A Lesson in Passion: Season of Desire Part 4 (Seasons Quartet) (3 page)

 
‘
Wir sind fertig
,’ he tells the driver. ‘
Schloss Marika
,
bitte.
’

 
‘You speak German,’ I say admiringly.

 
‘A little.’ He smiles back. The driver flicks the reins and the pair of huge brown horses toss their heads, and begin to trot. The sleigh jerks a little as the horses find their rhythm but as soon as they have their pace, we glide over the snow and into the darkness. I sigh happily. This is very romantic, I have to admit that. The view is stunning. The moon is up and is touching the snowy mountains and the pine forests with its icy beams. The sky is a silvery grey, bright with the moonlight, but we are gliding through the cold shadows of the forest, our way lit by the now golden light of the lamps. Every now and then, the driver urges the horses on with a click and a crooning sound, and the world is quiet except for the thudding of the hooves and the hiss of the sleigh’s runners on the snow. We’re heading away from the town that’s sparkling below us, a fairyland of white-capped roofs.

 
‘It’s so beautiful,’ I say to Miles and he nods.

 
‘Aye. It makes me remember home just a little.’

 
‘Really?’

 
‘Pine trees always make me think of Scotland.’

 
I press into him and he puts an arm around me. ‘I’d like to go there.’

 
He laughs and I feel it rumble against my chest through the thickness of our coats. ‘You wouldn’t find my village quite as glamorous as this place. I mean, I love it but fondness helps the eye along quite a bit. The land around is beautiful, though, there’s no doubt of that.’

 
We sit close together, soaking in the atmosphere, listening to the jangle of the bells and the snorting of the horses, as the sleigh climbs the winding road. Just as I’m wondering where on earth we could be going, the driver turns off between two old stone pillars topped with stone griffins, and a pair of open wrought-iron gates.

 
‘Ah. We’re almost here,’ Miles says. ‘I don’t know about you but I’m ready for dinner and much as I’m enjoying this ride, I could also do with getting inside somewhere warm.’

 
I don’t feel the cold at all, except for the slight numbness in my cheeks. I gaze ahead into the darkness at the end of the curving drive, half wanting us not to arrive somewhere I’ll have to share Miles with other people. But before too long we round the bend and I see before me the turrets and stone walls of a schloss.

 
‘Here we are. Schloss Marika,’ says Miles.

 
The castle windows glow golden against the night and the large arched wooden front doors stand open to a brightly lit hall. Within a few minutes, the driver has brought the sleigh to a halt in front of the steps that lead up to the door. Miles has leapt down and helped me out of the sleigh and we’re walking up the steps and into the huge hall, with its iron chandelier glowing with candles. I take off my coat, hat and boots in the ladies’ cloakroom and return pink-cheeked in the dress I chose for this evening: a simple black silk shift with red satin heels embroidered in glittering jewel-coloured thread, and an evening purse also exquisitely embroidered.

 
‘You look beautiful,’ Miles whispers to me, as he takes me by the arm and we follow a waiter down a winding stone staircase to a private vaulted room at the bottom.

 
‘Thank you.’ I feel a rush of pride that he might want to be seen with me on his arm.

 
As we walk in, I see a couple are already waiting there for us. He is tall and dark, with noticeably beautiful brown eyes and olive skin. As he sees us, he stands up, a broad smile on his face, his arms out to Miles, and a merry greeting on his lips. Behind him, sitting at a beautifully laid table is a pretty girl: she’s fair with shoulder length hair falling in soft waves, and wide grey eyes. I guess at once she’s English: she has those pink-and-white looks. But as she turns to us with a smile, I have the impression that she’s tougher than those big wide eyes and the full, rather rosebud-ish mouth might suggest, although I don’t know why I should think that. She’s smiling very brightly with a glow about her that might just be the candlelight burnishing her fair hair. She gets to her feet too and I see that she’s shorter and curvier than I am, wearing a knee-length dress in black-and-white chevron stripes that shows off a small waist and round hips.

 
‘Miles, you old reprobate! How are you?’ Dominic is good-looking and well-built, but for me, he doesn’t have Miles’s magnetism or the tough muscled body of the ex-soldier. He looks over at me. ‘And you must be Miles’s friend…’

 
I nod, smiling back.

 
Miles says, ‘This is Freya.’ He doesn’t explain our relationship and there is no follow up question to find out more. Perhaps Dominic’s been told not to ask questions – or perhaps he already knows everything. ‘Freya – Dominic.’

 
‘Great to meet you, Freya. Welcome. This is Beth.’ He gestures to the girl still standing at the table.

She smiles broadly and I feel instantly welcome. ‘Hi, Freya.’

 
We take our seats as we swap polite information about our journeys and the weather. Beth asks me solicitously if I’ve warmed up and compliments me on my dress. When we’re settled, the waiter stands ready to take our orders for drinks.

 
Dominic says expansively, ‘Is it all right with you if we order a bottle of champagne?’

 
‘Of course,’ says Miles. I nod my agreement. I’m feeling rather shy in the presence of these confident, rather charismatic people. I have no idea if they know who I am but I’m enjoying the feeling of anonymity. I get the impression I’ll be judged on myself, rather than on my father’s money or perceptions gained from the media.

 
When Dominic’s ordered a bottle of Krug, Miles says, ‘Is there something to celebrate?’

 
I notice suddenly that Beth is not just glowing from the candlelight but from the illumination that comes with sheer happiness. She and Dominic look at one another and I know at once that they share something special.

 
Dominic doesn’t take his brown eyes off her as he says, ‘The truth is – I’ve asked Beth to marry me. And she’s said yes.’

 
Beth laughs joyfully, puts out her hand and takes Dominic’s. Then she says, her gaze still fixed on him, ‘Yes. I can’t believe it but we’re engaged.’ She shakes her head. ‘I didn’t realise it would feel so different.’

 
‘Congratulations!’ says Miles heartily. He’s beaming at them both, and seems genuinely delighted. ‘What wonderful news. I’m really happy for you. Dominic, you’re a very lucky man. Beth – I hope you know what you’ve taken on!’

 
‘Of course I do,’ she says, laughing.

 
‘Congratulations,’ I echo, moved despite the fact that I hardly know them. It feels a little odd to be here sharing their big moment when I’m a virtual stranger. Their happiness is almost palpable. I smile at Beth. ‘Do you have a ring?’

 
She nods, her eyes shining with pleasure, and holds out her left hand. A beautiful emerald-cut diamond glitters on her finger with a setting of tiny diamonds on either side of it, all on a band of platinum.

 
‘It’s stunning,’ I say sincerely, admiring the elegance of it. I notice that it sits on her finger above another ring: a hoop of diamonds, small but very sparkling. ‘Oh! You’ve got two rings!’

 
Beth’s gaze moves back to Dominic and her eyes soften as she says, ‘Yes, that’s right. The smaller one is my promise ring. Dominic gave it to me a while ago to signify a promise to one another.’

 
I’m a little confused. ‘I thought that an engagement ring was a promise ring – a promise that you’ll get married.’

 
‘Yes, of course. But we had an earlier promise too – it signifies something to us.’ She flushes very lightly and I get the impression that this is more than a straightforward engagement.

But why, when they look so happy? Why should they have needed a different promise altogether?
I’ll ask Miles to tell me what he knows, I decide, intrigued.

 
They’re still looking at each other, lost in the happiness they so clearly feel. I feel a pang deep inside me.
I want that.
I can’t help the thought as I see the pure love between these two, and I can’t help glancing at Miles. He’s staring at his friends, that half smile of his twisting his mouth but there’s a stillness about him and a look in the depths of his eyes that I haven’t seen before.

 
‘When will you get married?’ I ask, feeling that I need to say something.

 
Beth looks back at me. ‘We haven’t even discussed that! Dominic managed to take me by surprise. I had no idea he had a proposal on his mind right now – he’s working so hard, flying all over the world. We’ll have to talk about it.’

 
Dominic leans even closer towards her, holding her hand more tightly. ‘Was it really a surprise?’ he asks, smiling at her.

 
‘Completely!’ She laughs merrily. ‘Didn’t you notice how flabbergasted I was?’

 
‘Maybe just a little.’

 
‘So where did it happen?’ asks Miles.

 
‘Right here! About an hour ago,’ Dominic says. He looks at me. ‘Have you seen outside the schloss?’

 
I shake my head. ‘Just the front, but I could hardly see that in the dark.’

 
‘Come and see this.’ He gets up and leads the way out of the private vault and up the winding staircase. Halfway up it, set in the thick stone walls is a small window that looks out over the back of the castle. ‘Look,’ says Dominic, making space for me to peer out.

 
Beneath us, the view is illuminated by the cool white moonlight. Pine forests iced with snow stretch away up the mountain, towards its craggy, white-capped peak. Below us is the stone terrace of the schloss and a tower connected to the terrace by a flight of stone steps. The crenelated top of the tower is lit by storm lanterns holding fat candles, one between each crenulation, casting a pretty golden light over the snow.

 
Beth has come up behind us and stands next to me to look out of the window, her expression tender. ‘We were standing there together, on the top of the tower with that incredible view, and the castle behind – and then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me and said that… well…’ She blushes again, looking prettier than ever. ‘Well… he said some lovely things…’

 
‘And luckily she said yes,’ Dominic cuts in with a laugh.

 
‘He had the ring ready for me.’ She glances down at it as though she still can’t quite believe it’s on her finger. ‘It’s just… perfect.’

 
‘That’s so romantic,’ I breathe, looking down at the exquisite scene. A proposal on the tower of an Alpine schloss sounds amazing – a lifetime memory.

 
‘But I have no idea when we’ll find time for a wedding, or where it will be,’ Beth says, as Dominic puts his arms round her.

 
‘You should get married here in Switzerland of course,’ I say. ‘A beautiful Alpine winter wedding.’

 
‘It sounds lovely,’ Beth says, as we all begin to descend the stairs back to the private room. ‘But I’ve got family in England, Dominic’s sister is in New York, and the whole thing would be a nightmare to organise.’

 
‘It sounds like it’s going to be tricky wherever you hold it.’ We go back into the vaulted room where the champagne is now waiting for us. ‘Maybe you should make everyone come to you.’ I take my place at the table, putting a white linen napkin on my lap.

 
‘That’s a point,’ Beth says. ‘Somewhere equally inconvenient for everybody!’

 
We both laugh.

 
‘Are you two going to be talking weddings all night?’ Miles asks drily, as the wine waiter returns to open the bottle for us.

 
‘I think it’s virtually required, isn’t it?’ Dominic says. Good humour and happiness are shining from his face. All this bliss is catching, and I feel as though I’m walking on air myself. The waiter pulls the cork with a satisfying ‘pop’ and the foaming liquid gushes into the waiting flutes. Dominic holds up his glass. ‘Now, this might seem a little formal but this is a very special occasion, so I’d like to propose a toast to my beautiful, amazing fiancée, Beth. She’s agreed to be my wife.’ He says the word ‘wife’ as though it’s a precious jewel he can hardly believe he owns. ‘I’m the luckiest – and happiest – man in the world. To Beth.’

 
‘To Beth,’ chorus Miles and I, and we all sip our champagne while Beth looks bashful.

 
Miles clears his throat and says, ‘I think it’s only right that we both drink to your health and toast the future union of two very special people – so here's to Dominic and Beth, and the future.’ He lifts his glass high.

 
‘The future,’ says Dominic, staring into Beth’s eyes.

 
‘To you,’ Beth returns, her face glowing with pleasure.

 
‘To the future,’ I echo, and I realise that I’m not quite sure whose future I mean.

On the way home, Miles doesn’t put on his gloves, but holds my hand under the fur rug. His thumb rubs gently across the top of my hand in smooth but pressing strokes that serve to heighten my anticipation for what will surely be coming next, when we get home. As we left Dominic and Beth at the schloss, climbing into the sleigh for the return journey, I turned to wave at them and saw that they had already forgotten us: he was turning her face up to his and gently dropping his mouth to hers in a tender kiss, the light from the open doorway gilding their figures.