laughed. “You read too many of those history books and not enough of the society pages! Sofia and Anna are the it girls. They’re at every new restaurant opening and every high-class party. I think between them they’ve wrecked at least six different cars. But rumor has it that they’re easing up on those party days and boy-toys. They want to land themselves something permanent. Or some-one permanent.”
I had a feeling I knew just who they were after.
Mary craned up on her toes, peering around again. “So, have you seen him yet? Jeez, you’d think with this being his birthday party that he’d be here somewhere.”
Waves of rich warmth came to me from the crackling fireplace off to the right. A sensation which seemed to have little to do with the flickering flames of orange and gold.
I turned.
He was standing there, leaning against the veined marble mantelpiece, his eyes on me. He wasn’t just watching me. That would be too light a word to use. The depths of emotions which swirled in that tawny gaze were rich, complicated, and they delved into my very core.
The word came out of my mouth as an almost soundless sigh.
“Robert –”
A pair of perfectly-coiffed blonde heads sealed off the space between us as effectively as if a nuclear bunker’s steel doors had slammed shut. Their bodies, encased in glittering gold and shimmering silver, were the military-grade barriers between me and … what?
Why did I just feel as if the most important item I had ever craved had been ruthlessly stolen away from me?
Mary looked up at me in confusion. “What is it, Lizzie? Did you see him?”
I could only nod.
She burst into a smile. “All right! Well, c’mon, you have an excuse to talk with him, you know. You’re here on behalf of the Antiquarian Society. Get some pithy words to include in their latest press release about this donation.” She grinned, looking around her again. “I’m just lucky you’re not dating anyone and you got to bring me along with you.”
She took me by the hand, dragging me forward. “I know you’re shy, Lizzie, but someday you’re gonna have to break out of that shell! Get out of that library’s archives and see the world. Date a guy for once! Life is gonna pass you by, if you’re not careful, and then where will you be?” She wove her way through a trio of grey-whiskered bankers as she spoke. “Alone, that’s where! Alone, lonely, and curled up in some dust-bunny-ridden apartment with twelve cats and stacks of moldy books. When instead you could be –”
She drew up to the fireplace.
He was gone.
Unreasonable despair soaked through me. The depths of my sense of loss made no sense at all, and yet they coursed through me with a force which shook me. I’d never felt this way about any man before. I’d dated once or twice, when pressured to by well-meaning friends, but it had never stuck. I’d never felt even the smallest glimmer of a spark. Each time it was like spending the evening with an older brother. Pleasant enough, but not even remotely what I’d think of as romantic. And their attempts to kiss me had left me cold and unmoved.
I had begun to think that I was simply not interested in having a partner. There had never been anyone at all which made me feel alive.
Until now.
I put my hand on the mantelpiece where his body had rested. Was it my imagination, or was it still warm from his body heat? My fingers tightened on the smooth stone, and the ache in my heart grew.
He had stood here. On this very spot.
Mary looked around. “Professor Cooper will tan your hide if you don’t get at least a few words from him,” she reminded me. “She had to pull a lot of strings to get you invited to this little soirée rather than just getting your answers via email. So enough of your shyness, girl. You plow in there and talk to him!”
Her words floated past me, disconnected, sounds from another age. I stepped forward through the sea of people. The swirling ebony black tuxes. The beautiful dresses in ivory, sea-green, and pale lavender. The couple from the Porsche 918 were off to my left, spinning in choreographed perfection. And he was nowhere … he was nowhere …
I turned.
He was standing right in front of me.
He held his arms up, I stepped into them, and then, before my mind could sort out or make sense of it, we were in motion.
The music lifted me, filling my every breath. Destiny by Sydney Baynes. It was my favorite – my go-to any time I had to study for a challenging exam. I knew every bar, every note. And now I was swirling around the ballroom, Robert’s hands holding mine, his feet echoing mine over the polished marble floor.
His eyes were on mine, dark, rich with layers of emotion I could barely name. He shook his head as if something didn’t make sense. “Do I know you?”
I blushed, and again was thankful for the full-face mask shielding me from view. I was as shy as newborn fawn in his presence. It took me three tries to find my voice.
“I’m … umm … I’m Elizabeth, Mister Argento. Elizabeth Luciani.”
“Call me Robert,” he replied automatically, his eyes still caught on mine. He blinked in confusion. “You’re … you’re the one battleship Cooper sent to talk to me?”
A laugh erupted out of me. “So you know her?”
He grinned. “Had her for three of my negotiation classes. She’s tough as nails. You know that old adage, those who can’t do, teach? Proven wrong by that woman. I’d like to see any lawyer who could out-think her.”
He shook his head again. “But I don’t remember seeing you on campus.”
“I started at Harvard the year after you graduated. I’m just a senior now.”
His brow creased. “So why does it seem like –”
I swirled back –
There was a flash of blonde.
My heel caught on something.
I swept toward the polished marble floor –
Robert’s strong hands swung me down as if for an elegant dip, and the sweeping motion eased my momentum just inches from the hard surface. Then I was up again, pressed close against his sturdy chest.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but against all reason I felt wholly safe. At peace. As if anything at all could be going on outside of those arms, but that within them I was home.
I breathed in his scent – rich with pine and juniper – and I raised my eyes.
He was looking down at me with an expression which took my breath away.
Time suspended …
He lowered his head –
A high, sharp woman’s voice sounded from over his shoulder. “Robert, my dear, please introduce us to your new friend.”
He held still for a beat, as if considering ignoring the request. Then he released me and turned.
“Mother, father, this is Elizabeth Luciani. From the American Antiquarian Society. Here to talk with me about our donation.”
I turned, giving a small curtsey. Somehow it seemed the right thing to do.
They were dressed like royalty. His mother’s hair was almost jet black and piled high into an elegant updo decorated with diamonds and sapphires. Her dress was deep blue and shimmered with swirls of gemstones and silver thread.
His father, elegant in his tuxedo, was a picture image of what his son might look like in twenty years, if he were fortunate. Handsome, in good shape, and his eyes moved between us in curiosity.
Behind the parents were the blonde duo. I had no doubt that they had a hand in this sudden line of questioning.
I found my voice and looked to the parents. “I’m very pleased to meet you both.”
Robert took my hand and gave his parents an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid it’s been hard for me to answer her questions with all the noise in here. So we’ll go out and finish the interview by the fountain.” He looked over his mother’s shoulder. “And here comes Mrs. Roslindale. I’m sure she wants to complement you on that lovely dress you’re wearing.”
Indeed, the round, elderly woman’s eyes were shining with interest as she strode up to join the group.
<
br /> His mother’s mouth opened. “I was just –”
Mrs. Roslindale leapt into the fray. “Elena! My darling! Where-ever did you –”
Robert gave me a swirl, we were threading through the moving couples, and then the brisk night air brought color to my cheeks. Or I imagined it did, beneath my white-and-gold mask.
He led me over to the edge of the beautifully carved fountain. At its center were sculpted three women, elegantly beautiful in Greek robes. One held a spindle, while another was carefully measuring the thread. The third held a pair of shears.
I smiled, looking it over. “The Moirai. The fates.”
Robert nodded. “My father had this made when he built the house. Said it was fate which brought my mother to him.” His eyes came down to me. “Just like it was fate which brought you to me.”
My blush deepened, and I looked down. “It was just Professor Cooper. She knew how much I loved history and of course my work with the Society. She knew I’d be the right one to talk with you about the collection.”
He shook his head. “No, it’s more than that. I know you, somehow.”
His hand reached forward, and then paused mid-air.
His voice was low, almost hesitant. “Take off your mask.”
I had no idea why I was blushing so strongly. It was just a porcelain mask. And yet, somehow, removing it in front of Robert would be like baring my soul to him.
He looked at me as if he were balancing on the edge of a knife.
I reached my hand toward the ribbon which held it in place –
A rock came whizzing at me from the hedge maze, clipping the side of my arm. My hand flew to hold the spot, and I could feel