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Chapter Six
It took all her concentration not to fidget or tell him to get a shirt on when they watched the movie. She knew he was doing it to torment her, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
Later that night in bed, he asked her a few questions about her life before he let her go to sleep. They were easy enough, so she didn’t try to fight him.
“You said you had an uncle?”
“Yes, Uncle Lenny.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, I never met my father. He took off before I was born, so it was just my mom, my grandfather, and me. He died when I was fourteen, and she died when I was nineteen.” It still hurt as much as that day, seven years later.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
Elizabeth shrugged. She didn’t want to tell him any of her feelings or innermost thoughts because she knew it would let him past the wall she’d erected between them.
She thanked the wine for making it easy for her to sleep and relax because her nerves were becoming frayed from the tension and the situation.
The days passed slowly for her, and her resolve to keep the wall up was slowly dying. They ate dinner together, watched a movie, and went to bed every night. And every night, she had to sit and lie beside him where she would smell his masculine woodsy scent and feel the warmth of his skin.
Every day she’d been with him, no matter how obnoxious she tried to be, he was gentle and courteous, and she could tell he really cared about her feelings and making her comfortable.
Beth knew she was losing her resolve, and she felt pathetic. She couldn’t even hold on for two weeks.
One day, she was so bored she tried the door for a lark and was shocked the maid hadn’t locked it. She realistically knew she wouldn’t or couldn’t get far, especially in anything but his shirt and a pair of panties, the only things he gave her to wear. But she felt she needed to try at least.
Her objective was to see another room because she was getting sick of the one she was in. She had studied every square inch, and she was slowly going crazy.
Beth opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway, trying to remember which way they came the night she got there. She shut her door and went to the next door to the right to find it locked. She was started to get discouraged when she found they were all locked until she found one she could open, and she rushed in and closed it behind her.
“Hell, I’m not good at this,” she said with her eyes closed and rested her head against the door.
“At what, dear?”
A scream was jammed in her throat until she saw the older man in a wheelchair in front of a huge window off to the side. She pressed her hand against her chest, where she felt her heart pounding.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize someone was in here.”
“Are you trying to hide?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
The man studied her.
“It’s not in your nature to be devious, though, is it?”
“No. I really wish I had a bigger backbone. I have to admit I’m kind of pathetic.”
“I wouldn’t say that, dear. It’s refreshing meeting someone like you. I don’t get to meet a lot of your kind.”
“My kind?” she asked.
“Nice people.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. “Are you trying to hide?” she asked.
He laughed. “No, I had a stroke a while back, and I can’t walk.”
“So, they stuck you in a room?” she asked in outraged shock.
The man laughed. “No, I just feel funny going around in this stupid chair, so I mostly stay here.”
“I don’t know how I would feel in your place, but you’ve got to get out at least to see the gardens and smell the fresh air. Just because you’re in a stupid chair doesn’t mean you have to stop living.”
She noticed he seemed perplexed at first before he smiled.
“Oh, my, you really are a breath of fresh air. What is your name?”
“It’s Elizabeth.” She smiled and reached for the door handle. “I’m sorry I disturb—”
“Do you know how to play chess?” he asked.
She took a step away from the door. “I do. My grandfather and I used to play all the time.”
“Really?”
She smiled at the enthusiasm in his tone. “Yes.”
“You’ll play with me, won’t you?”
“I…” She looked back at the door, thinking she should get back to the room before she turned back to him. The hopeful look in his eyes made her decision. “I’d love to.”
He moved the chair closer to the window, where a small, tall table sat with a chess game on it.
She sat down in the only chair at the table. “This is a beautiful set, sir.”
“I think so. My first wife gave this to me.”
“Where is she?”
“She passed away many years ago.”
Beth felt tears fill her eyes because she could tell the man still loved his dead wife very much. “I’m so sorry.”
“She was a lot like you.”
She wiped her eyes and smiled. “I’m sorry. She was a stubborn brat, too?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, my,” he said and wiped his eyes. “I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Who told you that you were a stubborn brat?”
She bit her lip. If the man lived in this house, he definitely knew Alastair, so she didn’t want to tell him. “Someone recently.”
He chuckled.
