Gabriel was standing by the window when she arrived, staring out into the moonlit gardens once more.
Laeleth waited briefly in the doorway as she watched him. She knew there was something he wished to tell her, but was not sure what it could be or how to ask him yet. She knew he had his own way of speaking when the time was right.
She soon found herself beside the vanity and began preparing for bed. Her clothes were neatly laid out upon the gilded dressing screen. She took down her simple, white nightdress and was about to change, but paused as she glanced at herself in the mirror.
Laeleth was not sure why she had put on this marvelous gown tonight. She had hoped that the evening would have gone better and that they all would have been happier.
After the morning spent with Laevon, Laeleth had been in a much calmer frame of mind and had thought that things were improving. The peaceful repose and comfort of this estate had begun to encourage her, but something had happened between Laevon and Gabriel that again troubled her heart. They did not seem particularly upset with each other – at least not in the way she had ever known them to be. She had heard their loud voices, but their words had completely escaped her.
Laeleth continued to stare at the crystal clear glass as in a daze, slowly twirling the dragon opal through her fingers. The glow from the red and blue flame flashed against the mirror’s reflection and she saw that Gabriel was now standing behind her.
Before she could turn to face him, Gabriel had already clasped her waist gently and held her there. His cheek rested against hers as he drew closer to her.
Laeleth shut her eyes and welcomed his embrace. His hand slowly drifted up the sumptuous fabric of her gown and came to rest on her hand that clutched the stone.
“My love …” he whispered and she felt his warm lips against her ear. “Know that I would do anything to save you,” he spoke earnestly, his voice breaking with emotion.
Laeleth slowly turned to the side to face him. She held his other hand in her own and pressed it tightly. “My Gabriel …” she began in a sad tone as she stroked the side of his face. His soft, indigo eyes appeared somewhat glassy, as though he was deeply grieved.
But she did not have the chance to say anything further before his lips were pressed tightly against hers. She could hardly draw breath as he kissed her repeatedly with unreserved passion.
Laeleth could sense something more desperate - something changed about him. It was as though he feared to lose her she thought … as though this moment were their last.
In some strange way, she felt entirely helpless – as though her husband’s heavy melancholy was something she could not dispel this time.
She clung to him; her hands grasping his head, hair falling through her fingers, as their lips never left each others. She only wanted this agonizing heartache to vanish, this horrible weight that had settled on her own soul.
This physical closeness was their only relief, the only reassurance in this unspoken dread.
Gabriel’s hands were pressed firmly against her back as he kept her close. It seemed as if he only could hold her like this, he would never fear losing her.
The luxurious feeling of brushed velvet beneath his hands; the intoxicating smell of her skin perfumed with lavender and lilac, calmed all of his overwrought senses. His long hair fell upon her soft shoulders as he kissed her neck in a lingering way.
He remembered the first time she had worn this dress, that night in the castle. She was so willing to give herself to him, even then, despite his horror. She had always been exceptionally lovely in his eyes, but her outward beauty was no match for her inner, virtuous soul.
He never considered then that they would be here now - that this intense, undeniable love was even possible for someone of his tormented past. How could he possibly tell her what he now intended? He could feel the intensity with which she loved him, and it filled him with nothing but imminent regret at the agony he would cause.
