Page 25 of Beloved Beast

With Gillian’s assistance, they managed to unload the car in under a half hour. After he drew all the curtains, he turned on the lights. As Fred stated, all electric. He wandered into the parlor. It did not look the same at all, but after fifty years, it wouldn’t. Though the piano was still here. He touched a couple of keys and a mournful musical resonance emitted from the instrument. Not too badly out of tune considering. At least the place was clean, with only a thin layer of dust on most objects. Not that there were many, as the house was sparsely furnished. It would serve.

Memories flooded him. In this parlor is where he asked permission to kiss Glenna. “I will carry the memory of your soft touch with me always, and I wish you to grant me another memory for me to hold dear. I do not remember my first kiss, if I even had one. I want yours to be the reminiscence I have. I would consider it a gift and treasure it. Will you allow me to kiss you?”

Beyond all common sense, Glenna did allow it. It was then he suspected his emotions ran at a high speed. And against all reason, he began to fall in love with her.

“Luke, come here,” Gillian called out.

Pulled from his reminiscences, he sprinted into the kitchen area at the back of the house. She was in the middle of unpacking what little food they brought with them. She opened a cupboard for his inspection. “Tea and sugar. Flour. Currants and a few spices. Tins of soup and other items. Was this place used recently?”

“Yes. Fred said it was last used three months ago. The place is kept up maintenance-wise by SIS.”

“Fancy a cup of tea?” she asked. He nodded. “We still have the shortbread biscuits. Why don’t you relax and I’ll bring a tray into the parlor? We can unpack the rest after.” She gave him a warm, affectionate smile that arrowed straight to his heart.

Her cheerful mood lifted his spirits and made the ghosts and whispers of the past disappear, at least for now. How amazing someone could be made happy in this house, because most of his own memories were not blissful ones.

Removing his trench coat and hat as he headed toward the parlor, the domestic scene in the kitchen merely reminded him of what he’d lost. With a sigh, he tossed the outerwear to the settee and began to build a fire in the hearth. At least there was wood in the house. After the blaze snapped to life, he took a seat in one of the wingchairs. The old pendulum clock on the wall still ticked out the minutes after all this time. Much had changed, including himself.

Viscount Ravenswood and Lucas Madden were firmly in the past. Never had he felt it as starkly as he did at this moment.

Gillian entered and set the tray between them. She busily prepared their tea, passing him a cup and saucer then took a seat, her spoon clinking against the china as she stirred in the sugar.

God, she was beautiful, he couldn’t stop looking at her. He cleared his throat. “We’d best discuss the cover story. The villagers have been told the Parkers are renting out the house to people on a short-term basis, which in turn explains people coming and going at various intervals the past four years. You will have to venture out. Though we have food, it is not enough to see us through the week, let alone two. You have the ration book and fake identification. I also have a wig and glasses for you. Not much of a disguise, but enough that you won’t draw attention.” He took a sip of his tea. “As I stated earlier, I will have to stay housebound for the duration.”

“I’m aware how nosey people can be. What do I tell them if they ask?” Gillian questioned as she reached for a biscuit.

“Anything you wish. Say you are a recent widow who needed quiet time away from the city and the war, or anyone for that matter needing a quiet place. I will leave it up to you. The less said the better.”

“I agree. I’ll keep it brief.”

“As for the food, I don’t eat much as a rule. There should be enough for us both from what we brought, what’s in the cupboards, and what you can obtain from the grocer here in the village.”

Nodding, she quietly sipped her tea. “About the affair…”

He honestly did not expect her to bring this up tonight. Luke had the feeling she would thank him for the proposition, but due to present circumstances regarding her precarious position and other personal reasons, (like finding out her lover had died) she would politely decline.

In one way, he was silently relieved she was going to refuse his rather tactless suggestion. Slice it any way you wish, it was in poor taste. What good would the affair serve? It would offer a short oasis in this dangerous, complicated situation in their lives and produce a pleasant memory for future reflection. To put aside grief and disagreeable recollections and find comfort with another person, however brief.

Apparently he held out a slim hope she would agree to his mad scheme. What a crass and opportunist rotter I’ve become. Another thought struck him. It had been too long, he’d been too lonely, and he could no longer deny it. “I understand why you’re refusing; we need not discuss it further.” Try as he might to keep the disappointment out of his voice, it was there nonetheless.

Her brow arched. “I am not—refusing,” she stated. “To be honest, I’ve thought of nothing else since you mentioned it. And since our kiss.” Gillian glanced down into her cup. “Well, except for hearing the terrible news about Otto.”

She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes glistened with emotion. “Is it terrible to want to be with a man in the most intimate way possible? To forget everything and selfishly reach out for affection and warmth? In the midst of all this…death, I want to live. I will be going to a strange country, I will know no one. I will be alone and lonely. My future is a question mark. Why not take something for myself? Why not an affair?”

Her emotionally charged speech made his heart bang furiously against his ribcage as if it wanted to leap clear from his chest. Was she trying to convince him or herself? Or could it be they were kindred in thought and spirit, and for her perhaps it had been too long and she’d been lonely as well. “We’ve barely known each other a few days for one thing…”

Gillian nibbled on her biscuit. “It’s as if we’ve known each other longer than mere days. Don’t ask me why I feel that way, I can’t rightly explain it. Am I alone with this observation?”

He placed his cup on the tray. “No. You are not alone. And for however long we are here, I will do all in my power to make sure you do not feel lonely.”

With a tilt of her head, she gave him a shy smile, shy but bordering on sensual. He found the combination seductive. Alluring. God help him, he wanted her. Luke would be making love to a woman in the house he fell in love with his Glenna. As hard as it was, he had to try to move beyond the past. If he didn’t learn how to accomplish this, he would have a miserable existence.

How long had it been since he gave a woman real pleasure? Too bloody long.

War. Danger. Death. Upheaval. Change. Life.

He would have Gillian for a couple of weeks at most. And in that brief span of time, he would make damned sure he made the most of it.

Chapter 11