Page 19 of The Dream of Love
His smile melted her heart. “Yes.”
“I’m glad. I liked it very much, too.”
“I know.” He nodded toward the bench where the book and her stockings were still perched. “Midsummer’s Eve is a pagan holiday, which is why the council wants everyone praying in church instead of out in the fields, stark naked and howling at the moon.”
“That sounds ever more fun.”
He caressed her cheek. “It would be with you. But the thought of all my parishioners stripped down to nothing, their pasty arses flapping in the moonlight…” He gave a mock shudder. “It would haunt my dreams.”
“And they’re already haunted, aren’t they?”
His face drained of color in that moment.
“Adam, I’m sorry. I’ve opened my big mouth again. Don’t be angry with me. I’ve already told you that I want to make a life with you. I’ve told you that I love you. I’m not taking it back and will never deny it. Never. If we married, which would be a holy miracle, I know. But if we married, I would never withhold anything from you. I would never lie to you. I would always confide in you because I trust you and value your opinions. I know you’ll tell me the truth and always protect me. You’d be my friend and my solid rock, just as I would be yours.”
He stalked to the bench, picked up the book, her stockings, and her shoes, then marched back to her and dumped them in her hands. Was he going to leave her and tell her to make her own way back?
He answered by lifting her in his arms and carrying her toward the manor house. “I merely invited you to a council meeting,” he said with a growl.
“No, you didn’t. You invited me into your church. Into your sanctuary, which is a metaphor for your heart.”
“Amazing. You discerned all that from a simple invitation?”
“Yes.” She rested her head against his shoulder, her ear picking up the steady beat of his heart. “You want me in there.” She touched him lightly, placing her palm flat against his heart for a moment before she drew it away. “You’d just like those walls to come down a little slower, allow me to remove a stone here and a stone there. But you’re wondering if you can let me in without showing me all of you.”
“Can I?”
She nodded. “Yes, I will not push you. When you are ready, I know you will tell me. And if you are never ready, that will be all right, too.” She glanced atThe Book of Love. “I told you I’m an avid reader and a good student when I want to be. This book isn’t a magical book of spells, it is a pathway to the magic that happens when you open your heart to love.”
He grumbled but was still listening, so she continued. “This is why several chapters are devoted to exploring one’s senses. We have to be taught to look and listen, to touch with kindness and speak with truth. I wish I could give this book to my father, but he’d toss it into the fire and burn it. Anyway, it isn’t mine to give away. I’ll return it to Poppy before the party.”
He did not look pleased at the mention of a party.
Good. She wanted him to be possessive and apelike when suitors came forward. She wasn’t certain any would, but several men might ask her to dance. Hopefully, it would be enough to rile Adam. She wanted him in that piss-in-the-corners-to-mark-his-territory state of arousal. She wanted him to pound on his chest like a barbarian and declare no one but he would ever touch her.
Well, she was exaggerating quite a bit.
Neither of them spoke as they made their way back until Adam suddenly broke the silence. “I had four older brothers.”
She inhaled lightly. “Any younger brothers? Any sisters?”
“No.”
“So only the four older brothers. Are they all in Inverness?” She asked the question warily, afraid she would scare him off if she asked more. But she wanted to know about his family, his childhood, anything he would share with her.
“Yes…I suppose one could say that.”
“Wait, you saidhadfour. Adam, I’m so sorry. Is this the reason you aren’t with your family now?”
She could hear the turmoil in his silence.
“What happened to your brothers?”
Chapter Nine
Remi took greatcare in choosing the perfect gown to wear for her afternoon meeting at the vicarage. Adam had invited her yesterday to participate in the midsummer celebration discussions, and she did not wish to be late. In truth, she had considered arriving early to learn more about his Inverness family, especially knowing that he’d lost brothers in the war, but decided to linger afterward to pose her questions. To do so before the meeting would not be productive and might only aggravate him.
After opening his heart just enough to mention he had four brothers, he’d slammed it shut again and told her nothing more. She was patient and could wait him out, assuming her father did not haul her away and force her to marry a toady of his choice. “Good afternoon, everyone. I hope I’m not late.”
