I thought of you all morning.I look forward to our dinner this evening.All my love.~ Patrick
Collecting the notes, she rushed up the stairs and into her apartment, stopping at seeing the even larger bouquet of red roses on the low table in front of the settee.
The note poked out from between the blooms, and she pulled it out, half expecting to discover Patrick had changed his mind and had sent his regrets.
For this note, she opened it more slowly, tears pricking her eyes when she read his familiar words.
I am still thinking of you.I look forward to our dinner this evening.All my love and kisses.~Patrick
P.S.I plan to arrive with more roses, but first I must find some.
Armenia tittered as tears streamed down her face, and she remembered what David had said only a few minutes ago.
“He loves you.”
How had he known?
“Donna?”
Armenia whirled to see her lady’s maid standing at the door.“Oh, Marcella.I must bathe and change for dinner.I expect my guest to arrive in a few hours.”
The servant dipped a curtsy.“I will see to it the water is brought up.”
A half-hour later, Armenia stepped into the copper tub and groaned in relief once she was surrounded by the warm water.Her feet hurt from the earlier walk in the Colosseum and the Forum, and she wasn’t looking forward to stuffing them into the slippers that matched her red dinner gown.
Sighing, she settled her head against the back of the tub and closed her eyes.Although she was aware of movement nearby, she knew Marcella would be preparing her gown and underthings, perhaps setting aside the bath linens for when she was finished soaking away the aches from the day.
The scent of roses had her grinning.Patrick’s generosity meant several rooms would continue to smell good for at least a week.
“You’re even more gorgeous than when I left you yesterday.”
The words sounded as if they were said from far away, or perhaps because she imagined them in her semi-dream state.She inhaled deeply.“The roses are beautiful,” she murmured.
The brush of a kiss on her cheek had her slowly opening her eyes to discover Patrick leaning over her, a bouquet of red roses clutched in one of his hands.He wasn’t dressed for dinner but appeared to be wearing business attire.“You’re here,” she whispered in awe.
He chuckled.“Gladly so, but I merely stopped to drop off some more roses.DeLuca sent me up, I think because he didn’t know where to take these,” he said, indicating the flowers.“I’ll return in a couple of hours for dinner,” he added.
Blinking several times, Armenia gave a start and sat up in the tub.“I must have fallen asleep,” she said.“I spent the day on a tour with Nicoletta’s family.In the Forum,” she explained.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, but I...I had to kiss you,” he said, grinning as he attempted to keep his gaze from sweeping over the surface of the bathwater.It was evident she wasn’t wearing her shift, and his manhood reacted by hardening in anticipation.
He lifted one of her hands from the edge of the tub and kissed the back of it before he turned it over to kiss her palm.
She inhaled softly and then gasped when she saw how wrinkled her fingertips were.“Oh, dear.I didn’t realize how long I’ve been in here.”
“Would you like help getting out?”He set the roses aside.
“I’m not sure I want you to see me in all my glory by the light of day,” she said, covering her breasts with one arm.
“Trust me when I tell you, it will be a treat for me.”
Before Armenia could reply, he reached down and grasped both her hands in his and pulled her up.Water sluiced down her body, some splashing onto Patrick, but he merely gazed at her.
Once she was standing, he reached over and grabbed a bath linen from a nearby chair.He shook it out and quickly wrapped it around her.“Do you require another?”he asked.
“This will be enough,” she replied, ensuring she was mostly covered.“Grazie.”
He dipped his head.“I should leave.Let you finish.I need to dress as well,” he said.
