“Have you been to my house?” he asked.
“Yes.”
His eyes opened as his brow furrowed. “I'm not married. I’m not affiliated with any woman?”
“Not to my knowledge. You’ve managed to escape the Parsons mousetrap, much to your mother’s annoyance.”
He turned his head toward her. “Describe them to me, please,” he asked.
Willa described his mother, her dark hair with silver strands, her lovely dark eyes, and her contagious laughter. Then she described his father, who he looked very much like, and his siblings. “You have a beautiful family,” she said.
Willa went on to talk about Ned, their mutual friend, and how she'd seen him in the taproom below but hidden from him.
“I think he was looking for you.”
“Are you sure? Wouldn't he be looking for you?”
“Maybe he was looking for both of us. I don't know, but he must be long gone now.”
“We should go back to London if that's where both our families are,” he said. “Tomorrow we can leave first thing.”
“I don't think you should travel. With the helmet off, your wound is exposed.”
“I don't care what Dr. Smith says. I can't lie around here anymore when I have family who could be worrying over us. You need to get back home.”
“But I won't do so at the risk of your life,” she said. “What do we do if you get sick in a coach? There's no bed to lie down for a doctor to see to you.”
“I’ll lie down in your lap,” he said. “We can continue our charade of being husband and wife until we return home, and we become husband and wife in truth.”
She sucked in a breath.
“What?” he asked. “I know you have thoughts locked up in that mind of yours that you don't want to share with me, but I can see them in your eyes. Something is troubling you.”
She glanced down. “We can talk about that later. What's important is that you rest tonight.”
“And that we leave tomorrow,” he said. “I want to go home. For days now, I feared that I didn't have one, that I wasn't worthy of you—worthy of touching you.” He pushed himself up and leaned toward her.
“Don't,” she said.
“What is it, Willa?”
“I don't…”
“You don't… You don't care for me or you don't care for Wesley?”
“It isn't that,” she said.
“Then what is it? I've been held in suspense for too long. Don't make me wait any longer. Everything I don't know is a burden I have to bear. Tell me. Release me from this cage of uncertainty.”
“Wesley… These feelings you have now. You didn't have them before, and I can't help but think…”
“But I have them now,” he said.
“What if they aren't real? What if your memory returns, and you realize you don't want me?”
“That's not possible. My memories are gone, but my feelings are not and I want you. More than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
“But it's only been five days since we last spoke as Wesley and Willa, and you didn't feel this way.”
