That had been her. Her own words, her own voice saying,“He is so dear to me. I love him so very, very much.”A wave of emotion so intense followed that it took her breath away. Was such happiness possible? Her stomach fluttered with the sensation of hundreds of butterflies. Her heart clenched deliciously as warmth spread from her chest encompassing her entire being, lingering and burning like golden embers.
Her knees grew weak as water.
Shaken, Lena dropped onto the small marble bench beside the hedge, her breath coming in uneven gasps.
There was no doubt about it.
She’d been madly, deeply in love with him.
This hadn’t been a passing infatuation.
This had been a love as deep and profound as she was capable of. With every fibre of her being.
And now?
She blinked, disoriented, as she took in her surroundings once more.
Of course, that had been back then. That had been the memory of her being in love a very long time ago. She no longer felt like that.
Did she?
She’d heard of love that had died. Of love that hadrun its course. Of love that petered out. Yet what about a love that was simply…forgotten?
What happened to that love? Where had it gone?
Did that love still exist somewhere? Did it continue to burn deep within the soul without the soul being aware of it, or had it simply fallen asleep, waiting to be awakened? Or was a love forgotten…simply gone? Vanished, puffed away like dandelions in the wind.
Lena did not know.
She’d loved him very dearly, once. She’d just now regained a glimpse of the memory of that love, but it had shaken her to the core.
She wanted, no, she had to find out if it was still there. She had to find the answer.
The sky above her exploded in a silvery shower of stars and light. She jumped and flinched at the loud explosion.
It was midnight.
The fireworks.
They were to wait until the fireworks were over, play for another hour, then they could go home.
He’d arrived late,having been detained by the Prussians who insisted on a conversation with him and Castlereagh on the future of Saxony.
There had been no movement on the matter at all.
After an hour of fruitless back-and-forth, he had excused himself to find Lena and the children.
Odd, how he’d come to feel so protective of them in such a short time. As if they really belonged to him.
“There you are,mein Freund,” a very familiar, languid voice said behind him. “Hiding from diplomatic negotiators instead of facing them head-to-head on the battlefield, I mean, the ballroom.”
Julius whirled around. A rare smile broke across his face as he saw the tall, lean figure of a man with golden curls resting against a precarious trellis of roses, arms crossed, and a mocking grin on his lips.
“Careful, Lindenstein, your weight will bring the structure down. It doesn’t appear to be that sturdy.” He grasped his arm and they embraced, slapping each other on the back like long-lost brothers. “I thought you were out of town. How refreshing to see a familiar face for a change, even if it is merely your hideous grimace.”
“I was indeed out of town, enjoying myself tremendously with my ladybird. I was ordered back, most inconveniently, just when we’d reached a most critical juncture in our relationship. Been in a devil of a temper since. What can one do? Must obey the pater’s order. Best to appease the old man, as we haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately. You know how it is.” He grinned at Julius. “Verdammt, it’s good to see you here on my turf. It’s about time. Must show you all my favourite haunts. Places hidden from prying eyes. Is Atherton here too?” He looked around. “Would be more fun if there were the three of us, even better with Hartenberg, the four of us together like the good old days.”
“No. Was informed the other day that the marchioness has just given birth to a baby boy, so there is nothing in the world that would cause Atherton to currently leave England.”
