AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER15
As Andrew listened to Tabitha play, he found himself lost in the music. The song seemed to mirror his own emotions. On one side, he was loud, boisterous, demanding respect from everyone, but on the other hand, he wanted the quiet tenderness that he only found when he was with Tabitha.
He'd been a fool to think Tabitha was like any woman he’d ever known. Every minute he spent with her, he found himself more and more enchanted. He felt the yearning and passion in the notes Tabitha played.
When the song transitioned to another movement, he saw a change in Tabitha. The tone became louder, with an air of sadness and frustration. Tabitha seemed about to burst into tears. Was she so moved by the music, or was it something else? What was causing her so much pain? He could see on her face that something troubled her. It was the same expression she’d had in the library the first night they met, and again when he’d seen her across the ballroom a few weeks ago. Come to think of it, he’d seen a brief glimpse of it earlier that day when they’d walked back to the house. Surely, Tabitha knew she could confide in him.
Finally, the song ended, and for the briefest of moments, it was only the two of them as their stares collided. Nothing else mattered. Andrew took a step towards Tabitha when the applause drew him from his trance.
The guests congratulated Tabitha on her performance. She smiled graciously and accepted everyone’s compliments. Andrew stood back, allowing the others to give their praises, still not sure what to say to her.
After the guests had left her, Tabitha went over to a corner by a window with her glass of champagne. He watched her take a sip, wishing he could be the glass touching her lips. Knowing he should say something, he made his way across the room.
He stood beside her and cleared his throat. “That was a very moving piece you played, Miss Crestwood. I did not know you played so superbly.”
Tabitha turned with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you, Your Grace. It is a piece I have always enjoyed playing. Tonight, though, it was different.”
“Different how?” He prayed she would tell him what was troubling her.
“I don’t know. When I first learned it years ago, it was just a song to play for my lessons. I never truly understood how to play it properly until tonight. It’s almost as if I needed to experience more in life before I could comprehend the finer nuances of the piece.
“What experiences do you speak of?”
“Happiness, freedom, love, despair.”
“Love?” Andrew was intrigued. “And what do you know of love, Miss Crestwood?” He narrowed the distance between them.
“I know the love of my family and friends. The love of a good book. The love of going out into the world and discovering new things, experiencing freedom.”
“And what about desire, longing? Have you experienced those?” His voice dropped to a low, husky whisper.
Her cheeks held two circles of blush as she averted her gaze. Was she remembering their time in the park? Was she thinking of the way she’d spread her legs, allowing him to sample her feminine treasures? Even now, Andrew could taste her sweet cream on his tongue. His cock throbbed with need. “You didn’t answer my question, Miss Crestwood.”
She whipped her head up met his inquisitive stare. “You know I have.”
Andrew leaned in toward Tabitha, too close for social propriety, but he would be damned if he would let that stop him. He put his mouth mere inches from her ear and whispered, “Would you like to experience it again?”
Tabitha stepped back, the flush deepening on her face. She took several deep breaths, trying to compose herself. He wanted her and was willing to practically beg, if that’s what it took.
“What is desire, or longing, for that matter? Only a moment shared between two people. Once we have that which we desire the most, it tends to loss its luster. Does it not?” The anguish was apparent in Tabitha’s answer.
What he wouldn’t give to kiss away her fears, fight whatever foes had caused her such distress. He was lost, a fool in love, and he didn’t give a damn, because he saw it for what it was. Never before had he felt the powerful need to protect someone, to be someone’s champion, until he met Tabitha.
“I don’t believe that’s true. I think one can have what one desires above all others, and discover it is more wonderful, more exhilarating than first thought. Not brief, but everlasting, all-consuming.”
“You make desire sound dangerous, Your Grace.”
“It can be, in the wrong hands.”
Tabitha bit her lower lip. Andrew had to suppress a groan.
“And what if desire falls into the right hands?” she asked.
Did Tabitha know what she was doing to him? How he was being driven mad with a hunger that threatened to rear its head right there in the parlor?
“In the right hands, a whole world of... pleasure can open up if both lovers share the desire to do so.”
At the word lovers, Tabitha swallowed hard, as if at a loss for words. Then she turned to walk away, but Andrew stopped her.
