Page 9 of The Dream of Love
She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.
He closed his arms around her slender, little body and inhaled the scent of her lavender soap as he buried his face against her neck.
Those damn archangels began tossing lightning bolts at him again. Warning! Warning! Yes, he would burn in the fires of hell if he allowed his lips to touch her skin and his hands to roam where he truly desired over her body.
Eternal damnation seemed worth it at the moment.
It was Remi who drew away first.
Their embrace had lasted no more than a few seconds, but the fire she had ignited in his soul was going to last much longer and simply would not burn itself out. Not even as he rode to the vicarage in a torrential downpour.
Everything around him was drenched and flooded.
But the Remi fire still burned.
What was he going to do about her?
Chapter Five
The rain hadstopped by morning, leaving many puddles in its wake. Since the skies were now clear, Remi knew the roads would dry by midday under the heat of the summer sun. This would give Adam plenty of time to visit her father and find out whether he was still too angry to speak to her.
“Remi, you’ve hardly touched your breakfast,” Poppy said, staring at the untouched pile of food on her plate.
“I don’t have much of an appetite this morning.” She nodded to one of the footmen, who came to take the plate away.
Lavinia lifted her black and tan spaniel, Periwinkle, onto her lap. “Wait! Bring it back,” she ordered the man before he could walk off with the coddled eggs and sausage. “No sense letting a good meal go to waste. Right, my sweet baby,” she crooned to her pampered dog.
It did not escape Remi’s notice that this animal was treated better by Lavinia than Remi had ever been treated by her parents in her entire life.
Poppy must have sensed her distress and cast her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure Adam will bring your father around. He’s smart, eloquent, and can be quite convincing when he puts his mind to it. He also has courage and won’t back down if your father shouts and blusters.” She glanced out the dining room window. “The rain stopped before dawn. The main roads ought to be clear by now. We shouldn’t have too long to wait for news.”
To Remi’s surprise, Adam rode up to Sherbourne Manor well before midday. Poppy and Lavinia had gone into town to run a quick errand. Poppy’s husband, the earl, was off with his estate manager and young ward, Pip, checking his properties for damage after the storm.
Remi had chosen to remain behind with Periwinkle, passing the hours reading in the summer salon while the dog dozed atop her feet, adorably curled in a ball. Eating like a glutton was exhausting work for the little spaniel.
Since Adam had come through the back gate, she was able to see his approach from her position in the salon. Setting aside her book, she eased Periwinkle off her toes and hurried to the entry hall to await him.
She was glad no one else was home, for this allowed her to meet Adam alone and hear his report in private. If the news broke her heart and made her cry, she did not want an audience around her. Knowing her father’s nature as well as she did, she did not expect a happy outcome. He did not have a soft heart and would never relent.
The butterflies in her stomach began to flutter and her hands began to tremble as she watched Adam dismount with an easy grace that hinted of years of experience riding. There was something in the way he moved and held himself that made her certain he had spent time in a cavalry regiment, a Scottish one since he called Inverness his home. Why hadn’t he returned there after the war? She wanted to ask him and would eventually, but likely not today.
He gave over the reins to the young groom who had run up to attend Alcazar. That he’d allowed the lad to take his horse could only mean this would be an extended visit.
Was this good or bad for her?
“Bad,” she muttered, peering out the window and noticing the frown marring Adam’s handsome brow. She stood by the door, her anticipation growing as he strode up the front steps.
Soames opened the door to him. “Good morning, Vicar.”
“Morning, Soames. Is Lady Remington…” He grinned when she peeked out from behind the butler. “Ah, there you are.”
“Have you seen my father?” She put a hand to her stomach to calm its nervous flutter.
“Yes. I suppose you wish to know what he said.”
“I do. Shall we walk in the garden? It is a lovely day, and I would enjoy a bit of sun.” Also, she did not want their conversation overheard by the Sherbourne staff. They were discreet and trustworthy, but the entire town of Wellesford already knew her father had tossed her out of his home, and she simply could not bear another humiliation.
“Yes, let’s take a walk, and I’ll tell you about my visit.”
