Page 10 of Tanglewood Legacy (The Three Sisters 3)
“You came here specifically for me?” he asked softly.
She gave a single nod.
“I’m honored,” he said. “I find you occupy my thoughts rather persistently as of late.”
With her legs stretched out in front of her, she smoothed her skirt over her knees. “I’m sure you have many things to occupy your thoughts.”
“Oh, I do. For example, I was just thinking how appropriate it was that your parents named you Isis. She was an Egyptian goddess who legend says could create or destroy life with a single word.”
Isis leaned back on her elbows and stared up at the sky. “And how is that like me?”
Pierre ate a piece of apple from his plate. “You could create or destroy me with a single word. Saying yes to courting me would certainly bring me to life.”
Her gaze shifted to his, and the smile faded from her face. “The things you say. I’m sure a botanist and architect such as yourself has many women clamoring for your company.”
“But only one who has my full and undivided attention.” God, the way she was looking at him. It was clear she was as affected by his presence as he was hers. He wondered why she was playing coy.
For a few long moments, they ate in silence as Isis seemed to consider his words. “I find myself drawn to you, Pierre, in a way I haven’t experienced before. But…”
“Yes.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “You are not the only one with secrets,” she whispered.
His lips twitched. “You forget, I’m a scientist. I love a good mystery. Whatever it is, Isis, the stranger the situation, the more intrigued I will be.” He laughed. He’d known from their first meeting that she had secrets. The money…her beauty…the strange circumstances of her family. Growing up in a garden was also a clue. Thinking about it now, he hypothesized that she was the daughter of pirates, likely raised on an island and wealthy by unlawful means. He didn’t mind. Pierre had never been the self-righteous sort, and her parents’ sins were hardly her own.
“I should be going.” She finished what was on her plate and started gathering things into the basket.
“You haven’t learned all my secrets, you know. You haven’t even discovered my primary occupation.”
She paused. “There’s something else?”
He gave her a formal nod. “There is. Something I can only show you at my home at night.”
She burst into laughter. “Now it has to be at night?”
He shrugged. “I have no control over this aspect. You must come and see for yourself. Find a chaperone of your choosing, come to my home, and I will show you my true passion. Or, better yet, tell me where you live, and I will court you properly.”
She packed up the rest of the picnic, including his empty plate, and stood. “As always, you’ve given me plenty to think about, Pierre.”
“When will I see you again?” he asked.
“When I can’t stay away,” she said far too seriously. She started to leave, and Pierre scrambled to his feet, hoping to walk her home. He’d only glanced away for a moment to brush himself off, but when he looked in her direction again, she was gone. Completely gone. And he was left wondering what kind of secrets Isis Tanglewood was harboring.
ChapterSix
Days passed, and Isis felt herself become more and more restless. She’d thought visiting with Pierre would help get him out of her system, but the more she learned about the man, the more drawn she was to him. There was something about the way he looked at her, like she was a jewel and he was studying her every facet, entranced by her color and depth. Pierre had said she had his undivided attention, and she knew it was true. The intensity he focused on her was unmatched.
Which was why she’d stayed away. He was too much of a temptation. Already, she desperately wished to know him and to be known by him. But she was a witch, and he was an earth-dweller. She’d already risked too much, meeting him the way she had.
“Isis, by the goddess, you’re going to wear a path into the floor. What has gotten into you?” Medea asked.
“I think I need some exercise. I’m going to go exploring.” She headed for the back door.
“Be careful, sister. These lands harbor beasts unknown.”
Drawing her wand, she grinned and called the shadows to her, tongues of darkness spiraling to her will like a den of angry vipers. “Then it’s time they met their fiercest neighbor.”
She allowed the blackness to swallow her and carry her into the nearby forest. She’d wanted to be alone, but her solitude among the oaks and cypress trees was far from silent. Birds sang, insects buzzed, and the grunts of wild boars filled the space around her. For some reason, she thought of Pierre then. Did he know things about boars like he did about horses and plants and building things?
