Authors: Nichole Matthews
Parker glanced
up at her as he chewed, smiling
at her
across the table. He needed no encouragement to stare at her, she was breathtaking and
s
he
made him feel
alive. She and Till
ie being in the house made him have
a
renewed
sense of purpose. Something he didn’t realize he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had mast
ered the art of making money, rich beyond measure. H
e could say
he was a master at love making and taking care of his family, b
ut she made him feel something more with only a few words and hours of watching her sleep
.
S
he
made him feel
alive
, full of vigor, and purpose
.
No matter how dark the purpose was.
He pondered this
response dozens of times
throughout
the past week.
He rubbed his jaw at the low knocking that originated from the vicinity of Persephone’s seat.
Persephone’s foot tapped
out
a nervous staccato against the leg of her chair.
She could feel his
deep
blue gaze
upon
her
face, distracting and intense. Her
throat suddenly parched, she reached for her wine goblet, trying to quell the shaking in her hand as she eased the cottony feeling in her mouth
with a large swallow of the sweet liquid
.
Parker’s bright blue eyes narrowed.
“Is every
thing to your liking, Persephone
?”
He couldn’t hide the concern that pervaded his voice.
She nodded
before answering, “Yes, Parker
.”
She then focused her attention back on her food.
She was glad the food had not been overly covered with cream sauces. She was not certain how
well her stomach would have reacted
to
such rich fare
after so long surviving on meager rations
.
“Excellent
.”
His dimple appeared. “We dine
simpl
y
when we do not have guests. Have you had enough of the trout?”
A surprised smile flickered over her lips.
“That’s better.” He chucked her u
nder her chin, surprising her.
He signaled for dessert. A lemon pudding was set before her along with an assortmen
t of fresh fruits and cheeses.
Parker sat back and watched Persephone’s eyes light up at the ripe fruit. He took a sip from his glass of port taking pleasure in her enjoyment of their simple meal.
Once finished, he leaned back, stret
ching his legs out before him.
After the dessert was eaten and the excess food removed from the table, Parker turned to his
aunt. “I’ve promised Persephone
a
tour of the portrait gallery.”
He flicked his gaze towards Persephone.
“Would you care to join us?”
“No, thank you,” Adele replied
holding up her hand
. “
I’ve seen all the Peregrine reprobates to
o
many times to count.
Tonight
I believe I
will retire
to my roo
m and read in front of the fire, but you two enjoy yourselves.
”
She pushed out her chair and walked out of the room
before Parker could even rise from his chair
.
Parker stood, pulling out Persephone’s chair an
d held out his arm. “Persephone
?”
She shot him a startled glance.
For some reason she was frozen in her chair.
Her hands lay in her lap, laced together. Tightly.
The idea o
f being alone with Parker, that’s
how she thought of him now, Parker
,
excited her
and frightened her
.
He made
her want things that she could no longer
have.
“Persephone?” he asked
again
quietly.
She
stood giving him a sidelong glance.
He smiled. She placed her hand softly on his arm. “Lead away.” She took a deep breath and raised her chin
and he chuckled
. “I really must see the
se
Peregrine reprobates that you
’ve
mentioned.”
Parker
let out a full-fledged
laugh
the
n
, a robust sound that made her shiver
. They stopped at the door in order for Parker to retrieve a heavy silver candlestick and
then
they began their stroll down the long
mahogany paneled
hallway
over the b
lack and white checked marble tiles
.
Persephone had feared an awkward silence would follow, but Parker was adept at filling the voids with delightful family anecdotes and not so secret scandalous tales from
the Peregrine family history.
“Have you visited our libr
ary yet, Persephone.” He gestured toward
a set of ma
ssive wood doors on the right.
“I’ve barely left my room.”
His lips twitched in amusement.
“
Then it appears w
e’ve found something to
occupy your time tomorrow.” His cheek creased when he smiled.
“I know you enjoy reading a good book. Lucy has informed me that you have already read through three
volumes
since
the improvement of your health
.”
She looked up at him with imploring
eyes.
“Can I take a peek now?” she asked
somewhat
breathlessly, h
er bottom lip caught between her
teeth
.
“Of course.”
With the flush in her cheeks and the added pinkness to her lips from being worried between her small white teeth, he was hard-pressed to resist her eager request
, especially when she was being so open with her emotions
.
He felt the need to reward her for
allowing him a
fleeting look behind the s
hutters that
continually veil
ed
her eyes and customarily
hid
her true feelings.
He stopped and took a step back
.
R
each
ing behind her back
to
open the doors and step
ped
i
nto the dark
ened
room. A small
fire still lit in the grate added
a soft glow and
pleasant
warmth
to the already pleasing atmosphere of the room
.
Persephone stepped through the doors and stopped. Her jaw dropped.
It wasn’t as if her family didn’t have
a
suitable
library, but nothing
that compared to this
.
It had seemed a lifetime since she had been afforded true luxuries
, if only the horrors of the past two years would fade as quickly
from her mind
.
She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she walked through the doo
r sighing ever so softly.
Dark wood shelves were floor to ceiling on three walls. Wooden rolling ladders lay
in wait against the shelves
for someone to choose one of the thousands of leather bound books. There were two separate seating areas. Deep leather couches and chairs sat in cozy circles on either side of the large stone fireplace. A large sheepskin rug covered the floor in front of the
low, crackling
fire creating a warm and
inviting area to lose oneself in a
n adventure
. Half shelves lined the fourth wall. A black wrought
iron spiral staircase swirled upward to
an alcove.
Her eyes followed the curving metal to the top.
Heaven.
“We agree wholeheartedly with that sentiment.”
Persephone’s eyes raced to his face,
her mouth dropping open and
her hand flew to cover her mouth.
“I hadn’t realized I had spoken aloud,” she added quickly.
He gave her one of his slow smiles that made her knees feel weak.
Parker
watched her like a ha
wk. Feet braced, arms folded over his chest, aw
are of every
nuance
of change
. The change in her
breathing,
her heightened color, and he
noticed her eyes trained on the alcove
at her reverent whisper
.
“There is additional seating above
for privacy.” He pointed to the windows
presently
covered with heavy drapes
. H
e moved quickly across the room as he spoke
. “If you pull the curtains back there are large cushioned window seats behind each set.”
He reached for the break in the fabric and pulled the edges apart a few inches
revealing a thickly cushioned bench with mounds of fluffy pillows.
She
smiled, spinning
aroun
d
,
her arms widespread
, her reserve forgotten for a stolen moment.
“It
’
s
heaven on earth
.”
She knew her smile must be radiant, because she could see it reflected in his eyes
as he returned to stand in front of her
.
Parker leaned
against the
back of one of the chairs
;
his face split into a pleased grin
. He a
llowed her a moment to take in the massive room. For th
e
first time since she had arrived
,
her expression was relaxed and carefree. He smiled crookedly at her. Pleased that if even for a moment he was able to relieve her eyes of the shadows that lurked in their depths
. This
made him fiercely determined to eradicate the shadows forever. “
A woman who loves to read,
it
appears I am destined to be surrounded by them.
”
“It has been so long.” He
could hea
r
the strong emotions in her
voice
and
see
the way her lip started to quiver
.
Parker’s brow
s
drew together.
He needed to put an end to this sadness.
“
Would you care
to choose a book to read
, Persephone
?”
“What about the gallery?”
s
he queri
ed softly, searching his face.
He almost chuckled at her question.
“Have you an appointment with another?” His brow lifted.
“Of course not.” A faint frown appeared between her fine red brows.
He chuckled at the serious look that appeared on her face.
“
Then w
e’ve plenty of time.
” Parker pushed away from the chair
, he studied her as he moved closer
. “The night is still young.” He walked towards Persephone with narrowed eyes, rubbing his
bottom
lip in a
thoughtful manner.
“Choose one.”
She faltered
in her journey toward him
at his magnanimous offer.
“I could sooner pick a star in
the heavens
,”
she replie
d at once, her cheeks flushed.
He wondered to the nearest shelf and ran the tip of his forefinger over the spine of one of the books almost reverently. “You’ve acknowledged that this is heaven,” he turned to face he
r. “Let these be your stars.”
She remained silent for a minute, her eyes wide as they traveled over the room.
He watched as she rubbed her palms over her skirt.
“Perhaps I can be
prevailed upon to assist you?
”
Parker watched as her smile faded, her spine stiffened, and her breath came in frantic bursts at his words.