Christopher held out his arms in front of him as if the blindfold weren’t sliding down his face and pantomimed a wooden stumble in her direction.
She was laughing too hard to hide from his outstretched hands.
“Fair to say he got her,” someone shouted in glee.
“I think that’s enough Blind Man’s Bluff for one night,” their host said with a chuckle.
“Back to the wine,” someone else called out.
A resounding cheer sounded at once.
Christopher ripped the blindfold from his head and tossed it upon one of the newly vacated chairs.
Gloria was staring up at him with an inscrutable expression.
“May I fetch you a glass of wine?”he asked.
She shook her head and rose to her feet.“The stars are out.Walk me home?”
“With pleasure.”He would take her anywhere she wished to go.
They took their leave from the high-spirited company and made their way out into the silent night.
“Did you enjoy the party?”Gloria asked as she curved her fingers about his arm.
“Very much,” he admitted.
Christopher had met many of the tourists that came and went from the castle, but after spending a few occasions with Gloria’s friends he began to notice that not all of the locals stayed local.Some of her friends had seasonal homes elsewhere.For others, their seasonal home was the one here in Christmas.
He loved the idea of having a close circle of friends, yet having the freedom to flow in or out of that circle as one wished.
Gloria pointed up at the sky.“That one looks like a Venetian gondola.”
“It looks like Lacaille’s Reticulum to me,” he said with a chuckle.“You’d be able to tell the difference if you visited the Continent.”
“I’ll never leave Christmas,” she said without breaking stride.“Besides, I’ve always been able to tell the difference between the stars.”She began to point.“There’s Auriga and Columba and Lepus...”
“Wait.”He came to a complete stop.“Youdoknow the constellations?”
Her eyes twinkled up at him.“Of course.Don’t you?”
“But you… I…” He could not even form words.
She tugged him to keep walking.
“I learned the stars long before I learned devices,” she said.“I’m our town’s resident expert.You met me during the second lap of the sky-walk, where we use our imaginations.On the first lap, which you missed, my group learns traditional constellation names and scientific star designations.”
Heat climbed the back of his neck and he groaned out loud.“I am the worst blackguard.”
“You did make insulting assumptions about my intelligence, competence, and general fitness for speaking to children.”She tossed him a pointed glance.“And delivered your public judgment in the most mortifying way possible.”
Good God, he had been a fool.
“I am appalled by my ‘gentleman astronomer’ prejudices.”He winced.“I don’t know how you can forgive me.”
“I already accepted your apology,” she reminded him.“Back when I agreed to be your matchmaker.”
“I didn’t realize what I was apologizing for back then,” he said.“Now I do.I’m sorry.”
