Before The Snow Falls | Holiday Novella

The Liar

New York City, New York

1867

Nora didn't know how the air could be so cold when not even a flake of snow had yet to fall. Another gust of wind made her clutch her hat even closer to her head, and she wrapped her arm around her waist, drawing her ivy green cloak tightly around her.

Nora huddled up to the warm body next to her, and her companion looked down his nose at her. They were close enough that she could see the freckles upon his face, dotting the cheeks that had turned pink from the chill.

"You know," Oliver drawled. "We needn't be sitting here if you're too cold. I shall take you home whenever you like."

"It isn't that cold," Nora lied through her chattering teeth.

Oliver rolled his eyes in response. "I don't even know why you wished to see the carriage parade today. It isn't as if we haven't seen loads of carriages in our lives."

They were sitting upon a wooden bench in Central Park, waiting for the daily parade of vehicles that would make its way through the green space. Occasionally, Nora enjoyed coming to see it. Oliver was right in that it wasn't anything new or exciting; it was more the tradition of it that appealed to her.

"Would you like to ice skate instead?" Nora asked, thinking that the movement would help thaw her body.

"You're already frozen solid, and now you wish to slide around on ice?" Oliver gave her a skeptical look.

"It isn't like I would be touching the ice at all, Oliver," Nora pointed out, matching the incredulity of his expression with the tone in her voice.

"Yes, that is until you fall," Oliver quickly replied, his mouth curving upwards with a knowing smile.

Nora's mouth popped open with an indignant noise. "Do you mean to say that I am not graceful on skates?"

"Are you?" Oliver asked, still smiling.

Her mouth clamped back together, and she admitted, "No." Nora sighed before adding, "Fine, let us leave."

"Oh, thank god."

Nora threw her hands up, exasperated, as she stood from the bench and began walking in the direction of their neighborhood. "If you didn't want to go to the carriage parade, you should have said so!"

Oliver fell into stride next to her and looped his arm into the crook of her elbow. "I was quite fine with going to the carriage parade," he commented. "Until I realized how damn cold it was."

Nora found herself rolling her eyes before the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. Talking was too challenging through the chattering of her teeth, anyway. Instead, Nora turned her attention to the sights around her.

Despite the chill, many other park-goers were still enjoying the winter activities, though they were just as bundled in winter clothing as Nora and Oliver. She watched as a smartly-dressed couple—well, she assumed they were a couple—laced up their ice skates near the edge of the rink. They were smiling shyly at each other, and Nora wondered if they were newly married. She didn't see a chaperone lurking nearby to keep sights on them, and so it appeared as though they were.

Although Nora would be the first to admit that looks could be deceiving, especially considering the way she was marching through the park on Oliver's arm.

As she tore her eyes away from the couple at the rink, Nora couldn't help her mind from wandering to Felix. She hadn't heard anything since she had sent her last letter, and she was anxious to know how he would react.