Page 45 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
He knew that it was symbolic, that she was showing him, and the world, that she was leaving the past behind. That she was finally ready to move on from her difficult relationship with her late husband. That she was ready to embrace life and love once again.
He walked closer to the bonfire. The gowns were almost gone now, and the flames were dying down. Perhaps, when it was completely out, he would return here and gather up some of the ashes. Perhaps he would buy her a locket and place those ashes inside it, so that she could wear it, and always remember that her old life was gone, forever.
He smiled, discarding the whim. It seemed a bit ghoulish. It was enough that she had done this, that she had been so brave. And it told him everything that he needed to know about what was in her heart, more than words ever could.
His eyes drifted back to the house. He hadn’t seen her since the early hours of the morning, when they had left each other, after making love in the barn. They had been caught up in real life, again, as he had known they would be. They had shared a cup of tea in the kitchen, with David and Amy, before they had all gone their separate ways, to rest after the dramatic events of the night before.
Before she had finished her tea, she had turned to him, her grey eyes wide. “Would you and David do me the honour of having dinner with me this evening?” she had asked formally. He had seen the twinkle in those grey eyes, as she had asked the question.
He had smiled. “It would be our honour …madam.”
They had kept smiling, lost as always in each other. He had wanted to take her again, on the kitchen table. He had wanted to push her back onto it, reach up under her nightdress, and find that sweet nectar that he so loved. He had hardened at the mere thought of it.
He knew by the darkening of her eyes that she had guessed where his thoughts had headed and that she wanted him as urgently. Her lips had parted, and a flush spread over her porcelain skin.
But she had stood up, smiling, drifting away. He had watched her with haunted eyes. If only he could follow her now. If only they could be open about their love.
He knew that he must be patient. At least they had declared their love to each other, now, and that was more than he had hoped for at this early stage.
He had slept for a few hours, but suddenly woken, eager and restless to see her again. He had left his room, and then the house, thinking that he might find her wandering the grounds. Instead, he had found the bonfire.
He smiled again, staring down at the gowns, shrivelled to ashes, now. His brave Susannah. He knew how hard it had been for her, how difficult the road to get here. The demons that tormented her, telling her that she wasn’t good enough, that she didn’t deserve happiness. It had been a long road to finally banish them, forever.
She was becoming a new woman now. It was a joy to watch her, blossoming with their love, opening up like a flower. Returning to herself, after so much pain and heartbreak.
His loins stirred. It wasn’t just emotionally that she was blossoming. She was discovering new, unknown things, as well, about other parts of her life. Discovering the joy of making love, how much pleasure there was in it, with the right person, and when she was giving herself in desire, as opposed to duty.
She was a very passionate woman. That passion had always been there, beneath the surface, although she had been unaware of it. Now, she was embracing it wholeheartedly.
He shivered with lust, thinking about their encounter this morning, and how she had climaxed when he was inside of her, gripping him in her moment of ecstasy. He had never realised that a woman could find the ultimate release like that.
He grinned. It seemed that he wasn’t the only teacher in their relationship. She was teachinghimnew things, too.
He turned away, walking slowly back towards the house, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he discerned a figure in the distance, moving furtively through the willow trees which bordered the property.
He turned around quickly, trying to see if it was real or if he had imagined it. But there didn’t seem to be anything there anymore.
A frisson of unease prickled his flesh. He was almost certain that he had seen something. He searched again, his eyes roaming over the area, but it appeared completely deserted, now.
He scratched his head. Maybe he was imagining things; he had only had a few hours sleep and his mind was fogged with weariness still. But still, some instinct made him wander over to the willow trees, searching the area.
He stared around, noting the bowed, loping branches of the trees, the leaves sweeping the ground. It was cold and silent beneath them, almost a world away from the rest of the property.
There was no one here. He gazed around, walking slowly, his eyes carefully roaming the area. He was just about to walk back when he noticed something white on the ground beneath one of the trees.
He stared down at it thoughtfully, leaning over to pick it up. It was a man’s handkerchief. Plain and serviceable. But in one corner, the letterLwas embroidered, in dark green thread.
He kept staring at it, turning it over in his hand. The handkerchief could belong to anyone, of course. But suddenly, he heard Susannah’s voice in his ear, telling him the name of her old friend. The old friend who had proposed to her, just yesterday. The old friend who had scared her so much, with his intensity that she hadn’t been able to leave the house, with worry over it.
Leonard Green.
His skin started to prickle again, recalling Susannah’s fears, that the man had been involved in the death of her husband, and had been the one responsible for picking the lock on the stable gate and letting the horses out. A man who sounded obsessed with her and had been obsessed for years.
Leonard Green.
He kept gazing at the piece of material. The letterL… for Leonard? And a dark green thread, for his surname? It was possible. And if this was indeed Leonard Green’s handkerchief, then it meant that he had been wandering the grounds, hiding behind the willow trees. It might have been last week, or yesterday … or even today.
A deep feeling of unease spread over him. He didn’t think that Susannah was exaggerating how threatened she felt by the man. He trusted her instincts. Andsomeonehad picked that lock – it hadn’t just opened by itself.
