by Affair (lit)
335
for by logic. And that is the end of the discussion. I want all of you out of this laboratory Immediately. Begone." "You heard him," Hamilton said cheerfully. "We are no longer wanted. Let us be off."
Baxter was briefly gratified. He watched the entire lot turn
toward the door. Then he realized that Charlotte, too, was preparing to leave.
"Bloody hell, not you, Charlotte. I wish to have a word with
you.
She paused to give him a polite, inquiring look. Hamilton shook his head with an air of sad reproach as he
shepherded everyone else through the door. "One of these days, Baxter, we really must have a chat about your lack of social Polish."
Baxter felt his face turn unpleasantly warm. "On your way out, kindly instruct Lambert to bring a tray of tea to the laboratory," he said gruffly. "And another discussion about your unfortunate problems with household staff," Hamilton added over his shoulder.
Baxter waited until he heard the front door open and close before he looked at Charlotte. She gave him a quizzical smile. "What was it you wanted, Baxter?"
He cleared his throat. Then he removed his eyeglasses and began to polish them with his handkerchief It was easier this way, he thought. He could not see her face quite so clearly now. Perhaps without the distraction of her wonderful eyes, he would be able to
marshal his arguments in a coherent fashion.
He turned on his heel and began to pace. "You may recall that two nights ago we happened to be standing together on the front
steps of Morgan Judd's mansion." "I am hardly likely to forget the night in question." "Yes, well, perhaps you do not recall precisely what you said that evening." "I'm sure that I said a great many things. There was much to
talk about, after all. We had both had a narrow escape."
336
_-.D
Amanda Quick
Baxter concentrated on polishing his spectacles. "I refer to one
particular sentence." "I see. Which sentence was that?"
"You mentioned that one of the many things that you admired in me was my style."
There was a beat of silence.
"Yes," she said. "The innate style of the St. Ives men. Very
impressive.
Baxter came to a halt in front of the window and put on his
eyeglasses. "I wondered if, perhaps, there was anything else that you felt you could admire-" He broke off as he caught sight of the three pots on the sill. "Good God, Charlotte. The sweet peas." "What about them?"
"They've sprouted." Euphoria rushed through him. He seized one of the small containers and turned to show her the tiny sprig of green. "Look. All three pots." "That's wonderful." She.smiled at him with warm, glowing eyes. "Congratulations.,,
He felt dazed. "Bloody hell. Maybe there are such things as
omens and destiny. Charlotte, I may as well come straight out with
it. I've fallen in love with you." "Oh, Baxter." "I must know if you think there's any chance that you could ever return my love?"
Her smile became glorious. Her green eyes held all the secrets of
the Stone. "I think I fell in love with you the day we met."
He stared at her, afraid that he had not heard correctly. "You're certain?"
"I was so afraid that you did not love me."
He set down the sweet pea pot and caught her close. "I would have thought it bloody obvious." "You said our liaison was inconvenient," she reminded him.
He frowned. "It is. Damnably inconvenient. Charlotte, I know that you have no great desire to wed. If you want to go on as we
337
have been, I shall abide by your wishes. But I would far rather have you with me on a regular basis. I want to see your face when I sit down to breakfast every morning. I want to hold you in my arms
when I fall asleep at night." "Yes." She raised her head from his shoulder and lifted her hands to run her fingers through his hair. "I want to be able to show you the results of my experiments," he continued. "I want to spend long, quiet evenings with you. I want to consult with you on your investigations. I thought I proved myself a very creditable man-of-affairs." "You did, indeed." "I am well aware that I am not the most romantical man in the world. "
"You are wrong, sit. You are the most romantic man I have ever met. "
He stared at her, transfixed. "I am?" "Most definitely." She smiled again and stood on tiptoe to brush
her mouth against his. "If you are trying to ask me to marry you, my answer is yes."
sx)@
Midnight London, one month later
It was her wedding night. How very odd. She had never planned to have one.
Charlotte propped her elbows on the windowsill, rested her chin on her hands, and gazed out into the darkness. The day had been hectic, what with the wedding, the move into Baxter's house, and the general excitement that had pervaded all events. She should
have been exhausted but she had never felt more intensely alive.
She turned away from the window when she heard the connect-
ing door open. At the sight of Baxter, her spirits soared.
He was wearing a plain black dressing gown. The gold rims of
his spectacles glinted in the candlelight. Behind the lenses, his eyes were brilliant with love and unveiled desire. He surveyed the room
with deep satisfaction as he walked toward her.
"A warm chamber, a comfortable bed, and every amenity. I believe I told you that marriage would be considerably more conve-
nient than an affair for a man of my nature," he said.
339
"I will admit that there is a great deal to be said for con-
venience." She smiled and put her arms around his neck. "Nevertheless, I trust I shall not discover that you married me simply to obtain the services of Mrs. Witty in your household. "
He grinned and folded her close. "I confess that I always seem to
be a bit pressed for staff, but I would not have gone so far as to marry merely to obtain a housekeeper, not even one as admirable as Mrs. Witty." "I am relieved to hear that."
At the feel of his strong, solid body, a warm longing flowered in
Charlotte. She leaned her head against his shoulder and savored the sensation of happiness that had descended upon her.
Some part of her had been searching for this man, she thought. He was her true soul mate. This sense of an indefinable connection
to him had been there from the very start of this affair. Destiny? She would never know. And in the end, it did not matter. She and Baxter had found each other.
"Do you know," Baxter whispered against her throat, "I have come to believe that the science of chemistry may not be able to
explain everything in the world, after all." "Perhaps some mysteries are not meant to be revealed by the powers of science." "That may be true." He swept her up into his arms and carried
her toward the shadowed bed.
"I knew from the very start that you were a man of strong passions and dangerous inclinations, sir."
He settled her against the pillows and leaned over her, his hands braced on the white sheets. His eyes were the color,of molten gold in a hot crucible. "What an odd coincidence," he said very softly. "I gave myself much the same warning about you. A lady of strong passions and dangerous inclinations, I said. Not at all my sort."
340 Amanda Quick
Charlotte reached up to pull him to her. "Obviously we were
meant for each other."
"Obviously." Baxter took her into his arms.
His kiss held the secret of the enduring fire that created the alchemy of love.
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