Chapter Fourteen #2
“Elizabeth, has anyone told you that your laugh sounds almost musical?” Gabriel asked.
Ashlyn’s cheeks heated in a blush. “Not that I can recall.”
“I shouldn’t have said that. But I’ve thought it each time I’ve heard you laugh. You have a lovely laugh. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all. I just don’t know what to say…except thank you,” Ashlyn said. “No one has ever told me that.”
“It looks like Mrs. Fitz packed a full basket of all the favorites—cheese, fruit, bread, and wine.” He gently freed a glass from the holder in the basket. “Wine?”
“Yes, thank you. And perhaps a piece of bread. I don’t want the wine to go to my head,” Ashlyn said, laughing again.
“Here’s a lovely surprise—strawberries and clotted cream,” Gabriel said, dipping a strawberry into a pretty dish of cream.
Ashlyn found she enjoyed sharing a picnic blanket with this man—imagining him lying down, looking up at her, while she slowly placed grapes on his tongue.
“Elizabeth, are you all right?” Gabriel asked, making her realize she’d been staring at his mouth. She’d thought about his kissing her so often that she was practically craving it—craving him.
“Yes, I’m so sorry. I was just lost in thought,” she replied.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
“Oh no—you’d never want to be in my head,” she teased. “But I was just wondering about those plump, beautiful green grapes.”
“Wonder no more, my lady,” he said, handing her a small cluster.
“Thank you so much, kind sir,” she said warmly, accepting the treats and taking a delightful bite. She was hungrier than she’d realized—maybe they both were.
The time they spent sitting there was truly relaxing, but it felt like it wasn’t quite long enough.
Before they knew it, they’d finished all the fruit, much of the cheese, and had made a good dent in the wine.
“I think I’ve just found a new favorite wine,” she said with a smile, trying her best not to giggle.
She cherished the closeness that the picnic had created. She loved having him all to herself.
“Mrs. Fitz will be delighted to learn that we nearly emptied the basket,” Gabriel said, packing up the empty containers.
“And I’ll be sure to tell her about the wine.
She’ll be delighted.” He held up his finger.
“The wind is blowing ever so slightly. Listen carefully. If we stay quiet, we can hear the voices of the trees and grasses,” he said.
“The trees and grasses…speak?”
“Yes and no,” he said, laughing. “Just listen.”
The wind moved quietly through the barren branches on many of the trees, until it touched some of the ones with leaves still on them.
Ashlyn closed her eyes to listen. “I hear it. It’s like the trees are whispering…speaking to us,” she said excitedly.
“It’s the yews, the beech trees in the wooded areas, and the quaking grass from the patch next to the wooded area.
Other trees also whisper—like the willows, the oaks, the pines, and the firs—but it depends on the season.
I’ve always thought that the grass seems to answer the trees, and together, it sounds like a whispered conversation,” Gabriel explained.
“The first time I heard it, I was home for a holiday. I was upset over something that, honestly, I cannot even recall—beyond being upset. And when I sat up here, I heard this. It was so peaceful that it’s become my favorite place to come over the years. ”
“It’s truly lovely. I’ve never experienced such a thing—or maybe I’ve just never listened,” she said.
“Here in England, there’s a long tradition of folklore surrounding the voices of the grasses and trees. For example, if you hear your name whispered by beech or oak trees, it means the fairies are calling to you. Others believe it’s someone deceased.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Could he have come here to reconnect with his lost sister and fiancée? “It sounds like a choir, singing the praises of nature’s beauty,” she said.
“Yes…that is what I’ve always thought I’ve heard,” he said.
She sighed at the beauty of it.
“We should get back. As much as I’d like to stay, I’m noticing the dark clouds making their way toward us. Perhaps the next time we ride, we can add more speed,” he said with a wink.
She looked in the direction he pointed and nodded.
“The clouds are getting closer, but it doesn’t look nearly as dark as the storms we had earlier this week.
I’ve truly enjoyed myself,” she said. Next time?
She hadn’t even let herself consider the possibility of another private outing with him.
Perhaps that was the allure of pretending to be Elizabeth, she mused.
An heiress could do whatever she wanted…
“I’ve enjoyed this afternoon immensely,” he said.
As they made their way back, she saw something curious behind the stable. It appeared to be her carriage, splintered and still covered in mud. “Do you mind if I take a look?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he said, nudging Demon in that direction. “Harold, you can go on. We’ll be right behind you.”
“Yes, my lord,” the footman said, moving on.
As they approached the carriage, Gabriel asked, “Are you certain you want to see this?”
She nodded. “I do,” she said, sliding off Lightning and tying him to nearby brush. “Do you mind if I move closer?”
“Certainly. There’s nothing that can hurt you now,” he said. As they walked up, he added, “Billy told me you managed to escape with a parasol and saved him afterward. I couldn’t believe it. How in the world did you accomplish such a feat?”
She hadn’t even thought about the parasol since that night.
“I saw it on the floor, I think. There wasn’t a lot to choose from, and I needed something to help wedge the door open long enough for us to get through.
Alice helped me with it. The door was very heavy, and with the rain and the mud, we helped each other.
Once we climbed out, the parasol gave way and snapped in half.
You may find pieces of it inside.” She felt an involuntary shudder move through her at the recollection of that night.
“When I met you, I realized I had never met anyone like you before,” he said, smiling at her.
He put his forefinger on her chin and tilted her face up.
“And I still feel that way. You are the bravest woman I know—so kind, yet so strong. So…beautiful,” he said, smoothing her hair back from her eyes with his other hand.
“Elizabeth, there’s something so unique about you that I can’t describe. But I must have…”
His gaze held her spellbound.
“I can’t stop myself,” he asked, moving his face closer to hers.
Slowly, she nodded her head. “I don’t want you to stop yourself… Please don’t stop yourself…”
How could he want to stop? She couldn’t let him stop, not when she was getting what she had dreamed about since meeting him. She lifted herself to her toes, bringing her closer to his lips.
He chuckled. “That’s the best invitation I’ve ever received.”
Gabriel leaned in and gently covered her lips with his.
Then he slid his hands down her back and pulled her closer, until their bodies were pressed together.
The intoxicating scents of musk, sandalwood, and sweat mingled together and teased her senses.
His breath was warm against her face as he brushed kisses over her nose, her cheeks, and her neck.
Instinctively, she reached up and wrapped her hands around his neck, tugging him closer to her, deepening their kiss with growing need.