Page 71 of The Scent of Intuition
Alfie chastised himself for being unable to think of anything but his self-pity for falling for the aristocratic cousin of Nick’s bride. He hadn’t meant to let it happen; he knew it was not wise.
Alfie closed his eyes and slumped against a tree.
He’d fallen in love.
Despite better judgment, he’d contracted the one condition he had no remedy for—lovesickness.
Then, Chromius tensed, his body straight like an arrow.
Alfie looked toward where Chromius was staring, and then he froze.
Bea was riding in a carriage along the path and next to the prince.
Alfie stepped around the tree trunk and into the shadows lest he be seen.
*
This was herchance to forge her future. The love potion smelled lovely, and she hoped it would work because she couldn’t wait to start a new life after Pippa’s wedding—just not the way she’d initially planned. With only hours left in her old life, Bea never felt more ready for a change.
After Pippa’s wedding, Bea would start a new chapter in her life. The new plan was in motion.
Bea blinked and then narrowed her eyes.
Alfie had crafted an intoxicating perfume that lingered on her skin. It was a unique blend that reminded her not just of his alchemical talents, but of his tender touch. Each moment spent with Alfie had imprinted itself upon her senses, and now, enveloped in this new fragrance, she felt a profound and novel energy within herself. She wasn’t just wearing a different perfume; she was blossoming with a newfound sense of identity, one that resonated with confidence and clarity.
“That’s why the gold mines are such a fruitful target. We have four in Alba County,Zlatna, Abrud,Baia de Arie?, andRo?ia Montana.”
“I know, they date back to the ancient Romans. But there’sBrad, too. In the Hunedoara County.” Bea remembered the pages in her atlas when she’d studied Transylvania. But it didn’t appeal anymore.
“You know the names of the counties?” He asked but she couldn’t follow the conversation. Her heart was in turmoil and instead of hoping the love potion would work, she now fearedthat it would work in the way she’d originally hoped rather than what she now wanted. It had been too late to cancel the carriage ride with Prince Stan, but Bea had put on the love potion for Alfie. She’d changed into a more elegant gown and decided to tell him what she wanted—him! Alfie!
As the carriage rocked gently along the path, Bea couldn’t ignore the growing dissonance within her. Sitting beside the man she had briefly envisioned as her future husband, she realized how wrong her plan now seemed especially when she couldn’t deny her feelings for Alfie. The ambitions and dreams she had held onto so tightly suddenly felt like remnants of another life—one in which she hadn’t yet discovered who she truly was or what she truly desired. Shifting slightly on the bench, she moved further away from him, creating a physical distance that mirrored the emotional rift opening up between them.
“Zlatna has many other precious metals, too. It’s a flourishing city.” Stan talked and talked, and Bea thought he might be homesick. She would be, too. Her desire to travel were naught now if they didn’t include Alfie. All the longing to see the world had been something else entirely and she understood that now, she’d been on a search for him all this time.
Alfie occupied her thoughts, and the realization struck her with startling clarity. The man beside her, though perfectly amiable, could never ignite her soul the way Alfie did. It was Alfie’s touch, Alfie’s voice, Alfie’s very presence that had awakened something deep within her—a passion and a purpose that she’d been stupid to attempt to deny. She wasn’t the old Bea in Alfie’s eyes, and wanted to grow into the adventure of the new woman she became when he held her in his arms. The plans she had made now felt like a constricting corset, one she was desperate to shed in favor of the freedom that came with being true to herself. As the carriage carried her onward, Bea knewthat her heart had already chosen, and it was leading her straight to Alfie.
Bea tried to pay attention to what Stan had explained to her, and the county borders and the political impasse between the Austrians, Hungarians, and Prussians would be fascinating if she didn’t have a sense of urgency to speak to Alfie again.
“So, I said, not all citizens have the same protections under the law, and it’s not how justice was meant to be. Even the ancient Greeks recognized the need for equality among men and a balance of power between those who govern and those who are governed.” Stan seemed to talk to himself as much as her—although he was so consumed in his lecture that she could have been anyone—even a tree.
Bea turned her head and held her bonnet to keep her eyes shaded. It was unseemly to roll her eyes at a prince, especially one who’d agree to stroll in the park with her when he was so busy with himself otherwise.
Alfie had never done that, she thought. He’d never talked on and on about things that only interested him without considering her an equal partner in the conversation. Even when he’d explained the workings of his connections, he’d stopped and asked for her opinion. He’d given her a vial to smell. She sighed and let her eyes glaze over with tears.
Holding her, pleasuring her… it had been the most wondrous experience and she had never felt more wanted and desired.
Bea shuddered at the thought that she’d lost control as she had, letting Alfie lift her naked out of the bath and… oh, what a wanton he must think of her for even accepting his offer of bathing in his quarters.
Bea squinted. She could have sworn she saw a man who looked just like him under the Linden trees.
No matter, for she mustn’t allow the inner hunger for him to take over her mind.
No, Alfie had first taken over her mind, and now her body wanted to follow suit.
She tilted her head back and groaned.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Lady Beatrice. Have I overstepped?” Stan asked, his brows furrowed.
