Page 18 of Rescuing a Tantalising Heiress
“I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen:
A Chapel was built in the midst,
Where I used to play on the green.
And the gates of this Chapel were shut,
And ‘Thou shalt not’ writ over the door;
So I turn’d to the Garden of Love,
That so many sweet flowers bore.
And I saw it was filled with graves,
And tomb-stones where flowers should be:
And Priests in black gowns, were walking their rounds,
And binding with briars, my joys & desires.”
“How beautiful,” Edward said as Isabella looked up at him and smiled.
“But how did you know? How did any of this come to be?” she asked.
“Isn’t it what you dreamed of? A library and a garden?” he said, and Isabella nodded, even as the vision seemed to fade away.
She reached out to Edward, but his image grew faint. The books were disappearing, the sun setting, and the library was gone.
“Oh…but where are you?” she asked, as a distant voice penetrated her vision.
“Isabella? Are you awake, my dear?” the voice of Augusta said, and Isabella opened her eyes to find the duke’s sister looking down at her with a concerned expression on her face.
“I…I was dreaming,” Isabella said, realizing it had all been false.
There had been no library, no garden, and now she blushed at the intimacy she had shared with Edward—the touch of his hand, the words of the poem, the smiles they had exchanged. Augusta raised her eyebrows.
“It’s all right, Isabella. You’re quite safe. Was it a bad dream? You poor thing,” she said, shaking her head and taking Isabella’s hand in hers.
Isabella shook her head, sitting up in bed and smiling at the memory of the dream. It had been so vivid—everything she had ever wanted, and Edward…
“I was in a beautiful library. There was a garden, too. I…I recited poetry,” Isabella said, not wishing to add the details of Edward’s presence lest his sister think her somewhat odd.
Augusta smiled.
“Do you know how long you’ve slept?” she asked.
It was light outside, and Hetty was now drawing the curtains to let the sunlight in. Isabella shook her head. She assumed it was evening and that her father was waiting to take her home.
“Are we leaving now?” she asked, but Augusta shook her head.
“It’s Friday now—you’ve slept all night long,” she said, and Isabella stared at her in astonishment.
She had not expected Augusta to say this, and her eyes grew wide at the thought of the imposition she had caused.
“Oh, goodness me, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t my father have me woken up?” she asked, but Augusta smiled.
