The Quicksilver Pool by Whitney Phyllis A.;

Author:Whitney, Phyllis A.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media Romance
Published: 2017-08-11T04:00:00+00:00

XVII

February turned obligingly snowy and by the time set for the sleighing party the roads were packed with frosting. All the island sparkled beneath the sun or shone in gleaming purity under the moon. Now the bare branches of the trees made a fragile tracery against the white, adding to this winter beauty.

The evening was frosty and clear, and cold stars hung like bits of ice in the dark sky. There was much champing of bits and the stamping of horses’ hooves as the Lords’ sleigh waited in the lane for its load. Bells arched above the harness and chimed musically at every move the horses made. Two other sleighs were to join them farther down the hill and by the time the party was on its way there would be some forty young people and married couples in the group.

Lora wore the plainest of her new dresses—a gown of dark-blue wool, but without hoops, of course—and she and Wade were well bundled into coats, with wool mufflers around their heads and ears, and warm mittens protecting their hands. All seats except the driver’s had been removed from the big sleigh and the body filled with fresh, clean straw. As Lora and Wade reached the Lord house, they found Adam and some of the other men carrying out hot bricks, well wrapped in strips of old blanket. The ladies remained snugly indoors until all was ready, but Adam barred Lora’s way, laughing down at her when she would have mounted the steps.

“Hello, Lora. Hello, Wade. No, you don’t—no scooting inside! All you fragile little ladies can come out now and pile aboard. Somebody’s got to keep these bricks warm.”

Adam had a striped stocking cap, which probably belonged to Eddie, pulled well over his ears, and a red plaid muffler wound twice about his neck. His nose was pink with the cold and his eyes very bright. He looked, Lora reflected, like a boy who had been let suddenly out of school and was intent on action and mischief. There was about him somehow a quality both irritating and engaging.

The ladies came hurrying out the door, bundled to their ears, twittering and laughing, and even those men who were in uniform were released and gay for the evening. One after another the ladies were helped into the sleigh and settled themselves in the straw, like nesting birds.

Before Lora found a place she stood for a moment looking out upon the drive, watching the open door from which light spilled brightly as guests ran down the steps. She was searching for two faces in particular, and she did not see them. Serena, puffing a little as her brother helped her unceremoniously into the sleigh, caught her searching look.

“It’s all right,” she whispered. “We’re picking them up at the ferry landing. Mr. Norwood had to make a trip over to town and Morgan went to meet his boat. I don’t know why you’re anxious to effect a reconciliation between Morgan and Wade, but I’ve done what you asked.

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