Page 28 of One Wicked Secret
For goodness’ sake, go before I become a blubbering wreck.
“Mrs McGregor saw me leave.” He appeared beside her,his muscular body filling his coat, his tousled coal-black hair curling at the nape of his neck. “We have roles to play. A loving husband should relish time alone with his wife.”
Yet you left me alone for months, Daniel.
It might have been years had she not forced herself upon him. All she had wanted was a chance to love him and feel loved in return.
“I’m not strong enough to act the doting wife tonight.”
He cupped her elbow, forcing her to face him. “You don’t need to say anything. Just dance with me, Elsa. Did we not waltz beneath the stars once before?”
He remembered.
She had relived the dance so many times it made her dizzy: the thrill of his hand clasping hers, the heat of his palm on her back, the stolen moment in the garden that still lingered like a dream.
“As I recall, you begged me to be your tutor,” he said, unaware she held every moment they had shared locked in her heart. “You feared provincial balls would not prepare you for life in London.”
“You were quick to offer your services.”
“Perhaps you need to remember why.”
He’d acted like the perfect gentleman—not a rogue who’d encouraged her to escape the house at night. He held her properly, correcting her posture, but she remembered the flare of excitement in his gaze and every hitch in his breath.
“When a man courts a woman, dancing is a way to demonstrate how he feels. Dancing builds intimacy. It awakens the senses and breaks down barriers.”
“We’re married, not courting.”
They had barely spent time alone together since exchanging vows. The romance had died. Neglect had wornher down. Her heart had slowly withered until all she felt was intense sorrow.
“Allow me to make amends,” he said, sounding sincere.
“You don’t need to make amends. You sacrificed your own happiness to marry me. I understand everything now.” She looked at the dark mass of trees in the distance, home to a wicked secret. “I’ll never be whole again. Part of me will always be lost out there in the woods.”
Undeterred, he drew her closer. “You have every reason to distrust my word, but I’ll strive to bring you the answers you seek. Help me by making small concessions.” He sighed. “Please, Elsa.”
The sadness in his voice forced her to nod. If she didn’t find a way forward, she was in danger of drowning in a pool of self-pity. And it was obvious he was hurting, too.
“What will a dance on the terrace achieve?”
He stepped back and bowed. “Shall we find out?”
She looked at his proffered hand. A ripple of excitement raced through her when their fingers touched. Even the slightest contact felt divine. “I may step on your toes.”
“Have you danced with a man since our last waltz?”
“No.”
A slow smile curled his lips. “Then it won’t take long to remember the rhythm. We were so attuned with each other, it will be like we’ve never spent a day apart.”
Tears pricked the backs of her eyes, but she smiled, too. She placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, the muscle solid beneath her palm.
His hand on her back made her heart stutter. She almost sobbed when he twined his fingers with hers.
Daniel hummed as they moved, his tone warm and intimate as the rhythm carried them, just as it did years ago whenshe would have sold her soul to marry him. The cool night air whispered around them as he kept a respectable distance and they glided around the dimly lit terrace with ease.
He was right in one respect.
Every second held in his arms helped to unravel the tangled knot of emotions. After spending so many months hating him and cursing him to Hades, she had forgotten how badly she craved his touch. The rush of longing was often so fierce it stole her sanity.
