Page 57 of The Red (The Godwicks 1)

She couldn’t breathe. She had to force herself to inhale and exhale as she extracted the book from inside the drawer and laid it atop her desk. She opened the page to the ribbon andgasped.

A Rubens painting.The Rape of the SabineWomen,1637.

Shivering in fear and shock, Mona stared at the famous painting. She knew it well. They’d studied it in one of her many art history courses. The painting, a riot of movement and color and light, depicted the famous abduction of the daughters of the Sabine men who had refused to allow the Roman men to marry into their families. Mona’s mother had hated that the wordraptio—meaning "abduction”—was translated into English as "rape.” She said it made the women sound like victims, when in fact they bravely intervened during the subsequent war between the Sabines and the Romans to put a stop to the killing of their husbands by their fathers and the killing of their fathers by their husbands. But that was the sort of thing her mother would take issue with. Mona had reminded her that even if they hadn’t been raped, they had been kidnapped and forced into marriage. Her mother waved the objection off and told Mona they’d been veritable prisoners of their fathers anyway, so it wasn’t as if life was sunshine and roses before they were abducted. Mona accused her mother of applying her "beauty over truth” standard to history. Her mother had only scoffed and said, "You’ve never heard of the Holy Sabine Empire, have you? The Romans won for a reason.” Mona had let the subject drop and had given the painting little thoughtsincethen.

Untilnow.

Mona rose from her chair and ran to the back room. She threw open the door and found…nothing. Nothing but paintings, sculptures, boxes, and supplies. Mona had moved the brass bed to her apartment. The back room was nothing but storage now. Malcolm certainly wasn’t there. She’d half-expected to find him in a Roman centurion’s uniform ready to throw her over his horse’s saddle and ride off with her to his home where he would make her his wife. A nice fantasy, but only afantasy.

Someone was playing a cruel trick on her. Mona closed the door to the back roombehindher.

"I’ll lock up now if you like,” Gabrielle said in the officedoorway.

"Yes, thank you,”Monasaid.

"Are you working lateagain?”

"Always.”

"You work too much,” Gabrielle said. "You should take time off. You know I can watch The Red for you and Tou-Tou. You haven’t taken a day off since Istarted.”

Mona smiled. Gabrielle was kind and they got along well, but Mona had never worked up the courage to tell her lovely assistant that she came to The Red every day because of Malcolm—because she missed him, because she was certain he wasn’t quite done with her yet. How do you tell a woman as rational and intelligent as Gabrielle that you were in love with a man who was most likely a ghost? You didn’t, of course. So Mona kept her secrets toherself.

"I’ll think about that,” Mona said. Perhaps she would take some time off. She couldn’t be held hostage by a memory all her life, could she? "Although I don’t know what I’d do withmyself.”

"You will figure that out.” Gabrielle turned to leave. "Ornot.”

"I won’t figureitout?”

"No, I won’t lock up.” Gabrielle looked at Mona over her shoulder. "He’sstillhere.”

She whispered the last words and Mona narrowed her eyes at her assistant. Gabrielle crooked her finger at Mona and Mona walked over tothedoor.

"Who is that?” Gabrielle whispered. "He’s been here for over an hour.” Mona peered into the gallery. A man stood in front of the portrait of Malcolm, one hand on his hip, the other in his pocket. "Tou-Toulikeshim.”

The little black cat sat on the floor at the man’s feet. They both seemed to be staring at thepainting.

"I don’t know,”Monasaid.

"He’s terribly handsome,” Gabriellewhispered.

Mona couldn’t deny it. She straightened her red skirt and black blouse. "You can go out the side door,” Mona said. "I’ll lock up afterhe’sgone.”

Gabrielle smiled. She unbuttoned one button on Mona’s blouse, revealing the lace edge of herblackbra.

"You’ll thank me later,” Gabrielle said before leaving Mona all alone in the gallery with the man inthesuit.

After Gabrielle was gone and the gallery empty but for her, Tou-Tou, and the man, Mona forced herself to go out to him. She almost buttoned her blouse up again but didn’t. Whybother?

"Sir? We’re closing,” she said. The man didn’t look at her, nor acknowledge that she’d spoken. He had reddish brown hair, wavy and rakish, and his eyes were very dark…but unmistakably blue. Midnight blue. Lean but broad-shouldered, strong nose and strong chin and strong jaw, he was more handsome than any man had a righttobe.

He looked very familiar to her, but she couldn’t quiteplacehim.

"Sir?”

"I need to speak to the owner of this establishment,” the man said in a crisp Englishaccent.

"I’m Mona St. James. I’m theowner.”

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