“Just so,” Ophelia said. “And that is fine thinking, Justine. Perhaps Mr. Vogel could teach you and you could teach us.”
Justine sipped the ale they’d been given in lieu of wine. Herr Brunner had explained that the next shipment of food and drink had been scheduled to come in before the cold snap, but had been delayed for some reason or another. He had also told them to not be alarmed, as they had plenty of food for everyone, just not the amenities they might have been accustomed to in London. Like French wine.
“Why would I teach you when Karl is right there?” She gestured toward him, sitting at a table with Lord Rascomb and Mr. Moon. When she looked back at her companions, they all had their eyebrows raised. Her heart dropped into her stomach. Why were they looking at her like that?
“Karl?” Ophelia prodded.
Justine nodded before she caught her mistake. Her dinner stuck in her throat as she choked out, “Mr. Vogel.”
“Bad News has found her own bad news,” Tristan teased.
Justine wanted to throw a bread roll at him, but she liked them too much to waste one. “A simple slip of the tongue.”
“Are we talking about tongues now?” Prudence questioned, as if she were nothing but innocent.
Eleanor laughed. Even Ophelia snickered.
“I don’t know what anyone is talking about,” Justine grumbled.
“Poor sod,” Tristan said, shaking his head and looking over at the other table. “I feel like I should join them, but the conversation here is far too interesting.”
“I hate you all.” Justine felt the heat from her cheeks as if she were a radiator. She put her hands to her cheeks as if she could leach the redness away.
Ophelia put her hand on her shoulder. “It’s all in good fun. We’re all astonished that youlikeany man at all. Given your past, it is frightfully new.”
“I am here to climb the Matterhorn,” Justine complained. “That’s all. And I need to be good at everything in order to do it.”
“As do we all,” Ophelia said, gently tugging her hands away from her face. “We all want the same things.”
“I know, but must you tease me?” she asked.
“Yes,” Tristan said with a definitive nod. “Unquestionably, yes. And given how rough you made things for me, I will be teasing your irritatingly healthy grandchildren as well to make up for the years of your insults.”
“You still managed to catch yourself a wife despite it.”
“When shall we do a snow-learning session?” Ophelia asked. “We could start as soon as tomorrow?”
Justine was forever grateful to her best friend for changing the subject. After everyone agreed, and they finished their meal, Ophelia took it upon herself to talk to Karl about the following day’s schedule.
Apparently he agreed, and they set a time to meet in the dining room in the late morning, without being bundled up, to talk about what they would learn, and then bundle up and take it out of doors. Justine was relieved that she didn’t need to teach anyone anything. And she was relieved that at least for the next outing, she would be surrounded by her friends, so no more embarrassments might befall her.
**
Justine was the best pupil. He was ashamed that this surprised him, but it did. The others either tried so hard they looked past the obvious, or took too long. Though the experiment where he made Herr Bridewell stride into the trough of rotten snow did manage to make them all laugh.
The man took the ribbing in stride, and his father clapped him on the back after he dug himself out. All of them were shivering inside their coats as they stood around and looked at snow. Taking pity on them, he led them up a mild hike to keep them out of doors and help them acclimate to walking while wearing layers and layers of clothing.
They all needed the exercise. And Karl, most of all, needed to clear his head. The sound of the snow crunching in rhythm calmed him, and he hoped it would do the same for the rest of them. They reached the shoulder’s summit, and he let them stare down at Täsch, as he had once let Justine stare down at it.
“I’m winded,” Frau Moon said. “That doesn’t bode well, does it?”
“We should be hiking daily, regardless of the weather,” Fräulein Bridewell agreed. “I apologize to you all for letting our exercise regime go slack.”
“As long as Mr. Vogel promises to go easy on us at first,” Herr Bridewell said. “Not put us through our paces right away, as he did for Miss Brewer.”
“We will begin slowly, as I will allow one of you to lead and test your new snow knowledge.” Karl ushered the back towards the trail, indicating that it was time to return. Tante Greta had promised cake and hot coffee. Though Justine preferred tea. He shouldn’t know that, but he did.
The clouds were clearing, and the sun shone on them for the first time in two days.
