How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,104
almost beat out of his chest as Charlaine had lain in his arms. He had been consumed with the feel of her, a need beyond anything he had ever known beating in his veins like a drum, steady and all-consuming. He had felt alive as he never had before, her touch intoxicating, drawing him to her like a moth to a flame.
He had felt perfectly at peace, and yet, utterly unhinged in that moment.
With her.
With Charlaine. Heaven help him, he loved her!
Bowing his head, Nathanial broke the kiss. His hands fell from Abigail’s sides and he took a step back. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, not certain what to say, how to explain.
Abigail drew in a shuddering breath before her gaze rose to meet his. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around herself, reminding him of Charlaine as she had stood up on the slope the day he had returned to Markham Hall. “It’s too late, isn’t it?” Abigail said, her voice choked with tears. “Your heart already belongs to another, to her.”
Nathanial tensed. “We’re friends, nothing more.” The words felt rehearsed, like a line from a play he had committed to memory after hearing it spoken again and again.
Sorrow and regret lingered in Abigail’s gaze as she regarded him. “We both know that that is not true.” Her jaw quivered, and she dropped her gaze, her lips pressing into a tight line. A moment passed as she fought to regain control of her emotions. Then her gaze found his yet again. “You’re lying to yourself, and you know it. You love her as I love you.” A sob escaped her throat, and she took a step back. “Don’t be a fool, Nathanial. It’ll only lead to regret. Believe me, I know it.” Then she pushed past him and slipped into the house, the sound of her footsteps soon swallowed up by the growing distance between them.
Nathanial hung his head, guilt over hurting Abigail’s feelings adding to the growing burden that lingered upon his heart. If only he knew what to do about it! The woman he loved cared for him only as a friend, and the woman who had, against all odds, discovered that she loved him after all no longer touched his heart.
Had the world gone mad?
Chapter Forty-Five
In the Library
Running as fast as her legs would carry her, Charlaine hastened along the corridor. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart ached with each breath she took. She pressed her lips into a tight line, fighting down the sobs that rose in her throat.
He had kissed her!
Nathanial had kissed Abigail!
The image she had glimpsed through a gap in the curtains had burned itself into Charlaine’s mind. No matter what she did she could not seem to shake it. It was there, taunting her, torturing her. Never would she forget the moment Daphne had asked her to check if it was raining, the moment she had glimpsed them together, the moment her heart had broken in two, another loss after so many, robbing her of the last bit of strength she had left.
Blinded by the tears in her eyes, Charlaine stumbled through the house without knowing where she was headed. Voices drifted to her ears then, and she dashed through the first door, desperate to escape prying eyes.
Fortunately, she found herself in the library, its calm silence promising a momentary reprieve from the world outside its doors.
Staggering to the armchairs situated in a small curve under the tall, arched window, Charlaine sank onto one with a sigh. She discarded her slippers, momentarily tempted to hurl them across the room, and then pulled up her legs, hugging her knees to her chest.
Rain now pelted the window behind her, the harsh sound of its downpour an odd echo of her inner turmoil. Closing her eyes, Charlaine sank deeper into herself, her head coming to rest against the chair’s soft upholstery.
And there she sat, her mind returning to the moment she had witnessed, the moment she could not forget for it proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that despite what might have sparked between Nathanial and her, he still loved his fiancée.
Or former fiancée. But for how much longer?
Who knew, perhaps even tonight they would announce their renewed engagement, happy and filled with joy as they looked into their future.
Charlaine thought she would be sick.
He is your friend, a painfully fair-minded voice reminded her. You ought to be happy for him.