Let it Snow!

❄Thirty-Two❄

Nora and Martin walked along the corridor, descended the spiral staircase, crossed the snow-buried courtyard and the castle's empty Entry Hall in perfect silence only disturbed by the whispers and moans of the wind rushing along and through the tall walls of the ancient building.

It wasn't before they reached the stables, huddled close together to protect each other from the crazy snowfall and the freezing wind, that Nora couldn't resist asking him the questions filling her mind and burning her tongue any longer.

She needed to hear, in his own words, how things were between him and Victoria. However, before she could open her mouth, Martin spoke, distracting her.

"Oh, they left the lights on again..." he muttered, looking through the wrought iron gate into the stables. "I'll have to stop by on my way back."

"Are the torches dangerous?" Nora asked, following his look towards the faint lights, reduced to mere trembling flickers by the heavy snowfall. "You can switch them off now, I'll wait."

"No, don't worry. They are safe, solar powered, flame shaped led bulbs, they would go out even on their own the moment they finished the power. But there's no point leaving them on unnecessarily." He shrugged.

"Well, at least they remembered to close Snow White properly tonight," Nora said, turning back to the sloping path and noticing the absence of the reindeer who usually waited for Martin on the meadow.

He chuckled. "I think that Snow White's escapades have nothing to do with Alan's or any other Ranger's forgetfulness."

"So you know who lets the reindeer out? Tell me, please!" she begged, riveted by the small mystery. Surely someone was doing it on purpose, knowing it would be Martin who would have to go out in the most inconvenient moments in pursuit of the animals.

Seeing her wide-eyed excitement, Martin laughed. "I'll tell you when I'm entirely sure." He stopped and she took her eyes off his face, shadowed by the night and the falling snow, to see why he stopped, only to realise that they had already reached the stairs leading to the porch of her cottage.

She groaned inwardly; she had meant to use this time to talk to him...

He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face up, his eyes boring into hers through the darkness for a few seconds before his lips found hers, asking, claiming, scattering her thoughts.

Feeling shocked by her response to him-- Just why is he so unresistable?!-- Nora removed her arms from around his neck, not remembering how they got there, when he pulled away for breath, resting his forehead against hers.

"We need to talk..." he muttered, echoing her thoughts.

Nodding, she took a step away from him, up the steps. "Not now. You need to go; I don't like the idea of Daniel being alone. It makes me feel... anxious. We'll talk another time."

She climbed another step even as he said, "Friday night then. Dinner. I'll get someone to babysit, and we'll go out."

"All right," Nora agreed, suddenly happy that the serious talk was postponed for a few days. "But not too late, please, I'm supposed to help Clelia in the market at the weekends."

"Deal." He smiled, and she could hear the smile in his voice rather than see it spread over his lips as she stood on the porch, looking down at him.

"Good night, Martin."

"Good night, Nora. I... I'm glad that you returned," he said, striding down the meadow quickly, leaving Nora with the impression that he had meant to say something else, then changed his mind at the last moment.