Light to Valhalla (35 page)

Sensations continued to build
and just when she thought she’d expire from the
wild torrent of pleasure
h
e reached between them to that one secret place at her center and
she
shattered
.
T
he world ar
ound her crystallized,
bursting into a million sparkling
diamonds of sensual bliss
.

Floating somewhere between heaven and ecstasy she drifted slowly back to reality, back into Alex’s arms, and sighed, thoroughly contented
.
“Is it
like this for
you?” she murmured
dreamily
.

“It will be,” he grunted, moving inside her
one last time
.
“Charley, I—
”
She’d never know what he’d been about to say, in that moment he was lost to her, lost to
that
place between heaven and ecstasy
.
Joining her.

Alex collapsed
on top of her
,
utterly
languid
.
She relished the steady rush of his breathing and the moist roll of his breath against her neck
.
She’d be content to remain hidden in the cabin, holding him in her arms for the rest of eternity
.

At long last Alex rolled off of her, nestling her into the crook of his arms
.

“One day you’ll have to show me how to do that on the stairs.

Alex chuckled
.
“And against the wall, in a coach, and a few other inventive places I’d rather show you than talk about.”

“I wish we could stay here, like this
,
forever,” Charley murmured,
walking
her finge
rs up his arm
.
The gold inlay of
her wedding band winked in the sunlight
.
“I have no desire to return to London.”

Alex stiffened, the movement almost impe
rceptible
,
but she was so in sync
with him she could not have missed it for a world of distraction
.
“
Nor I,
”
he murmured.

“
What’s wrong
?
”
She turned in his arms,
gently
touching the side of his face
.
Secrets lurked in his eyes
.
Secrets and sadness
.

“
Tomorrow,
love.
”
He pressed a
gentle
kiss to her palm
, and then her wrist, and then her throat, shifting over her once more
.
“
I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.
”

Eleven

Apparently it still isn’t tomorrow yet
.

Perched on the ivory cushioned bench
before t
he piano
forte
in the
Coverstone
House
music room
,
Charley leafed
absently
through the music, battling the hint of melancholy whispering
in the back of her mind
for the last
month
.
I’m happy,
she reminded herself for the umpteenth time
.
Very happy
.
Alex had transformed into t
he man of her dreams
.
He
was attentive, an amazing lover,
and looked upon her as though no other woman existed on this earth
.
Unable to select a musical piece she tapped a few lonely notes
.
At the very least she
should
be happy, but
as so often happened in life
,
what was not had a
tendency to overshadow what was, and s
omething was
n
’
t right
.

Since their return to London the
week
before Alex had been short tempered, quiet—more so than usual—and Charley could not shed the sense he was perpetually looking over his shoulder; waiting for a snake to strike
.
After
three
blissful weeks in the country the honeymoon most definitely seemed over
.

Charley t
rilled the fingers of her top hand,
settled
over the keys and rolled into a tune from memory
.
T
he
cheerful
notes of
Mozart’s
Twelve Variations
spilled
from the grand instrument,
carrying away
the plaguing uncertainty of her marriage… if only for a moment
.
Nothing brought her mor
e joy than music, and the piano
forte may very well have been her only true accomplishment
.
Even Regina could not deny Charley’s uncommon ability to play
,
t
hough
of late
,
she rarely took
the
time
.

What could Alex be hiding f
rom her? 
Over the
last
weeks
Sidney had
sent him seven
cryptic missives, all in regard to General Witherspoon, and she suspected
involved
whatever Sid had
begun to warn her of
the morning after her kidnapping
.
A chill crept over her
skin,
something
sinister lurked beneath the
smooth,
guard
ed
façade
her husband portrayed
.
Sinister e
nough
to invoke murder?
  She shuddered
.
The fact he would not confide in her about a situation for which her life hung in the balance angered her in no small degree.

Ever patient
Charley had taken care not t
o pry over
much
.
Alex was a man who locked up when pushed and her last wish was to alienate him from her
again
, especially
after
such great strides had been made between them
.
While Alex did not speak of past troubles
he did
discuss
the present with her
.
At the end of every day he came home and told her of
his business meetings
and plans for the
Coverstone
estates
.
They spoke at length of planting and livestock and he
seemed to genuinely
value her opinion
.
Come spring
they planned to
tour the
ir lands
and visit tenants
, ensuring all was well, and to make decisions about the future
.
They’d become friends as well as lovers and Charley was reluctant to jeopardize that.

“I say, love
.
You are a sight for sore eyes after hours of listening to my solicitors drone
on about estate business
.
”

Alex!
”
Charley spun, heat flushing her cheeks
with the train of her thought
.
“How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to witness your musical genius.”

“Genius
,
please,” she scoffed
,
attempting a guise of levity though her
stomach
floundered
in a well of nerves
.

“Did I say genius?  Then surely I was mistaken
.
A word of such paltry nuance could never describe your brilliance
.
Your music, sweet Charley, is wizardry
.
Magic as enchanting as the angels
.
Only a fool would not cherish the captivating songs you choose to bless us with.”

H
is praise
thrilled her and her cheeks warmed in response
.

He strode slowly, seductively forward
.
“You captivate me.”

Charley rolled her eyes and stood
, forcing herself to remain focused on the task she’d set for herself
.
“Enough of the flattery, Alex, it doesn’t become you.”

He winced and ambled into the room
.
“That obvious?”

“
El
oquence has never been one of your finer points
.
I’ve no doubt you spent the last fifteen minutes rehearsing that pretty speech behind the door.”

An oh
, so rare, but entirely genuine grin split his handsome face
.
“Milady.
”
He clasped a hand to his chest and stumbled backward
.
“Your doubts wound me.”

Laughter bubbled from Charley,
her resolve to confront him wavering
as it always did
.
She did not want to lose this happiness
.
“Would you deny the truth?
”
She quirked a brow, sidling slyly forward
.
“You probably have a scrap of paper hidden in your boot
.
Just like when you were fifteen trying to impress Violet Parker.”

Alex groaned, playfully skirting her advances
.
“You remember that?  Now I am truly mortified.”

“How could I forget?” she quipped wryly
.
The ordeal had been life or death in Charley’s young eyes, creating poetry for the boy she fancied herself in love with to recite to another woman
had been
the acutest torment
.
At the tender of age of t
hirteen
she’d made a revolutionary discovery… men were totally oblivious to matters of the heart
.
How she’d adored him and how blind he’d b
een to the fact
.
A wan smile touched her lips
.
“Alex?”

“Yes, love?
”
He stepped forward, taking her in his arms
.
Charley held back and he gave her
a queer look
.
“Something the matter
?”

“Yes
.
I mean, no
.
Well…
”
She sighed, resigned
.
“Perhaps
there is
.
”
She chewed her lower lips nervously
.
“
Is it tomorrow yet?”

“Tomorrow?
”
He laughed
.
“Whatever do you mean?  It will be tomorrow…
tomorrow.
”

“
Yes, well, b
ack at the hunting cottage
you said you’d explain
everything
tomorrow
and
yet I’m still waiting
four
weeks
later.”

Alex dropped his arms and turned away from her
.
“Jesus, Charley, not now.”

“Then when?”

“I have a screaming headache and we’ve still got to go to Lady
Brumble’s
damned
party tonight.
”
He glanced to the mantle clock
.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready
to go
?”

Probably
.
“No
.
I don’t like secrets, Alex
.
Sidney tried to warn me about you
.
Perhaps I should have listened.
”

His face turned black
.
“Sidney warned you about what?”

Charley sucked in a breath, involuntarily stepping back
.
“Nothing
.
You came
down the hall
before he could tell me anything at all.
”

“I see,” he said darkly, turning crisply on a heel
.
“
You’re to stay away from Sidney
.
Now, i
f you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare.”

*
             
*
             
*

Two hours later
Charley
stared
through the carriage window with unseeing eyes
.
The conveyance
rocked and bounced over the uneven cobbles
lining the London streets while
she
fidgeted with the
fine white gloves
clutched in her hand
.
At long last
she cast
a
despairing gl
are toward her pensive
husband
.
“You’re awfully qui
et
this evening.”

Alex
turned to her,
face impassive, eyes shadowed in
the meager lantern light
.
“I have nothing to say.”

“One would think you could at least make a little pleasant conversation with you
r
wife.”

He turned
a brooding gaze back to the window
.
“I’m a firm believer in ‘if you don’
t have anything to say…
don’
t say anything
.’”

“I believe the saying is ‘if you don’t have anything
nice
to say, don’t say anything at all.”

He shrugged
.
“To each his own
.
I frequently have something to say
even if it isn’t particularly
nice.
”

The
dark cloud of unease hanging over her head threatened to open up and rain on her evening
.
“You’ve been away so long I’m sure everyone will be thrilled to see you at the party,” she pressed determinably
.

Alex snorted, crossing those big burly arms across his chest
.
“
Lady
Brumble
and her Christmas parties
.
I’d sooner pluck my fingernails out than attend.
”
He splayed a hand and
regarded
his fingers as though contemplating doing just that.

“If you pulled out just one I’m sure you’d no longer have to go,” Charley quipped
.
“Lady
Brumble
would turn you away at the door.”

Alex glanced up, the hint of a smile quirking
his lips
.
“You’ve a dry wit
,
love
.
It’s one of your best qualities.
”
He
half stood and swung across the coach to sit directly beside her
.
His
firm
thigh pressed against hers, and his
arm draped around her shoulders,
nestling her in the fold
between
his
torso and shoulder
.
Butterflies
leapt in her stomach
.
No matter how much they’d shared his closeness never ceased to engulf her with devastating force
.
A roughened finger
traced the line of her chin, encouraging her to look up and into his eyes
.
Which she did
.
Charley’s heart skipped a beat
.
Soft,
smoldering
blue ref
lected back at her
…
filled with secrets
.
“Allow me to apologize in advance if this evening is a total disaster.”