She tipped her head to one side. “You seem different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” A furrow formed between her brows. “You’re being charming.”
“Clearly I’ve been remiss if my charm surprises you.”
“That’s not what I meant. You’re the most debonair man I’ve ever met.” Her gaze veered briefly skyward. “What I meant was that after all the dead ends we came up with just now, I expected you to be less…optimistic.”
“You thought I’d be a glum jackanapes?”
Her lips twitched. “I thought you’d be frustrated.”
“You want to know why I’m not?”
She nodded.
“It’s because of you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” He curled a finger under her chin. “With you by my side, I feel that I can accomplish most anything.”
“Oh,” she said tremulously.
Looking into her eyes, he felt the rightness of the moment. “There’s something else I want you to know.”
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Although this started out as an affair, you…matter to me.”
“Oh, Rhys—”
“I’m not in a position to make you promises. Not yet. But if I were, I want you to know that I would.” Looking into her shining verdant eyes, he felt a surge of longing. “Christ, I wish I could give you more than this. More than mere words. I wish I could offer something more substantial, more permanent—”
Her eyes widened. “Blooming hell.That’s it!”
Not exactly the reaction he was expecting. “Er…what is?”
“Wordsaren’tpermanent,” she said excitedly.
“Yes, I know. But they’re all I can offer at the moment—”
“Not you—I’m talking about the clue. What if ‘deathless vein’ isn’t a place per se, but an impermanent word…a set of changeable letters?”
“Devil and damn—ananagram.” The realization resonated through him. “That’s just the sort of puzzle Horatio would enjoy.”
“Patty adores them too.” She hopped off the table, and they rushed into the other room.
Hypatia and Newton’s heads whipped in their direction.
“Deathless vein—it’s an anagram,” Maggie blurted.
Hypatia shot to her feet. “Of course.” She dashed from the parlor.
Newton rose. “Where did she go?”
“To get her anagram tiles,” Maggie said.
