“The letters and book. How do they fit together?” he reminded her.
“Colin was trying to decode the fairy curse in the book. I’m not sure yet if he cracked it. One more letter to go to find out,” she said, pointing at the letter sitting on top of the photo album.
“Do you want to read it together?” he asked, picking it up.
“Sure.”
Alistair pulled it from the envelope and began to read aloud.
26/2/1944
Dear Marjorie,
Writing with good news on two fronts today. Firstly, I’ve gone and bought a ring. Next weekend, I’m off to surprise Edith in London, where I plan to ask her to marry me. She makes me believe in myself and sees me in a way no one else ever has. That is how I know she is the one. I figure you’ll be pleased with the notion, knowing how well you two hit it off during our visit.
Edith and I have been talking about settling down in Letterfearn after the war. I heard that Jim Corliss, Davie’s lad, is considering selling the farm. Wouldn’t it be grand if we could call that place home? You know how taken I am with Edith, which drives me even more to finally put an end to this curse for good.
Alistair stopped reading.
“Are you okay?” he asked as tears slid down her cheeks and landed softly on her lap.
“It makes me so sad to hear how much they loved each other and to know that for all these years, she had kept him a secret. It must have been so hard to do. I think I understand now why she used the photo album as bedtime stories. It was her way of telling me about him, to keep him alive,” Nora said, tears still falling freely.
“That’s the kind of love we all dream about having someday, if we are lucky,” he said, leaning in and gently wiping a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. “I’m not sure I will ever get that lucky. Love like that doesn’t seem to run in my family. My parents are pretty good proof of that,” he confessed to her, his tone turning somber.
“I don’t think that’s true. You’ll find it someday,” she said, touching his hand that still rested on her cheek. They locked eyes and held each other’s gaze for a long moment before Nora leaned forward and kissed him.
This kiss felt different from their first drunken one. She fell deeper into it, and he responded in turn. She ran her fingers through his wavy hair, savoring the silky texture that seemed to ripple through her hands like a summer breeze, pulling him in closer. The letter slipped from his hand and landed softly on the floor as he slid his hand down the slope of her back, his touch gentle yet firm. His fingertips lingered on the curves of her hips, and he pulled her in closer. As their lips met again, she breathed in his scent, reminiscent of a crisp autumn day, igniting a longing that reached beyond the physical.
As their lips lingered, a charged tension filled the air, electric and palpable. The room seemed to pulse with anticipation as his hands traced the contours of her skin. Like a whispered promise, his touch kindled a fervent desire within her once more. They were both hungry to resume what they had started the night before, but this time it felt true, not driven by whisky and desperation.Things seemed to be falling seamlessly into place.
She explored the grooves of his chest and shoulders with her hands, each touch adding fuel to her growing fire. The ache deep in her belly intensified as she pulled his shirt up over his head, briefly breaking their kiss. He mirrored her actions and removed her shirt with one swift motion.
As their lips reunited this time, a familiar thrum of energy pulsed within her. Usually, it signaled an impending panic attack, but this time she channeled it, pulling it into her core. She felt a sense of control, a mastery over the energy that had once threatened to overwhelm her.
Seizing the power coursing through her, she guided him on top of her as they fell back onto the sofa. A flurry of clothing scattered the floor like fallen leaves as they became entangled in each other’s embrace. Their bodies moved in harmony, illuminated by the flickering candlelight and warmed by the crackling fire, as if they had been transported back in time.
The dancing shadows cast by the candlelight painted a shadowy picture of their love across the windows overlooking the loch. The moonlight reflected in the water below, sending sparkling moonbeams to join the blue glow enveloping them as they approached the precipice of their lovemaking. Reaching their peak, the glow turned to a dark hue of purple that wrapped around them like a wreath, then gradually faded, without either of them being the wiser.
Falling into each other’s arms, they lay in the afterglow, listening to the rhythmic symphony of their heartbeats until sleep gently claimed them, cradled by the blue aura that encircled them and the moonbeams that bathed the room in a soft gentle light.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Afterglow
The soft wisps of morning light broke through the large windows facing the loch and bathed the floor in its warm embrace. Still wrapped in each other’s arms, Alistair and Nora were awoken by the pitter-patter of tiny paws bounding around them. Nora giggled as Lochland licked her nose.
“Alright, boy, enough. That’s my job,” Alistair said, pulling Nora toward him for a kiss, which she halted, covering her mouth.
“Morning breath, sorry,” she said with a smile as she stood up, slowly putting pressure on her bad ankle, which surprisingly felt better. Wrapping the blanket around herself, she left Alistair completely exposed on the sofa.
“Your ankle, is it better?” he asked as she made her way into the kitchen.
“Yes, still hurts a bit with full pressure, but I think it will be okay,” she said as she put on the kettle. Stealing a glance at him while he got dressed, a flush spread across her cheeks, turning them the shade of ripe strawberries as she remembered how the contours of his body felt against hers. Despite her efforts, a smile refused to be suppressed at the corners of her lips.
Last night had been nothing short of magical, as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that had finally found their perfect match. The connection she had felt with Alistair surpassed anything she had experienced with other men, even Sam.
“Tea?” Nora offered, watching Alistair as he slipped on his shirt and a sunbeam bathed him in a warm glow. The storm seemed to be clearing, with bright patches of blue sky beginning to show. The parting clouds should have been a welcome sight, but the reality that they wouldn’t be snowed in much longer hit Nora like a brick wall.
