Page 43 of A Bluestocking’s Secret Courtship

Her answer made him grin. “I’m going to walk the grounds and stop interrupting you.”

“Finally,” she muttered under her breath, teasing.

An hour later, she started her last sketch of the morning and completed it within half an hour. She made quick work of packing her supplies as Jonathan approached to assist. With hands spanning her narrow waist, he lifted her from the rock. She slid down his front, the tip of one slipper touching first, then the other. He held on even after she was firmly on the ground and no longer needed him.

Her sweet round face glistened in the sun; tendrils of hair had escaped the handkerchief and curled at her temples, damp from the heat. Her fortitude was not that of a delicate English rose. Yet, she felt fragile in his arms. A surge of protectiveness welled in his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

You’re safe with me. Always.

It was an unbreakable vow, as binding as the one he’d pledged at his swearing in ceremony.

Her eyes widened. “Did you hear that sound?”

He startled and dropped his hands. On alert, he scanned the area for signs of an intruder, but they were still alone. “No, what was it?”

“My stomach grumbled.” She laughed. “Perhaps I should have taken refreshment earlier.”

His muscles relaxed, and he laughed, too.

The walk back to the villa was filled with her cheerful conversation. They discussed the destruction and reincarnation of Athena’s temple through the ages, first at the hands of the Persians and lastly, by the Venetians. The monument was like a phoenix rising from the ashes until Turkish ammunition ignited during the last siege. The explosion caused irreparable damage, and the Parthenon remained in ruins two hundred years later.

“You impressed me with what you accomplished,” Jonathan said. “We would still be sitting on that rock if I had been in charge of drafting.”

“Well, it is good you weren’t in charge.” She chuckled. “If we get an early start tomorrow, our project should progress nicely. When should I expect you? I wake early, so whenever you come to collect me, I will be ready.”

“Do you think your sister and brother-in-law will join us tomorrow?”

“Perhaps if Regina feels better.” Her brow furrowed. “She isn’t herself lately, and I’m beginning to worry.”

“I could ask Dom to send for a doctor. There is one next door.”

“Dr. Li examined her before the excursion to the Acropolis,” Evangeline said. “Apparently, he told her that she is perfectly healthy.”

“Maybe a second opinion is in order.”

“My sister is terribly stubborn, but I’ll approach Xavier when we return. It would ease my worries if she was examined again.”

“I will speak with Dom in the meantime. Hopefully, your sister can be convinced.”

She smiled. “Teamwork at play."

In the courtyard, Jonathan lingered at the threshold of her bedchamber, drinking in one last look before parting, from the silky curls poking beneath her handkerchief to the toes of her battered boots peeking from under the hem of her skirts. She was everything he ever wanted and as unreachable as the stars in a night sky.

Unable to resist, he lifted her hand, bowing over it to place a kiss on her glove. He maintained eye contact.

“Until this evening, Miss Darlington.”

Her hand fluttered to her chest when he released her. When she didn’t say anything, he slowly turned on his heel and walked across the courtyard. Before he entered the villa, she called to him.

“You may address me by my given name if you like. We are working together.”

He smiled sadly, not daring to look back. “Goodbye, Evangeline.”

His pensive mood lifted when Dom barged into Jonathan’s private sitting room, scowling. “You couldn’t have warned me Mrs. Vistoire stayed behind?”

“You didn’t recover the journal.”

Dom grunted. “And you are supposed to be the smart one.”