drawn to the yard below. Bathed in the dancing silver shadows of the moon, the white roses glowed like ethereal blooms planted in some mystical garden. He felt a sudden longing to wander through the grounds during the light of day, to see the myriad colors of the flowers that Rhianna had nurtured, to touch the petals her hands had touched. In the darkness, the bright rainbow colors looked muted, devoid of life.
Turning away from the window, he donned his cloak and drew on his gloves. Perhaps a midnight ride would soothe him; if it did not, he would go to Cotyer's and squander the remaining hours of darkness at one of the gaming tables and lose himself, for a few hours at least, in a semblance of normalcy.
Leaving the room, he locked the door behind him, then made his way swiftly along the dark hallway and down the stairs.
His steps slowed as he approached the stables. Abruptly, he turned away and made his way to the side yard. The fragrance of hundreds of flowers, of freshly turned earth, and grass and trees, rose up around him as he walked slowly down the narrow pathways, pausing now and then to caress the velvety softness of a rose. Rhianna had done this, had turned ugliness into beauty. He wondered if, offered the chance, she would be able to work the same miracle in his life.
A ripple in the air, the scent of warm skin, alerted him to her presence. He whirled around, his gaze piercing the darkness.
"Come out," he said. "I know you are there."
She stepped from behind a hedge, her cheeks flushed, her hands worrying the folds of her robe.
Moonlight washed her hair in silver, turned her skin to alabaster.
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" he demanded.
"I..."
"Speak up, girl. You needn't be afraid."
"I saw you from my window, and I wondered what you were doing out here at this time of night."
"I was thinking of you," he admitted.
His words sent a thrill of excitement racing down her spine. "Were you, my lord?"
He nodded, his gaze sweeping over her. She wore a voluminous robe of apricot-colored velvet. A froth of white lace framed her face. Her feet were bare and oddly provocative. "Why aren't you asleep, sweet Rhianna?"
"Because, my lord," she replied candidly, "I was thinking of you."
"Indeed?" Surprised by her candor, delighted to know he had been in her thoughts, he took a step closer. "What were you thinking?"
"I was wondering what I had done to displease you."
"You please me very well, Rhianna." Far too well for my peace of mind, he mused, and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers to keep from reaching for her, from taking that for which he hungered.
"I've not seen you in months, my lord." She should have been glad of that, she thought, for he was most mysterious, and, sometimes, a little frightening. And yet the few short hours she had spent in his presence had been intoxicating.
"You should be glad you've not had cause to see me," he replied brusquely.
"Should I?"
He gazed deep into her eyes, probing her thoughts, feeling her loneliness, her confusion.
She was a young girl on the brink of womanhood, yearning for something she did not fully understand.
Like a finely crafted violin, she awaited the touch of the master's hand to bring forth the music locked within her.
Drawn into the depths of her eyes, he moved slowly toward her. Needing to touch her, steeling himself to be rejected, he pulled off his gloves and tossed them aside. A gasp - or was it a sigh? - escaped her lips as his hand stroked her cheek.
"My lord?" He heard her uncertainty in the trembling of her voice.
"I will not hurt you," Rayven said, praying he spoke the truth. "I want only to touch you. Your skin is so soft, sweet Rhianna. So soft..." Bending his head, he brushed her lips with his. "Sweet," he murmured,
"as I knew you would be."
She stared up at him, caught in the web of his gaze, in the shivers of pleasure that undulated through her.
There was fire in his touch, magic in his kiss, that it could make her feel so changed.
With a low groan, he took a step back, the twin talons of hunger and desire clawing their way to life.
Taking her hand, he started walking toward the maze.
A sense of dread filled Rhianna's heart as they reached the entrance. With a wordless cry, she