Her Wicked Proposal novel Chapter 59

The skies were once again heavy with black clouds, the bellies of which hung low enough to touch the distant horizon. Anne gazed at the ominous sight as the gloom of the coming storm settled around her and Cedric. The air was filled with the rich scent of late-blooming flowers and of rain yet to come. Her skin tingled as a warm breeze swirled and eddied about her. The stables were just ahead, the musty aroma of hay and polished leather teased her, reminding her of a past that was still somewhat hazy.

Cedric swung his lion-headed cane back and forth over the gravel path as they walked toward the wide double door entrance of the stables.

"How many horses do you have?"

He flashed an indulgent smile. "You mean how many do we have? They are yours now as well. And we have fourteen, including my four dappled grays for my private coaches."

"And the Arabians? What are their names?" Anne's hand tightened on his arm as they reached the stable doors.

Cedric paused, sweeping his cane over the threshold to determine if he had clear access before he ushered her inside.

"Their sire was the famous Firestorm. The two mares I have are called Winter's Heart and Autumn's Flame. I've been calling them Heart and Flame."

Anne held her breath in excitement as Cedric counted the stalls, his cane tapping lightly on each stall door they passed. Inquisitive equine faces poked out of the wooden enclosures.

Cedric set his cane against one particular stall door. "Ahh, this should be Winter's Heart."

A snowy white mare stuck her head out, her nose brushing Cedric's palm. He flinched at the sudden contact, then relaxed as the mare nibbled his fingers.

Anne peered into the stall to get a better look at the mare. "I can't believe it. She's pure white. Not even a hint of gray." She'd never seen such a magnificent creature before. The breeding which must have gone into Winter's Heart was unimaginable. No wonder the Arabian merchant had threatened Cedric's life. Losing these two horses must have cost him his very soul.

"Oh, Cedric, she's beautiful." Anne trailed a hand up Heart's neck. The horse's large eyes were onyx pools reflecting her face. With an impatient huff and a heavy stamp, Heart shifted and nudged Cedric's shoulder. With a grin he dug into his pocket and retrieved a lump of sugar. Heart took it daintily from his palm and munched it in the most ladylike manner Anne had ever seen. Anne smothered a giggle.

Cedric heard her and snorted. "Heart is my well-behaved lady. Flame, on the other hand..." He pointed to a stall two doors down where a stunning red chestnut mare was watching them, ears flicked forward in their direction.

"Flame is my little hellion. All fire and spirit."

Anne blinked as a whisper of a memory flitted past. Cedric's voice calling her "little hellion" and speaking of her as an "inferno." A blush crept across her cheeks. Anne focused on the second mare, laughing as Flame nipped Cedric's arm to get at the hidden lumps of sugar.

Anne listened with delighted fascination as Cedric told her tales of his youth. His love for his parents, his sisters, and his horses was evident from his tone and the expressions of joy on his face. He looked livelier than she'd seen him in months. How she remembered his darkness of the heart before now, she couldn't say. But she knew this man; this happy man was the one she'd loved, still loved. It was this Cedric she had married. Anne's heart clenched as he looked toward her. It was almost as if he could see her.

I wish I could give you my sight. I wish I was the one who suffered in your place.

"Well, shall we head in?" Cedric felt about for his cane just as thunder shattered the silence. A deluge of rain crashed down over the stables a moment later.

"Perhaps we ought to wait," Cedric suggested.

"'Tis only rain."

Cedric raked a hand through his hair. "Being with you...it's like seeing the world again when I thought I'd be trapped in darkness forever. I didn't have to ride the horses today to feel happy. Simply being here, touching them and talking to them, it made me feel a joy I'd thought lost forever. I owe that to you, Anne. I owe you everything. Name your heart's desire and I will see that you get it. It's the least I can do for giving me a piece of my life back."

Cedric raised her hand to his lips, feathering kisses over her knuckles and on the inside of her palm as he waited for her answer.

"I want only you. All of you." Where such boldness came from she had no idea, but the time was here and waiting would only threaten her chances of being happy. She kissed his hand, wanting him to feel the depth of her love.

Cedric's empty eyes seemed to darken. His lips parted, and he released her hands carefully, a guarded gesture.

"Anne, I have little self-control left in me. Do not test it. I don't want to force you to do anything."

"I'm not testing you. I meant what I said. Don't you know that? I want you." She held his hand to her chest, hoping he'd understand what she meant.

He surprised her by withdrawing and standing. He moved to the stall door, feeling for the handle and pulling it shut. Then he drew a shaky breath and turned to face her. The privacy of that moment, the two of them closed away from the rest of the world, captured Anne in its solemnity. They were on the edge of a cliff together and the slightest breeze could send them careening down.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. A glimmer flashed in his gaze, a light she'd not seen since before he'd gone blind.

"With every breath. With my entire soul."

Cedric leaned back against the stall door. She'd forgotten the confidence and power he used to have before he'd lost his sight. He'd been a force of nature, a whirlwind of passion. Now he was a muted storm, a quiet rain, and she was still hopelessly in love with him.