The Invisible Husband (6 page)

“But you want
to?”

“Yes, but…”

“But you can’t
see me so you don’t know where my lips are?”

“Madam you’re
tormenting me!”

“Am I? Are you
in love with me?”

Something hard
whacked against the headboard causing the shadow to groan. Eve felt
the hair on the back of her neck stand up as a long sigh warmed her
ear and ruffled her hair. Invisible fingers reached out and jabbed
her in the arm before lightly tracing their way to her face where
they caressed her cheek. “You’re so lovely in every way.” She
allowed a cautious arm to slide behind her back as more invisible
fingers came to rest on her waist. He might be as ugly as sin, but
his husky whisper and soft touch were causing the most delicious
sensations. She consciously leaned towards him causing the hand on
her waist to hold her closer. “My silly heart heard you speak and
the stupid thing abandoned me to trail you like a dog. I had no say
in the matter. It’s led me by the nose for the last six months.
I’ve been a complete fool, but I…you must think me a wicked
heartless oaf.”

“Not exactly;
more of a one-eyed demon who secretly reads ladies fashion
magazines. I was frightened out of my wits until I spoke with you
this morning. I’d have preferred to have had a say in who I was
chained to for life, but I’d rather be chained to you than Lord
Mulgrave. You don’t look like a rat do you?”

“No!”

“That’s a
relief…”

“Eve…”

“Adam?” Her
silent amusement seemed to discompose the arm around her waist.

“Eve…I need
to…”

“Kiss me?”

“No I need to
tell you…Comment Diable! It feels so good to hold you…” Cautious
invisible lips brushed her temples and hovered over her cheek.

“What do you
need to tell me Adam?”

The fingers
caressing her face paused as he exhaled into her ear. “Just because
I want you as my wife doesn’t mean…” Three sharp taps on the door
were swiftly followed by six soft chimes. He clutched her tighter
as if he was afraid he’d never hold her again. “Blasted clock!
There’s never enough time…”

“My dinner
tray…Come! I’m starving; you can tell me what you need to say while
I eat. I must have walked five miles exploring the house and
gardens…” Light spilled into the room as the door silently swung
open. The demon’s hands retracted as he rolled off the bed and
flung the pink and white striped bed curtains down the rail to hide
his exit. He’d disappeared back into the secret passage before she
could get out of the bed. Her husband certainly moved quickly for
an old man. “I’ll eat near the fire…thank you.” Eve sat down at the
folding table and lifted off the silver lid and inhaled the smell
of roast beef and potatoes. The extra light was swept back into the
hall as the servants closed the door behind them. She paused as she
listened for movement in the secret passage. Would he come back or
hide away in his room?

Adam waited
behind the secret door, his heart pressed against its cage in
furious rage at being deprived her presence. He could still feel
her laughing in his arms; he moaned as the rest of his body joined
his silly heart in grandiose demands. Remembering the soft give of
her skin under his hand made him feel faint as he imagined her
returning passionate kisses. Was he losing his mind or had she
leaned against him? Hissing curses on his ugly face he rubbed his
aching chest and prayed his servants would hurry and take away
their light.

The faint
closing of a door signalled his heart to increase its efforts. Adam
pushed the button that released the sliding door and cautiously
stepped back into his wife’s room. She was sitting at a folding
table near the fire facing the flames. His heart sighed in relief
and dragged him across the room. Stopping behind her, his heart
ordered him to touch her hair. He silently commanded his inner
organs to be reasonable; the woman was eating. She didn’t want her
demon-husband playing with her hair. His heart sneered at the
pathetic excuse for self-denial and leaned against its cage as if
it could will itself against her. What if she chose an annulment?
The possibility made his heart whimper in pain, as it panted,
‘Eve…Eve…Eve…’ After six months Adam knew his heart wouldn’t cease
calling for her. If he lost her, his heart would slump in despair
and pant her name until it expired. He stared at long golden brown
rippling heavy and straight over her back half way to the floor.
Juliet must have ensnared Romeo with similar hair. His hand reached
out to touch it, but retracted as she turned her head.

“I was hoping
you’d return.” His heart sighed in ecstasy urging him closer. “What
did you need to tell me? Shall I promise not to talk to snakes or
eat any apples that have fallen from the tree of knowledge of good
and evil?”

Adam smiled at
her teasing tone. “May I touch your hair?”

“If you wish…”
Adam carefully scooped up two handfuls of the ends and kissed them
temporarily soothing his heart. He inhaled her scent and
reluctantly released it, enviously watching it rest against her
warmth. “Did you spend the whole day in your chamber?”

“Yes.”

“Will you leave
your room tomorrow?”

“I don’t
know.”

“Will you come
for a walk with me tomorrow after nightfall? You could wear your
demon cloak. I can’t take another step this evening; my feet are
killing me. What’s the matter? Why are you cursing your heart? What
has the poor creature done now?”

Adam’s heart
sneered in triumph at having such a protector. “It hates me.”

“Why would your
heart hate you?”

“Because of
what I’m going to say…” Adam leapt back into the darkness as her
whole body swivelled around in her chair with apprehension.

“What are you
going to say?”

Adam gulped
down his fears and ignored his raging heart. “It isn’t faire for me
to expect you to accept this ridiculous situation, just because I
want you to.” Even with her face in deep shadows he could see she
was dismayed.

“You’ve changed
your mind? Have I said something to upset you?”

“No, of course
not! It isn’t faire to expect you to endure the weight of…marriage
with a man you’ve never met. I’m not a brute. If you desire an an…”
Adam groaned as his heart threatened to explode. “…if you
desire…”

“An
annulment?”

“If you desire
one…you may have it.”

“But you don’t
want one?”

“No.”

“So you’d be
happy if I chose to remain your wife?”

“Yes! I’m sure
you’ll need time to decide…”

She appeared to
pause as the clock chimed a quarter past and then turned her eyes
back to his shadow. “I’ll stay.” Adam was struck speechless as his
heart jumped for joy and dragged him back to her chair as she
turned back to finish her dinner.

Creeping up
behind her, he ran his hand through her hair. “You will? Why?”

“Why not?”

“You must have
a reason.”

“You appear to
be a decent sort of demon. If I must be sold off like chattel it
might as well be to a decent madman. Who knows what I might feel in
a few years; I may even become fond of your heart. The poor
creature is certainly suffering neglect.”

Clutching
handfuls of hair to his chest, Adam kissed the top of her head as
his heart purred with pleasure. “May my heart come to you
tonight?”

“Not tonight,
I’m tired…” Adam grimaced as his heart theatrically drooped in
disappointment. “…besides, I think it’s only faire that I know what
my husband looks like before I allow him his conjugal rights. The
footman could slip into my bed in the dark and whisper sweet
nothings. How would I know he wasn’t you?”

Adam groaned as
his forehead came to rest against the top of her head. “I can’t let
you see me. If you know what I look like before you love me, you
won’t ever let me come to your bed; you won’t ever love me.”

“Adam, you have
a scar on your face, not three eyes and four noses.”

“I’m not
paranoid out of vanity; I know how ladies react on seeing…”

“I
disagree.”

“You can’t
disagree with my personal experiences.”

“Yes I can; how
do you know the ladies who rejected your face didn’t like how you
smelled? Did you always bathe before searching for company? Did you
wear too much cologne? Perhaps the ladies didn’t like your hair.
Perhaps they thought you had silly legs.”

“There’s
nothing wrong with my legs or my hair.”

“Do you have
your own teeth?”

“Most of
them…I’m only thirty-seven!”

“Perhaps they
thought your breath bad. Perhaps you’d just eaten onion soup. You
may have emitted a decidedly unpleasant smell. Perhaps they thought
you were wearing a hideous coat. Perhaps…”

“Ladies don’t
share my bed out of charity.”

“Perhaps they
thought you were parsimonious.”

“I paid what
they asked!”

“How do you
know they didn’t expect twice as much as you paid?” Adam clenched
his teeth as he looked down at the serene head of hair beneath him.
Was she trying to upset or comfort him? He was too irritated to
tell as her face turned to the side outlining her profile against
the firelight. “How do you know they weren’t feeling ill and were
desperate for any excuse for an evening alone? You can never begin
to know why someone decides to do something unless you’ve spent
time as a fly on their wall and inhaled their most private
thoughts. You’re my husband. If I think you the ugliest man in the
world I may insist you come to me in the dark, but I wouldn’t deny
you my bed; I find your touch quite pleasant.” Adam’s heart lurched
to its feet in celebration as he flushed with pleasure. She found
his touch quite pleasant? Merciful heavens, he could almost feel
her lying in his arms returning his kisses. “Wake me in the
morning. Open the curtains and let me see your face.”

Adam moaned as
his heart begged him to take the gamble. “How will you fall in love
with me if you see my ugly face?”

“How will I
fall in love with you if I never see your face? How can I know who
you are without seeing how your words match your expressions?
Imagine how you’d feel if some ugly woman you’d never seen fell in
love with you and paid all your debts in exchange for your hand in
marriage, but afraid of being found repulsive she refused to show
herself. Could you fall in love with her?”

“I don’t
know…”

“Exactly.”

“My situation
is totally different!”

“How?”

“I’m a
man.”

“You never
debated at College did you?”

“There’s no
point debating. I know I’m right.”

“Are you sure
you fell in love with the right woman?”

“Yes.” Adam
watched over her shoulder as she wiped her mouth and drained her
glass and wondered if he dared give in to his heart’s latest demand
that he kiss the hollow where her shoulder met her neck.

“Do you trust
me?”

“Why?” His wary
lips paused half way to their desired destination and kissed the
edge of her ear.

“When the clock
chimes half past, I’m going to close my eyes for about a minute.
You may kiss me on the lips and then leave for the night. Do you
trust me to keep my eyes closed? How badly do you want to kiss
me?”

His lips
pressed against her shoulder, but his heart was no longer
interested in unresponsive flesh as it hammered its cage in
excitement. “Are you taunting me?” The hoarse words were squeezed
from a throat tight with longing.

“No, I’m daring
you.” She started pushing the small folding table holding her tray
off to the side of her chair. He automatically reached out to help
revealing his hand. “I see my demon-Lord has taken human form. You
have a very nice hand. What colour is your hair? It looks
dark.”

“Black…I wear
it cut short. I used to wear it long, but it has an obnoxious wave
that makes people think I’m some sort of idiot poet. Combined with
the eye patch…”

Her shoulders
shook with laughter as she turned her profile to reveal her smile.
“Combined with the eye patch you look like a poet-pirate? Have you
ever written poetry?”

“Only as a
school boy…there was this girl. She laughed at me when I read it to
her and that was before I had to wear an eye patch. I was
quite…”

“Handsome? She
was probably nervous.”

“No, she told
me I was a silly fool. She’d set her sights on an older boy; horrid
wench!”

“You wrote her
poetry and not me? I’m jealous.”

“You wouldn’t
be if I allowed my silly heart to mash up its most tender
sentiments and carve them into a piece of paper. You’d laugh
yourself sick; my heart couldn’t bear it.”

“I’m glad to
hear you take some care of the poor creature. The clock is chiming
six-thirty.” Adam froze, agonised by indecision. If he kissed her
she might open her eyes. His first kiss might be his last, but if
he didn’t kiss her he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

He tentatively
inched around the chair until he was looking down on her smiling
upturned face. Her eyes were closed, but for how long? “Are you
going to kiss me or stand there warming your backside?” Adam could
hear his heart panting for the offered privilege. Giving in, he
took hold of her face and lent over to taste his wife. Coming into
contact with soft warm skin, his heart firmly took control. He
could smell mulled wine. Then he could taste it as her lips freely
parted accepting his tender kisses causing his heart to press flat
against its cage in ecstasy. His aching back was silenced by
propping a knee beside her on the chair allowing him to wallow in
bliss.

Releasing her
parted lips, he hovered inhaling her breath until a curious hand
touched his leg resting on the chair. Did she want another kiss?
His heart was quick to oblige as her other hand climbed up his coat
collar, up over his cravat and came to rest against his cheek.
“Adam…” The word was whispered against his lips roasting his inner
organs; she liked his kisses. He pressed his lips to her cheek and
inhaled the scent of heaven.