Page 41 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
“We would not wish to make you feel that way I am sure, Mr. Montgomery,” she said, in a clipped tone.
There was an uncomfortable silence, for a moment.
“James,” said Isabel quickly. “Perhaps we could choose another book to read together from the library today. I am a bit tired ofArabian Nights. What do you say?” She smiled but it looked brittle, as if she was forcing it onto her face.
He nodded slowly. “Of course, Isabel.”
No one spoke again. As if by mutual agreement, they ate in silence.
James chewed his toast thoughtfully. There was a strange tension in the room. He had no idea what it was about, and it seemed that no one wanted to enlighten him.
He glanced at his wife again. She was looking down at her plate, cracking open a boiled egg. She looked subdued, and pensive.
Something was going on. Something that he was unaware of. And if he wasn’t mistaken, his wife was not fond of Reuben Montgomery at all.
***
That night, as they all settled at the same table for dinner, James recalled the strange tension that had inhabited the room at breakfast. But whatever it had been about, it seemed to have evaporated now. His wife spoke cordially to Reuben, and he responded in kind.
He felt himself slowly start to relax. Perhaps he had imagined it. Hehopedhe had imagined it. He didn’t want there to be discord between his wife and his oldest friend. He hoped that they all got along so well that when the time came for Reuben to put his bachelor days behind him, and take a wife, they might all be friends. A merry foursome.
He picked up his wine glass, taking a deep sip, feeling the liquid relax him further. Dr. Brown had told him it was perfectly fine to have a glass with dinner, but not to imbibe much more. Liquor might affect the capacity of his mind to do the healing it needed to recover his memory.
He put down the glass, gazing at Adaline. He didn’t need wine with her around, anyway. He felt like he was almost intoxicated, just looking at her.
His heart started to race. Tonight, he would finally see her in her night attire, with all that glorious black hair cascading around her. The mere thought of it had haunted him the whole day, making him snappy and impatient. He simply could not wait for this dinner to be over.
He knew that he had to take it slowly with her; that she probably would not be ready, as yet, to let him worship her in that way. But it was the start of breaking down another barrier between them. Being together, alone, in such an intimate way, would surely make her more comfortable with progressing things between them.
His heart was so full of anticipation at the thought of it, that he leaned over to her, lowering his voice. He did not want Reuben and Isabel to hear what he was about to say to her.
“I wish that I could remember how we fell in love,” he whispered, his eyes shining. “How did it come to pass?”
She looked a bit startled, biting her lip. She glanced around, quickly, at the others.
“They cannot hear,” he whispered, smiling. “Tell me the story.”
“This is not the place,” she whispered back, blushing deeply. “All that I will say for now is that the courtship was quick.”
His smile broadened. “It must have been quick,” he whispered, his eyes raking over her face. “I imagine I could not have waited very long, to make you my own.”
Her blush deepened. Slowly, he reached out, grazing her face softly with the back of his hand, utterly entranced. She was so very beautiful, the way that she blushed, like a maiden. His loins tightened again, with an aching need.
Not long now, he thought.Not long at all.
He collected himself, with difficulty, turning away from her. They were in company, as she had reminded him, and it was not in his nature to make people feel uncomfortable.
He glanced around the room, ready to be sociable again. It was not long until they would be alone, after all.
Abruptly, he jumped. Reuben was glaring at him fiercely, almost as if he hated him. But the next second the look was gone, almost wiped clean, as if it had never been there at all.
His friend picked up his wine glass, smiling at him. “A nice drop, old chap. Do you think?”
James nodded slowly. “Very nice. Please, enjoy.”
A strange feeling was swirling, in the pit of his stomach. With a frown, he tried to ignore it, picking up his own wine glass and drinking deeply.
He must have imagined it. Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, in more ways than one.
