SIXTEEN
FOR THREE SOLID days, Rand did nothing but eat, sleep, work on the translation, and run. And think. And run and think some more.
At the end of that time, he still wasn’t sure how—or even if—his feelings for Lily had turned from simple lust to something deeper. The mechanics of falling in love seemed cryptic, as elusive as the symbols in Ford’s ancient alchemy book.
But Rand Nesbitt was a man who prided himself on his ability to figure things out.
Leaving Ford’s laboratory for supper, he asked, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“No,” Ford said flatly. “It makes no logical sense.”
“Then you didn’t feel…with Violet…”
“On first sight?” Ford’s mouth twitched as though he were holding back a laugh. “Absolutely not. I thought her rather plain and more than a little odd. Though I cannot imagine why,” he added thoughtfully.
Rand followed him down the winding staircase to Lakefield’s cozy, burgundy-toned dining room, where Violet was waiting with their children.
She didn’t look plain at all—she was practically glowing, as a matter of fact, as she handed one of the twins to a nursemaid. And as for odd, well, if that word didn’t describe Ford Chase, Rand didn’t know one that did.
When it came right down to it, who wasn’t odd, anyway?
He took a seat and waited while a footman set a plate of chicken and artichoke pie before him. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked Violet.
“Of course,” she said. “But lust at first sight is more common.”
A becoming blush touched her cheeks, making Rand suspect she’d experienced lust at first sight. He felt suddenly—absurdly—jealous, wishing her sister would feel the same lust for him. If his own experience was anything to judge by, lust could be a solid foundation on which to build heavier emotions.
Love. He’d uttered that frightening word, risked baring his soul, offered his heart in his hands…and had it rejected.
Lifting his fork, he shifted his gaze to Ford in an attempt to gauge his old friend as an inspiration for female lust. If he looked hard enough, he could almost understand why ladies might find Ford handsome, but truth be told, what he really saw was the gawky schoolboy the man had been when they’d first met.
Who knew what drove women? Lily had allowed him to kiss her three times. Perhaps there was hope for him, after all.
“Why are you asking?” Violet tucked a cloth under Nicky’s chin, then pulled his plate closer and put a spoon in his chubby hand. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“I’m not sure,” Rand said. He certainly hadn’t until recently. Besides, his first sight of Lily had been so long ago. After all this time, how was a man supposed to remember what he’d felt way back then? In the intervening years, he’d probably built her up in his mind.
And on that flimsy basis, lately he’d found himself daydreaming about a lifetime of wedded bliss. Clearly he was going soft in the head.
Violet speared a piece of artichoke heart. “Of course, love—sustainable love—is dependent on more than physical appearance.”
“Which is why,” her husband said, “love at first sight is a myth.”
“Not at all.” Her voice took on the tone of a philosopher waxing philosophical. “Love occurs when something in one person recognizes something basic and true in another. To borrow a term from my mother’s perfume-making, call it that person’s essence. One would see this essence embodied in everything the other person does—those thoughts, actions, responses, and choices that go to display her values.”
“One cannot see all of that at first sight,” Ford argued.
“I beg to differ.” Clearly enjoying this sort of debate, Violet waved her fork. “One person’s essence responds innately to another’s—it’s not a conscious response, nor one that knows time. Upon meeting a woman, some part of you will notice how she moves, gestures, talks, smiles—how she carries herself in general. Her essence—not only her surface appearance.” She focused back on Rand. “Take my sister Lily, for example.”
Though the pie was delicious, swimming in rich gravy, Rand nearly choked. “Lily?” He shot a glance to Ford, whom he’d told about Lily in confidence. But his friend avoided his gaze, industriously cutting an already-small-enough bite of chicken.
“Just as an example.” If Violet’s expression might have revealed ulterior motives, she expertly concealed it while sipping wine. “Lily is beautiful, isn’t she?”
Rand sipped from his own goblet. Lustrous mahogany hair, deep blue eyes, that irresistible face and figure…
“I don’t expect any male would argue with you about that.”
“And perhaps most males would notice that first, but there’s so much more to Lily. She makes beautiful music. She’s also quite intelligent. One needn’t be bookish to be intelligent.”
“Did I ever say—”
“Those are all obvious things, but now let’s look at her essence, those values we can see in the way she carries herself and behaves. She’s nurturing and compassionate. People feel good around Lily, because she cares. She really cares, about everyone and everything. She’s benevolent, she seeks harmony, and above all, she endeavors at all times to make the right choices. The sum of these is what makes her Lily.”
“Her essence,” Rand murmured.
“Yes!” Beaming, Violet set down her goblet. “And the sort of man who would recognize a kindred essence in Lily, most especially on first sight, would also recognize that she will someday make a wonderful mother.” With that, her gaze lovingly went to her babies in their cradles.
And Rand was rendered speechless.
He wasn’t sure he could even eat.
He was just getting used to considering love and marriage…fatherhood was another matter entirely.
SEVENTEEN
“LILY, ARE YOU ready to leave?”
“Just a moment, Mum.” With a sigh, Lily stroked Randolph’s soft brown fur one last time. She’d put it off more than a week, but she knew what had to be done. Setting her jaw, she crouched to tenderly place Randolph on the grass.
Without so much as a thank you, the rat scampered happily into a flower bed.
Lily sighed
