I would have liked to stay there watching the petals forever, but alas, the body has a mind of its own. No sooner had I begun to shiver than I unleashed a powerful sneeze.
Mr. Fisalis was keyed into even the slightest of changes in my physical condition. Just as I thought, Great, now I’ve done it, he said, “Okay. I hate to cut this short, but we’re going back inside.”
“Fine, fine!”
He swung me around 180 degrees, his arms still wrapped around me from behind, and pushed me right back into the mansion.
“It was cold out there, but it was so pretty,” I said.
“Yeah. I wish we could have stayed longer.”
“You’re telling me!”
“But I’m putting my foot down. Just look at you—chilled to the bone!”
“I know.”
Though I’d had Mr. Fisalis to keep me warm, we’d been out in the garden in the middle of the night with the wind blowing something fierce. Of course I was going to get cold.
“It’s still too early to be up and at ’em, so let’s warm up under the covers.”
“Good idea!”
Then again, I was so thoroughly frozen that I wasn’t sure a few blankets would be enough to thaw me.
Man...in times like this, nothing beats soaking in a tub of warm water! But I couldn’t live with myself if I asked the servants to draw me a bath at this hour. Let’s not.
I was trailing after Mr. Fisalis, my head full of such thoughts, when he came to a dead stop all of a sudden.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him in a whisper only he could hear.
“Happy New Year,” he said.
And next thing I knew, he’d placed a kiss on my lips.
“Huh?”
“Look up.”
“Oh—the mistletoe!”
“You got it.”
I’d been flustered by how sudden the kiss was—until Mr. Fisalis smiled and pointed to a sprig of mistletoe decorating the wall.
Tradition said that a kiss under the mistletoe on New Year’s would bring one happiness.
“Isn’t that jumping the gun?”
“Of course not. The date’s already turned over,” he replied, the picture of nonchalance.
Jeez! He’s really dialing up the charm today!
When we snuck back into our room as quietly as we’d left, I spotted something giving off steam from atop the bedside table. I got closer, wondering what it could be, and found that it was a cup of some kind of hot beverage.
“Was someone else awake?” Mr. Fisalis wondered.
“That’s the only possible answer.”
Whatever the case, I was glad to have something warm to put in my chilled body. I picked up the cup and discovered that it was mulled wine. The sweet fragrance of the spices wafted up with the steam.
A single sip sent a wave of warmth washing over my body. The crisp, sweet aftertaste had hints of molasses in it.
“This’ll put us right back to sleep,” said Mr. Fisalis.
“I’m all warmed up now,” I said.
With both our bodies and our hearts warmed, we indulged ourselves in a few more hours of sleep.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day rolled around.
“That was quite the gorgeous petal storm last night. However, I can’t say I approve of sneaking out in the wee hours.”
“We know! Thanks for the mulled wine!” Mr. Fisalis and I chorused. We were no match for Rohtas’s smile.