Page 16 of Healing the Duke's Desires
“I actually wanted to stay here and look at these other paintings first.” Emily smiled. “Why don’t you two go on ahead and I’ll catch up with you in a bit?”
Sarah’s cheeks flushed a deeper crimson as she looked at her sister. The intent was clear. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Emily reassured her. “Go, see what Henry wants to show you and I’ll be right along.”
Henry nodded gratefully at her. He understood what Emily had done, and he appreciated it. Emily watched them disappear through a corridor, then she turned her attention back on the painting in front of her.
After a while, she had had enough of landscapes, and entered a room with just three paintings, which seemed to make a unified whole. The center one was the most sensual one, depicting lovers intertwined in an intimate embrace. It was scandalous, and yet, no one deemed it so. Emily herself was mesmerized, unable to look away.
***
“Oh, this must be what heaven looks like,” Rose gushed as they moved from one landscape painting to the next, with each one providing a glimpse into the creative mind of the artist.
“Yes,” Alexander murmured. This was more difficult than he’d thought it would be, so he tried to speak as little as possible. Fortunately, Rose was happy to do the talking for both of them.
As they explored the exhibition together, Alexander found himself entranced not only by the art but also by Rose’s genuine passion for it. Her eyes sparkled with joy as she spoke about her favorite pieces, and he admired the way she saw beauty in every stroke of the brush.
Lady Viola approached them with her characteristic flair, her colorful ensemble matching her vibrant personality. She clasped Rose’s hand in hers, excitement dancing in her eyes. “Rose! Alexander! You’ve made it!”
Alexander bowed courteously, although Lady Viola had never been much for societal conformation. He had always admired such people, although Lady Viola was rather eccentric.
“Dear Alexander, you won’t mind if I steal Rose away from you for a few moments? There is a delightful collection I simply must show you!”
Rose turned to Alexander as Lady Viola was already dragging her by the hand, a hint of apology in her gaze. “I’ll be back shortly,” she promised Alexander as both ladies disappeared in another room.
As he wandered through the exhibition, he couldn’t help but notice how different artworks evoked various emotions within him. Some pieces stirred nostalgia, reminding him of happier times with Amelia. Others portrayed the beauty of nature, capturing his attention and igniting a spark of inspiration within.
He paused before a mesmerizing landscape painting, the vivid colors and intricate details pulling him in. Lost in the scene, Alexander envisioned brush strokes on a canvas, imagining himself recreating the beauty he saw before him. A flicker of the old passion sparked within him, but it was impossible to erase the pain that went along with it.
He walked away from the painting and entered a room, finding himself drawn to yet another painting, depicting two people in an embrace. Even more surprisingly, he stood next to a young woman, whose lavender perfume reminded him of…
“Emily?” He felt a stone lodged in his throat.
When she turned around to face him, it was as if a lightning bolt struck him right then and there. He was unable to look away from her, even for a single moment. They just stood there, gazing at each other, as if the whole world had melted away and there was no one else left but the two of them. He had no idea how long this moment lasted. Perhaps but a mere moment, perhaps an entire eternity. Time stood still and so did they.
Finally, he was able to break free from this spell, bowing in front of her.
“Your Grace.” She curtsied, and when her hand lingered a little too long in the air, he seized the chance to take it into his and lay a gentle kiss on it. There was nothing indecent about it, and yet, it enflamed his entire body, to feel her skin on his lips.
“Alexander, please,” he corrected her. “I think the situation we found ourselves in several nights ago requires of us to be more friendly than that.”
He had no idea where all this was coming from, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying any of this.
“Yes… thank you for that,” she repeated again. “For coming to my aid. It was a very unpleasant situation, which I imagine would have been even more unpleasant without your interference.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “It was the honorable thing to do.”
He didn’t want to talk about that night. He wanted to create new memories with her, and that thought both thrilled him and petrified him at the same time.
“Are you interested in art?” he inquired.
She nodded. “Very much so. But I’m afraid I am rather bad at it. My sister Sarah has a real flair for painting, though.”
“This is all too… modern for me,” he said, gesturing at the overly sensual painting before them. “I actually prefer something much simpler, like landscapes for example, especially the ones by John Constable.”
“Yes, he is absolutely marvelous,” she agreed, then started to explain what she particularly liked about Constable’s brush strokes and his usage of light and shadow.
Alexander thought he could listen to her talk like this forever. It was obvious that they both enjoyed painting equally, although they were looking at it from a different perspective.
