Page 103 of A Scandalous Bargain
North’s eyes rounded in horror. “Not me. Him.” He jabbed his thumb toward Rafe, who stood to his left.
Rafe simply shook his head, then sipped his port.
At Selina’s suggestion, Beatrix wanted to ask Rafe if he would give her away. She was a bit nervous about it, but Selina had assured her he would be delighted. Even so, Selina had agreed to support her when she asked.
As conversation started around the room, she decided now was as good a time as any. She exchanged a look with Selina who nodded. Beatrix then turned to Tom. “Will you excuse me a moment? I need to speak with Rafe.”
“Of course.” Tom knew what she meant to ask, for they’d discussed that as well.
Beatrix met Selina near Rafe, then they pulled him into the corner.
“This looks serious,” Rafe quipped.
“Not terribly,” Beatrix said. “I have a request, and I hope you won’t think it too forward since we haven’t known each other very long. It’s just that, well, I find myself without a father or a brother.”
“Not true,” Selina said. “You have a brother. He’s standing right there.” She looked at Rafe expectantly.
“Yes, you do,” he assured her. “What do you need?”
“Someone to give me away at the wedding. Would you mind?”
Rafe was silent a moment, his vivid blue eyes settling on her and that orange mark in the right one giving him an added intensity. “It would be my honor,” he said softly.
Beatrix relaxed. “Oh, thank you.”
He arched a brow at her. “You didn’t really think I’d say no?”
“I told her you wouldn’t,” Selina said.
“I take nothing for granted,” Beatrix said in her defense.
“That is an excellent outlook.” Rafe pulled a folded piece of parchment from his coat. “I’m glad to have a moment to speak with both of you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that folly I remembered the other day. I drew a picture of it.” He opened the parchment one-handed and showed it to them.
Selina took the drawing and held it for Beatrix to study it along with her.
The illustration was incredibly detailed. It showed a small, templelike building with a statue of a woman in the middle. There were fish and other water creatures around the base.
“This is astonishing,” Beatrix said. “I’d no idea you were a skilled artist.”
Rafe snorted softly. “I wouldn’t say that I’m skilled.”
Selina’s brow creased as she studied the drawing. “Is that Aphrodite in the center?”
“I think so,” Rafe said. “Because she came from the sea.”
“You remembered quite a bit of detail,” Selina remarked.
“Some of it is my imagination filling things in, but I recall the statue of a woman—a goddess, I am almost certain—and that dolphin in particular. I also recall other fish, but not what they were specifically.” He folded the paper and replaced it into his coat. “I’d like to find it.”
“I can’t imagine it will be difficult given the specifics you remember.” Beatrix hoped it would be possible. “Do you think you could discover who your parents were?”
Rafe’s eyes took on an even darker intensity. “That is my objective.”
Selina touched his arm. “Even if we find the folly, we may not find our parents. What if this is just one place they visited?”
“Presumably, they would have known the owner, and I have to believe that person would know of a couple with small children who visited. Especially since those people died in a fire. That isn’t something one forgets, even after twenty-seven years.”
“How will you go about finding it?” Beatrix asked.
