deepened—“you’re driving me mad, Mary. Surely you must know that.”
A pulse began to beat wildly in my throat. “I never meant to.”
He gave a husky laugh. “I know, but it has happened anyway.” He lifted his hands and put them on my shoulders. I could feel thestrength of them through the thin gauze of my robe. “Tell me you don’t feel the same about me, and I will go away.”
My heart was hammering. He was so close that I could smell the sandalwood soap he used. My lips were dry and I moistened them with my tongue. He stared at my mouth.
“Tell me you don’t want me,” he said.
“I . . . don’t think I can do that,” I whispered.
He smiled. Then he bent forward, and his mouth came down on mine. A dark hood dropped over my mind, and a rush of sweet fire ran through my body. He kissed me until I could hardly stand, and I was clinging to him, my whole body pressed against his.
He said in a low, husky voice, “Julia told me the garden bedchamber will be free. Come with me, my love. I will make you happy. I swear I will make you happy.”
And I went.
Chapter Thirteen
That evening in the room adjoining Julia’s garden, my world changed. Marcus awakened something in me that I hadn’t known existed. I was apprehensive at first, but he was so patient and said such beautiful things to me, that I soon lost myself in the fire of passion that leaped between us. I had never dreamed that things could be this way between a man and a woman.
I had to attend Julia’s reception the following day, and I was afraid to go. I knew that as soon as I saw Marcus, my feelings would be clear on my face for everyone to see and gossip about. I considered sending a message that I was ill, but in the end I went. I couldn’t stay away forever, and I supposed it was best to get the first time over and done with.
I arrived a little late, and Marcus wasn’t there. Julia whispered in my ear that he had thought I might be more comfortable if he stayed away, and I was enormously grateful for his tact. It was much easier to laugh and talk and pretend to be the person I had always been without feeling the power of his dark masculinity hovering over me.
I had fallen in love with him. I had fooled myself into thinking that could never happen, but it did. We began to meet regularly, threeafternoons a week at Julia’s, during the time after lunch when most of the Romans of Sepphoris were taking their daily siesta. Julia took her siesta then as well, and we never once saw her when we were together in her house. Julia was always discreet.
The rains of winter passed into the sunny warmth of spring, and I lived counting the hours from one meeting with Marcus to the next. Seeing the rest of the world through a sort of haze, I was focused on the man who had become the center of my life. When we weren’t making love, we were telling each other our life stories. I told him about my father and Judith and about being sent to live in Magdala with Aunt Leah.
I didn’t tell him about Daniel. I tried not to think about Daniel, about how physical love might have been between us if we had been together. It was too hurtful and confusing to bring him back into my mind and heart when I knew I would never see him again.
Unsurprisingly, Marcus’ life had been very different from mine. He had grown up a treasured son of the Claudian family, and great things had always been expected of him. He spent his childhood at the family villa in the countryside, and I could see that this place, and not the Roman palace, was truly the home of his heart.
His green eyes lit up when he described the beautiful, golden countryside to me, the gently rolling hills, the soft, sweet-smelling air. And he talked about his beloved horses. He had ridden since he was two years old, and he told me the names of all of his own horses and described their different personalities and quirks. I never knew anyone who had such a love for animals.
I didn’t tell him that I was
A pulse began to beat wildly in my throat. “I never meant to.”
He gave a husky laugh. “I know, but it has happened anyway.” He lifted his hands and put them on my shoulders. I could feel thestrength of them through the thin gauze of my robe. “Tell me you don’t feel the same about me, and I will go away.”
My heart was hammering. He was so close that I could smell the sandalwood soap he used. My lips were dry and I moistened them with my tongue. He stared at my mouth.
“Tell me you don’t want me,” he said.
“I . . . don’t think I can do that,” I whispered.
He smiled. Then he bent forward, and his mouth came down on mine. A dark hood dropped over my mind, and a rush of sweet fire ran through my body. He kissed me until I could hardly stand, and I was clinging to him, my whole body pressed against his.
He said in a low, husky voice, “Julia told me the garden bedchamber will be free. Come with me, my love. I will make you happy. I swear I will make you happy.”
And I went.
Chapter Thirteen
That evening in the room adjoining Julia’s garden, my world changed. Marcus awakened something in me that I hadn’t known existed. I was apprehensive at first, but he was so patient and said such beautiful things to me, that I soon lost myself in the fire of passion that leaped between us. I had never dreamed that things could be this way between a man and a woman.
I had to attend Julia’s reception the following day, and I was afraid to go. I knew that as soon as I saw Marcus, my feelings would be clear on my face for everyone to see and gossip about. I considered sending a message that I was ill, but in the end I went. I couldn’t stay away forever, and I supposed it was best to get the first time over and done with.
I arrived a little late, and Marcus wasn’t there. Julia whispered in my ear that he had thought I might be more comfortable if he stayed away, and I was enormously grateful for his tact. It was much easier to laugh and talk and pretend to be the person I had always been without feeling the power of his dark masculinity hovering over me.
I had fallen in love with him. I had fooled myself into thinking that could never happen, but it did. We began to meet regularly, threeafternoons a week at Julia’s, during the time after lunch when most of the Romans of Sepphoris were taking their daily siesta. Julia took her siesta then as well, and we never once saw her when we were together in her house. Julia was always discreet.
The rains of winter passed into the sunny warmth of spring, and I lived counting the hours from one meeting with Marcus to the next. Seeing the rest of the world through a sort of haze, I was focused on the man who had become the center of my life. When we weren’t making love, we were telling each other our life stories. I told him about my father and Judith and about being sent to live in Magdala with Aunt Leah.
I didn’t tell him about Daniel. I tried not to think about Daniel, about how physical love might have been between us if we had been together. It was too hurtful and confusing to bring him back into my mind and heart when I knew I would never see him again.
Unsurprisingly, Marcus’ life had been very different from mine. He had grown up a treasured son of the Claudian family, and great things had always been expected of him. He spent his childhood at the family villa in the countryside, and I could see that this place, and not the Roman palace, was truly the home of his heart.
His green eyes lit up when he described the beautiful, golden countryside to me, the gently rolling hills, the soft, sweet-smelling air. And he talked about his beloved horses. He had ridden since he was two years old, and he told me the names of all of his own horses and described their different personalities and quirks. I never knew anyone who had such a love for animals.
I didn’t tell him that I was
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