stable and parked it there.
The birds were so loud outside in the courtyard she could hear them from where she stood in the shadows of the empty stalls. The tiny creatures filled the air with a heavenly chorus of warbling and twittering that echoed across the quiet peace of the countryside.
Smiling at the sound, Elizabeth was about to step out into the fading sunlight when a pair of hands settled on her shoulders. Her startled shriek resounded in the rafters of the ancient building, sending a mouse scurrying for cover.
She whirled around, her breath catching in her throat, for there he was, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled down at her.
Until that moment, she hadn’t realized the depth of her fear for his safety. She uttered a cry and without another thought, went into his arms. He cradled her, one hand stroking her hair while she unashamedly bawled against his shoulder.
He said nothing until her tears were spent, then as she pulled away from him, he said gently, “Feel better? I didn’t mean to scare you. I heard your motorbike coming up the driveway and I just wanted to surprise you.”
“I know.” She hiccuped and turned it into a little laugh. “I have no earthly idea why I’m crying. It’s just that…” Her voice broke and she paused, waiting for her composure to reassert itself.
“It’s okay if you cry,” Earl said, folding his hands around hers. “I’ve seen plenty of grown men cry, believe me.”
“I’m sure you have.” Her voice still trembled, but she struggled on. “It’s just that I worried so much about you, and there was no word from you and I thought… I was afraid…”
“I’m sorry. Everything was shut down tight at the base. No one could call out.”
She searched his face, trying to see behind the smile to what really lay beneath. “It must have been so awful for you-”
He stopped her with a quick shake of his head.
“Let’s not talk about it now. I’m back, for a little while, anyway. Let’s just enjoy the time while we can.”
“How long?”
Her spirits sank when he said, with a trace of apology, “I have to be back first thing in the morning.”
Her anger took her by surprise. So little time. The war had a big enough claim on him, surely they could spare him a little while longer. Where was the empathy, the understanding that a man must surely break if pushed to the limits?
One had only to look deep into his eyes to see the anguish and the agony of all that he had been through, all that he had seen. Earl Monroe had great compassion for his fellow man. He would not take lightly the loss of so many.
“You know what I want?” He lifted her hands to his mouth and pressed his lips to her fingers. “I want to sit in that comfortable old rocker of yours with a double scotch and listen to everything you’ve been up to since I’ve been away.”
She chased away her disappointment with a smile. “And so you shall. You must join me for supper tonight. I’m sure Violet will be able to rustle up something halfway edible.”
He grinned. “Missed the steaks, huh?”
“With a passion.” She linked her arm through his, then paused, almost afraid to ask the question. “What about Joe Hanson? Is he…?” She let her voice trail off, unable to finish.
Earl squeezed her hand. “The last time I saw him, which was about an hour ago, he had your housemaid wrapped around his neck.”
Her breath came out in a rush of relief. “Oh, thank heavens. Sadie would be absolutely devastated if something happened to him.”
“I guess she would.” His voice was teasing when he added, “How about you? How devastated would you be?”
She deliberately misinterpreted his question. “Well, of course I would be terribly devastated. Joe Hanson is a very nice young man and I-”
He stopped short at the bottom of the steps and turned her around to face him. “You know very well what I meant.”
He was so close she could feel the warmth from his body. She had never wanted anything in her life as much as she wanted his mouth on hers. She tried to brush off the moment with a light laugh. “And you know very well how devastated I would be. I just don’t like to talk about it, that’s all.”
“Then let’s not waste time talking.”
He took her by surprise, pulling her against him while his mouth sought hers. For one fleeting second she worried that someone might see them, then the world and its worries faded from her mind as she gave herself up to the pure pleasure of his embrace.
CHAPTER 8
Minutes later Elizabeth sat with Earl in the conservatory, trying to calm her jittery nerves while Violet fussed and dithered over him. Considering her undisguised disapproval of their relationship, Elizabeth thought with some amusement that her housekeeper was going to great pains to welcome him home.
“I have just the thing for supper,” Violet announced. “I was saving this dish for a special occasion, and for the life of me I can’t think of a better reason to celebrate than right now.”
She beamed at Earl as she handed him his scotch. “We’re all so terribly proud of what everyone did over there in the invasion, Major, that we are. From what we’ve heard on the wireless, we’re beating back the Germans, and we won’t stop until we’re all the way to Berlin. They’re saying we’ve turned the corner at last.”
Earl smiled, but his eyes were bleak. “Let’s hope they’re right, Violet. This darn war has gone on long enough.”
Something about the way he said it struck a chill in Elizabeth’s heart. She knew there was no point in questioning him. He would tell her what he could. The feeling that he was keeping something significant from her, however, disturbed her more than she wanted to admit.
Violet disappeared out the door, leaving them alone in a strained silence. Finally Earl spoke. “Penny for them?”
She shook her head. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking of all you must have gone through these last few days.”
“It was nothing compared to the boys on the beaches. They’re the real heroes. All we could do was try to blast the hell out of the enemy. It wasn’t enough, but it was the best we could do.”
Very modest, considering the reports she’d heard about the planes flying dangerously low into enemy fire to carry out their mission. “And now what?”
He looked down at his glass, swirling the liquor around like a miniature whirlpool. “Paris. We have to liberate Paris. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long, bloody battle before we get there.”
The fear that was always with her intensified. “I suppose you’ll be flying missions into France and Germany.”
“I thought we weren’t going to talk about the war.”
She pushed the fear away as best she could. “You’re right, of course. You need this time to clear your mind and think about other things.”
“So tell me what you’ve been up to since I’ve been gone. No chasing after murderers, I hope?”
Elizabeth picked up her glass of sherry. “Well, now that you mention it…”
Earl’s face changed and he quickly put down his glass. “Don’t tell me-”
“I’m not exactly sure at this point.” Elizabeth took a sip of her sherry. “It could be murder, or it could be suicide.” She told him how Clyde Morgan’s body was found in the ruins of the factory, and that the gun was in his right hand. “There are at least two people who might have had a reason to want him dead,” she finished, “and by all accounts, there could be more. He wasn’t a very likeable man.”
“That doesn’t mean they killed him.”
