Page 41 of Historical Hotties
“I want you to stand up.”
Dacia was puzzled, but she did as he asked, hesitantly. She was still facing away from him as she heard him come up behind her. Her heart, which had momentarily calmed, was now thumping so loudly that she could hear it in her ears. His presence behind her made her feel so giddy that her head was starting to swim.
“Now,” he murmured. “Turn around and look at me.”
She started to move but quickly came to a halt. Her entire body began to tremble. “I… I cannot. I am not covered.”
“I know. Turn around and look at me.”
She wanted to. God knew, she did. But she was terrified.
The tears began to pool.
“I… I cannot.”
Cassius could tell that she was close to weeping. “Please, Dacia,” he whispered. “Turn around and look at me.”
She stood there for a moment. But very slowly, she began to move. With the pace of a snail, she managed to turn around, all the way around, with her head lowered and tears dripping offher chin. She couldn’t stop them. Cassius found himself looking at the top of her head, the tip of her nose, and little more.
Reaching out, he tipped her head up until she was looking him fully in the face.
Those magnificent blue eyes, filled with tears, gazed back at him with panic. He could see how frightened she was, her naked face for all to see. But he smiled at her to let her know that there was nothing to be frightened of as he reached up, pushing a stray lock of dark hair from her face and wiping the tears that had streaked down her face. It was a sweet and gentle action.
Very closely, he looked at her.
“I see nothing imperfect,” he murmured. “I see a beautiful young woman with the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. I see smooth, soft skin. I see lovely lips.”
Her lower lip began to tremble and her eyes spilled over again. “But… but the spots…”
His smile grew. “Let me explain something to you,” he said. “In nature, many creatures have spots. Dogs, cats, birds, even horses. Now, a horse of one color is an unexciting thing. Boring. It’s the horses with spots and blazes that are truly interesting and beautiful. And flowers; when you see a flower with many colors, does that not make it the most interesting and beautiful of all of God’s creations? Of course it does. We see plain creatures and flowers every day. They are nothing special. But when we see creatures with spots and streaks, or flowers with multiple colors, it makes me think that God was in fine form when he created them. They are his most beautiful of all creatures because he was showing his talent when he made them. Just like he was showing his talent when he made you, Lady Dacia. You are one of his magnificent creatures.”
By the time he was finished, her tears were gone and she was looking at him in awe. Her hand came up to touch her face, where she knew the freckles were, stunned by his words.
“No one has ever said that to me,” she muttered. “I’ve only had others tell me I was a witch, and girls I thought were my friend tell me that I was ugly.”
“Don’t you know why?” he asked with feigned incredulity. “Because they are jealous, my lady. Don’t ever believe them. I have known my share of women to know exactly how they are when faced with a creature that outshines them. Jealousy overtakes them. That is the only reason they said such things to you.”
Shocked, she pondered that for a moment because the concept had genuinely never occurred to her. “Do you really think so?”
“I really think so.” Eyes glimmering, he shook his head faintly. “Do not ever cover yourself up again when you see me, please? I consider it a privilege to see you as God meant you to be seen– one of his best creations.”
There were those words again, giving her hope. This man she’d only known a couple of days had given her more hope than men she’d known a lifetime, her grandfather included. That hope reminded her of why she was out by the river in the first place. Weakly, she gestured to the pile of dragonwort she had collected.
“I came out here to collect an herb that was part of a recipe I found,” she said. “I have some old Arabic treatises and one says to use dragonwort to… well, it helps with the skin.”
“Helps it do what?”
Now, she was embarrassed with her admission. “Helps to fade skin spots.”
“I see,” he nodded, looking over to the pile of herbs next to his sleeping dog. “Have you tried it before?”
“Never. I never saw any reason to before.”
He looked at her, a glimmer of mirth in his eye. “But you have a reason now?”
Her cheeks turned bright red and she lowered her head. “I thought… it could not hurt.”
His lips tugged with a smile. “Who is this reason, Lady Dacia?” he asked, teasing her gently. “Is it anyone I know? You must tell me so that I can fight him for your affection.”
