Sublime

“From now on,” Helen told Dr. Gibson, “I will send for you whenever I need a doctor”—she paused and gestured to the curved-handle walking stick hooked over the edge of the counter—“or a bodyguard.”

He had always wanted Daisy, with an intensity that seemed to radiate from the pores of his skin. She was sweet, kind, inventive, excessively reasonable yet absurdly romantic, her dark sparkling eyes filled with dreams.

She would become an adventuress. She might even try mountain climbing. Not a large, life-threatening mountain, but a friendly mountain, with a nearby resort that served afternoon tea. Being an adventuress didn’t mean one had to suffer, after all.

Matthew’s eyes widened as he understood what she intended. “You wouldn’t.”

“Haven’t you ever liked someone or something right away, without knowing exactly why, but feeling sure you would discover the reasons later?”

One hour in Garrett Gibson’s company, and then he would never approach her again. But he wanted, needed, craved those minutes alone with her. He would hoard the memory for the rest of his days.

“I love whatever it is you’re made of. All of it.”

For the briefest of moments, his graceful hand touched low on her midriff. The subtle gesture went unnoticed by the others. But Daisy saw, and she knew at once what it meant. Evie has a secret, she thought, and smiled.

“Oh, money,” Lillian said, in the careless manner that could only come from someone who had a great deal of it.