lay with the bewitching, young lady two seats down on the opposite side of the table.

So close.

But still, too far away.

Fortunately, this morning, she was flanked by her two cousins. They whispered to each other confidently, and occasionally their eyes looked across the table at him. While her cousins’ eyes swept over him with a somewhat less restrained directness, Anne only ever glanced in his direction, quickly dropping her gaze back to her plate the moment their eyes met.

Tobias smiled at the somersault his heart did whenever that happened, and he could not wait to speak to her again.

Perhaps even kiss her again.

Would she want him to?

If only he knew.

After breakfast, many headed outside to the frozen lake. The sun shone brightly, and the air was brisk and refreshing. Snow had stopped falling overnight, but now lay in thick layers upon the ground. Footmen had cleared it off the frozen lake, though, and people were gathering on its banks, strapping on skates.

“I assume you have yet to speak to her,” Phineas remarked as he came to sit next to Tobias on one of the benches that had been set around the small lake, “for she is over there and you are here.” His brows rose, demanding an answer.

“I fail to see how this is any of your business,” Tobias replied defensively as he strapped on his own skates. “I will speak to her when the time is right.”

Phineas scoffed, “Then you’ll be waiting forever, dear Brother, for I have no doubt you’ll always manage to conjure a reason to delay.” His hand settled upon Tobias’s shoulder. “Speak to her. Now.” His other hand gestured across the lake to where Anne and Leonora were skating near an overhanging willow tree. “Before it’s too late.”

Tobias tensed the moment he caught sight of Lord Gillingham. The man’s gaze was fixed on Anne as he skated closer, the intent in his eyes unmistakable.

Phineas chuckled, “I wonder whose idea it was to hang one of those kissing boughs upon the tree there.” He laughed, his eyes moving to settle upon Tobias. “Lord