Heidi had peeked one eye open to watch the icy onslaught, and scan the battlefield for Nathan. Sarah and Peter would be too preoccupied with the boys and each other to pelt their serene sister who has simply stopped to enjoy the weather, which in turn would keep Simon and Monty's minds off their mother. Her husband, however, suffered no such handicapped strategy or focus.
She let the first one hit, turning to meet the impact rather than block it, and, noting the snowdrift to the side of the fountain she had selected (,measured the depth of, and added slightly to) during an earlier outing, caught Nathan around the waist and tackle-dragged him sideways into it with what she assumed was a relative degree of grace and finesse. For several seconds afterwards, the only evidence they had been there at all was an eruption of white where Nathan had been approximately three seconds before.