The Pearl Of Great Price

Chapter 8: Burn

The afternoon had been full of anticipation. Both Mary and Charles knew they were dancing their hearts away towards the nightfall. After sitting in his office, they wandered the grounds, where she showed him up close all the new changes to the estate. Every so often, the Duchess would find him looking at her.

The fire in the Duke's eyes seemed to shout what his lips feared to say. It's too intense to look long into. There's an intimacy there, consuming her with a need for him. That wildfire in her heart grows more and more. Being near him does that to her. Mary forced herself to look away. However, the touch of his hand sliding down her arm to hold hers dragged her back in.

They were inspecting the fountain when Charles took her by surprise and started running, holding onto her hand. They ran all the way to the tree line. When you find love, you take it. You grab it with both hands and run with it, not letting it go. It left her giddy and bright-eyed, but that was nothing compared to what the Duke did next. Pulling her behind a tree, he kissed her again. Their hearts danced in time, beat for beat. It made a melody of pure energy, an attraction unlike any other. They cannot deny this fact. To deny it would be a lie.

When Mary drew back, he groaned. "If you go on kissing me, I'll catch fire," she told him.

A chuckle left Charles's mouth as he stood, bringing her close. The sweet flowery scent of her hair wrapped around him, encapsulating his senses. His arms did likewise around her, trying to regain control of himself. She sighed, and a hush, a stillness, formed in his heart.

In the quiet of the moment, his heart understood hers. The silence spoke of confidence and strength. It was good because there were no words for what was happening in his mind, much less his soul. But it drew them together. It connected them in peace and spoke in a hundred silent ways. All of it whispering love.

And when Charles thought of love, he remembered his conversation with Tony. She deserves better than an old charmer of the flesh, a Duke beneath her station. Past insecurities crept up on him and snatched him back to reality. Thoughts - even fears - were delicate, formless until made solid with voice, like Tony's, and once given that weight, they could crush a man. The truth hurts.

With a kiss on her forehead, Charles pulled away, and they walked toward the house. He stayed shut up in his office for the rest of the afternoon. It was easy to use the excuse of going through correspondence and other essential estate matters. What wasn't easy was keeping his mind off his wife. Mary has claimed him, body and soul. His mind is always on her, never straying too far. His body hungers for her with a passion the likes of which he's never known. This makes the Duke want to put up the white flag of surrender, but still...

Bursting out of the study, Charles walked with a purpose. His doublet had long been lost. Wearing only his white tunic, pants, and boots, he strode past the servants, his ward, and the object of his ardent affection and desire. In the stables, his horse was saddled for a ride. Hopefully, it will put distance and clarity between reality, this aching need, and this burning love.

Riding over the grounds and hills in the cold winter air only served to put physical distance between the two of them. It did nothing to clear his mind, as it usually does, but this is more than a matter of the King's Court. This is a matter of the heart. And his heart wants his lady love, but his reason is at war with that. The fight between what he knew and what he felt besieges the genuine love that could be his.

Her father, his father-in-law, is the King of England. Henry is his best friend and loves his best friend like a brother. But beyond the wildest imagination, Charles also loves his best friend's daughter. He loves Mary, but his own unequal blood can ruin her. Love and fear. The most destructive forces on earth. Fear turns him inside out, but love makes him stupid. And he cannot afford to be silly in this situation. One wrong move could cost him his head.