What Happens By Candlelight

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Meeting

"I find myself both wanting to thank you, and to point out the fact you were jealous," Gabriel stopped walking, a smirk lighting up his features. He knew me well, so he knows that I can't hold in any comment when I am accused of such a thing.

"I was not in any such frame of mind. Is it not my job to remove all other women from your life? I do believe that I am to take up all of your attention and free time, not to mention the fact-"

"That you guzzled your wine to gain enough strength to say something?" I paused in my step, suddenly regretting the small detail. "Your goal was to publicly humiliate the poor girl, which is why you cleared your throat as well. And yet you claim to not be jealous?"

His blue eyes pierced my own brown orbs, but my mouth remained still. I had no response. If he knew so much about my body language, then is he suspicious of me? Has he been able to figure out that I'm doing more behind the scenes?

"You bully me," the words left my mouth before I thought them through. "I find myself feeling almost attacked by your accusations."

A chuckled slipped past his lips before he wrapped an arm around my waist and continued to guide us through the frigid air of the evening. It wasn't for another several minutes before either one of us spoke up once more.

"Are you happy here, Christina?" The question caught me off guard, so an answer didn't come immediately. 

"Well, I... I suppose I am glad to have my brothers, as well as the companionship of Timothy and Sabrina-"

"I meant with me, Christina. Are you happy with me?" I could feel my gaze soften, without my meaning to. There was something about the contentedness surrounding us and the peacefulness of the evening that made my heart flutter. It was hardly normal for me, but I was not one to argue with my gut feeling.

"You have done me no harm, and I doubt that you ever intend to. That alone makes me pleased to be around you. As for happiness," Was I happy to be with Gabriel? Does he truly make me feel better as a person?

No, but he makes me want to be a better person.

"I suppose, depending on one's definition of happiness, that I am indeed very happy to be around you." It felt strange to say something so true without attempting to get something else out of him. That alone felt like evidence enough.

"I want to mar-"

"Lieutenant Colonel Wright!" A stable boy popped up around the corner, his breath fogging the air. "Some men at the camp got in a fight. They're in your battalion and are awaiting punishment." 

With a growl, Gabriel followed the boy out of the garden and through the manor. I was left alone without so much as a glance.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were tellin' the truth. But I know better," a gasp escaped as I flipped around, my skirts dancing at my ankles as my gaze fell on Captain Wilson. His eyes remained lowered on the dried grass, his hat tilted over and covering his face. Slowly he lifted his gaze to me, a grin breaking across his features. "At least I hope I do."

"Wha-What are you... I thought you'd give me a warning! I'd have brought papers, documents, something!" With a chuckle, he stood up straight, leaving the entrance of the hedge maze to stand before me.

"You, my dear, are the most successful honeypot I've ever employed. Did you know that?" I shook my head, weary of the way he circled me. "It makes me wonder how much seduction you've used, or if you've even seduced him. Tell me, what do you feel for that man?"

He paused in front of me, his eyes holding a playful glint, which I recognized as his poker face. I was treading on dangerous grounds now. One wrong step and I'll be sent to the first stop in Hades.

"I feel... I feel guilt, mostly. Maybe even a bit of friendship, but nothing close to the love and duty I feel towards my country. I would never - will never - fall for a man like him."

"There's only one problem with your statement deary," He held up his pointer finger, tilting his hat up with it before continuing. "You said 'would,' as in hypothetically, and then you corrected yourself with 'will,' as in the future. The problem comes with the fact that you have already fallen for the Lieutenant Colonel."

With a grin, the man turned away, disappearing back into the darkness he came from. "This is about to get very interesting now that you're aware of the fact."

I was left speechless for the first time in ages.