Page 79 of His Sinful Touch

“Yes. For a child. Not for a grown man. I’m not small, I’m not young. It’s not even life-threatening—no monstrous creature chasing me, no falling off a cliff. You’d think one would get over it after a time. I thought I had, but this past year they’ve started up again.”

“The unknown, the invisible, can be scarier than something you can see.”

After a moment, he said quietly, “I’ve never been as brave as Con.”

“As brave or as rash?”

Alex laughed. “Obviously didn’t take you long to peg my brother.”

“It was rather apparent—a steady sort of man wouldn’t run about dressed up like a carnival barker, even in disguise.”

“He has an odd sense of humor,” Alex agreed. He smiled. “I fear I share that—at least to the extent of laughing at what he does.”

Sabrina rose up to look him in the face, her arms braced on his chest. “It must have been difficult being a twin—always compared to one another. I suspect that you have qualities Constantine wishes he had.”

“He’d love to have some peculiar ability like mine,” Alex admitted. “Lord only knows why.”

“It’s not a crime to be different from your twin in some ways.”

“It feels odd. We were always so similar. We acted the same, thought the same—Con was like another part of myself.”

“Is he no longer that? Do you not know what he’s thinking? Or doing?”

“Oh, most of the time I know. One has only to look at Con to know he’s contemplating mischief.” He paused, then added, “Or when he’s sad, though that doesn’t happen often. It’s dead easy to read him.”

“For you. Not for everyone else.” Sabrina leaned down and kissed his lips. “You don’t have to be Con. And you don’t have to be ever brave. Especially when you aren’t conscious.” She kissed him again. “Most especially for me. You know me better than anyone, however short a time you’ve known me. And I know you. There’s no need to be anything other than yourself.” She smoothed a hand across his chest, then leaned down to kiss the skin where her hand had been.

“You are a persuasive woman,” Alex said, wrapping his arms around her and rolling over so that she was beneath him. “And I know an excellent remedy for nightmares.”

She smiled. “Really? And what is that?”

“This.” His mouth came down to fasten on hers, and all thoughts of dreams or fears disappeared.

* * *

ALEX AWAKENED THE next morning in an empty bed. His stomach clenched and he sat up, shoving the covers aside, but then he heard the sound of Sabrina’s voice in the next room, followed by the clatter of dishes. He eased back down, linking his arms behind his head, and let himself float for a few moments in the aura of domesticity.

But the tug of duty, not to mention hunger, pulled him from his bed to clean up, shave and dress. When he stepped into the other room, a few minutes later, he found Sabrina standing at the window, looking out, humming beneath her breath. Since the day outside was gray and drizzly and the view she had was of the stables, Alex suspected it wasn’t the scene she contemplated that made her so cheerful. She turned and her face lit up, warming him in a most gratifying way.

“I had them bring breakfast.” She came forward and went on tiptoe to brush his lips with hers. He pulled her back for a longer kiss.

“I’m not sure I’m hungry,” he told her in a low voice.

Sabrina pulled away, laughing and rosy, and took his hand to pull him to the table. “I am. Tea?”

She poured him a cup while Alex began to pile food on his plate. They sat down to eat, talking as they did so. “Are we going to the next town on the road to Andover to visit the church?”

Alex half shrugged. “My guess is that this ‘wedding’ took place in Andover, as there would be more clergymen to choose from, but I don’t see how we can afford to pass them by. Truthfully, I cannot imagine how any minister could have agreed to marry you, special license or not, given the condition you were in. You had to be propped up to even stand, and I can’t imagine that you were able to give clear answers.”

She nodded. “It would have to be a very havey-cavey sort of churchman.”

“Yes, I would think that a large payment would have been involved, if the man was venal enough, or perhaps a bit of blackmail. Or both. I’ve been thinking. That’s why they took such a peculiar route. Look.” Drawing on an invisible map on the table, he went on, “They started here, then up to Andover, but then they turn to the southeast.”

“Didn’t the driver say they were headed for Winchester?”

He nodded. “I have some thoughts on that, too. Do the Dearborns have any connection to Winchester?”

“Not that I know of, but obviously there were a number of things I didn’t know about them.”