Rescue Me Please (19 page)

Persephone felt the atmosphere in the room change
as soon as Parker entered
the room. 
She
picked up her cup of tea and
took a sip
, need
ing
some sort of task to pull her from her daydreams
.  They hadn’t spoken of her reaction in
the gallery two day
s
prior and she was glad about that.  She didn’t want to talk.  She wanted to forget, unfortunately seeing a portrait of
him
brought all the emotions
to the forefront of her mind.

She tried not to blush when he looked at her, but she was finding it difficult to sit still
when she felt the heat of her body rise with just one look
.

Adele smiled at her nephew. 
“Would you care for
some tea, dear?”

“I believe I would
.”  He sat in his least favorite chair accepting the cup of tea his aunt
had p
re
pare
d.  He was uncomfortable with the s
tirrings of attraction
he had for Persephone. 
How could he want her and want to comfort her at the same time?  It seemed like such a contradiction.  He wanted to pick her up and cradle her close.  Tell her everything was going to be alright. 
Ever
ything felt jumbled, confused.

Persephone
regarded him as if
she were waiting for him to blurt out her fears in the drawing room.  His blue eyes studied her face. 
“I see you found your book of sonnets.”

“Yes, my lord.” 
When she sighed, he nodded with a small smile.

He turned to his aunt. 
“I received a note from
Rockwell;
they are coming to
Rosebriar
soon
er than expected.”

Adele glanced at Persephone.  “You will enjoy Piper.  She is lively
.”  Her eyes
held a brief hint of
sad
ness
.

“What is it, Adele
?”
Worry flickered in Persephone’s eyes.
 
Adele gave Parker a look full of meaning.
  Persephone watched as he nodded.

“
Piper and Rockwell lost a
baby two months ago.”

Persephone thought of her own healthy baby girl in the nursery and tears pooled in her eyes. 
The thought of his sister losing her baby broke her heart.  She was shocked at the depth of the pain she felt.  She hadn’t been prepared
for this bit of information.  Her hands threaded together in her lap, gripped tight enough to show white around her knuckles
.

Parker
stared intently at Persephone
,
watching the range of emotions that filtered over her face. 
Her tenderhearted spirit and the tears that threatened to fall struck
Parker
like a hard punch to his gut
. 
He
jumped up
and sat next to her on the settee
gathering her in his arms
and for a second she panicked, her breathing grew shallow, then he
wrapped
his arm
s tightly
around her and pressed her snuggly against his side
rubbing
the back of her head
in long even strokes
and she
wished they could stay like that
forever
.  With each stroke of his hand,
her breathing
began to slow and her spine began to soften
.

Damn the way she tugged at his heart. 
He shot his aunt a helpless look, but didn’
t like how she was gazing
back at him. 
His aunt’
s expression softened to pity.

Persephone
didn’t want to move.  She wanted to stay in his warm embrace forever.  She felt safe and being in his arms reminded her of the times her father had comforted her.  She missed him. 
She missed being comfortab
le without a care in the world.

What she noticed the most were his hands. 
His hands were
different than the last hands that had touched her.  His were
strong, yet gentle
at the same time
and they didn’t frighten her
.
  She liked how he palmed her nape
, playing with the loose tendrils of hair that fell over her neck.  His fingers sifting through her hair calmed her.  Soothed her. 
After a couple of minutes, she took a ragged breath. 
“It’s not fair,”
she finally said, her sm
all voice muffled by his chest.

“Lif
e is far from fair, little one,” he said, his eyes gentle
even though she wasn’t looki
ng at him. 
He wasn’t just talking about her
life;
he was talking about life in general.

Persephone
knew that better than anyone.  Tears threatened again, she forced them back.  She
gathered her courage and
pulled away from Parker’s side, pink washing over the
nape of her neck
and spreading to her
already
overheated cheeks
. 
She hadn’t meant to cry, she hadn’t meant to leave a large wet spot on the front of his jacket. 
“
Forgive me
, my lord.” 
She looked up at him with her wide green e
yes, her lips quivering.  “I haven’
t
a clue
what came over me.”  She looked up to see Lady Peregrine standing ove
r her with a fresh cup of tea.

“Here you go, my dear.” 
Parker stood so that his aunt could
take his place
next to Persephone. 
“I’ve added
milk and
plenty of
sugar
,
dear.
”  Adele waited for Persephone to remove the cup from her hand.
 
“
Drink it.   It will help.”

One side of his mo
uth curved up as he
look
ed
down
at her
,
watching as she grimaced at the overly sweet brew.  She obviously didn’t take her tea the same as Poppy and Piper. 
More sugar than tea.

Persephone
felt Parker watching her intently.  She
lifted her gaze to his. 
His eyes were such a vibrant blue.  She felt as if she were looking into a cloudless summer sky. 
“Thank you,” she managed.  “I’m feeling much
more the thing
now.”

Adele
patted Persephone’s hand.  “A turn about the garden mig
ht be just the thing, Parker.”

“Capital idea,” he said. 
“Persephone
?”

Persephone set her tea down.  “I belie
ve that would be just the thing,” s
he
echoed Adele’s sentiments, turning
her red rimmed eyes up at hi
m
.  “I just need to fetch my shawl
.”

Parker glanced out the window.  “I believe a pelisse would be more the thing,” he countered.  “
Winter has finally decided to show her face. 
It appears a little gray and damp this afternoon.”

“Of course.”

Parker watched as she left the room and waited to hear her footsteps fade before turning to his aunt.  She watched
him with an amused expression.

His expression grew troubled
the longer she looked
. 
“I’
m afraid to ask
what that expression on your face implies, Aunt.”
  He dragged his fingers through his
already rumpled
hair.

“You’re imagining things, dear.”  She smiled at him.  “I believe I will visit the nurse
ry this afternoon before heading over to the school,
” sh
e said coming to her feet.

“What a
re you up to, Aunt?” he pressed.

“You are being paranoid,”
she
challenged
.

Parker followed her into the hall, but remained at the bottom of the stairs and waited for Persephone to appear for the stroll through the sparse
garden.

Persephone went down the stairs draping the brigh
t red pelisse
over her shoulders as she went.  Fresh air would be just the thing.  She was being irrational
, t
oo emotional
, and definitely too needy
.
  The last thought grew even more insistent whe
n she rounded the final
landing to find Parker star
ing up at her from the bottom.
 
Blast
.  She huffed out a breath.  His lips curved
, but she noticed the smil
e didn’t quite reach his eyes.
 
She bit her lip and braced for what looked to be a serious walk in the garden.

Parker led her down the hall to the breakfast room.  He held open the stained glass door and she nearly gasp whe
n the heated air hit her face.

“It’s warm in here.”
  She gasped
.

A small smile played at his lips. 
“The stove is
lit
.”  He step
ped through. 
“
This is where we grow the lemons for
your pudding.”

“I think I’ve found my new favorite place.”
  She closed her eyes and inhaled the tangy, sweet scent of lemons and oranges.

“Have you tired of the library already?” he teased.

“Of course not.”  Persephone let out a soft laugh as th
ey moved farther into the room.
  She stopped and pointed.  “I can
curl up and
read on that bench, the smell of lemons and oranges surrounding me and be toasty warm
all at the same time
.”

“Good idea.”  He reached for her hand and tugged her to the back door.  “Prepare yourself.”  He grinned.  “It’s cold outside today.”

The damp coldness of the December air brought a rush of color to her cheeks
and for a second almost stole her breath
as she inhaled deeply in an effort to clear her mind
. 
“
Brrr
…”  She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. 
“You weren’t
jesting
when you said the weather had taken a turn.”

Parker laughed.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Parker turned to her and asked, “
What occurred
in the gallery, Persephone?”  He tilted his head and waited.

For a second she couldn’
t meet his eyes, then she looked up to see him waiting patiently and it eased her mind.  “Fatigue.”  She shrugged
hoping that would end this line of questioning
.

“You looked as if
you had seen a ghost
.”

“I was just tired.” 
She pulled her pelisse tighter around her body and stared up at him.

“You seemed upset when you rushed out.”

“I was tired.”

He gave her a hard stare
.
 
“Do you distrust me still, Persephone?”
  A muscle flexed in his jaw.

“I do not distrust you.”  She shook her head
, her heart twisted
.
 
“
But, t
here
is nothing to tell,
”
she insisted
, sadness welled up in her throat.

He studied her for a long moment, as if to judge her sincerity.  “
I believe there is much you are hiding.”
  Parker looked her straight in the eye
, not budging.

A pleading look came into her eyes.  “Must you press me further?”  A rush of heat burned her cheeks at her outburst. 
There was a beat of silence. 
“
Please, Parker.”

Parker gave a slight bow, then placed Persephone’s hand on his arm and started walking again.  “Then
I fear it is my duty to warn you
.
”
He
paused when he
felt her shiver against his side. 
Once again h
e didn’t know if from cold or fear. 
“My sister
will
undoubtedly
sequester you in a corner
as soon as she arrives tomorrow
and demand to know all there is to know of you and your daughter
.”