He had looked nearly like this that Christmas.
When her world was snowflakes and gingerbread and the anticipation of her older brother’s return from Eton.
“Sit still, April,” her mother had said, tugging a ribbon through her braid. “They will be here any moment.”
But April had already wriggled free, all knees and elbows and a grin that had never learned restraint. Her feet flew to the drawing room window. She pressed her nose to the cold glass, fogging it with impatient little puffs of breath.
Then—a carriage.
“They’re here!”
She didn’t wait for permission. She bolted—through the door, down the steps, into the winter air like a shot of sunshine with too many opinions and not enough coat. Her slippers barely touched the icy stone. Snow crunched underfoot, the world bright with frost and the promise of excitement.
The door opened. August climbed down first.
“August!” she shrieked, launching herself at him.
He caught her with a laugh, spinning her once in the air before setting her down, only to be met with her squinting appraisal.
“You’re a foot taller,” she declared.
“I was always taller.”
“No, you weren’t. Not like this.”
Then she saw him.
Another boy—no, a young man—alighted behind August. He was taller still, his coat woefully thin, and he stood awkwardly at the edge of the moment, his hands tucked behind his back. His blue eyes scanned the manor like a child peering into someone else’s dream.
April stared. Then, decisive as ever, she stepped forward. “Hello. I’m April Vestiere.”
The boy blinked. “Theodore Roth.”
“Do you have a title?” she asked, tilting her head. “August mentioned a duke in his letters.”
He glanced at August, almost uncertain, then gave a small nod. “Yes.”
“Where are you from?”
“Kent.”
“Is that very far? Do you have a dog?”
He shifted slightly. “Kent is far from Norfolk. And no, I don’t have a dog.”
“Are you my brother’s dearest friend?”
He hesitated then nodded. “I suppose so.”
April narrowed her eyes. “Why are you being quiet? Are you always like this?”
Another shrug. “I don’t know.”
She blinked then noticed his shoulders drawn tight against the cold. “You look frozen. Come inside. We have fires and biscuits, and June has already tried to eat an ornament.”
Theo said nothing, but the corner of his mouth twitched.
She reached for his hand, small and unbothered. “Come on.”
