“Not so bad.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest, burrowing into the angle of his shoulder and neck. “You have been my rock. You make me stronger. I love you so much, Dale.” She felt him suck in a breath and tense all over. “I’m sorry for saying it now. We haven’t mentioned it again since that day. It’s like we want to forget it. Make it go away. But it doesn’t work that way, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.” He tightened his arms around her and turned, rising above her. “I love you so much that it fills me up inside until there’s no space for anything else. Until it feels as if I’m made of this love. You are more dear to me than my life and... and I’ll love you until the day I die. And if there’s life after death, I will keep loving you in the afterlife.”
Olivia reached up and cupped his jaw with her hands. “Oh, Dale. I will always love you, too. This love is part of me. Part of you. It doesn’t matter where I am. Even if I never see you again, I will never forget you, and will never stop loving you.”
“It doesn’t seem possible.”
“What doesn’t?”
“That a love like this could be torn apart. That there’s no way, somewhere, somehow, for us to be together.”
“At this moment, I want to ask you again to come with me. I would like to beg, cajole, and persuade. Anything that would make you come with me.”
“I feel the same. With every fiber of my being, I want to hold on to you and never let you go. But how can I even ask you to stay when I know it will cause untold suffering to your parents and your niece?”
“And how can I ask you to leave everything behind to come with me? Your place in the world, who you are. I want to. I want to say forget about everything and come with me. We will figure it out. But I know things don’t work that way.”
They stared at each other, acknowledging the impossibility. Trying to make peace with it.
“No tomorrows, then. Only tonight. Let’s make it worth an eternity.” He took her lips in a soul-consuming kiss. And that was the last either of them spoke. He made love to her until they were both too sated to move, and he fell asleep with her in his arms. They slept the sleep of exhaustion, and when morning came, they awoke to face the rest of their lives. Apart.
CHAPTER 64 - The ruins of my life
THEY ARRIVED AT THEHall later in the day. The trip had been uneventful, but Olivia felt drained because of the emotional turmoil that raged in her heart. Dale looked solemn, the stoic mask back in place. But she knew he felt no better than she did. They spoke little, for there was too much to say, but neither time enough nor words appropriate to say it.
Livvy felt as if with every minute she was approaching the hour of her execution. It was heart wrenching, unthinkable.
Kalli and Dariux arrived soon after nightfall and were invited to stay the night in the house, as it would make the preparations in the morning smoother. They had agreed to take her car and drive it to the ruins of a castle that stood on Dale’s land. It had been the original seat of the Dukes of Avondale, but it had fallen to ruin some three hundred years ago. Still, some walls remained standing, proud and defiant against the passage of time.
They had chosen that location because, according to Kalli, it was a remote and deserted place, even in their time, so they could be confident of not being observed.
They shared a meal in silence and, after discussing some details, they all retired for the night. It was still early, but they planned to be at the spot before sunrise and neither of them was in the mood for company. Even Kalli and Dariux seemed very solemn and preoccupied. The mood was that of a funeral.
That night, Olivia snuggled next to Dale under the covers, but neither one tried to make love. Passion was banked, drowned by a smothering sorrow that neither one could shake. So they embraced in comfort and tried to distract themselves by talking about inconsequential things until sheer exhaustion dragged them into sleep.
Next morning came too soon. Olivia heard the knock on the door and came awake instantly. She donned her modern clothes, which she had not worn in over a month. The same pair of jeans and sweater she had arrived in. Dale eschewed his usually impeccable style in favor of a pair of trousers and shirt, not bothering with a vest, jacket or necktie. He threw on a long overcoat for warmth.
