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"Do you know who it belongs to?" Leah wondered.
"No," he had to admit. "But I know that it is a rather posh part to be living in."
"Perhaps it is someone who knows the identity of this man," Leah jumped again, filled with hope that they did not stumble onto a dead end once again, but a new path that might lead them toward their desired destination. "We must go there at once!" she exclaimed.
"We shall," he agreed, but he was thinking about this much more logically than she was. "But not at once."
"Why not?" she frowned, not liking his response.
"I think we should visit the footman's family first," he suggested. "We could ask them some questions about the footman, about that night and even about my parents. Now that we know that the death of my parents and your mother are connected, we mustn't omit a single part of this puzzle. Everything must come into its rightful place. I feel like we need to get some answers before reaching that address and find out who it belongs to."
Leah sighed. "You are right." Still, she did not seem particularly pleased.
"I know you are eager to bring this to an end, Leah," he said softly, closing the diary which he was still holding in his hand and offering it to her. "Trust me, so am I. But we have to be very careful. We do not know what your mother knew, and judging from what happened to her, this man she was tracking own was very dangerous. We mustn't underestimate him. In fact, we must find out everything your mother knew, or at least a large portion of it, so we can be well prepared and know what to expect. But one thing is certain. We should expect danger, and that is why we mustn't rush in like fools."
He expected her to argue again, that she was too impatient to wait, but surprisingly, she agreed once again.
"Everything you say makes perfect sense," she agreed. "I am just too eager, too impatient."
"I know you are," he commented. "That is perfectly understandable, but we must be cautious. You understand this, don't you?"
"Yes," she smiled, taking the diary and pressing it to her chest lovingly. "I think I shall stay here a little while longer, and just read the diary again. It makes me feel closer to her, reading her words aloud."
"All right," he smiled. He wanted to offer to stay with her, but this was something personal, something she wanted to experience on her own. She had already come to him with the diary itself, which was something he appreciated more than he could explain in mere words. "I shall be here in my study if you need me for anything," he told her.
For a moment, they lingered so close to each other that he considered kissing her, but he decided against it. It didn't seem like the time was right for that, regardless of the way he himself felt. He didn't want to distract her from what she was holding in her arms, a past connection to her mother.
She smiled at him, then left the room, closing the door behind her. She only left a lingering scent of lilacs behind her, to titillate him. Only, he did not need her perfume to do that. His mind was perfectly capable of doing that to himself, to make him think of her in the most inopportune moment and imagine her in all sorts of scenarios he did not dare say out loud.
He tried to focus on work and correspondence, but it was hard knowing she was so close. Perhaps night and sleep would bring forth some much-needed rest.
CHAPTER20
Leah trembled as she was standing in front of Edward's door. Usually, he was the one who came to her. Her nightmares were his excuse, and she welcomed him wholeheartedly the few times he came to her, offering to sleep in her room, so she could have a good night's rest.
This evening, however, she told him to remain in his chamber. She still remembered the puzzled look on his face, as he endeavored to figure out why she would suggest this. She, of course, knew. Only, she wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible, which was until this moment that she was standing here, waiting for him to open the door.
One single knock was enough to rouse him, and the door opened instantly. He smiled upon seeing her.
"Is it your turn to keep me safe from my nightmares?" he teased, as he moved to the side to allow her in, closing the door after her.
She smiled with her back turned to him. Curiosity had brought her here, but it was much more than just that. Everything about this was so unlike her. It was absolutely sinful, and she loved every moment of it, as she turned around to face him, wondering if he had been dreaming about her as much as she had been dreaming about him.
She didn't give him a response to his teasing question. There was no need to. All he needed to do was gaze deeply into her eyes and if he looked hard enough, he would be able to see everything, to truly see her. She stopped right in front of him, feeling her own body almost naked underneath the thin fabric of her robe.
Swallowing heavily, she lifted her hands to his chest. Fervor made her fingers tremble as she rested them against his chest. It felt as hard as a mountain. She could feel the ridges of his muscles underneath his nightshirt. She wondered how hot the touch of his naked skin would be underneath the tips of her fingers.
"I don't think you came here to shelter me from my nightmares," she heard him say, his gaze fixated on her, as she slid her hands higher. He inhaled sharply when she stopped right on his collar bone.
"No?" she echoed. She had dreamed of this moment. She dreaded it, too. But now, all she could feel was how tight he was underneath her touch, how delightfully masculine. They had been married for weeks now, but somehow, it still seemed inappropriate when they were alone. Now, there was none of that. There was no moral or immoral. There was no right or wrong. There was just pleasure, sheer want and desire. Nothing else, and she was more than eager to satiate it.
"No," he confirmed, as his hand flew around her waist, pulling her closer to him, so that their chests were pressed against each other now. "You came here to make my dreams come true."
She wanted a moment to allow these words to settle into the deep recesses of her heart, but she had no time for that, because his lips crashed against hers, like the waves crashed against the shore, yearning to be together.
This kiss was unlike anything she could ever imagine from him. It was a mixture of voraciousness and tenderness, the two she could never see working so well together, yet he managed to do it. His hands grabbed at her, as if she were just a mirage and she might disappear the moment he released her from his grip.
Without ending their kiss, they started heading toward the bed in the corner of the chamber. As they did so, he slowly untied the belt to her robe, releasing her from it and leaving her in only a thin nightgown. He gently laid her on the dark brown, carved mahogany bed that seemed like a large vessel. She dropped down onto the mattress, sinking into its softness with Edward's lips and hands still on her.
