Page 35 of Tanglewood Legacy (The Three Sisters 3)
“I know.” Isis raised her wand, calling the shadows. “I won’t be back tonight.”
A ghost of a smile turned Medea’s lips, but she remained silent as the night carried Isis and Pierre away.
ChapterSeventeen
Pierre’s eyes fluttered open to silvery light. The sun was rising, and he was outside. Yes, there was his telescope and the sky beyond. He was on his terrace. Air wafted across his cheeks, bringing him to his senses. Why was he sleeping on his terrace?
He stood up and cracked his aching back, fabric bunching under his chin. He dug his hands under the dressing and pulled it from his neck. Testing the area with his fingers, he determined the wound had stopped bleeding. He tried to remember the circumstance that had led him here. He’d been with Isis at Tanglewood Plantation, but then what happened?
Turning to go inside, he balked when he noticed her curled in a ball in the shaded corner. He hadn’t noticed her there before, but then, she seemed to blend with the shadows, and he wondered if that was part of her magic. Maybe they were hiding her, protecting her.Putain! She looked woefully uncomfortable in that position.
“Isis.” He squatted beside her and brushed her hair back from her face.
Her lashes fluttered. “Need sleep,” she groaned. “Oh, Pierre. Just leave me here. Overused my magic. So tired.”
“I see that,mon étoile, but this is a terrible place to sleep.”
This time, her eyes did fully open, and she grinned up at him. “You called me your star.”
“You are. The brightest one in my sky. Now, come. You’ll be more comfortable in bed.”
She flashed him a wicked grin. “You’re taking me to bed? Why, Monsieur Baron, you’re positively scandalous.”
He pinched her chin. “I wish I was capable of making good on that descriptor, though I’m afraid the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You and I need rest, a hot meal, and a bath, not necessarily in that order.”
She arched a brow. “The bath appeals.”
“Mon Dieu, you’re a temptress.” He stood, helping her up as he rose.
She stretched herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. “Yourtemptress.”
He searched her face. “Mine? Truly?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes.”
“Will you marry me, Isis?”
Her smile grew. “Yes.”
Joy flooded his heart, and he squeezed her to him, lifting her feet in a half twirl. “Very well, then I, too, vote that we start with a bath.” Taking her hand, he quietly opened the door and looked right and left down the hall before leading her down the stairs and to his chambers. Thankfully, the house was empty at this hour, too early for even the servants to have begun their daily routines.
Once safely behind closed doors, Pierre lit the candelabra. Only then did he face the reality of the empty copper tub in the corner of the room and the cold fireplace. He’d need to start a fire to heat the water he carried in from the pump. Isis could rest while he managed it.
“What is it?” Isis asked, following his gaze to the tub.
“I’ll need to pump the water. Normally, one of the servants would help, but I don’t wish to draw attention to your being here, so…”
Isis lifted her chin. “Oh, Pierre, you forget you’re marrying a witch.” She drew her wand from her sleeve and, with a flourish, filled the tub with steaming water.
He turned to her in delight. “Brilliant!” He touched her wand skeptically, then turned it between his fingers, inspecting it from every angle. “Where does the water come from? Does it come from the inside of this device?”
“No,” she chuckled. “It’s magic. It’s elemental. My power is transforming the air inside the tub into water. Do you want to see me transform it to fire?” She raised her wand, but he grabbed her elbow and lowered it again.
“I’d much rather we enjoy the water.” Absently, he scratched the healing wounds on his neck.
“The bite looks better.” She reached for the spot, inspecting the lesions. He gloried in the feel of it. Her touch seemed to trail to his toes from the inside, although her fingers never left his neck. “Another day or two and I doubt you’ll be able to see it at all.”
“Thanks to you.” He brushed a knuckle along her jaw. “I’d rather not draw any unwanted attention. You were right about Delphine, and I suspect, by now, Étienne has arrested her and locked her up. No sense confusing the issue with another mark.”
