Fateful (30 page)

Ethan tossed his gaze skyward, then continued
with a confession, “All right, I will admit you do tempt me as I
have never been tempted before, and I have updated some things
because of you. I shouldn’t kiss you as much as I do. I apologize
for that.”

“Don’t apologize.”

“I’ve been out of line.” He shook his head.
“Tell me where the line is.”

Danielle leaned her head on his shoulder and
watched as the water jumped and spat cheerfully from the fountain.
Little ripples radiated out as the droplets fell back into the
lucent pool. “We haven’t crossed it yet, Ethan. Please stop
worrying about it.”

After her words the sounds of Beon’s great
garden became the only ones heard until he said, “You’re a rarity
in this world of corrupt morals. I’ve always cherished rare
things.”

“I’m not that special, I’m just … weird,” she
argued.

“Not weird, but a precious oddity that is
becoming more and more scarce.”

Ethan abruptly snatched her from the bench,
set her on his lap and began tracing her face with his fingers as
he’d done in the past. Danielle sighed while she shivered. His
hands tightened just enough to be cradling her face instead of
caressing it and he forced her to meet his gaze. “Do you think I’m
an octopus when I do that?”

“No,” she gasped on a laugh.

His gaze narrowed. “Even though it’s not very
nineteenth-century of me? Spell it out for me, please. Where is the
line?”

He was talking about being very chivalrous,
and she still wanted the noble Mr. Darcy of her fantasies, didn’t
she? Sliding her palms up his chest and over his shoulders, she
said, “This isn’t where the line is for me.”

“Then where is it?”

To be honest, she didn’t exactly know where
that was with him, and offered, “Will you drop this if I promise to
let you know when you get too close to it?’

Apparently deliberating, he looked at the
earring dangling from her ear and touched the crystal drop before
finally saying, “As you wish, my lady.”

Sliding from her face, his fingers moved to
her collarbone and curled over her shoulders. Instinctively, her
fingers found their way to his hair and she mashed herself closer
as his hands trailed down her back. He then pressed his smiling
lips to hers. Tipping her head to the side, she deepened the kiss
with a hesitant touch of her tongue to his bottom lip. Breathing
heavily when it ended, she took in the hungry look that had risen
in his gaze and asked, “Too much?”

Also winded, he bit his lip and swallowed,
while tucking some loose hair behind her ear. “If you’re not going
to give me a solid line, then you’d best be careful. Vague
restrictions like that are easily crossed by mistake. And we’ll
need to be especially careful about that tomorrow night.” Then
chuckling he said, “Perhaps we do need Beon to keep an eye on us
after all.”

“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know if you can
trust me,” she revealed.

He laughed and tickled her neck with his
mouth and breath. Reflexively she squealed and giggled. She
couldn’t help it, she was ticklish there.

Ethan lifted her from his lap, set her on her
feet in front of him, then stood and towed her toward the back of
the garden. “Come this way, you haven’t seen the entire garden
yet.”

At first she couldn’t see what was further
out, but as they got closer she realized. “Oh no! Please tell me
it’s not another maze.”

“It is.” He chuckled. “Race again?” That
impish smirk danced mischievously on his mouth.

“I hope you’re kidding. You know I’ll just
get lost after I’ve found every available dead-end.”

“That reminds me,” he noted with an accusing
look tossed her way, “when we were discussing fear during our first
date you never mentioned getting lost or doctors amongst them.”

She laughed, knowing it was true. “But I did
say ‘amongst others.’ Doesn’t that count?”

He raised one golden eyebrow and then tugged
her into the maze without another word. She groaned loudly.

Gazing up at the dark sky as Ethan dragged
her along at a quick pace through the twists and turns of the lush
maze, she realized it was getting darker. Could it start
raining?

Ethan never paused, never hit a dead-end and
reached the end of the maze in a few short minutes. They went
through a tunnel of red climbing roses and then the maze opened up
to a beautiful secret garden. Rich with colorful flowers, trees and
shrubs, there was a stone path meandering through it, and the
little birds seemed to like it there. Many of them hopped along the
tree branches, chirping their sweet little songs. Entering the maze
was the only way to get here.

“Wow, this is wonderful,” she said.

“Did you enjoy this maze more than the last
one?”

“Only because you didn’t ditch me like you
did last time.”

Ethan laughed at her and the clouds finally
began dropping their moisture. It came down so heavily it brought
Brianna’s phrase to mind. It certainly was “chuckin’ it down.” They
got soaked immediately.

“Do you want to go back? You’ll be
drenched.”

Turning her face up to his, she blinked the
rain out of her eyes and said, “It’s a bit late for that.”

When his gaze fell to her saturated blouse,
his jaw tightened and he looked away. Wondering what the problem
was, she looked as well and quickly pulled the soaked fabric away
from the pink bra revealed. Then, kind of hating herself for it,
she let her eyes wander to his equally wet attire. Her breath
caught in her throat at the spellbinding vision he presented with
his clothes clinging to his well toned body.

“We need to get you home again.” Ethan
frowned and then said, “This is getting old, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I’d rather not go home so early.”

“I really think tomorrow will be a onetime
thing, we can’t do that on a regular basis. And I can’t keep coming
to your bedroom.”

Chapter
1
7

Corsets, Silk and Swords

That night Danielle gift-wrapped the finished
painting of the ruins for Ethan, planning to give it to him at the
ball. The next day was Saturday and Sophia had told her she would
need to be there early to get dressed. It would be an all day
affair to do her hair and get her into that amazing dress.

Ethan did come to her room after dark, but he
left early, saying he didn’t want to make her too tired for
tomorrow. He more or less just stopped by to tell her when he would
be picking her up.

She and Brianna ate breakfast alone in the
kitchen that next morning because Aunt Charlotte had gone shopping,
and Uncle Nick had gone shooting with his colleagues. They had cold
cereal and tea.

“So, tonight’s the night of the big fancy
ball?” Brianna asked sipping carefully at her hot herbal drink.

“Yes, I can hardly wait,” she confessed while
stirring honey into hers. Danielle tapped her feet as a smiled
pulled the corners of her lips up. Ethan would be there soon, and
she was having difficulty with her patience again.

Brianna looked at the wrapped painting
Danielle had placed on the table so she wouldn’t forget it. “Is
that the one of the ruins?”

“Yes. I hope he likes it.”

“I’m sure he will. I’d still like to
see where that is. I can’t believe you’ve been to ruins that
I
never knew about.”

Danielle noticed her cousin certainly wasn’t
her normal bubbly self and appeared to be sulking. “Are you all
right? You seem a bit down,” she said, checking the cream to honey
ratio in her tea with a sip.

“I’m fine. I just wish Will would take me to
things like this ball. Today we’re going to rugby. Again!” Brianna
paused to stir her now soggy cold cereal. “Don’t get me wrong, I
like rugby, and I love Will, but…”

“Well then tell him, silly, tell him what you
want.”

Brianna finished the last of her tea. “I
guess you’re right.”

“I am right. He can’t read your mind. I can
see that Will is really nice, tell him you want to go dancing
tonight.”

Brianna pushed her bowl of inedible sogginess
to the side, but then her demeanor brightened to the girl Danielle
knew and loved. “I will! Tonight I’m dancing too—it will probably
be after rugby, but I guess I can give him that much.”

“Good for you!”

“I still want to know how tonight goes for
you. This ball sounds like so much fun.”

“I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, I
promise,” she agreed, knowing she would need to edit.

“Lovely!” Brianna then stood and rinsed out
her bowl and teacup.

Danielle was still drinking tea when the
doorbell rang.

“Ethan, I presume,” Brianna said. “I’ll get
it.”

Danielle caught up as Ethan was just stepping
into the foyer.

“Hi, ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Ethan took her hand and stepped toward the
door, but then Danielle remembered the painting still sitting on
the table. “Wait, no I’m not … hang on a sec.” She tugged her hand
back, ran to retrieve the gift and returned.

One eyebrow rose when he saw the wrapped
package. “What’s that?”

“It’s a surprise, you can open it later.”

“It looks like a painting.”

“Well, I can’t really hide the shape, you
still have to wait.” She stepped out the door and waved to her
cousin who waved back and shut the door.

On their way to the car, Ethan reached for
the package. “I’ll take that for you,” he offered with a naughty
glint in his clear blue eyes.

“No you don’t! I don’t trust you.” She
brought the painting closer to her chest.

“You don’t trust me?” he asked, falsely
miffed, as if she meant it generally.

“Not with this. What happened to Mr. Always
Patient?” she taunted while she waited for him to open the door for
her, hugging the gift protectively.

“All right, I’ll wait. But I have a gift for
you too,” he told her with a knowing smirk.

Her eyes widened. “Really? What is it?”

“I’m sorry, you’ll just have to wait.”

She exhaled as she seated herself in the Jag
because he’d just turned the tables on her, she realized with
irritation. He knew she was easily more impatient than him,
especially when it came to surprises. Her brows pressed together
without her consent.

Ethan chuckled. “You know I love it when your
lower lip pouts like that when you’re annoyed with me.”

She said nothing as he kissed her on the
cheek and then shut the door.

When they got to the mansion Danielle stashed
the package in the drawing room and warned him that he had better
not peek.

“Scout’s honor,” he said while he held up the
scout hand sign.

“Were you ever a scout?” she asked
suspiciously.

“No,” he confessed.

“I didn’t think so ... you can’t say that
then.” She folded her arms and then noticed a box on the table. It
was a black velvet jewelry box! Could that be her gift? She lifted
a hand for it but before she could reach it, Ethan fluently slung
her over his broad shoulder and swept her from the room.

“Is that mine?” she asked, suspecting as
much, especially with the way he removed her from the room.

“You have to wait if I have to wait,” he
informed her sternly.

“That looks expensive; you may be spending
too much on me. My gift for you didn’t cost me anything but
time.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re worth every
penny and then some. Furthermore, your talent is worth infinitely
more than the material it’s painted on.”

She couldn’t fathom how he bestowed such
flattery on her talent without even seeing the painting first. “You
can decide that after you see it, maybe you won’t like it,” she
said straining to keep her head up in this awkward position.

“I’m sure I’ll like it.”

Danielle grunted; this wasn’t the most
comfortable way to be carried. “You can put me down now. I promise
I won’t try to look.”

He lowered her feet to the floor, she stood
upright and then mock turned back like she was going to run for it.
Ethan went to grasp her again. “Kidding! I’m kidding,” she said
before she wound up on his shoulder again.

“Right.” He studied her, his expression
leery.

“You don’t take jokes very well.” She began
walking in the direction he’d been taking her. “Where am I going?”
she asked.

Ethan decided to follow, but she could tell
he didn’t trust her yet. “To Sophia’s room to get your hair
done.”

“Okay, what are you going to do while I get
beautiful?”

“I’ll be preparing your lunch.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he said as he captured
her arm and then pushed Sophia’s bedroom door open. She’d nearly
passed it.

“What are you making for me?” she asked as
Ethan leaned toward her for a kiss.

But before he could answer or kiss her, Nadia
appeared and yanked her into the room. “Come this way, Danielle, I
think you’ll survive for a little while separated from Ethan.”

Ethan slipped away laughing.

Sophia’s room was spacious and elegant. The
carpeting, floral wallpaper and jacquard bedspread were done in
rich tones of green and gold. A grouping of overstuffed chairs sat
next to the fireplace, and a modesty screen stood across from that
with a full-length cheval mirror against the wall.

“We need to get our under-things on first,”
Sophia said as she took Danielle’s hand.

Sophia guided her to a king-sized,
pillow-smothered bed where three white chemises and three corsets
lay on one side, and on the other side lay the three ball gowns.
Danielle recognized hers, she hadn’t seen it out of the box yet,
and had forgotten what a pretty shade of silvery blue it was.

Nadia pointed to one chemise and said, “That
one’s yours, Danielle, you can change behind the screen.”