Mary Balogh - Timeswept Brides

Stiffly, almost reluctantly, she moved across the room, holding her breath. Taking her courage in hand, she stood on the balcony, her hands gripping the cast-iron railing. Yes, there it was, the white arbor covered with climbing roses. It hadn't changed at all!

"I'm home," she said to no one in particular, wondering how she could explain her knowledge of a house she had never been in before.

The last crimson rays of the sun lingered against the horizon as Olivia descended the stairs to the dining room. Soft candlelight mellowed the rooms she passed through and she felt more alive than she had ever felt before. She dined on baked chicken served in wine sauce. Afterwards she went into the parlor and curled up on the overstuffed sofa while Betty Allendale played the piano and the maid served fruit punch and coffee.

At last, feeling contented and at peace, Olivia wished her hostess good night and made her way up the stairs. For so long she had imagined herself here at Bridal Veil, and she was not disappointed by what she had found. Boston seemed so far away, another world, another time-mis was where she belonged; she knew that now.

When Olivia reached her bedroom, she undressed and slipped into her nightgown. She turned off the lamp and the room was illuminated by the soft moonlight that spilled through the open door that led to the balcony.

Climbing into the soft featherbed, she sank into comfort of the mind and body, feeling warm and protected. Lying where Jade St. Clair had once lain, she could feel the young girl's thoughts, experience her emotions and her loves.

Olivia was no longer frightened, for there had been love in this house. She could feel it. Jade had known the love of her mother and father and a much younger sister. She'd had a friend named Charlene, with whom she'd shared her deepest secrets.

While Olivia knew well the faces of Jade's family members, and even the face of the man Jade had loved, she had never seen an image of Jade herself. With new understanding, Olivia realized that was because she had been seeing life through Jade's eyes.

She knew that with sleep would come the dreams, and she welcomed them. She had come here for a purpose, although she had not known it until now. She was here to help the tormented ghost that walked the halls of Bridal Veil Inn.

"I don't know exactly why, Jade St. Clair, but I am here," she whispered.

Was it her imagination, or had she heard a sigh from somewhere in the darkened corners of the room?

In the fallen dusk, Olivia's steps were guided by the light from the Chinese lanterns that danced against stone walls. With one purpose in mind, she moved down the path at the back of the house in the direction of the rose arbor, knowing that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. She could hear music and laughter in the background, and was puzzled. Betty must be entertaining.

When she reached the arbor, Olivia went inside and sat on a cushioned bench. She was feeling sad and could not have said why.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Olivia pressed herself back against the bench, not wanting to see anyone just now. A form in the shape of a man detached itself from the shadows, and she knew at once that it was Raige Belmanoir!

His voice was deep and laced with humor. "I know you are here, Jade, so do not try to hide from me."

Olivia realized she must be dreaming again, only she was not seeing the dream as a third person, an onlooker-she was Jade St. Clair!

She watched as Raige's bold stare turned into a flashing smile. Her eyes fixed anxiously on his while he appraised her. She had first become aware that she loved Raige when she was only twelve years old. Tonight she was celebrating her seventeenth birthday, and he had not paid the slightest attention to her until this moment.

"I just came out for a breath of air," she said, fanning herself with an ivory fan, knowing her cheeks were flushed, but not from the heat. "It was stifling in the ballroom."

Raige moved closer to her and took the fan, her birthday gift from Tyrone, carelessly tossing it onto the cushion. "It is little wonder you escaped. Every gentleman in the room, be he old or young, wanted to dance with you."

"Not every gentleman, Raige. You did not ask me to dance," she said flirtatiously.

"Don't do that, Jade."

Her lashes swept over her eyes, a tactic that had worked magic on countless admirers. "Do what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Never treat me like those simpletons who are satisfied with just a smile. It's more than flirting I want from you, Jade."

Excitement throbbed through her body like a raging tide. "I was not flirting with you. I don't know what you mean."

His voice was deep. "Do you not? Let's just say that I have an aversion to being just one of the adoring crowd."

She looked at him, admiring the cut of his green tailcoat. The matching trousers hugged his lean body, and an elaborately tied cravat circled his throat. He was tall and lithe, slender of waist and wide of shoulder, quite the handsomest man in three parishes. She raised her eyes to his, suddenly feeling shy.

He smiled as if he knew what she was thinking and feeling. Then he took her hand and studied the tapered fingers. "How could you not know that I am jealous of every man that looks at you?"

Jerking free, she clasped her hands behind her, still feeling the warmth of his touch. Jade felt as if butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. Of course Raige did not mean what he was saying; he had always teased her.

"You have been in Europe for almost a year, Raige; I believe you never gave me a thought in all mat time."

"You are wrong-I thought of you. And now I have returned to find you have grown into a young lady." His voice deepened and she thought she might faint when he sat down beside her. He was so near that she could feel his breath warm against her cheek.

"I have been waiting for you to grow up, Jade, and now you have."

She could imagine him saying this same thing to other females and it hurt so badly. Raige could have any woman he wanted. She had seen how silly girls simpered and giggled when he walked by. She had heard them sigh and make remarks about his manliness. She did not want him to think that she was like them.

"Please don't tease me anymore, Raige."

Standing, he pulled Jade up beside him, his eyes sweeping over her golden hair and dipping down to assess her beautiful face. "And why is mat?"

The night was like black velvet, without benefit of moon or stars. His eyes were probing, seeking, entering her mind and making her ache and tremble. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her dry lips, a move that was not lost to him. It was difficult for her to concentrate with him standing so near, touching her.

"As… as you said, I have grown up."

He touched her hair, his hand drifting down the silken curls, causing her to shiver with longing.

"It was your eyes that haunted me while I was away. Did you know I have never seen a woman with green eyes like yours?" Gently his hand went to her waist and he pulled her to him. She did not resist.

He took a guarded breath. "I have wondered what I would do when this moment came, Jade. Have you any notion how a man can ache for a woman? While I was gone, I could imagine the numerous admirers who might come to your door beseeching you to marry them."

There was fever in her blood and longing in her breast. He was only toying with her, but what did it matter-at last she was in his arms. "You have quite an imagination," she said, trying to show that she was immune to his charm.

"You missed me, Jade," he said with bold determination. "You cannot deny it."

At that moment Jade knew that she could not bear to be just another of Raige's many conquests. She was determined to shake his cool confidence as he had shaken hers. "You hardly crossed my mind at all," she said, turning her back to him so he would not read the truth in her eyes. "And, yes, there have been many gentlemen who have asked me to be their wife, while you do no more than torment me, trying to make me think you really care."

He turned her around to face him and laughed triumphantly at the uncertainty he saw in her eyes. "What is it you think I want from you?"

She was very near tears. "To mock me, as always."

He placed his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him. “Jade, I would sooner rip out my own heart than to hurt you. Do you not know that?"

"I…"

He dipped his dark head, his lips lightly touching hers. She could neither breathe nor move as she clung to him.

When he raised his head, he gave her a devastating smile. "You see how it is with me?"

The chaste kiss he had given her so carelessly left her heart hungering for more. "N-no."

He moved away from her, as if he feared he would take her in his arms again if he did not put some distance between them. "How could you not know how I feel about you? Everyone else does."

She dared not hope he was being serious. "How can that be, when you have never paid the slightest bit of attention to me? Even tonight, when I had not seen you in over a year, you ignored me-and do not try to deny it."

He moved back to her, lightly touching her cheek. "My eyes followed you around the room all night. And when you danced with Tyrone, even though he is my friend, I wanted to rip you out of his arms. I have always felt that you belonged to me."

His words sent her heart soaring. The love she felt for him flowered until the pain was almost more than she could endure.

"What do you want from me, Raige?"

Gently his arms circled her and he cradled her against his chest so she could hear his heart thundering.

"Jade, my dearest love, I want the right to go to your father and ask for your hand in marriage. Will you grant me that right?"

As his words penetrated her thoughts, she stepped away from him. "You… want to marry me?"

He reached over her head and broke off a rose, handing it to her. She clutched the token to her. "There has never been a time when I considered anyone but you as mistress of Tanglewood."

Suddenly a swirling mist engulfed them both and she reached out to him, pricking her finger on the rose and dropping it to the floor of the arbor. He was gone, and she felt empty inside.

"Raige," she cried, "don't leave me-I cannot find you in the dark."

Olivia awoke, sitting upright in bed. She was wringing wet with perspiration, and her heart was drumming in her ears. The dream had been more real than any she had ever had. For a short time, she had been allowed to dwell in Jade's body, to feel what Jade had felt and to know a love so strong that it could not die.

She lay back against her pillow as tears filled her eyes. What fate had drawn her into the tangled lives of the star-crossed lovers? She was in love with a man who had been dead for well over a hundred years, and there would be no escape until she lived the dream to its heartbreaking conclusion.

There was a light tap on the door and Olivia reached for her robe.

"Morning, Miss Heartford," Rosalie said cheerfully as she swept into the room. "I'm to ask if you want breakfast on the veranda."

"Yes, I believe so." Olivia smiled at the maid, who was tall and slender and looked to be about thirty. Then she turned to the balcony door and saw bright sunlight filtering into the room. ' 'Luckily that thick fog that hit last night is gone."

Rosalie looked puzzled. "There was fog yesterday afternoon when you arrived, but a northerly wind blew it away. Last night was a full moon, and bright as daylight."

"But, I-" Olivia turned pale as she remembered the heavy mist. Was nothing at Bridal Veil what it seemed?

' 'I ran your bath for you across the hall, and while you bathe, I'll straighten your room," Rosalie offered.

Olivia agreed with a nod and moved out of the room, carrying her clothes and toiletries. After a refreshing bath in an old-fashioned bathtub with claw feet, she dressed in a pair of jeans and an oversized T-shirt. In slight irritation, she wiped the steam from the small mirror that hung above the sink. Was she mistaken or was her hair lighter in color? And why was it curling about her shoulders-her hair was straight. She shrugged; perhaps it was from the humidity. She reached for her glasses and realized that she'd left them in the bedroom.

The mirror had steamed up again, and in exasperation, Olivia applied a thin sheen of pale pink lipstick. She would leave her hair down today-no reason to pin it back.