Saving Sabine

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The weeks leading up to Christmas passed quickly, and before either Sabine or Connor knew it, it was time for them to part ways for the holidays.

Everyday Sabine would go down to the stables and help Connor with the horses. She’d abandoned side saddle, and had revealed to her parents that Connor had been teaching her to ride like a man, something they didn’t have too much of a problem with, much to her surprise. She’d made sure to keep complaining about Connor at dinner though, often moaning about his organisational skills or how his shirt was never clean or the way that he spoke.

She didn’t mind those things so much anymore. They’d both learnt to compromise when it came to organising the stables. Sabine didn’t mind that his shirt wasn’t clean, she just enjoyed that he kept it unbuttoned. His accent was one of her favourite things about him. Hearing his voice in the morning comforted her.

There was one recreational activity that she liked above all. Kissing. Connor never pushed Sabine further than she was willing to go, but he still made her feel utterly special when he held her in his arms.

She’d attempted to end her courtship with Mr Rochester several times and, much to Connor’s annoyance, he’d found a way to guilt her into stopping whatever it was that she had planned to say. He still continued to bore her, and then offend her with a comment he made that was so outrageously self – righteous.

Her brother’s had arrived home from Eton the day before Sabine and her family were due to travel to Yorkshire to spend Christmas with her grandmother, as well as her aunt, uncle and cousins.

After greeting them, Sabine had gone down to the stables to visit with Connor one last time before she would leave for nearly a month.

Arriving at the stables she saw that Connor had dressed for the weather. The snow had begun to stick to the ground so extra layers were necessary. Sabine herself had dressed in a royal blue velvet dress with a thick travelling cloak over the top. She’d also chosen a white, woollen scarf that her grandmother had knitted for her the year before. Connor was wearing a heavy coat on top of his usual white shirt and black slacks. He wasn’t as dirty as usual which was a change.

His signature crooked grin appeared on his face as he saw her coming. “Ye a bit cold?” he called out as she approached.

Sabine giggled as she moved up her pace. Connor closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Snuggling into his musky smelling chest, Sabine tried to memorise the feeling, as she would not experience it for another month. “I brought you a Christmas present,” she whispered.

“As did I,” he replied. “Well, I made it. It’s no’ exciting.”

Sabine smiled happily, pulling back from the hug. “You didn’t have to do anything for me,” she informed him, still happy that he’d made the effort. Pulling the small leather pouch from her cloak, she handed it to him. “It’s really from my father. I didn’t know what to get you, so I asked him for some money.” Inside the pouch was ten pounds.