Page 18 of Mr Winterbourne's Christmas

Lysander thought,I love you.

But all he said was, “Yes. Let’s do that.”

Chapter 7 - Adam

It snowed that night.

Adam woke up the next morning and opened his drapes to find the world had turned white. The topiary garden outside his window was nothing but lumps and bumps.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight—something about snow brought out the boy in him, and as he dressed, he imagined how he and Lysander would horse around later.

He was still smiling when he went down to breakfast, but two things quickly soured his mood. Firstly, the breakfast room was full—Lysander was already deep in conversation with Cavendish—and secondly, it had begun to snow again, a blizzard this time, with howling winds and whipping, icy flurries.

There was no prospect of him and Lysander going out in that.

They passed the morning playing cards and conversing with the other guests. Adam kept searching for opportunities to escape with Lysander, but it seemed that everyone wanted to talk to him. And why wouldn’t they? Lysander had a kind word for everyone. He laughed at other people’s awful jokes and told self-deprecatingly amusing stories of his own. He was sociable and sought after.

Why had a man who seemed so fond of company just spent the past year and a half holed up at Edgeley Park with barely anyone but Adam to amuse him? Adam who was regularly away, dealing with business matters.

Really, how long could Adam expect Lysander to want to continue such a life?

The thought made his heart feel tight and sore.

The snow finally stopped just before noon, the storm passing on and leaving behind it a clear winter-blue sky and a thick, fluffy layer of virgin white.

It was Althea who suggested they go on a walk to collect greenery to decorate the house with.

“What fun!” Lady Arabella exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “We always do this at home at Christmas, don’t we, Perry?”

“We could walk down to Hardhurst Woods,” said Lysander’s other sister, Mrs. Rodney. “It’s only a mile or so and there are plenty of holly trees down there.”

“Is there any mistletoe?” Lady Arabella asked. “Oh, we simplymustget some mistletoe.” She turned to Lysander. “You’re a countryman, aren’t you? Can’t you find us some?”

Lysander chuckled. “I can try. If I remember rightly, there’s some hawthorn on the far edge of the wood—mistletoe likes hawthorn. Shall we walk down and see?”

“Oh yes!” Lady Arabella exclaimed. “Who else is coming?”