Authors: Beth Trissel
She
obediently
raised the cu
p to her smooth pink lips.
He
wondered
again
what it would be like
to kiss that beguiling mouth.
Had Cole beaten him to it?
Focus
, he commanded
himself
, dragging
his eyes away.
He poured another glass and swallowed the warm
ing
brew.
Her eyes watered
with each sip
, but she got through her allotment and Will had no difficulty
in
finishing his
.
S
he was relaxing by the moment.
“It was divin
e, my dream, being with Cole.”
H
er head nodded agai
nst his shoulder
.
“You smell good...like him
.”
Will explored her
closely. Her eyes drifted shut.
“What did you do, exactly?”
“We were just together, at last, in the garden.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
“And then, he warned me
about the past being the present
…
I don’t understand.”
Neither did Will, though
a sense of fore
boding tightened
his stomach. Now, he was
being as unreasonable as she.
He shook his head, as if to clear it.
“Julia, this obsession you’ve formed for Cole isn’t healthy.
And it’s harsh on my ego,
”
he chuckled, for both their sakes.
“I didn’t ask f
or it,” she protested drowsily.
“He feels the same.”
“Do you hear yourself
?
You’
re speaking of a man long gone.”
Her voice was bre
athy with the weight of sleep.
“No
...
he’s
very near.
Cole
said.”
“In your dream
.”
“By moonlight,” she whispered.
A pearly beam fingered her face. But what did she mean?
“Cole held me close,
said he’d
been waiting
.
We have a chance...”
she trailed
off.
Despite Will’s
acute
jealous
y and disbelief, he
was intrigued. “A chance for what?”
She didn’t
answer
.
H
e gave her a light
shake.
“A chance for what, Julia?”
“To be united
.
But there’s danger
––
”
With
that
unaccountable
alarm,
she slumped
limply
a
gainst him
.
Will gathered her in his arms, pressing
his lips to her perfumed
hair
and
soft cheek
.
“
Cole,” she murmured.
Sharp pain wrenched his
heart.
She
was
peaceful now and s
o beautiful. “No, sweetheart.
It’s
Will.
I held
you this evening.
Me, not Cole.
I slipped back to check on you
, but
you were asleep and never knew...
like now.
That’s
when I brought you the lilies.
You think you’re in love with Cole, but darling, I’m fast falling in love with you.”
****
“
Julia.
”
She
roused drowsily
at the
voice
she kn
ew intimately
.
Heaven help her, she just didn’t know if it were Will or Cole’s.
She
looked around to see
Will
poke
his handsome head in through the cracked bedro
om door.
“Awake
n
and greet the day.
How did you sleep, my lady?”
“Well
, sir
.
Thank you,
”
she yawned.
The smile at his
sensuous
lips did funny things to her
insides
, like a host of
butterflies fluttering about
.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
She pushed herself up on her palms and nodded.
“
Good.
B
r
eakfast is served.”
He carried in
a
silver
tray bearing a rose
-sprigged china tea
pot, cup and saucer of the same pattern,
small sugar
and creamer
, spotless n
apkin, silver spoon, knife,
fork
.
Her eye
s
fell on the
matchi
ng plate laden with buttered toast, marmalade, a
nd sausages fried with mushrooms and red tomatoes, British style.
She
looked at him wonderingly. “Oh, my.
It’s lovely.
But y
ou shouldn’t have
gone
to such trou
ble
.
”
He
laid the tray
down
on the bedside
table. “It wasn’t that much trouble.
I can cook sausage with the best of them, but this is the extent of my culinary skill.
”
Darting
a horrified glance at the clock, she gulped.
“Nine-thirty?
I was to meet Charlotte
at eight
.”
“Don’t worry abo
ut it.
I explained
to her that you’
d
had
a
considerable
shock
and
need
ed
time to recover
.
”
Julia’s
cheeks grew hot
.
“I’m mortified, Will
––
or is it William?”
She
clapped a hand over her mouth.
“You said we’d
start afresh in the morning.
Or i
s it
Mr.
Wentworth
again?”
He
smiled
and
poured her a
steaming
cup of t
ea. “Will is fine when we’re alone.
I’d prefer
Mr.
in public, but I won’t have you drawn and quartered should you forget.”
“That’s very good of you.”
“
Yes, well.
Call me indulgent.
”
He set the tea
pot down on the bedside stand.
“Cream and sugar?”
“Please.”
He poured in a dollop of cream and stirred in a spoonful of sugar, then
handed her the fragrant brew. She sipped appreciatively.
“
Brilliant
.”
“M
ust be if it suits
a Brit
.
”
“Thank you
,” she said, thinking how well the
fitted
khakis and
blue striped shirt suited him
.
Nodding, he
turned to go.
“
I’ll leave you to it.
Your clothes
and sandals
are in the ba
throom closet
.
Join Charlotte when you’re ready
.
”
“Wait.
C
ould you stay for just a minute more?
I should like to speak with you.”
He slowly pivoted
toward
her.
I suppo
se I could spare you a moment.
All members of staff are
in place, even the Shakespearian Auss
ie,” he said
,
making a face.
“Except for me.
I’m sorry.
”
Will’s demeanor changed
.
T
he intensity in his eyes
was
so reminiscent of Cole’s.
They bore an inherent res
emblance to each other, though
Will was his own man.
“You are so much more than staff
.” He lowered
himself to sit beside her.
“Are you just being kind?”
“No.
Honest.”
She watched in amazement
as h
e lifted his hand to her cheek and trailed his fingers
over her skin
.
“
You wanted
to ask me something.
What c
an I do for you, sweet Julia?”
The thrill shimmering
through her
rent her with guilt.
She felt disloyal to Cole indulging
in the
shivery
delight
Will triggered
in her
.
Good heav
ens.
W
as it
insane to be forsworn
to a man gone for two centuries?
Undoubtedly.
And y
et, somehow, somewhere, Cole throbbed
with life.
“Will, I’m so confused.”
“
A
fter last evening
,
I’m n
ot surprised
.”
She raised her hands, palms up, and waved them at
the ceiling.
“You must think me utterly mad.
I
’m
wonder
ing
myself.
”
“No
t mad
.
J
ust extremely
impressionable.”
T
hat was generous
, she supposed,
after her
high drama
.
Catching one outstretched hand, he
ci
rcled his fingers around hers.
His grasp was soothing, yet
deeply
stirring
, as were the words he spoke in his low voice.
“Listen, sweetheart
.
I know you can’t help what you
think you saw, or how you feel
, but promise me something.”
She
gave him a sidelong glance
,
fearful
he’
d try to
rob her of Cole
.
His eyes appealed to her with a hint of pain in their depths.
“Honor
the past
, but keep it
where it belongs and savor each day as a gift. Can you do that?”
T
he beauty of his words
touched her
...it was
something Cole
would say. She smiled tremulously. “I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask.
”
His manner grew brisk
, but his tone was light and teasing
.
“
Now, eat your breakfast and g
et dressed.
I want you downstairs and out in that garden in half an hour, Miss Morrow.”
“Yes,
Mr.
Wentworth
.”
“And one more thing
––
”
Will bent over
unexpectedly and brushed her lips with his
in the barest hint
of a kiss.
She caught her breath at the near electrical current singing through her.
“See if you can find a small place for me in the m
idst of your
passion
for
Cole,
”
he said huskily
.