“A dragon’s fire stone, m’lady,’ he told her in his thin, scratchy voice. “That is called a dragon’s fire.”
Vesper sighed. “It is beautiful,” she said. “Where does the stone come from?”
The old man flashed a toothless smile. “Far to the east, m’lady.”
It was quite exotic sounding. Moving in on to the necklace next to it, Vesper found herself looking at a chain of gold interspersed with beads of a pale green stone. At the end of the chain was an exquisite gold charm shaped like a key and inlaid with pale green and pale purple stones. The stones were so pretty and glittery that it immediately caught her eye and she bent over even further, inspecting it, seeing the craftsmanship. When she reached out to touch it, timidly, Val spoke softly.
“Do you like that one?” he asked. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her expression of awe. “I like it, too. In fact, I believe it is perfect for you.”
Vesper could feel the warmth from his gaze, reaching out to grab her, turning her limbs to mush. The man had a smile that could devastate and eyes that could render one completely helpless. But Vesper didn’t mind; surrendering to her feelings for him was one of the easier things she’d ever done.
“Why?” she murmured.
Val didn’t answer her; he simply smiled, as if he knew something she didn’t. But he tore his eyes from her long enough to look at the old man. “We shall take the key,” he said. “Polish it for her and I shall pay you handsomely.”
Excited at the prospect of a hefty sale, the old man scurried off, leaving Val and Vesper at the table. When they were alone, he answered her question.
“Because it is the key to my heart,” he whispered, reaching down to take her hand. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed it tenderly. “It is symbolic, I know, but so very perfect. Wear it around your neck, always, and think of me.”
Vesper was having difficulty breathing as he kissed her hand again, bolts of excitement shooting through her body, a delicious pleasure-pain sensation. Unconsciously, she licked her lips, wondering what it would be like when he finally kissed her mouth. Would his lips feel as warm and gentle as they did upon her hand? She’d never been kissed by a man, at least not like this, and all she could think of was the sensation of his heated lips. Her trembling body must have given off an invitation to Val because, suddenly, he was pulling Vesper from her stool, his mouth slanting over hers hungrily.
Somehow, she became boneless. Val’s arms went around her and it was as if she had no bones, caving against the man as he squeezed the life from her. His mouth suckled hers, first her lower lip, then her upper lip, and then her tongue when she gasped because he was squeezing her so hard. He was overwhelming her with his power and masculinity, but as quickly as he grabbed her, he was forced to retreat because the old man was returning to the table with the necklace in his hand.
Vesper nearly fell down when Val let her go. She tried to stand up straight but she couldn’t seem to keep her balance. She could feel Val’s hands on her, steadying her, as the old man extended the necklace to her.
“There, m’lady,” he said with satisfaction. “This shall be a necklace you will be proud to wear.”
With trembling hands, Vesper took the necklace, a magnificent piece that she put over her head, watching it settle against her bosom. The key came to rest right between her breasts, a heavy golden piece with the green and purple stones. She lifted it up, looking at glisten in the light.
“It is so beautiful,” she said sincerely. Then, she turned to Val. “I have never in my life had anything so beautiful. Your generosity humbles me, my lord.”
Val touched her cheek affectionately. “You are worth all this and more,” he said, looking to the old man. “What is your price?”
The old man eyed the necklace, seeing how happy the lady was with it. “It is an expensive piece, m’lord, made in France by the finest craftsmen.”
“Aye, it is exquisite. How much?”
“Five pounds, m’lord.”
That was quite a bit of money but Val didn’t hesitate. In fact, he dug into his coin purse and pulled out two gold coins, which was almost twice what the man had asked for the necklace. He wanted the man to remember him so when he returned again to purchase more jewelry, and perhaps a wedding ring, that the man would show him the very best he had. Putting the coins into the man’s palm and watching the old man’s eye’s bulge, he took Vesper by the hand and led her to the locked door.
The two armed soldiers were there and quickly opened the door for him, having come to realize that the Itinerant Justice of Hampshire was an important and wealthy man. Val took Vesper through the door but she almost tripped because she was looking at her necklace. She couldn’t take her eyes from it. Val kept her from falling to her knees and she smiled gratefully.
“I am sorry,” she said. “It is simply that I cannot take my eyes off of this. I have never seen anything so lovely.”
Val was looking straight at her. “Nor have I.”
At first, she thought he meant the necklace, too, but she soon realized he meant her. Instead of flushing and looking away, which was what she usually did, she met his gaze steadily. She was coming to trust him now and to trust that his compliments weren’t empty ones. That gave her the courage to face him.
“I told you last night that I have never known such flattery,” she said. “At first… at first, I did not believe you were sincere, but now I am coming to think that you might be.”
He laughed softly. “Did it take me buying you an expensive piece of jewelry for you to realize that my words to you are genuine?”
She laughed because he was. “Nay,” she said. “I did not mean that to sound as trite as it did. I simply meant… is this real, Val? Do you truly wish to keep company with me?”
He nodded, slowly, his smile fading. “And with time, more than that, even.”
She knew what he meant. God, she knew and it was like music to her ears.Marriage!Already, she could see a strong son with his father’s handsome features and a daughter with her sensibilities. She could see all of this, already, and the solitary life she’d known all of these years began to seem like hell. Before she realized it, tears filled her eyes.
