Annie cuffed the side of his woolen cap.“London, you ninny.Down there, the Season only comes once a year.”
Gloria grinned at them both.“Thank you for leading the sky-walk in my absence, Annie.I heard you were wonderful.”
“I could lead the sky-walk in my sleep,” Annie pinched Nigel’s cheek.“This lad probably could, too.”
“Then I have a treat.”Gloria smiled over her shoulder at her husband.“We’re going to have a different sky-walk today.”
Nigel’s eyes widened.“Different how?”
“One trip,” she explained.“A single, leisurely stroll.”
“But what about the wishes?”he stammered, his blue eyes full of panic.
“We don’t have to wait for wishes anymore,” she assured him.“I’ll point out the true names—”
“—and I’ll say the opposite,” Christopher finished, joining his arm with hers.“We can have both ways at the same time.”
Annie smirked in his direction.“I can’t wait to hear Mr.Pringle try to use his imagination.”
Gloria squeezed Christopher’s arm and murmured into his ear, “One might be surprised how imaginative you can be.”
Annie skipped along beside them as they headed toward the newest crop of tourists awaiting a tour of the heavens.
“Was London as wonderful as they say?”she asked.
“Wonderfuller,” Gloria promised and sent a tender glance toward her husband.
She had been so nervous.First to leave home, and then to return to the place that had brought her nothing but heartache.She had been terrified of what might go wrong.
London was glorious.With Christopher, every day was full of surprises and every night full of love.The weeks became a blur of ballrooms and pleasure gardens and moonlit strolls.No wonder his friends never missed a Season.She would be thrilled to have one again every year.
To make it a tradition.
“Sei pronta?” he asked.
Are you ready?
She grinned.They had been working on her Italian in case she worked up the courage to one day get on a boat.“Con te, sono pronta a tutto.”
With you I am ready for anything.
Nigel pointed up at the sky.“Look, there’s Leo!”
Annie sent a skeptical gaze toward Christopher.“What doyousee?”
“A pair of hands scandalously interlaced.”He linked his fingers with Gloria’s and lifted them for Annie to see.“Like this.”
She covered her eyes with one mitten.“The scandal… it scalds.”
Nigel tugged at Gloria’s pelisse.“Make a wish!Quick!”
She made a show of closing her eyes tight and scrunching her face hard in concentration.
When she opened her eyes, Nigel asked, “What did you wish for?”
“To visit the stars,” she answered automatically.
“Mrs.Pringle might actually do it,” Annie told Nigel with pride, then raced him toward the tour group.
