In Rapture (Destined) (21 page)

Chapter 26

Grant
had been gone for another week so far and loneliness started to fill Malinda’s
heart. She spent her morning in the garden assisting with the weeding and
helping to section a smaller unused portion of the land next to the flower
garden to create an herb garden. Malinda wanted to make sure they had herbs for
cooking, as well as herbs that helped with any health concerns. She was glad
her small clippings had survived the journey to Wickford and was ecstatic when
they created new growth within the garden. She loved working with the land, and
at times she missed her little garden at Tinley Faire, for both of her
grandparents had spent a lifetime cultivating their garden together. They had
stayed together for hours with their voices and laughter filling up the spaces
around them. Sometimes they said nothing at all, and even the gentle silence
between them magnified their love to the world. Malinda had known at a young
age that the love they shared had been special. A new hope surrounded her as
she planted new seeds within the garden. She hoped to one day have the same
relationship with Grant; where now there was passion, she needed there to be an
easy peaceful love between them, one that transcended the ages, and one that
needed no dictionary to define.

Malinda
tried not to miss her husband, but she was finding it to be a difficult task.
Tears would form in her eyes at the most inopportune time, such as working with
Gertie to order supplies for the month. Gertie had asked Malinda what things
Lord Timberlin would want the people to prepare for the winter and Malinda
teared up because she had absolutely no idea what he preferred. She had wiped a
stray tear and looked up to find a gentle knowing smile fill up Gertie’s gentle
aging face. Malinda had suggested they look at the orders from previous years,
for the household kept meticulous records of every purchase and plans that were
made throughout each year. Then the next day, when Desiree had asked her if
Lord Timberlin was happy with her arrangements for Sophia, sadness had crept
into Malinda’s voice when she had replied that it did not matter if he cared
about Sophia’s arrangements, not if he was never home to see what they were.
Desiree had smiled sadly at her and raised an arm to Malinda’s shoulder in
comfort.

The
fact of the matter was that Malinda felt more confused than she ever had. She
loved Grant so deeply that she sometimes did not know where the sun and moon were
in the sky, for her world was marinated in more light than she could bear. It
filled her up so completely that at times she thought it would explode within
her. And while she had great love for her husband, she had great fear of him at
the same time. He had the potential to do great harm to her spirit, for Grant
held her heart in the palm of his hands, and if he squeezed too tightly she
would never be the same. While he was gone Malinda felt incomplete, wishing
nothing more than for him to return home. When desperation crept into her heart
she would go to the gardens to meditate, to remind herself that the magic of
Lena that flowed through her veins demanded that she learn to deal with her
love in healthy outlets.

Other
times throughout the day she would spend with Sophia. The little girl was a
miracle to her. She had gone from a small ball of fear and mistrust to a
glowing giggling cherub that could not contain her love and curiosity for the
world around her. In a way, Malinda learned quite a lot from Sophia’s loving
nature. The child had been pushed aside for so long, yet her courage to trust
the world around her inspired Malinda. If Malinda could make the world a better
place for her child, if only one step at a time, then she would. They spent
many hours laughing as they chased Mule outside, and enjoying the antics of the
love-crossed mutt as he chased after Laurel, the large white Dane that had made
its way into their flock. In fact, the mastiff was so smitten he no longer
wanted to spend as much time by Malinda’s side. It made her a little sad to see
her best friend detaching from her, but she understood that the heart could
lead you into unexpected directions.

They
had also spent time painting the wall in the nursery. Malinda let Sophia paint
the grass at the bottom of the mural and had been surprised at how easy the
task had been for Sophia. In fact, the child had not just painted the grass a
solid green, she had taken a smaller paint brush and added different colors to
create depth and detail in every tiny blade of grass. Then Malinda decided to
let Sophia add whatever she wanted to the wall. She had been impressed when the
four-year-old added flowers that reminded her of the beautiful flowers of Lena.
It was almost as if Sophia had picked them out of her own head, and when
Malinda had asked her about the flowers the child told her that she had seen
them every night in her dreams; flowers that surrounded a beautiful clear
castle that made rainbows all around it. When Sophia had mentioned the castle
she knew that Sophia was actually dreaming of Lena. She did not know what to
think about this information, for only those born through a lineage directly
related to Lena had been able to see it. However, her mind recalled the last
thing the Sisters had told her, that they would be fostering a new age of magic
through opening their world to those who had special abilities. As Sophia grew Malinda
would keep an eye on her to see if special talents were hidden inside her.

Malinda
wiped the dirt from her hands onto the old rag she had brought outside with
her. She heard a rustle in the grass behind her and held her breath. Maria had
never attacked her outside of the manor, but there was always a first time for
everything. When she turned around she felt uplifted. She stood up so quickly
that she almost fell down, but Grant crossed the distance between them and
caught her elbow to steady her. His golden eyes twinkled in such merriment that
Malinda almost protested, but before she could Grant pulled her into a warm
embrace. She raised her face to his and let herself get lost in the joy of the
moment. She was so happy to see him that there were no words for how she felt. She
ran a hand across his bearded face and pulled him down to give him a welcoming
kiss that lasted far longer than any of their other greetings. They only
separated when the large mastiff came bumbling across the garden and whacked them
both with his gigantic tail. Malinda could not help but giggle at the dog’s
antics. “It seems I’m not the only one who missed you.”

“Good
boy.” Grant scratched Mule behind his large ears and down his neck. Mule
whimpered in delight before racing off after Laurel yet again.

Malinda
struggled not to be put out by the fact that Grant never vocalized that he had
missed her too, but a small tear gathered in her eyes. She blinked it away
hoping he would not notice, but his finger reached out to capture the solo
trail that ran down her face. “I must have something in my eye.” Malinda looked
away quickly and tried to think of something to talk about that would distract
him, but he beat her to it.

“I
heard the ladies setting the table before I came out. From what I could smell
Gertie has prepared a fine roast. Join me?” He offered his arm to her and she
slipped hers within its crook.

“Sounds
divine.” Malinda smiled up at him, locking away her emotions for another day.
She had not anticipated the feelings that rushed through her the moment her
eyes spied him. She did not want to scare him away by professing the love she
had developed for him over the past few months. Perhaps it was true that
absence makes the heart grow fonder, for she had thought of him every day since
he had left, and seeing him there in the garden had made her memory of him weak
in comparison.

When
they entered the dining room Sophia was already seated. She was playing with a
small stuffed bunny rabbit and talking up a storm to it. When Sophia looked up
and saw them enter she squealed in excitement. “Mama, look at my new bunny!”

“What
a pretty rabbit that is, Sophia! I hope you made sure to thank your father for
it.”

“She
did.” Grant smiled down at his wife and marveled at the changes he had seen in
the world around him since he had married her. He no longer feared loving his
child. It had become second nature to him now. Malinda was a different story,
for admitting his feelings to her could be dangerous. It could give her power
over him that he was not quite prepared to relinquish. He could not deny that
when he was away his days and nights were filled with thoughts of home and the
family that waited for him to return. Malinda was more than just a part of that
family. For the first time in a very long time, Wickford Manor was a welcome
retreat from wars that raged across the countryside. Part of him wished he
could give up his vendetta against Seamus and fill his days with the business
of making Wickford even more prosperous, but as long as he was still out there
his family and the people of Wickford were in danger.

Malinda
saw darkness furrow across his golden brow. It was clear that he was deep in
thought. “Is there something wrong, Grant?”

Grant
shook his head, hoping to clear the thoughts that had clouded over him. He took
another drink from his glass. “I’m sorry. My mind just wandered for a moment.
Nothing to worry about, my dear.”

Malinda
did not believe him, but she decided not to push the matter. “We missed you,
didn’t we Sophia?”

“Oh
yes, Mama. I love when Papa is home. Papa reads the best!”

Grant
chuckled. “I’m sure Malinda reads well too, Sophia.”

“Mama
reads too, but you do funny voices. Mama can’t do those the same. But Mama taught
me to count!” The little girl began to count, but skipped a number here and
there until she counted all the way to twenty.

Grant’s
face beamed down at his lovely daughter. Malinda had performed miracles with
his child, even a blind man could see that. He may not have spent a lot of time
with his child before, but he had known well how reserved she had been. There
had always been an inkling in the back of his mind, a tiny thought that made
him think that the child’s melancholy was inherited from Maria and that Sophia
would be stricken with the same mental issues her mother had. His fear for his
child coupled with his need to avenge her mother’s death. If he had been honest
with himself Maria had died in his heart a long time before she had passed. Her
shunning of such a beautiful child would never be forgotten. Grant could not
even remember seeing Maria holding her infant, and a part of him had known his
wife would never change. His life had been shadowed with guilt for his past, a
guilt for not being the father that Sophia needed, but as he looked down at the
small child who loved him so freely his heart melted. He had been wrong, and
while he could wallow in self-loathing it would not bring back the years they
had lost. He looked over at Malinda and saw tears forming in her eyes again. He
reached a hand across to touch her. “Thank you.”

Malinda
shook her head slowly, desperately trying to blink the tears from her eyes. “It
was nothing.”

“It
is everything.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand.

The
air seemed to shift instantly around them and a cold wind whipped through the
room. The flames of the candles waved in tiny circles before the air blew them
out. Grant did not seem to notice the tension in the room, nor how quickly
Desiree ushered Sophia from the room, as she had many times this week. Malinda
held her chin out before her and looked down her nose, making an attempt to
ignore the spiritual energy running through the room. She pushed the plate in
front of her aside and looked over to Grant with a smile. “Would you care to go
for a walk?”

“I
have a better idea.” Grant pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.
He helped Malinda rise from her chair and offered her his arm.

Malinda
followed him upstairs to their room, feeling the swaying trail of energy
picking up around her. She prayed they reached their room before Maria decided
to release her full outrage around them. The apparition could not follow them
into the room, for she had just put down another line of salt and refreshed the
salt in the tiny vials she had hidden at the bottom of the windows. She also
maintained an energy field around the rooms that she wanted to keep the spirit
out of. Malinda often wondered how one spirit could be so powerful and had
trouble keeping up with the antics that now occurred on a daily basis.

Chapter 27

When
the door closed behind them Malinda expected to hear the windows rattling, but
there was a sudden silence. As Grant led her to the bed, time seemed to have
stopped and the world spun in slow motion. His hands proceeded down the back of
her red dress and she felt the ties that bound it to her body being loosened. He
removed her garments like an expert, and she eyed him perceptively through her
lowered lashes. She ran a hand up the front of his black tunic and undid the
buttons at the top. She could not help but admire the way the dark color made
his blond hair and golden eyes glow as they contrasted with the blackness. She
bunched the fabric in her hands as she lifted it over his head. Then she ran
her hands down his ribcage, smiling softly when his muscled chest twinged
beneath her touch.

Grant
wrapped his hands in her hair and tugged the strands gently so that her face
was raised to his. He stared into the vivid green of her eyes and leaned down
to kiss her ruby lips. She smelled of honeysuckle and her mouth tasted like
strawberries. In moments they were naked and inhaling each other as the quiet
became saturated in small moments of tumbling ecstasy that were over much
faster than either one of them anticipated. Grant rose from the bed and opened
the nightstand drawer.