Page 52 of The Wolf and the Wildflower
“It was. The pack even shared their meal with me, and I fell onto it like a ravenous animal.”
“What was it?”
His gaze snagged hers. “Raw meat. From which animal I did not know. I cast up my accounts minutes later, but to live I had to continue eating and make it stay down.”
The shock of those words settled over her. Jules knew there was so much more to his experiences and acknowledged the unyielding will it must have taken to survive such odds.
“The wolves…did they accept you in their pack?”
A small smile tugged at his mouth. “I was always on the edge of their family. I was different than they were, but somehow, they understood I saved their cub, and that I was alone. I hunted with them…and when they traveled, I moved with them. I adapted to the wilds, learned to feel the hint of danger at the back of my neck. If I hunted alone, I carried back my kill to share with the pack, always. I learned to run at a pace to keep up with the pack and at times when I fell behind, they waited.”
Wild wolves had been his family. She glanced at the bearskin rug on the small cot, recalling the rumors that he had killed a bear. At the time she had dismissed it as a ludicrous gossip on a rabidly curious society, clearly borne from the evidence of the things with which he returned home. “Did you kill a bear?”
“Luna and I did.”
“Luna?”
“The pup I rescued,” he said, an echo of something indefinable in his tone. “I believe she was truly the only one in the pack who thought of me as a friend. Often we slept beside each other and shared our warmth. Out hunting one day we came upon a bear. It was ferocious and went after Luna.”
“You didn’t leave her,” she said softly.
“Of course not. We fought and we took it down.”
Jules smiled. “I am glad you had her. There are other…” She cleared her throat. “There are others in history who have survived such insurmountable odds when pitted against nature. Many lost their sense of self and even emerged feral. You are very resilient, Your Grace.”
“Luna allowed me to tell her stories of my family,” he said drily. “There were times she replied in yips and howls, but she listened most avidly.”
Jules imagined man and wolf together, by a fire in a cave, one talking and the other paying attention and keeping each other company. That unknown emotion squeezed her chest. “How long were you with Luna and the pack?”
“Years,” he said softly, looking out into the night sky.
“How many were there?”
“Seven.” He shifted, his gaze landing on her like an anvil. “Tell me about yourself, Wildflower. What do you enjoy?”
The question startled her, and she hesitated.
“We exchange our truths, remember? Are you unwilling?”
The duke was utterly still as he awaited her answer. They stared at each other in silence for several moments. Jules did not understand why her heart started its slow and almost painful drumbeat.“I enjoy psychology. It was my area of specialty at university.”
“Which you had the privilege to study because to the world you are a gentleman.”
His expression was difficult to interpret. “Yes.”
“It is rather interesting you were not discovered. Did you not take lodgings at the university?”
She gripped her fingers together. “I took it nearby from an elderly couple who provided a room and dinner. They were very kind.”
He studied her for a moment. “Why did you choose psychology?”
“Growing up, my father used to sit me on his lap and read his books to me. They were rather complex, and I hardly understood the theories, but I held on to his words, basking in the sound of his voice, loving that he wanted to share his love and passion with me. Somehow my interest sparked and grew, and I found myself combing his library to read the different thoughts and concepts of our time. By the time I was twelve I had read books likeA Description of the Retreatand found it enlightening.”
“Those readings helped you decide you wanted to be a mind doctor?”
She shifted on the ledge, folding her body so that she could rest her chin atop her knee. “Books likePrinciples of Physiological Psychologyby WilhelmWundt. It was published only a little over a decade ago. It is a most brilliant read, James. I could tell my father wanted me to follow in his footsteps and I was happy for I enjoyed all the knowledge I consumed. I also had an experience with a young girl in our village that helped shaped my desire for the pursuit.”
“Would you tell me of that experience?”
