Page 79 of Impossible
“I think we must hear this story,” Lucien said with a laugh.
Max complied. “After seeing the folly at Stonehill, she asked if that’s where I’d been hiding the past few years.”
“That is not what I said!” Ada laughed. “Not exactly, anyway.”
They strolled to the far corner where the relatively new hermitage stood. Once there, they could turn onto the Dark Walk, though Ada didn’t see the excitement in that now that she and Max were no longer alone.
Suddenly, a boom sounded, followed by lights in the sky.
“The fireworks!” Prudence exclaimed, turning her head up.
Another boom and more lights.
Ada grinned into the heavens. “I love fireworks, don’t you?” She looked to Max, but he was not gazing upward like the rest of them.
He stared straight ahead, his face pale in the faint illumination from the lanterns and the lights dazzling the sky. She watched his features as another loud crack filled the air. He flinched, and she thought he might run.
“Max,” she whispered, moving close to him and taking his hand. “Are you all right?”
“We need to find cover.” He looked about, his wild gaze landing on Lucien. “Lucien! Get the women down!”
Lucien came toward him quickly, his expression distressed. “It’s all right, Max. It’s just fireworks.” He touched Max’s arm, but Max threw him off.
“It’s not all right! We need to get out of here!”
“Yes, we should.” Lucien spoke calmly, then looked over to Glastonbury. “Give me a hand?”
Ada didn’t see this going well. Instinct told her she had to be the one to help him. She moved between them and Max, putting her body in front of him so her back touched his chest. “Don’t come closer.” She turned to face Max, lifting her hand to his cheek. “Max, let’s go. You can protect me.”
Someone gently grabbed her elbow. She looked over her shoulder to see it was Lucien.
“Ada, he thinks we’re in the war,” he whispered.
She’d assumed as much. “He’ll be fine. Just follow us.”
Taking Max’s hand, she quickly walked the way they’d come.
“No! We need to hide.” Max pulled her into the trees and crouched down, tugging her with him.
“Yes, this is safer.” She hated the fear in his gaze, the coiled tension in his body. She worried that at any moment, he might explode. If he did, she’d no idea what would happen.
They crouched like that while the fireworks blazed overhead. The rest of their party remained on the path, and though Ada couldn’t see their faces, she could feel their concern.
Her thighs burned as they stayed low to the ground, but she didn’t dare move or speak. At last, the fireworks stopped. Silence filled the air.
Ada watched Max’s face—his features remained taut, but the terror in his eyes had lessened. “Is it safe now?” she asked.
“I’ll check.” He stood. “Stay here.”
Rising, Ada rubbed her aching thighs through her gown. Max went out onto the path where Lucien met him. A moment later, he returned for her. “Lucien says it’s clear now.”
“Good.” She smiled, unsure what to do once they were on the path. Go back to the club, she supposed. This was not how she’d envisioned tonight.
When they were back on the walk, Max blinked. He looked around, his gaze fixing on Ada and then the others until he finally settled on Lucien. Opening his mouth, he seemed about to speak, his brow creased in befuddlement. He snapped his lips closed and scowled.
Ada pressed herself against his side, thinking he might just have realized where he was. “Shall we go?”
Max wiped his hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry.” The apology was a ragged whisper. “That hasn’t happened in a long time. I thought I was past that, except for the nightmares.”
