Page 54 of The Butterfly
“So, ye’ve a plan, then?”
“I do,” she said. “And it will work, but only if we can convince Adam that I need to go to my townhouse to prepare my own things. He wishes me to have my servants do it, but we must come up with some reason I must be the one … and if you insist you can escort me, then he might relent and allow me to leave. Please, Niall.”
Thinking of the woman waiting for him upstairs, he realized that this was the opportunity he’d been waiting for—his chance to do something to help do away with Olivia’s tormentor. He could not stand back and let the bastard go on torturing the people he loved, but neither could he allow his best friend to potentially go down for murder. As much as he wanted to take Adam’s side in this, the events of the day had shown him that things had to change. Something had to give, and as long as Bertram was made to pay, what did it matter if he, or Adam, were the ones to deal the blow?
“Aye, then,” he relented. “I’ll help ye. But, if we’re caught, ye’ll take the fall for it, lass.”
With a wide smile, she threw herself into his arms. The collision of their bodies knocked the wind from him, shock heightening the effect when she wrapped her arms around his neck and bussed his cheek.
He would never have expected it. He’d never been anything but gruff toward her, and here she was kissing him as if they were family or some such. It caught him so off guard, he could only pat her back with a grunt, then set her away from him. He had only just decided he did not hate her, after all. It would be some time before he was ready for more than that.
“Dinnae think this makes us friends, me and you.”
To his surprise, she only grinned wider. “Oh, never that, Niall.”
Taking up his Burgundy, he left her alone without another word. As he made his way back to the kitchen, he tried not to let his hopes rise too far. If Daphne were as smart as he assumed, her plan would work. By the end of this week, Olivia could be a free woman.
What would happen beyond that, he did not know. However, the state of not knowing made him smile, as he found it far preferable to an existence of bleak torment and pining after a woman who could not love him back the way she once had.
Not knowing loomed before him in a wide expanse, and this, in turn, opened up a world filled with opportunity.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Three days later …
livia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the cool morning air flooding her nostrils and lungs, the slight sting as pure and good as the scent of the blossoms growing all around her. Not as large or lush as her garden back home, the little courtyard cultivated with a small variety of flowers here in London was just green and colorful enough to feed her senses. Niall told her she often wandered to the gardens at Dunnottar, sitting amongst the blossoms. He said they’d made her happy in her more lucid moments, and she spent many pleasant afternoons there.
The tragedy of it was, she could remember no such times. The past five years of her life had sped in a blur of pain, misery, and torment, with Niall, Adam, and Serena presenting sporadic bursts of goodness and light. Looking back, she wondered how she had ever survived for so long.
But that is just the thing. I only survived … I did not live.
Reaching out toward a winter-blossoming rosebush just beginning to bud, she caressed the waxy green leaves, tenderly touching one half-open flower. It had been so long since she’d truly enjoyed the velvety texture of a rose petal, or the taste of her favorite foods. It felt like it had been an eternity since she had really laughed or smiled … or, anything, really.
And making love. God, how glorious was such a thing?
Bertram had robbed her of the chance to give her maidenhead to the person of her choosing, whether it be Niall or another. He had taken the last bit of her innocence and cast her into a dark pit of despair.
But her Niall had thrust his hand down into that abyss and taken hold of her, refusing to let go, coming into the darkness to pull her into the light. He had banished the taste of Bertram out of her mouth, giving her everything she had been denied. It had been worth the wait, she’d realized on the morning after her harrowing laudanum relapse. Everything she’d been through, all that she had suffered and lost … it could never be completely washed away. But knowing she could find pleasure and joy with Niall, knowing that part of her had not been completely killed, gave her a hope she’d never thought she could find again.
It made her smile in the days that had followed. It made her laugh and chase Serena about the halls—no matter how thoroughly it sapped her strength. It made her drink more chocolate and wine and eat all the foods that had been her favorites, and even discover new ones. It made her inspect the newly blossomed rose with such reverence and anticipation. Like this flower, she would bloom and grow, unfurling to the sun shining down upon her with such warmth.
Yes, she still craved laudanum. Daily, in fact. But it only took one look at Niall, one hug from Serena, one hour of playing the harp, to bring her full circle and remind her of the places she never wanted to go again.
Now that she was clearheaded, she became more aware of the things going on in the house. Adam was brooding as usual, though Olivia could tell something had been bothering him beyond the typical annoyances. However, he’d been so unpredictable in his moods, she’d been reluctant to pry. Niall had been in and out of the house on some mission he insisted to be important and related to their return to Dunnottar.
“We’re goin’ home soon,mo gradh,” he had told her just yesterday. “Don’t ye worry about anythin’ except gettin’ yer rest.”
She was sick of resting. While she did want to go home, she also wanted to know what the bloody hell everyone was being so secretive about.
The sound of soft footsteps over the stone path of the garden had her swiveling on the bench she occupied. She found Lady Daphne coming toward her, a shawl draped over her long-sleeved morning gown, a cap covering her auburn hair. Olivia shifted over on the bench to make room.
“I hope I am not interrupting,” Daphne said while settling in beside her. “You appear to be enjoying the pleasant morning.”
“I am,” she replied. “But I would love the company. Besides, we haven’t had much time to really talk, you and I.”
“I know. I have been waiting for an opportune moment … when the men aren’t underfoot. Adam is busy in his study with estate affairs, and Niall has taken Serena out for a walk. This seemed as good a time as any.”
Olivia smiled. “It is lovely to properly meet you, I suppose. Our first introduction … I cannot remember much about it.”
