Read Heart's Desire for Free Online Page B

had made it sound as if Callie were both all but betrothed and very much in love — details one would naturally share with one’s dearest friend. Details which, to be fair to Aunt Olivia, weren’t completely untrue , as an engagement was expected , and Callie was very much in love. But she wasn’t engaged , and it was William she loved, and it had sounded all wrong , and dear God, everything was just such a dreadful tangle.
    And then before she could gather her scattered wits, he was gone.
    A frustrated sound she couldn’t contain burst from between her lips , and she all but stomped her way down the gravel path leading to the lake, making her wish she’d taken the time to exchange the soft - bottomed satin slippers that matched her gown for sturdier footwear.
    Yet what was a little discomfort at this point? Her one opportunity to kiss him was gone. There would be no other chance to get him alone. No other prospect for privacy. Aunt Olivia always rose with the dawn and would want an early breakfast , then an immediate departure for London, thus eliminating any chance for Callie to walk to the village to see William before they left.
    Which meant the carriage would simply have to detour to the antique shop on their way out of Halstead. Surely Aunt Olivia wouldn’t object to stopping to bid William farewell.
    “And if she does, I’ll just claim I want to purchase the mirror pendant, that I wish to wear it to the coronation,” she muttered as she stomped along.
    Yes, that’s what she’d do. And once inside the shop, she’d maneuver William into the privacy of the back room, even if it meant dragging him there by his cravat. Then, after making it clear she was not engaged, she’d commence with what she’d come to Halstead to do. She’d been thwarted tonight, but she would not be thwarted again. Tomorrow was her last chance. She intended to make the most of the opportunity. She would not — could not — fail again.
    Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
    When she arrived at the lake several minutes later , she headed toward the massive willow, inexorably drawn to the tree she’d seen in the mirror pendant. She spread the curtain of low - hanging , leafy branches , then stepped between them. With a whisper of sound , they slipped back into place behind her, enclosing her in a dark cocoon. Her feet sank into a soft blanket of grass and moss, releasing a hint of the earthy scent that always reminded her of her childhood home. Closing her eyes, she tipped back her head and breathed in a lungful of cool air.
    She was about to pull in another deep breath when a twig snapped behind her. Her eyes flew open , and she quickly turned around. She gasped when the low-hanging branches she’d just walked through separated, then went utterly still.
    William stood in the opening.
    He appeared as startled as she. Her heart beat a frantic staccato — not only from her momentary fright but also from the sudden realization that tomorrow was no longer her last chance to get William alone. That luck or providence or divine intervention or whatever one wished to call it had gifted her with this unexpected opportunity.
    And she intended to make the most of it.
    With her gaze intent on his , she moved forward. One step. Then another. Less than arm’s length now separated them — a distance she’d soon erase.
    “Hello, William.”
    William gripped the slender willow branches he’d just separated in a stranglehold in a desperate effort both to regain his composure and to keep from reaching for Callie. To see if she were actually real or if the fierceness of his desire for her had somehow magically conjured her here.
    Bathed in slivers of silvery moonlight spilling through the canopy of willow leaves, she looked like an ethereal dream. But he knew she was real. He could see her pulse throbbing at the delicate base of her throat. Hear her rapid, shallow breaths. Smell the faint scent of roses rising from her skin. It required several