“No, I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Thank you. Will you be going, then, as soon as you’ve found some way to get the gold out?” She dared not breathe, waiting for his answer.
“Go, well, of course I’ll be going, eventually. It will take me some time to move this stuff.”
“Yes, well, then, I’m tired,” she said, trying to maintain control of her emotions. “I’m going to go to sleep now.” He was leaving. He was going to leave her. She had thought maybe something was starting to happen between them. Now there was nothing.
****
“Patience,” he coaxed. “It’s dinnertime, not bedtime. Come here.” He pulled her into his arms and sat on the bed, cradling her, when what he really wanted to do was shake her or kiss her out of her stupor.
“I think I’ve done enough damage for today, to you and to your yard. My body is so sore, even my aches have aches. I’m closing down. If you’re tired, you just rest here with me now and sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He kissed her forehead and settled himself on the bed, covering her with a blanket and rocking her until she was asleep.
She seemed so weak and limp in his arms. All the illusions that had shored her up were gone in a whoosh that left her deflated. All she did was sleep. It wasn’t right.
And if he were being perfectly honest with himself, most of the blame lay with him. He’d have to do something about it.
Chapter 24
When Patience walked into the kitchen the next morning, Nathaniel’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He couldn’t believe the dramatic change in her. Dressed to conquer in a banker’s blue pinstriped business suit, with a tasteful but sexy button-down cream-colored silk blouse, her executive ensemble was complete with sheer stockings and heels that showed off her long legs to great advantage. Her lips were painted a glistening red. Full and sensuous, they seemed to scream out, “Taste me.” The combination of power and sin knocked him back with a sucker punch to the gut.
“Patience, you’re dressed,” he managed.
“Of course I’m dressed. I’m going to a meeting.”
He’d never seen her in much more than a robe or the lounging clothes she wore around the house. She’d never worn makeup; she didn’t need it. Apart from the funeral and their brief sailing trip, she hadn’t even been out of the house since he’d come to Bermuda. He wasn’t sure he was entirely comfortable with this new Patience emerging before his very eyes. Had she been there the whole time?
“I didn’t know anything about a meeting,” he said, eyeing her with suspicion.
“You heard me talk about it with Cecilia,” she reminded him. “It’s our weekly meeting of the Rediscover Bermuda committee on St. George’s. I had to miss last week because of the funeral. This week’s too important to skip. We’re selecting the ad agency for the campaign. That’s my specific area of responsibility.”
“Well, you are my specific area of responsibility. I’m driving you. And I’m going to stay with you the entire time.”
“You’ll just be bored.”
“That’s my business.”
“No, that’s the point. What I do or don’t do is none of your business. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I’m making it my business,” he countered. “You don’t know what you need.”
“If I could just point out a few things you might have overlooked. A, I’m not your responsibility. B, you don’t have a license to drive in Bermuda. And C, you don’t have a car. And that’s just for starters. I can’t ride on the back of your scooter, because I have presentation boards, tapes, and notebooks to bring.”
“The hell with that. You’re not going anywhere without me.”
“For your information, Cecilia is picking me up.”
“Oh, that’s just great. If you think I’m letting you out of the house with that man-eater, think again. Your friend is a shark. If I leave you alone with her, I’d have to drag you back from some pick-up bar. You’d never make it to your meeting.”
“You’re losing it, Nathaniel.”
“This argument is over!” Nathaniel retorted, raising his voice. “If you fight me on this, you’ll lose. And, besides, you’re too weak to go out.”
“Do I look weak to you?”
Before conceding her point, he protested, “What I meant to say was, you’re too delicate.”
“My grandmother was delicate. I can take care of myself. Don’t look at me as though I were about to have an attack of the vapors.”
He bristled. “The first time you saw me, you fainted, and you slept through most of the first week of my visit. What am I supposed to think?”
“You drugged me, for God’s sake. I buried both my grandparents in the space of a month. They left extensive holdings that still have to be sorted out. I’m exhausted, and I’m entitled to fall apart once in a while. I lost my grandparents, not my ability to function. And, for your information, my grandmother was also a very capable woman. She only let my grandfather take care of her because she knew it gave him pleasure to fuss over her. It was easier than resisting him.”
“Your grandfather was a control freak, Patience.”
“Oh, really? I don’t see anyone else around here who fits that description, do you?”
Nathaniel chose to ignore that remark. “I’m sure your grandmother didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
“My grandmother had my grandfather wrapped around her little finger. It was quite endearing.”
“I simply won’t allow you to leave this house without me.”
“You won’t allow me?” she accused, leveling her gaze at him as she repeated herself. “Are you listening to yourself?” Her simmering temper had reached the boiling point. “You don’t even know me. You must think I’m some kind of simpering idiot.”
“Then use the brain you claim to have. Your grandfather’s murderer is out there somewhere and it’s not safe. What if he follows you? Corners you? You’ll be helpless without me.”
“I don’t recall asking for your help. And I certainly don’t need it. I can defend myself.”
“We’re in this together. And I’m genuinely concerned about your safety.”
Patience looked like she was about to relent. “Look, I can’t afford to be late. If you insist on going with me, you’ll have to put on something more presentable,” she said, tilting her head and eyeing his shorts and his hairy legs. “Do you by any chance own a suit?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then go put it on. I’ll cancel with Cecilia.”
“Don’t dismiss me!” he ordered.
She snickered. “If you want to go to my meeting, you’ll have to follow my rules and behave yourself.”
Nathaniel walked off in a huff. When he returned, he had calmed down considerably.
He caught Patience’s eyes assessing him and registering approval of his flatteringly cut Italian suit.
He crossed the room and closed the distance between them. He reached for her hands.
“I apologize. I’m not usually like this.”
“Stubborn and pig-headed?”
“I’m just worried…about you.”
“I know.”
“You look good,” he said, “really good.”
“So do you.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her several times lightly on the lips. As she sank into him, he wanted to dive into her, to keep her here, safe, with him, forever. Now he knew how her overprotective grandfather must have felt. Instead, he reluctantly broke the embrace and shifted away to lift her briefcase and the stack of presentation boards.
“Let me help you with some of these things,” he offered.
“I knew you’d come in handy for something.” She laughed as they headed for the car. “You make a pretty good pack horse.”
She was a good driver, Nathaniel observed, steady and competent as she maneuvered her late model BMW through a series of bridges and winding roads linking the parishes that eventually led to the hist
oric Town of St. George. Patience pointed out landmarks and places of interest on the way. He tried to concentrate in case she agreed to let him drive back. He imagined what it might be like to live here.
Restaurants, shops, and pubs lined the streets as they entered King’s Square and parked at the Visitor’s Service Bureau.
“I ought to lock you in the stocks and pillory,” Patience chided as they walked toward the nineteenth-century restored Town Hall.
Nathaniel liked the harbor-front town, felt comfortable there with the open sea all around him.
She noticed him looking toward the sea.
“There’s a lot to do here. Really. I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I’m going to be tied up for a long time. I can recommend some attractions. You can go to Ordnance Island and see the full-size replica of the original Deliverance. I know you’d enjoy that.”
“No way am I letting you out of my sight,” he warned.
“Maybe if there’s time after the meeting, I’ll show you around. It’s what I do best.”
Nathaniel touched his lips to hers and gently but insistently stroked them with his tongue.
“I don’t think that’s what you do best, Patience.”
“Nathaniel,” she pleaded, stirred, as she tried to twist away from him. “We’re in a public place, and you are supposed to be my cousin. There are a lot of very important people coming to this meeting—bankers, businessmen, the mayor. My friends. Someone might see us.”
“I forgot,” he said, smiling. “We must keep up appearances, at all costs. Okay, I’ll be on my best behavior. I’ll try not to embarrass you.”
“We’re meeting in the theater, where they show The Bermuda Journey. It’s a thirty-minute movie about Bermuda’s history and culture. Sometimes I help out as a guide at the Visitor’s Center. It’s low season, so that’s why the space was available. It’s up on the top floor.”
They passed a photo gallery featuring portraits of previous mayors. No doubt most of them were Patience’s ancestors.
Cecilia was waiting outside the theater.
“Cousin Nathaniel,” she simpered, extending her hand to be kissed.
“Cecilia,” he answered, obliging her.
****
“What is he doing in here?” Cecilia whispered as she took Patience aside. “I thought you were going to leave him outside.”
“He’s my self-appointed bodyguard, watchdog, jailer, take your choice. He’s imposed himself on me, and it seems I’m stuck with him.”
“He’s more like your lapdog,” Cecilia answered. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s positively steamy.”
“I haven’t really noticed. I’m too busy watching him micromanage my life.”
“It looks like he’s been doing more than looking at you. You’d better go fix your lipstick.”
“Darn,” Patience said, taking out her compact to check. “Is everyone already in there?” she asked.
“Yes. You’re on. Are you going to be okay? I mean, everyone really appreciates you being here so soon after, well, you know.”
“I’m fine,” Patience assured in a voice that sounded more confident than she felt. “Do me a favor and deposit my cousin at the back of the room for me, and then you can help me with all this stuff.”
“My pleasure.” Cecelia marched back to Nathaniel. “Come along, Nathaniel. I’m going to take good care of you.”
Nathaniel rolled his eyes.
Patience swept into the room with Cecelia and Nathaniel at her heels. Everyone made the proper condolence noises. And their sentiments were genuine. Diana Whitestone had been head of this committee, well-loved and respected by everyone in the room. Patience’s grief was still fresh, and reminders of her grandmother just made it harder to bear. But this was an important meeting and she was running it, so she held up her head, took a deep breath, and plunged ahead.
****
Patience took control of the crowd from the moment she approached the podium. She was spellbinding. Or maybe it was just that Nathaniel was under her spell. Everyone listened attentively as she spoke. There was nothing tentative or delicate about this Patience as she moved competently through the agenda, introducing ad agency representatives, making presentations herself, leading the discussion, heading off disputes. She was brilliant. It was hard to believe she was the same person who had dissolved so easily in his arms.
He was mesmerized by her voice and her face. He couldn’t stop looking at her. He knew she was communicating something important, but he couldn’t focus on what she said, only on how she said it. He tried to pay closer attention.
“So that’s why I like the local agency’s campaign so much.”
She put the presentation board on the easel.
“Here’s one of my favorites.”
Tea Time or Tee Time?
Bermuda. We Cover All the Angles.
“And this one,” Patience continued.
Whether Dark and Stormy or
Sunny and Bright
Rediscover Yourself in Bermuda.
Patience held up the photos of a couple lounging by the pool, sipping their Dark ‘n Stormy™ cocktails, and another couple basking in the sun on a sailboat, to illustrate her choice.
“Most visitors already associate us with shipwrecks, hurricanes, and the Bermuda Triangle, so we may as well confront those issues, meet those challenges head on and turn them to our advantage,” she said.
“This campaign, by our very own Bermuda agency, demonstrates their knowledge of the island, and that counts for a lot. And I love their Bermuda Connections series, which highlights all the well-known painters, writers, and others who have made Bermuda their home or visited our island over the course of our history. I’m not in favor of giving away our business to a New York or London agency when we have such wonderful talent right here at home,” she concluded.
Everyone in the room stood and clapped. At that moment, Patience could have asked for anything and it would have been hers.
When the group broke for lunch, Nathaniel approached her.
“I don’t know what to say,” he began. “You were magnificent. Not exactly a damsel in distress. You ran the whole show. Impressive.”
Patience blushed. “Thank you.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look a little tired.”
“Does it show?”
“Not much, but I can tell. After lunch, let me take you home.”
“That sounds wonderful, really,” Patience said. “Cecilia said she would take care of bringing me all my material, so we wouldn’t have to stay and collect it.”
****
The truth was Patience did feel bone-tired, and her feet hurt. She was proud of her performance, and she knew her grandmother would have been, too. But she might have been a little too ambitious to think she could bounce back so quickly. What she wanted to do now was get back home, get out of these clothes, and snuggle on the couch with Nathaniel. He placed his hand at the small of her back in a supportive gesture, then stepped back as her colleagues came up to congratulate her.
When they left the building, Patience had a final request before they left for home.
“If we could, I’d like to stop at St. Peter’s Church for a moment.”
“Of course,” he said. He took her hand and this time she didn’t object or pull it away. They walked the several blocks to the church where she had buried her grandmother. This time he stood beside her as she bent down first to her grandmother’s grave, then her grandfather’s, arranging the flowers to make sure they were fresh and appealing.
“My grandmother loved flowers,” she said, choking on the words.
“I know. Her garden is beautiful.”
She couldn’t say anything more as the silent tears flowed. Ready to collapse, she let him gather her in his arms and hold her while she grieved, grateful he was there with her.
“Now I have no one,” she whispered.
“That’s not true, Patience. You have me.” He
held her tighter. And she leaned her head against his chest.
Then she broke away and he followed her, maintaining a discreet distance. As she knelt at a weathered marker, beneath the shade of a magnificent cedar tree, she clasped a tarnished silver pendant to her heart. He was close enough to hear her sigh with what he keenly felt was sorrow and longing. He attributed her reaction to the strain of the last few weeks of her mother’s illness and the stress of the funeral.
Though the sun shone brightly, when Patience bent to the ground, the light was blotted out momentarily by a turbulent cloud that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The air around them grew cold. Patience grabbed her arms and rubbed them. Nathaniel felt the chill down to his bones and a tangible connection to an otherworldly, sorrowful presence. Then, the sun skimmed easily from behind the cloud and light poured back into the hallowed space as if it had never been absent.
When Patience stood up, he moved closer to the gravesite and experienced an intense feeling—a centuries-old longing—a feeling he had been to this particular place before. He dismissed it as nothing more than déjà vu, since he’d never been to this cemetery before, other than for Diana’s funeral. Glancing at the marker, Nathaniel noted that the woman buried there had died when she was just about the age Patience was now. In fact, she had died only a year after the Anglican church was originally erected. No doubt she was one of Patience’s ancestors, one of the early settlers of Bermuda.
Year 1593-1620
Elizabeth Sutton Smith
Wife of Richard
Mother of Anne
I will wait forever.
At that moment, Nathaniel felt bound to Patience.
They stared at each other, electrified by their tangible connection.
Chapter 25
Nathaniel sauntered into Patience’s bedroom and wasn’t surprised to find her still asleep. He lifted the large heavy volume from the bed where it had fallen out of her hands.
It must be some serious history book, Nathaniel thought. He held it up to the sunlight beginning to stream into the room. Historye of the Bermudaes or Summer Islands. A small, dog-eared paperback fell out. He smiled when he glanced at the half-naked pirate and scantily clad, amply endowed maiden in a clinch on the worn cover. He leafed through the romance paperback and noticed it was bookmarked to a particularly steamy passage. Apparently Patience wasn’t as serious as she pretended to be.
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