It could. The rally might have other foot soldiers that could lead the movement forward.
“But what if it fails, Ester? How do I look at myself in the mirror, knowing I could have helped but didn’t?”
“Don’t go, Bex.”
His neck bathed in sweat, he took a step away from the chair. “Ester, my mind won’t be with you tonight. It’ll be out on that field. I’ll be thinking of the words that need to be said to make those in power understand. To sway the ambivalent to action”
“Why does it have to be you? Why you, Bex?”
He should just tell her. Maybe if she knew of how his testimony had made a difference and had given justice to those who’d died, she’d understand. Maybe she’d understand the guilt he bore at being on his uncle’s ship for six years and not wanting to recognize that his cargo wasn’t crates, but men. “Ester—”
“You could be hurt. Bex, I need you.”
He needed her, too. But if he told her the truth, she’d think him a liar, like her father. He’d rather be a risk-taker than a deceitful lout who should’ve told her something so vital before they wed.
She tugged on his shoulders and pulled him closer, again eye-to-eye. “I want you to choose me. I chose you over my parents, Bex. I need you to choose me over these dangerous rallies. I must have you here, snoring in my arms.”
Big topaz irises sated with passions enchanted Arthur, for Ester wasn’t talking about merely sleeping. He knew it, and his mouth salivated. His fingers tingled at the thought of tucking his arms about her and finally claiming every bit of her, every inch of olive skin. She’d be all his, once and for all.
Ester was that one person to recommend and love him. Wasn’t that what Arthur always wanted? If he stayed, wouldn’t he have that?
“Please, Bex. Don’t go.”
If he kissed her now, he’d not make it to the rally. She’d be in his arms. He’d be unwrapping her from the carriage dress and tasting her goodness—all night, until dawn broke through yonder glass. Ester was his sun, his bright moon, the love he’d always wanted.
The woman he loved.
Perhaps her love would smother the screams that met him in the night, the unquenchable memories that tormented him—all the wrongs he hadn’t been able to right.
“Bex.” Ester clutched his lapels, wove her hands about his neck. She wasn’t shy anymore. With this kiss, bold, encompassing, heated—her intentions to keep him were explicit.
“I need you to you stay, Bex.”
But the voiceless needed him, too. He’d promised to be at the rally. He’d given his word.
“Bex?”
“A man is no better than his word. I want you to be happy. I’m committed to that.” He played with the cravat that choked his hot skin, then scooped her up and set her feet on the ground. “There’s a small closet and a chest of drawers in the bedroom. Go settle in, and I’ll retrieve something to eat.”
Before her sweet lips opened, he fled the room.
…
Ester paced in Bex’s flat. Unpacking had not taken long. Two dresses, a nightgown, and a robe made little work. Placing her bonnet and gloves upon his small chest of drawers also took no time.
The small clock on his mantle read four minutes after six. He couldn’t have gone to the rally this soon, could he? Well, he hadn’t promised that he wouldn’t. “Bex said he’d be back. He’s a man of his word.”
Saying her thoughts aloud didn’t diminish her fears of him being killed at the rally.
After she’d taken three more turns about his sofa, the door opened.
The boy Bex had called Jonesy lugged in two big buckets of steaming water. Bex was behind him with something that smelled like beefsteaks. He put the basket on the table and handed Jonesy a key. “Go clean that other thing for me.”
“Yes, Mr. Bex.” The boy took one of the buckets, turned, and ran out of the room.
Bex was up to something, but since he hadn’t gone to the rally, she didn’t care. His causes were important, but now she knew she was important to him, too. She walked over to him, reached up, and tossed her arms around him. “You didn’t go.”
Before she could stop herself, she stretched and claimed his mouth. She kissed him with all the love she had for him—not the worship she had for the actor on the stage, but true feeling for a man who stayed true.
