“Can you please run down to the apothecary and ask for their best remedy to get rid of burn scars?”
Last night, it had occurred to her that a good salve rubbed on his scars would make them suppler, less rough. Plus, he would probably enjoy having those areas massaged and treated with tenderness.
The footman gave her a quick smile, obviously discerning what she wanted it for. “Right away, ma’am.”
After he’d left, she went once again in search of Adrian but couldn’t find him anywhere.
Exasperated, she cornered Clinton. “Can you please tell me where my husband is?”
The man had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. He likes his privacy. If he hasn’t shown you his lab, I’m afraid I can’t take you there either.”
“Can you at least tell me if he’s still somewhere in the house?” she asked, fighting her irritation. It wasn’t Clinton’s fault that her husband wanted to avoid her. She’d hoped that after last night, things would be different...
Clinton stared at her for a long moment and then nodded. A mischievous grin suddenly split his face, and he winked and pointed upward.
“The attic?” she whispered. He just smiled and walked away, whistling.
Smiling, she went in search of the stairs that led to the attic. She took a few wrong turns but finally ended up in front of a door that could only be Adrian’s mysterious laboratory.
She raised her hand and knocked, then held her breath, hoping against hope that he would let her in. Silence reigned for a long moment, but at last, the door opened and her husband stared down at her.
“Hello,” she said softly. “May I come in?”
A battle raged within his expressive blue eyes, but finally, he nodded and stepped aside, allowing her entrance.
She entered the room tentatively, her eyes widening as she took in the controlled chaos of her husband’s beautiful mind. Books littered the wide countertops, as did glass bottles filled with different-colored fluids. In the far corner, an amazing mechanical creation took center stage, though it looked as though he was in the process of disassembling it. Sketches of what could only be a flying machine covered a desk. An acrid scent hung in the air.
He hung back, letting her take it all in.
“Did Clinton tell you where to find me?” he asked at last.
She shook her head, smiling a bit as she told herself she wasn’t technically lying. “No, I found you out on my own.”
He sighed. “I guess it was bound to happen.”
She turned to face him. “Do you want me to leave?”
He dropped his gaze. “No. I’m sorry. I’m just not used to having anyone in here. It’s where I come to... get away.”
“Get away from what?” she asked softly.
He shrugged uncomfortably. “Since the fire... I haven’t felt as though I fit in anywhere but with my brothers. This is where I come when the loneliness gets too... much. When I’m here, the questions I pose for myself, the answers I try to find, they make everything else go away.”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep from reaching out for him. “I’m glad you have work that you enjoy. I won’t bother you here, if you don’t want me to. But you don’t have to be alone anymore, Adrian. You have me now. And Gabriel.”
“That means... a lot to me,” he replied, and his mouth turned upward in the hint of a smile. “I just haven’t quite gotten accustomed to the idea yet. A wife, a family of my own. I never thought to have those things.”
His words gave her a powerful surge of hope. She drifted over to his mechanical mess, realizing it was an automaton of some sort. “Did you want those things, Adrian? A wife. A family?”
He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him. Brushing her hair behind her ear, he pressed his warm mouth to the side of her neck. “I want what Morgan has. Do you think... even after the way things began, that we can ever have that?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “I think so. I hope so. I love you, Adrian. Don’t you know that by now?”
He stilled, and then his arms tightened almost roughly. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”
“I love you,” she whispered again. “I love you.”
She’d never said those words before, but once she had, she wanted to keep saying them, now and forever. She wanted to say them until he believed them, until he finally said them back.
