A Whisper of Eternity - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,15

would show it to me later."

"It's nothing, really.Just a seascape. If my client likes it, he's promised to order a dozen or so for the offices in his building."

He knew it was not the seascape that had put that becoming blush in her cheeks, but the painting she had done of him.

"I should still like to see it," he remarked. "If you have no other plans, perhaps you would show it to me after you've had your dinner."

Tracynodded. Why was it so difficult to tell him no?

A moment later, the waitress arrived with their order.

Dominic sat back and sipped his wine. Time and again, his gaze moved to her neck, to the pulse beating steadily in the hollow of her throat. Thinking of the rich red blood that flowed through her veins made the wine in his glass taste like water. He licked his lips as he thought of running his hands over the mortal heat of her skin, tasting the warm, sweet essence of her life on his tongue.

Clenching one hand into a fist, he thrust such thoughts from his mind lest she see them mirrored in his eyes.

Tracyfound it difficult to enjoy her meal with Dominic sitting across from her. It was terribly disconcerting to know he was watching her every move. If only he would eat something, too! But he simply sat there, occasionally sipping his drink, his gaze intent upon her face.

She looked up, her meal momentarily forgotten, when he asked her if she believed in reincarnation.

"No, I don't," she replied firmly. "Do you?"

He nodded slowly. "I sense that you have a very old soul."

"Me?" Her voice emerged in a high-pitched squeak. "Why would you think that?"

His eyes darkened as he leaned across the table. "Have you had dreams of things you could not possibly know? Remembered people or places where you know you have never been?"

"Of course," she said. "Who hasn't? But it doesn't mean anything."

"Have you ever dreamed of being a doctor?Or of being a queen during the Crusades?A witch in Old Salem?"

"Stop it!"

He drew back and took a sip of his wine. "Forgive me. I did not mean to upset you."

She stared at him, remembering the dream that she'd had the night before. She had been a queen then. And Dominic had been her bodyguard...

With a start, she realized that she had dreamed of him in the past, dreamed of him even before they met. That was why she had thought he looked familiar when she met him on the beach.

A cold chill ran down her spine. How was it possible to dream of someone she had never met?

She pushed her plate away, her appetite gone. "I... I've got to go."

"Is something wrong?"

"I... I have... uh... an appointment with a future client, and I'm... I'm late... and..." Grabbing her handbag, she quickly slid out of the booth. "I'm sorry."

He watched her hurry toward the cash register.

She didn't look back.
Chapter 5

The schoolhouse was located in a small, square building at the end of the street. It was painted red with white trim, and boasted a bell tower on the roof. There were windows in the east and west walls for cross ventilation. She had fifteen students in her class - nine girls and six boys - ranging in age from five to sixteen.

Books were scarce and she had to rely on her wits and imagination to keep her pupils interested, especially the older boys. Reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and arithmetic were expected; geography and history and geometry were a plus. The school term was erratic, as children were not expected to come to school when they were needed at home for spring and summer planting and fall harvesting.

She was expected to fill the lamps and clean the chimneys every day, to bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal, to provide pens and wipers for the students. She was also expected to enforce discipline but was cautioned not to go overboard.

She loved her position, though she found some of the rules she was expected to follow a trifle stifling. She was expected to be a model of deportment both in the school-house and in the community. It was taken for granted that she would attend church each week and sing in the choir. She was not to smoke or use liquor in any form.

She was not allowed to live in a house by herself but was expected to board with the families of her students. She would have preferred to live alone