“They are yours Ophelia. You could throw them out the window. Though, I would hope not.”
She dipped into the one at the corner, for one did not just pick from the center. It wasn’t orderly. The chocolate shell was hard and perfectly bitter and dark, and the middle soft and almost warm. “These are exquisite. Have you had one?”
Julian nodded, his eyes taking in her every feature. His attitude should have alarmed her, but instead, it made her feel loved. Seen. Cherished.
“These kinds of treats are all the more delicious when shared.” And she meant that. But she meant more than that too, she just didn’t know how to say it. All she could do was talk about the chocolate.
“If you’d like to share, I certainly won’t say no,” Julian said, taking one from the opposite corner, and not from the middle because that was the only proper way. Ophelia relaxed her shoulders, not realizing until that moment how upset she would have been if he had taken from the middle.
The bite of chocolate was the only thing that pried his gaze from her. “Oh, my, that is exceptional, isn’t it?” He stared down at it, rolling the chocolate in his mouth, just as she had.
Ophelia put the lid on the box, and shifted her weight, causing the door to bump her hip. Julian finished his chocolate. She didn’t know how to say all the things she felt, nor did she know if she was even ready to say them, let alone feel them.
“Tomorrow morning we’re having a meeting after breakfast to discuss our route and the weather conditions on the Matterhorn, if you’d like to come,” she said, instead of thanking him for the chocolates, the apology, and travelling across Europe. “Though, you’d have to prove you can acclimate quickly since you haven’t been with us these months, training.”
But his smile was wide, as if he understood that she was saying all of that during that invitation. That it was a gentle teasing. That she was forgiving him, shepherding him back into her life. “I might be out of shape for myself, but I think I could manage to not be desperately behind. I would love to attend the meeting, and perhaps verify my fitness with Karl tomorrow afternoon.”
Ophelia nodded, suddenly feeling shy and nervous and not at all like herself. Forcing herself to look up at him, she realized that she felt almost desperate to kiss him. Heat seeped into her cheeks instantly. “Thank you—er, see you tomorrow.”
She was already closing the door, when his low, gentle, “Goodnight, Ophelia,” rumbled across the threshold. Not recognizing her fumbling self, she leaned on the back of the door, listening to his footsteps down the passage and then to the stairs. It was then that she realized she was crushing the chocolate box against her. Her journal. Her chocolates. And possibly? Her hope.
Her first impulse was to find Justine and tell her everything. But then, her cooler, rational mind took over, and she realized she wanted to keep this to herself for a little longer. Because though he had not yet asked, it dawned on her that Julian would be the man she would marry. And she was Ophelia Bridewell, and once she made her mind up, there was no force on earth that could prevent her from doing what she thought was right.
*
“Are you glowing?”Justine said as Ophelia sat down for breakfast.
Ophelia touched her cheek. “Am I?”
Justine elbowed Karl. “What do you think? Is that a glow?”
Karl looked up from the meat and cheese layered in slices on his plate to his wife first, then to Ophelia. He chewed quickly, swallowed and nodded once. “Glow.” Then he went back to his breakfast.
Ophelia shrugged, a smile creeping onto her face that she couldn’t stop. There was a pot of tea on the table, and a buffet of traditional Alpine breakfast foods on one end of the room. While she couldn’t stomach the amount of food that Karl ate in a single sitting, she appreciated the sheer variety of sliced meats and cheeses, types of bread, honey, oats, berries, and fresh yogurts.
Here, there was no luncheon, as one was expected to be out on the mountains. It made Ophelia want to fill her lungs with the crisp and clean Alpine air. She loved this place. It felt as familiar and home-like as her brother’s Berringbone estate or the townhome in London.
Julian entered the dining room, and the feeling expanded. There was no place she’d rather be, and no one she’d rather be with.
“Ohhhhh,” Justine said softly.
Ophelia meant to shoot her a look of stern crossness, but instead, her residual smile stayed as she glanced at her friend. Even Karl glanced over his shoulder as Julian approached.
He looked handsome this morning. His frock coat flared out from his waist, the length brushing his knees. The buttons were polished and he looked well-rested and fresh-shaven. His dark hair was brushed so it shone like a raven’s wing. And when he looked at her, she could see the same joy and contentment in his heart that matched hers. “May I?”
Ophelia gestured to the seat next to hers. “Please.” She knew that across the table, the couple shared a look, and she didn’t care. In fact, she was glad. Because their joy was hers, and vice versa.
“You look like you finally got some sleep,” Karl said to Julian.
“Yes. And not in the shadow of a chocolate factory,” Julian quipped, looking over to her.
She was caught in his gaze, unable to speak or move. Then Justine cleared her throat.
“Will you be climbing the mountain with us?” Karl asked.
Julian tore his eyes from hers, and she blinked. The room suddenly felt hot. She poured herself a cup of tea, offering Julian one as well. He declined.
“Yes, I will. What an achievement, to be someone who has stood on that summit.” One of the servers came over when Julian signaled and poured coffee into his teacup. “And Ophelia, as expedition leader, has made it clear that I must pass a fitness test.”
