Page 13 of Margins of Love
Tonight, the light was golden, the air crackled, and his heart pounded. Rachel must be near; he felt it in his bones. He had noticed when she entered the great room earlier, for the guests paused their small talk to look at her. She was a vision, an ethereal goddess. He had admired the curve of her shoulders under the thin fabric of her dress, the movement of her slim waist, and the sheen of her bare arms. As if he feared that they could be privy to his thoughts, Fave looked over to Lady Bustle-Smith and his mother on the other side of the table, less than three seats over to his left and within earshot.
“Good evening, Mr. Pearler.”
His heart leaped when she said his name. “Good evening,” he said and bowed.
He felt his mother’s eyes burning into him and his skin erupted in a crimson flush. Doubtless, she could read his reaction to Rachel. When he looked up, Eve seemed to understand his distress. So she quickly turned to Lady Bustle-Smith and engaged her in what must have been a delicious piece of gossip that took the dowager’s attention away from Fave. He appreciated his mother’s finesse and was relieved to be spared the dowager countess’ scrutiny.
When he turned back to Rachel, she smiled at him with a warmth that unsettled him. She was closer now, and for the first time, he could see the color of her eyes. There hadn’t been enough light in the library the night they met to reveal the facets of her iris, the shades of green beaming back at him.
“Do you know where Montana is?” Fave asked, unable to take his eyes off hers.
“The…ahm…Louisiana purchase—”
“Very good, Ms. Newman. I have a friend, who met Thomas Jefferson a few years ago and brought back some gems for me. Probably sapphires but I cannot be certain.”
Intelligence dazzled in her eyes and threw Fave’s mind off kilter like a carriage rolling down a narrow mountain path.
“Teal…what I meant to say is that the gems, they’re teal. Sometimes they catch the light just so and sparkle in hues of greens, blues, and purple.” He looked at her and gulped before continuing. “And I thought I had never seen such a color until your eyes.” Embarrassed, Fave lowered his gaze but felt Rachel twitching nervously beside him.
What had come over him? He inhaled to calm his body, but breathing near her had the opposite effect. He was saved by a servant, who brought out the first course.
“What is this?” Rachel whispered to him as she leaned toward him, wafting a scent of faint vanilla and something floral he couldn’t identify.
“Turtle soup,” he answered. The food did not matter to him, not when there was this gorgeous distraction a mere foot from his bulging breeches. He imagined running his hands through her luscious hair and unpinning her elaborate updo. Her stiffness at the dinner table, Fave decided, was a front. When Rachel slid her fingers around the stem of her wine glass and elegantly lifted it to her mouth, Fave felt a thrill shoot through his body, and he envied the glass. Rachel stimulated his senses; he felt exhilarated despite the now painful erection firmly hidden under the white napkin on his lap.
She crinkled her nose in the most adorable manner he had ever seen. “You are jesting. People do not actually eat turtles.”
Fave chuckled and shook his head with a defeated smile, but he kept the napkin in place now. It was a matter of life or death. His mother was watching him with pursed lips. He took a spoonful of the soup and smiled.
“Oh.” Rachel assumed a straight-backed posture and unfolded her napkin on her lap.
He followed her movement, noticing how her bodice stretched over her breasts. His body responded to the sight with tension. This would be a most uncomfortable dinner.
Rachel was a picky eater. She pretended to eat the turtle soup, but every time she brought the spoon to her mouth, she grimaced as if the soup was disgusting. Every time she raised the spoon with the apparent intention to take a sip, she licked her lips. Fave eyed them, constantly reprimanding himself for doing so.
Fave thought it a heroic feat that he kept up a polite stream of idle conversation despite his arousal, but Rachel was not good at small talk. Her clumsy conversation—mainly a recitation of random facts—indicated that she shared his discomfort, though for reasons unbeknownst to him.
“The pea is really not a vegetable but a legume,” she said. “It contains a high amount of protein and fiber.”
When she reached the taxonomy of peas over the last course, he could no longer hold back a chuckle.
“Are you laughing at me?” She frowned.
Fave closed his eyes to buy himself time for a polite remark. He drank his wine, a cheap, tangy claret he was used to at affairs such as these, though it still burned going down. Even the pungent alcohol barely distracted him from the vision of sweetness at his side. “I apologize, Ms. Newman. I meant no disrespect. You seem to know quite a bit about everything—no, pardon me—you know a lot about everything.” He beamed at her, feeling his cheeks flush.
She breathed heavily and sank her gaze to the edge of the table before her, picking at a loose thread on the tablecloth. How sweet that she was shy.
“I like to read,” she muttered without looking at him.
“Dictionaries?” he joked. She nodded and the smile fell from his face. Was she explaining her brilliance away? Fave felt a pinch in his heart. “I find it remarkable for a debutante of your beauty to find time to study dictionaries. You have my heartfelt admiration.” She lifted her gaze and he saw an ocean of pain in her eyes. All he wanted was to soothe her troubles away.
Dessert was served.
“Oh, marzipan!” She clasped her hands as the servant placed a slice in front of her. Fave somehow felt her excited smile across his entire body.
“I am famished.” She leaned closer to impart this secret, a strange one considering they were on the meal’s fifth course.
His reply froze in his mouth when he caught her mixed vanilla and floral scent. It was unbearable not to know what caused the latter note. “You did not even touch the pork stew,” he commented. He felt like a green boy, pointing out the obvious while she lectured him on every topic and then some.
