Harris smiled as James had done, a bright, wide smile of happiness.
They remained still for a moment, smiling at each other.
“Lady Effie is waiting, my lord.” Harris’s voice cracked.
“Thank you.”
Effie stood in the sunlight amongst the bushes of tulips. She turned when he stepped outside. Her light yellow gown had a matching underskirt with a fringe rim that undulated every time she moved, catching the light.
Finally, a sense of calm eased the tension in his shoulders. “Effie.”
She raked a gaze over him, a clinical gaze, not a ravishing one. “How are you?”
“Better. My head still hurts, and the ribs sting, but I feel more rested.” Even his confusion started to settle, and the constant rage was quiet, silenced by the affection everyone around him showed.
She hooked an arm through his and started promenading along the path. “I thought about you a lot.”
He sucked in a breath. “Did you? I thought about you, too.”
“Oh, I thought about you, but I also did my research,” she said, blushing. “Don’t be disappointed. It’s the scientist in me. I’m compelled to open a book to find answers.”
“You could never disappoint me. The important thing is that you thought of me.” He fought the urge to kiss her. “Research on what?”
“Your case.”
He angled towards her. “Am I a case now?”
“Medically speaking, yes.” She released his arm to rummage through her pocket and fish out a notepad. She showed him a page packed with unreadable notes, arrows, and too many exclamation points. “I read about the case of a pig?—”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, shush.” She waved at him, and he couldn’t help but smile. “There was a special pig for competitions. He won twenty-two national pork awards.”
“You’re pulling my leg.”
“No.” She scowled. “He was a famous animal. They called him Mr. Barry, the envy of many farmers. Anyway, he too had trouble overcoming his fear of loud noises, which was an impediment to his competitions, and once again, he was cured with controlled restriction and by the owner keeping him company during a crisis.”
“And?” He paused to watch the flight of two blue butterflies. He’d never noticed them in his garden.
“That would be something we want to try.”
Her ‘we’ brightened his day more than the sunlight.
“You want to tie me down,” he said in a teasing tone.
She let out a nervous chuckle. “No, no. What an idea.”
He pinned her with a glare, feigning to be outraged.
“Well, it’s an idea.” She closed the notebook with a snap. “I want to help you. That’s all.”
“And I appreciate it. Even though you’ve just compared me to a pig.”
“Mr. Barry, a national champion.”
He laughed but had to stop when the pain in his ribs became too sharp.
She wrapped her arm around his again. “I can’t imagine how you must feel to enjoy pain and crave it.”
