breath before he filled her mouth again. Her hands were on his shirt, his on her breasts, and she reached up and pulled the pins from her hair and all that lovely hair, shiny, clean, smelling of carnations, streaked with gold and pale blonde, a thousand different colors of sunshine, that breathtaking hair spilled around her shoulders and down almost to her waist.
He pulled at her clothes, at his, placed his hand between her legs and she moaned and dropped her head to his shoulder as he played with her until he felt her release, and he held her close, soothed her cries and told her he loved her, over and over. "Marry me, Idalie. Be my life. Be my love."
"Edward," she whispered. "Isn't it too soon? Should we...."
"No. Marry me, Idalie. I won't take you against a door, standing in your house. Let's do this right. Say yes."
She looked at him, tears in her eyes and said, "Yes."
"Soon."
"Yes."
'Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!"
Ed laughed. "That was a test. I just wanted to make certain you were paying attention."
He pulled back and they straightened their clothes. Ed picked everything up off the floor while she repinned her hair and then he was pulling on his gloves and whispering against her lips that he didn't want to leave her.
She looked disheveled. She looked loved and he wanted her more than he had every wanted anything in his life, and because of that, he kissed her goodnight and left.
Chapter 10
First came a fruit basket, the biggest, most luscious fruit basket Idalie had ever seen, filled with over a dozen oranges, three pineapples--three--and boxes of dates, fresh figs, and cherries.
A card in a masculine scrawl said, Your lips are sweeter, my love. Edward
Then came the flowers, roses and carnations, French tulips and Christmas lilies, in white, pinks and reds, with another card. "Your scene is more memorable. my love. Edward
The chocolates were a surprise, ten pounds of chocolates. Ten pounds! He was mad. She was in love with a madman. The card read, "I want you more than chocolate, my love. Edward.
What's next, she thought? Puppies? But she smiled all day at work, and took two pounds of chocolates to work with her and put them in the work room and told everyone to help themselves and Merry Christmas. She came home expecting to hear from him, but there was no note so she changed clothes and went down into the basement.
She hadn't gone through Jo's things since the funeral, when her parents helped her bring everything down to the basement. somewhere was a book of poems, one they had shared. Love poems. She went though the books in some crates, and others in a few boxes, but there was nothing. She knew she had saved it.
A large trunk was shoved into the back corner and Idalie dragged it out into the light. She opened it, then took out the lined tray and set it aside. Jo's gowns, her clothes, a box of trinkets and another of her favorite jewelry pieces. They shouldn't be locked away. Jo would want her to wear them. She set the box aside and reached into the bottom, where a small volume of love poems lay. She pulled it out but something else spilled open. A piece of muslin, and a doll arm flung out.
It couldn't be. She was sure Jo had thrown it out. Or she had thought Jo threw it out. She lifted out the cloth and unwrapped it. The very first Josephine doll lay in tatters. Her face was chipped, her lips cracked, her wig torn off and the doll body was shredded from Pirate's claws. The cat, new to their house, rescued by Jo, had torn the doll apart when they were both at work one day. She examined the doll. She could repair this. She thought she could repair this. she had two days.
She closed up the trunk, took the jewelry and the doll upstairs to her room. it was
6 o'clock. She had time. It wasn't too late. She had to tell Ed.
The message arrive late in the day. Ed was called to the job site to meet with the contractor and Hal in an hour. That morning, after ordering the gifts for Idalie, he'd had just enough time to squeeze in one more errand before he had to make a lunch meeting at the club. Afterward he had spent most of the afternoon with the planning commission, going over project changes and city ordinances. There had been