Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,306

Archibald seems oddly dedicated to uphold this charming tradition.”

Swallowing hard, Tobias noted that his brother was right. Not far from where Anne was skating, a bright green mistletoe sprig dangled from the tree above. “Bloody hell!” Tobias cursed when Lord Gillingham reached the cousins’ side, greeting first Leonora and then Anne.

The man offered her his arm, and she reluctantly accepted it, unaware that he was urging her closer to the kissing bough.

Tobias would have jumped to his feet had he not been wearing skates. As it was, all he could do was surge upward, his gaze fixed upon his greatest fear when his brother’s tense voice cut through his thoughts. “What the hell is she doing?”

Looking up, Tobias found Phineas staring at Lady Louisa who came skating over from the other side of the lake with lightning speed. Her gaze was locked on Anne, and she didn’t appear to have any intent of slowing down.

Meanwhile, it seemed Anne had finally realized Lord Gillingham’s intention for her face flushed red and she seemed to be looking about herself as though searching for a way out.

Tobias’s heart warmed at the thought that once again she did not wish to kiss the persistent lord. Still, sometimes persistence won out!

Not today, though.

Everything happened in a blur.

One moment, Anne felt her stomach drop at the sight of Lord Gillingham drawing closer for a kiss−for the second time that day no less!−and in the next, Louisa crashed into her, knocking her down onto the frozen lake. The air rushed from her lungs, and her right hip throbbed a bit where it connected with the ice.

Louisa ended up sprawled on top of her, her blond curls tickling Anne’s nose. “Oh, I’m so sorry, dearest,” her cousin exclaimed, deepest concern in her voice as she made to scramble back onto her feet. “I tried to stop but…” Her voice trailed off, an apologetic look in her eyes.

“I’m fine,” Anne assured her as Lord Gillingham helped her to her feet.

“Are you sure?” Leonora asked as her eyes swept over Anne, no doubt looking for injuries. “That looked awful.”

“She truly ought to lie down,” Lord Gillingham insisted, rather unwilling to relinquish his hold on Anne’s arm. “I’ll have Lord Archibald send for the doctor.”

“I’m fine,” Anne insisted with equal vehemence, starting to become vexed when the man refused to release her arm. “Do you mind?” she asked with a pointed stare. “I’m quite capable of walking on my own. I’ve been doing it for almost twenty years.”

Louisa chuckled, and when Anne turned to look at her cousin, she thought to see something there that made her pause. “I quite agree, Lord Gillingham,” Louisa said with a serious face; still, Anne could not help but notice the slight quirk in her cousin’s lips. “Leonora, would you help her back to her room and see to her?”

Nodding, Leonora took Anne’s other arm and pulled her toward the bank and the bench situated not far off. “Come. We’ll head inside. You could use something warm to drink.”

Anne glanced back over her shoulder and noticed not only a fallen expression on Lord Gillingham’s face, but also a rather triumphant one on Louisa’s. “This was no accident,” Anne mumbled before she turned to look at Leonora. “She crashed into me on purpose.”

Leonora paused and looked back at Lord Gillingham. “Would you rather she hadn’t?”

Anne drew in a deep breath, and her gaze moved to the other side of the frozen lake where Tobias stood. His posture seemed tense even from a distance, and Anne allowed herself to believe that he too was grateful for Louisa’s interference. “She did it to protect me from Lord Gillingham,” Anne whispered to herself.

Beside her, Leonora nodded. “She can be quite troublesome at times, but she’s also a fierce ally to have.” Love and admiration swung in Leonora’s voice, and when Anne turned to look at her cousin, she found a warm smile on her face.

Anne sighed, “I always wanted a sister.”

“Careful what you wish for,” Leonora chuckled as they sat down on the bench to remove the skates from their boots. “Gratitude can be quickly replaced by annoyance.”

Anne laughed, believing every word. Still, she would thank her cousin for her interference. After all, Tobias was the only man Anne wanted to kiss.

That, at least, she was certain of now.

Chapter Twelve…or Two

Relieved, Tobias watched Anne and her cousin, Lady Leonora, return to the house, leaving behind a somewhat desolate-looking Lord Gillingham.

“That was close,” Phineas remarked beside him. “I hope you’ll