Free This Way to Heaven by Barbara Cartland

Her ice-skates! She recalled her mother insisting they travelled to England with her, as she had heard that at Debbingford there was a large lake and there was sure to be skating at Christmas.
    â€˜I do declare that with this weather any local water will be frozen solid. I am sure the Earl must have a lake too. An estate like Somerton is sure to contain all sorts of exciting things.
    â€˜If I cannot ride, then I will definitely skate instead. Goodness, I will go mad with boredom if I have to sit and read or sew all day until the snow melts. And obviously I cannot rely on the Earl for entertainment. He has made it very plain that I should stay out of his sight at all costs!’
    Jasmina pulled on her heaviest cloak and made her way down the carved oak staircase into the vast central hall of the castle.
    How wonderful it looked with the brilliant snow light flooding in through the small stained-glass windows, painting bright scarlet, blue and emerald patterns on the worn grey stones.
    She could only stand and admire with awe the great tapestries, the suits of armour and the patterns of swords and sabres high on the walls above her head.
    â€˜It is all very marvellous, but all so very cold and severe,’ she said to herself. ‘Why, you could put some big blue and white bowls of flowers on those little tables and the whole place would look so much more cheerful and homely.’
    Jasmina made her way down a narrow corridor and found a door leading into the garden.
    She gasped as she pushed it open. The view was so beautiful.
    She found herself standing on a terrace that had recently been swept and sanded so it was easy to walk on.
    A gentle snow-covered slope ran away behind the terrace down towards a line of willow trees.
    Behind their bare branches that bent down towards the ground, Jasmina could see the silver glint of an ice-covered lake and beyond it rose the smooth slopes of the hills that led on to the wild moors.
    â€œOh, how wonderful!”
    â€œYou approve of the Somerton estate then, Miss Winfield?”
    â€œOh!” Jasmina turned, startled.
    She had not heard the Earl approaching.
    He was wearing riding breeches with high boots to protect him from the snow and a long, dark brown leather coat that snapped around his boots as he walked.
    â€œYes, it is marvellous. So wild and beautiful.”
    The Earl gazed out over the landscape that meant so much to him.
    â€œI think you would like it even more in the spring. The fields are studded with daffodils and when the lambs arrive, you can see them playing in the pastures.”
    Jasmina sighed.
    â€œSadly I will be home in Missouri by the time the daffodils appear. But are your flocks safe now, my Lord?”
    â€œYes, quite safe, thank goodness. I have very good shepherds. They brought all the sheep down from the high ground before the blizzard hit. They have a second sense as to when the weather is about to change.”
    â€œI heard dogs barking when I awoke this morning and the sound of sheep, but no voices. Your shepherds must work extremely quietly.”
    The Earl laughed suddenly, his serious face now looking much younger.
    â€œI will tell them that, Miss Winfield. Although I think they would say that it is the dogs that do all the hard work, rounding up and guiding the sheep.”
    â€œI am anxious to explore. Would it be convenient for me to walk round the castle?”
    The Earl nodded.
    â€œCertainly. The terrace has been swept and sanded. It is quite safe.”
    He paused.
    He was so tempted to walk with her and show this young American all the glorious features of his home.
    Her high spirits was intriguing him and her determination to overcome all the difficulties put in her way.
    Most aristocratic young ladies of his acquaintance would have taken to their beds for a fortnight after such an ordeal as Miss Whitfield had suffered.
    But it was so vital that he finished the work he had intended to undertake when in London