He glanced at her again. Her cheeks were pink, thanks to the sea breeze, and it took a monumental effort not to pull her into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“It was worth it.”
Her lips parted, and he thought she would say more, but instead she turned away and picked up the basket. “We should get back to the house.”
She started toward the woods, and with a sigh, he followed.
“Spying again, my love?”
Titania, the russet-haired queen of the fairies, turned from her perch in the branches of a giant oak tree and whacked her handsome husband playfully on the arm.
“Oberon, you beast! Must you always sneak up on me?”
Her partner put his arms around her from behind and kissed the side of her neck. “Yes, my sweet, I must. It keeps you on your toes. What mischief are you up to now?”
“Shhh! I’m watching the mortals.”
With a wave, she indicated the human couple walking through the woods below them. A trail of tiny petals appeared in the wake of her hand and fluttered to the ground like confetti.
“Humans are always so entertaining. Look at this girl. I like her. She reminds me of one of my handmaidens.”
Another wave, to indicate James, caused a patch of moss to sprout beside the path. “And the male—he’s very handsome.”
Oberon gave a growl and tightened his arms. Titania giggled in delight.
“For a human, of course,” she added teasingly. “He’s nothing compared to you, my love.”
She accepted a kiss as a reward, then leaned forward again to continue her observation.
“So, what’s so fascinating about these two?” Oberon grumbled.
“They’re like a pair of prickly hedgehogs. Their words say one thing, but their bodies whisper the opposite. They push each other away, but their souls yearn to be close.”
Oberon snorted. “Mortals are such fools. They think they have all the time in the world, when their lives pass in the blink of an eye. They let happiness slip through their fingers time and time again.”
“Which is why I want to help them. See how he watches her. And she does the same thing, when he’s not looking. It’s delicious!”
With a deft leap Titania sprung to the next tree to keep the human couple in her sights. Oberon followed.
“She’s exactly what he needs, whether he knows it or not,” Titania whispered. “Can’t you feel the hunger in him? Such longing, such yearning. Poor man, he’s known so much pain and loss.”
“He has,” Oberon agreed, with a frown. “The memories still cling to him. Which would explain why he’s wary of caring too deeply. Why let someone close to him, and risk losing them?”
Titania tilted her head. “But living with only half a heart is living only half a life. He’s brave, and lost and lonely. He needs her light to chase away his darkness. And she needs his passion to heal.”
Oberon sent her a stern, exasperated glance. “I’ve seen that look on your face before, my love. What have I told you about matchmaking? Especially with mortals. Nothing ever goes as expected when you meddle in their affairs.”
“Oh, hush! I’m an excellent matchmaker. And besides, it takes no magical ability to see that they’re made for each other.”
“What are you going to do?”
Titania twisted a strand of hair around her finger and pursed her lips. “Maybe Puck could conjure me a love potion?” Her eyes sparkled in anticipation.
Oberon shook his head. “Not a chance. They never work the way you plan. Remember when the blacksmith in Bocka Morrow fell for the hedge-witch?”
“Pfft,” Titania waved her hand dismissively. “A slight miscalculation.”
