“Nicole?” Dustin turned to her. “Does the description mean anything to you?”
“Not a thing.” She frowned. “Horrible as he sounds, I wish I could say otherwise, but I can’t.”
“No, Nickie wasn’t with me,” Nick murmured with another frustrated shake of his head. “I’m pretty sure I was alone when I saw him—if I saw him. Give me some time to think, Tyreham.” He turned, heading back toward the sitting room. “I’ll remember, come hell or high water.”
“I’m sure you will.”
The clock in the hallway chimed five.
Dustin glanced from the clock to Nicole. “I suppose I should take my leave.”
Neither of them budged.
“We have a bit of lamb left over,” Nicole invited impulsively. “Would you like to stay for dinner? Then afterward we can take that stroll.”
“I’d be delighted to stay—for dinner and our stroll.” Dustin’s reply was husky, his expression taut, filled with heated promise.
A shiver rippled through Nicole.
Along with the realization that her moment of reckoning had arrived.
Thirteen
“IT’S TWILIGHT,” NICOLE OBSERVED, looking out the cabin window and watching the sun make its descent.
“Delivered as promised.” Dustin came up behind her, sliding his arms about her waist.
She leaned back against his solid strength. “That’s right, you did promise we’d share twilight the next time we were together.” A soft sigh. “It’s beautiful. How did you convince it to await our arrival, given the lateness of the hour?”
“I wish I could take credit for that.” His lips feathered through her hair. “But I can’t. The credit belongs to nature.” He kissed the fragrant hollow beneath her ear. “Speaking of credit, am I the reason you’ve donned a gown once again? Or have you taken a sudden liking to feminine attire?”
“Not likely.” She smiled. “I just didn’t think it would do much for the marquis of Tyreham’s reputation as a womanizer if he were seen strolling the grounds with a boy.” Fingering the folds of her dress, she added, “Although, without the layers of petticoats, these gowns aren’t really that dreadful. I suppose I could wear one on occasion.”
“I don’t give a damn for my reputation, Derby. What I care about is that no one recognizes Stoddard’s true identity or his gender.” Dustin’s arms tightened about her, his tone growing wicked. “As for the future, I’d just as soon you didn’t develop a liking for gowns. Breeches give me a much better view.”
Nicole’s heart skipped a beat. “You, my lord, are incorrigible. What am I to do with you?”
“Tell me what’s in your heart.”
Delivered in the midst of their lighthearted banter, Dustin’s solemn request caught her off guard.
“I-I don’t know what you want to hear,” she managed.
“Talk to me, Nicole. Let me drive the fears away.”
Fears? She wanted no mention of fears—not now. Not when Dustin’s arms were around her and twilight was theirs.
“Later,” she replied in a small, shaky voice. “For now, let’s enjoy twilight. It belongs to us for so brief a time each day.”
For a minute, Dustin was silent, resting his chin atop her head as together they watched the fiery rays of sunlight dip lower on the horizon. “What goes through your mind during these precious moments when twilight unfolds?”
Nicole inhaled the fragrant air. “When I was small, I used to wonder what the sun did throughout the night. Since no one could see it, it was free to do as it pleased. So what did it do? Romp about? Rest? Or, like me, did it simply gaze upward and marvel at the miracle it had left in its wake?”
“Perhaps it wished it could stay in the sky and make daylight last forever,” Dustin suggested softly.
“But why?”
“Maybe it knew how lonely nighttime was for those who were alone, how empty twilight felt when there was no one to share it with.”