Chapter Six
Six Years Ago
The very first night Chris had ever met Nobi, stuck out in his mind like an elephant walking down Bond Street.
He never would have expected to meet her under a tree in the middle of a garden in the dark of night.
No one could have predicted that encounter.
And the way she had been cautious and meek, yet self-assured, wrapped itself around his heart.
She was quieter, he could tell because he was the same way.
Hence them both sneaking out of a party.
But she knew who she was and she was happy with herself.
And something about her drew him in. When Lady Evelyn had come looking for him, he couldn’t have thought of a better husband-hunting deterrent than to lose himself in Nobi’s arms.
He would never forget the way she had looked up at him in earnest, vouching to be his fake tryst for a few minutes.
She trusted him implicitly, and his heart had swelled.
To be held in such high regard so quickly by a woman who otherwise seemed so reserved, was humbling. He was drawn to her, that was certain.
And he hardly even knew her.
That’s just how it was sometimes. There were those times you could meet a person and you felt as though you could read their soul.
You understood their motivation in life.
You matched dispositions…or if not matched, complemented.
He felt all of that with Zenobia within minutes of meeting her.
As though there was an invisible string tethering their souls.
But then she had scurried off, just when he thought that everything was going really well.
He must have misread her entirely. Or perhaps it had been one-sided.
He couldn’t believe it, given the gravity of his feelings, but he was not so obnoxious or short sighted to consider that the effects had all been on his side.
If it was only him, he had to respect that.
And being as he was not one to force things in life, he didn’t intentionally seek her out after that night. If she wanted his attention, she would have made it clear on the first night. She was not one to prevaricate. Or equivocate. She would articulate. Most definitely.
Within that same week though, he found himself at another ball, in another garden, awkwardly wondering if he might—perchance—run into her again.
Not that he was about to admit that he had been lurking (no, not lurking, surveying) the gardens with a little more deliberation of late. To no avail until this night.
And if the first night had been fate, the second night was divine.
Chris found himself taking a small walk around the pond when he came upon her.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, so he took his time observing her, as much as he could see beneath the moonlight.
Her slippers and stockings were off, and her feet were dangling in the water.
Her skirts had been pulled up so that he could see the glimmer of her ankles and part way up her shins.
It was not intentionally seductive. It was pure innocent pleasure, and it tugged on his heart.
She was wiggling her feet, as if moving them to a playful dance. Her eyes were watching her toes, or perhaps the reflection of the moon on the water. When her toes stopped tapping against the water, she rested her head back and looked to be studying the stars. He could hear her humming a soft tune.
She resonated peace. In fact, she was the very epitome of contentment. She needed nothing more than the soft shimmer of the moon and the chill of the water to rest her feet in order to find delight.
He didn’t want to frighten her, so he made a soft bird call. When she turned her head up into the trees looking for the source of the sound, he cleared his throat softly.
“Well, hello Lady Zenobia.” He hadn’t quite shaken out the huskiness in his throat when he voiced the words. “We find each other again.”
And though he couldn’t see it precisely, he had a knowing sensation that her eyes lit up at the sight of him.
That was a good sign.
“Good evening, Duke.”
“So formal. After all we’ve been through.” At the quirk of her brow, he insisted on listing the singular event that led to the depth of their relationship. “Our tryst and our midnight treat have surely made it suitable for us to refer to each other by our Christian names, Nobi.”
Her smile in return lifted his spirits. Without realizing the constriction that had been placed upon himself, he now felt as though he could breathe deeper. Had his lungs increased in size? Or had his chest just found more freedom to expand? The sense of freedom was clear.
She still hadn’t said more than three words to him, but he attributed that to the stillness of the night rather than a reluctance toward his company.
“May I join you?”
With two quick taps, she patted the ground beside her.
“It’s a little bit damp in some spots.” And only then did he notice how far up her skirts were bunched so that her bare bottom was sitting on the grass.
Her legs were covered, there was nothing noticeably indecent about her posture, but knowing that her legs and bum were exposed sent a shiver through his spine.
His swallowing thickened until he set himself down beside her and focused on her face.
And the pond.
But mostly her face.
And those lush, pouty lips.
He had to flicker his attention between the pond and her face, lest he misread something in her soft gray eyes.
He had never seen such a color before. And so far, he had only observed them at night.
Yet they held a fierce devotion in them.
Not to him. Not yet, at least. He would never be so sanguine as to think a woman (like her no less) could fall that hard and that quickly for him.
But that gray…some might think the gray likened the clouds, an overcast day, shutting out the sun.
But there was no coverage at all. She appeared to be an open book, or at least, a book willing to be opened.
That was a more apt description. She was willing.
And that gray…no, it wasn’t like the clouds so much as it was like the metal of a bullet. Powerful but quiet, explosive only if triggered.
He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but it was far too early to mention anything.
Not only that, when he considered how the first night ended, he didn’t want to say anything too directly.
There was no point in scaring her off. So he decided to bide his time and gauge her body language as well as the conversation.
“Why did you leave the party?” she asked innocently.
Only, it wasn’t that innocent of an answer.
Obviously he needed to deflect the question because he wasn’t going to jump into a long winded reply about how he had been keeping an eye out for her at parties, trying to get her alone again.
Especially since in getting her alone his foremost intention was conversation.
Did that make him sound like a lost puppy trailing behind her? He didn’t rightly care.
Though he could have paid her a call. Brought flowers.
Invited her on a carriage ride. Spoken to her family.
It’s what men did when they wanted to state their intentions.
But…it seemed too formal. He didn’t want to state his intentions, hopefully that didn’t sound dishonorable.
He just wanted to get to know her under watchless eyes. Like those of the moon.
So no, he didn’t say anything except a truth that had nothing to do with his feelings, “I like the night air.”
“Me too.”
A soft breeze whispered across her cheek. He watched and felt it collecting her loose strands, tumbling them together, and letting them scatter around her face.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. But it was more than her night black hair and soft gray eyes, it was something emitted by her soul. He wanted to know her more. As much as one human could know another.
“Tell me something about yourself, Nobi.” He was leaning back, admiring the view which included the pond but mostly consisted of Nobi.
Their hands were both resting behind them, propping their bodies up at an angle.
His fingers were inches from hers. He could reach out slightly and touch her if he dared.
He didn’t. But he could. And that was comforting in a strange sense.
She gave him a side eye and then flickered her eyes back to the pond.
With a soft breath, she expelled some of her reserve and started to share.
“I’m the second daughter in a family of four girls.
The eldest, Boudicca is a prim spinster and a fencing master.
Though I doubt she’ll be a spinster forever.
Joan is quiet and reserved, and she’s a bladesmith.
I think she wants to make a business of it, and I know if she wants it, it’ll happen because she’s incredible.
Artemisia is the youngest. She’s an archer who is wildly expressive and wants to live a fantasy.
I hope she gets everything her heart desires.
And I don’t just hope for it, I’ll do everything in my power to see it happen. ”
In saying all of that about other people, Nobi disclosed more about herself than Chris thought.
She was selfless. Always considering other people.
She had the heart of a servant, a nurturer.
She was loyal to her family, beyond all else.
But still, he wanted to know more. Even though he felt her essence, he wanted her to tell him who she was. He wanted her to trust him.
“What about you?” he prodded. And finally, he reached his finger over that one inch to tap the top of her finger as he asked.
A warmth flooded him from the touch as he recalled holding her close once before.
He longed to hold her again. Even just that inch of her finger was smooth and beckoning to him.
“Me?” Genuine surprise marked her features. “I just told you about myself.”
“In a roundabout way you did. You told me about your siblings, who they are and what they like to do. But what about you? How would you describe yourself? What do you like to do?”
“I don’t often think about describing myself.” Her eyes ventured up to the night sky and then settled back down on his face. He thought her eyes dipped to his mouth, but then they were on his eyes with a twinkle in them. “But I can tell you a secret.”
And he desperately wanted to know all of her secrets. “Tell me.”
“I’m very good at shooting a pistol.”
He huffed out a small burst of air in shock. “That–well, that I was not expecting you to say.”
Her light giggle landed on his heart. “That’s the point of a secret, isn’t it?”
“True. The surprise of you shooting a pistol is shocking enough, and I’m grateful you shared that secret with me.
It’s not shocking to me because I reserve that activity for men, just to be clear.
I’m oddly proud that you partake in such an activity.
If a woman wants to do something, she should do it.
But I have to say,” he scratched his jaw, “since you come across as being so modest that I wouldn’t have expected you to announce just how well you shoot a gun. ”
“I suppose that is a bit startling. Hmm…I wonder why I said it that way.” Her fingertips danced on the grass in thought. “I must be comfortable around you, and I was just being honest. It’s an objective fact, seeing how many competitions I’ve won.”
Chris stifled a laugh. From any other person’s mouth, that might sound like bragging, but he knew she was just being open and transparent. And he loved it.
“How many have you won exactly?”
She wiggled her brows at him, “Too many to count.”
He didn’t even bother to tamp down the laugh bubbling out of him. She was more refreshing than the pond would be if he dipped himself in it. And those gunmetal eyes were a very apt description for her, now that he knew she was a sharpshooter.
“What about you?” She turned to face him, drawing her legs out of the water and tucking them under her skirts. He wanted to pull her body down on his, just to feel her strength, gentleness, and authenticity.
Yes, he wanted to kiss her, but this pull he felt toward her was not exclusively sexual. He simply wanted to be close to her.
“I know you want adventure.” She wrinkled her nose slightly as the tall grasses swayed behind her. “Where do you want to travel to first?”
His cheeks lifted in a wide smile. “There are so many places to see. Things I want to experience. I would love to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The pyramids in Egypt. And so much more. I could spend my whole life traveling and not see everything I want to see.”
It was his dream and sharing those plans with her almost seemed to expand the dream. It was almost as though he had been given permission to dream as big as he could. His heart felt light, as if it were impossible for any storm to catch up to him and lay siege upon him.
This was a moment made for dreaming and believing.
He wanted to stay here forever. He laid back on the grass, soaking up her presence.
They barely knew each other, yet they were so comfortable together.
He scanned her profile, appreciating that she had many secrets for him to discover.
But one night could only expose so many, so he let his eyes drift to the midnight sky.
Stars were twinkling above. So far away, yet promising magic and light.