Give Me (Wyrd and Fae #1)(10)
Dynamic, substantial, assured. He was no apparition.
“Generous of you to comply.”
“I thought so.” His dark-gloved hand dwarfed Lilith’s in the pink one. Beside him, she felt downright delicate.
A hot current of desire danced over her as he handed her down to the platform. She glanced at him sideways, sure he’d felt it too. She pulled her hand away—or maybe he dropped it. The urge to grab this man, this stranger, was almost overwhelming. It was as if she’d become a different person. She wanted to kiss him right here, right now, tear his clothes off and pull him inside.
She studied her surroundings, desperate to think of anything else.
Tintagos Halt consisted of an old stone building anchored to a wide wood platform. A rusting iron bench at one end looked unused for a generation. Garish posters covered ancient walls. You Might Be Next! Visit Famous Tintagos Castle! Who Will Be Chosen? A Once in a Lifetime Event!
Bausiney’s hand brushed over her bare upper arm. He quoted, “Dumnos is a land of mist and rain,” and wrinkled his nose. “We put so much effort into the literature, and no one reads it.” He had one of those ironic grins where the corners of his mouth curved down but his eyes twinkled. He draped his scarf around her shoulders, and she caught her breath at his slight squeeze. “That’s better now.”
The steam whistle blasted, as startling as a physical assault. She and Bausiney jammed their hands over their ears until it stopped. Fortunately, the shock of the blast drove away Lilith’s sex-fiendishness.
“It’s this way,” Bausiney said.
At the end of the platform the footman loaded luggage into a waiting horse-drawn carriage. His ornate uniform made more sense now, all part of the show. The vehicle was as white as Cinderella’s coach with polished brass fixtures and a gold coronet with pearls and strawberry leaves painted on the door. The top was down with Marion and Ian and the laptop ladies inside, all with wool throws spread over their laps.
“This is Bella and Cammy.” Marion handed warm throws to Lilith and Bausiney. “Sisters from Maidstone. They’re stopping at the Tragic Fall for the Handover.”
“Now there is truly no room at the inn,” Ian observed.
Lilith sat on the same side as Bella, the older of the two. If they’d been named in honor of Mr. Trollope’s French sisters—a mean trick by a parent—they’d rebelled against the author’s description. The younger Cammy appeared shy and sweet. Bella regarded Lilith with a distinctly sour expression and furrowed eyebrows—which morphed to everything delightful when Bausiney inserted himself in between the two.
He pushed his hat back and stretched his arms behind them over the seat with a grin. He looked less the Mad Hatter and more a glam rocker from the ‘80s, sans mascara.
“Walk on,” the driver said to the horses. As the carriage rolled forward, the footman climbed up to the driver’s perch. It felt like being in a story out of Jane Austen—for the first minute. In the next five they hit three ruts in the dirt road, throwing the passengers against each other. This trip was going to be picturesque but hardly comfortable.
The narrow road from Tintagos Halt to Tintagos Village wound down a small hill to the edge of the sea. Dusk had begun. A few lamps were on in the cottages and shops spread over the few streets, but there was plenty of natural light left in the day.
“It gets dark later here,” Lilith said absently. Bella and Cammy stared as if she’d said a green cow was dancing on the fencepost. Lilith decided they were the very image of Trollope’s French girls.
Bausiney said, “That’s because we’re at higher latitude than you’re used to.”
Just as Lilith gave him a big smile, the carriage hit another rut and threw her against his chest. The desire returned, hot and bittersweet, as if her body knew his body, remembered it, wanted to press closer, to feel his arms around her. His chest was so broad, his eyes so…actually, he looked ridiculously happy. Happy to find her practically in his lap.
“Why, Miss Evergreen.” The corners of his mouth twitched. “Hello there.”
She pulled away and closed her eyes, her heart racing. Her body was on fire. This made no sense. She wasn’t even attracted to the great ruddy hulk. Despite the electric sizzle in his touch. She wasn’t attracted to anybody. Not now. At present, she had no confidence where love was concerned, not in her judgment of men or in herself as a lover.
Gradually her senses brought the world into better focus. Seagulls screamed over the bay. Horses’ hooves clump-clumped on soft dirt. Marion chatted with Ian about Sharon. Lilith opened her eyes. No one had noticed her discomfort.
She could feel Bausiney watching her, but if she looked at him she’d lose it. Instead, she examined the village and the cliffs beyond.
Great gods, and sheesh! Again her heart was in her throat. Just south of the village, clinging to the cliffs’ edge—it was the oak tree from her dreams. Its dramatically wide branches spread out over the sea on one side and over the land on the other. At its base, a woman in a long black cloak stood with one palm resting on the tree’s trunk.
It was Elyse. Watching her. Waiting for her.
You’ve come at last. The same words, same voice she’d heard at Tintagos Halt.
“Who is that?” She turned to her fellow passengers.
“Who what?” Ian said.