Part 9 (2/2)
”Yes, that is right,” Serenity said as she folded the page again, drawing his attention back to her face and her smile that set it aglow. ”Watch. Now I am going to fold it four more times.” She smiled at Theodora.
”When can I cut it?” Theodora asked, her voice buoyant with antic.i.p.ation.
Timothy frowned. Was Serenity out of her mind? The child could not lift both hands. Serenity would be deranged to think the child would be able to manage the folded sheet and a pair of scissors.
”Just a minute.” Serenity chuckled. ”There. That last fold is always the toughest.” Picking up a pair of scissors from the floor, she knelt beside Theodora's chair. She put the folded page beneath her knee to keep it from opening and reached for Theodora's left hand.
Timothy did not dare to breathe as Serenity curled Theodora's fingers around the handles of the scissors and then held them there with her own hand. Drawing the piece of paper out from beneath her knee, she held it between the open scissors.
”Where first?” Serenity asked, smiling at Theodora.
Although he could not see Theodora's face, he could hear her smile. ”Top on your side.”
”Top right,” she replied. ”Big cut or small one?”
Theodora laughed with more excitement than he had ever heard from the child. ”Big one. Please, a big one, Serenity.”
”All right. Hold tight. I am going to need your help to cut through all of these layers.”
The sharp snip of the scissors was loud in the room. Theodora's giggle was followed by more orders of where she wanted Serenity's a.s.sistance to cut into the folded paper. When Serenity set the scissors on the floor, she looked toward the door.
”Are you going to lurk there or come in?” she asked.
”Who is it?” Theodora cried.
”Your Uncle Timothy.” Serenity motioned gracefully toward the door and smiled. ”He has been watching you cut out your first snowflake.”
Timothy came into the room and sat cross-legged on the floor beside a stack of white paper. ”Snowflakes?” He picked up a handful of white specks that had fallen from her scissors. ”These?”
”No.” Serenity unfolded the piece of paper she held. ”This.”
”It's beautiful!” cried Theodora, her eyes wide as she stared at the design that was echoed over and over. The small cuts had created the facets of the snowflake.
”Serenity, that is quite incredible,” echoed Timothy. ”You did that simply by folding a page and making those snips out of it?”
Kneeling beside Timothy, Serenity sat back on her heels as she folded another slip of paper. ”The best thing is, like real snowflakes, no two are alike. I thought we would make some to hang in the windows, so when the guests come for the earl's birthday party, they will see the house all decorated for Christmas.”
”You are going to hang them?”
”Actually I thought I would have one of the footmen do that.”
”Not me?”
Theodora laughed again when he twisted his face into a pout. ”Do you want to be part of our snowflake decorating, Uncle Timothy?”
”I cannot imagine anything I would enjoy more than sitting and chatting with the two prettiest ladies in Cheyney Park while we make snowflakes that I can hang in the windows.” He glanced at the ceiling. ”And a few here so you can pretend you are sleeping in a snow den.”
”A snow den?” Theodora's eyes widened again. ”Like a bear hibernating?”
”You may hibernate if you want to miss your great-grandfather's party and all the fun of Christmas,” Serenity said with a smile. She glanced at Timothy and saw his smile waver. Sweet heavens, she could not believe that the family would leave this darling child here alone while the rest of them gathered together. Mayhap it would depend on how this evening's meal went. Now was not the time to speak of that, for she did not want to upset Theodora.
”Can he help, Aunt Serenity?” Theodora continued, clearly oblivious to Timothy's reaction. ”Please?”
”Can I, Aunt Serenity?” Timothy asked with a chuckle.
Serenity handed him a piece of paper to hide her flush of pleasure at his teasing. Her own family was lost to her, and she loved being considered a part of this one, despite all its oddities. Mayhap she had misread his expression. After all, peculiar as it might seem, Theodora knew him better than she did.
”How could I say no?” She laughed, letting her dismay sift away. ”It will be amusing to watch you hang what we cut.”
He picked up the single snowflake. ”Shall I start with this one?”
”Yes!” Theodora clapped her hand against the arm of the chair, her face pink with excitement.
Serenity put her hand on Theodora's knee to calm the little girl. Now she was not mistaking Timothy's expression, for she shared his disquiet. ”While Timothy has a ladder brought, you and I can make more snowflakes.”
”An excellent idea.” He stood. Putting his hand on Serenity's shoulder, he said, ”I trust you will have several of these done by the time I return.”
”Enough to make a whole den,” Theodore replied.
”So many?” he asked, his fingers stroking Serenity's shoulder.
”You may be surprised,” Serenity said.
His finger curled up along her cheek. ”I find that I always am.”
She gazed up at his smile. Nothing she did, no matter how much she avoided being with him, made any difference. Each time they were together, whether alone or with others, even the most chaste touch suffused her with pleasure. She wanted to stand as he pulled her into his arms and up against his strong chest.
When he walked out of the room, she stared down at her hands. They tingled with the longing to touch him, even as casually as he had touched her.
Serenity shook that beguiling thought from her mind when Theodora begged to make another snowflake. Keeping her hands busy would be the best way to prevent them from giving in to her yearning. As she laughed with Theodora, she concentrated on creating pretty designs to please the little girl.
”Will Miss Hayes be at dinner this evening?” Theodora asked suddenly.
”Yes, I believe so. She and your cousin Felix and Aunt Ilse all should be there, too.”
”Will you sit beside me?”
”Of course, and your great-grandfather will, too.”
”And Timothy will sit beside you.” She giggled when Serenity unfolded another snowflake. ”Nurse tells me that you and Uncle Timothy like to kiss. That is why you want to get married.”
”Why did she tell you that?”
”I asked.” Theodora grinned. ”I saw Felix and her out in the garden kissing, and I asked Nurse about it.”
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