A WHISPER OF ETERNIT

Page 31



"No. Might I inquire as to where you were going in such a hurry, Miss Williams?"

"I was just on my way home." She smiled self-consciously. "I'm afraid my mind was not on where I was going."

He smiled, revealing remarkably white teeth. "Might I accompany you the rest of the way?"

She glanced over her shoulder. Old Man Peters was sitting in front of the barber shop, pretending he wasn't listening to every word. Mrs. Peabody was sweeping the boardwalk in front of her shop, watching avidly.

"I'm not sure that's a good, idea," she replied. "I can't afford the gossip."

Dominic followed her gaze, his eyes narrowed. Abruptly, Old Man Peters got up and hurried down the street. Mrs. Peabody shook the dirt from her broom and went into her shop.

"Change your mind, "Dominic urged softly.

She knew she should refuse, but she couldn't resist the sweet, pleading tone of his voice, or refuse the urgings of her own heart. When he offered her his arm, she took it.

"I don't remember seeing you around before, "she remarked. "I've only just arrived."

"Will you be staying long?"

His gaze rested on her face, his dark gray eyes filled with an intensity that was both frightening and somehow tantalizing. "I will be now…"

"Dominic." She woke with his name on her lips, the memory of her dream still vivid. Was it only a dream?

Sitting up in bed, she stared out the window. Where were these dreams—she refused to call them memories—coming from? Was it just the power of suggestion? That would have been the easy answer, she thought, if she hadn't had them before she met Dominic on the beach.

With a sigh, she turned onto her stomach and closed her eyes.

She saw him every night for the next three months and each night saw her falling more deeply in love with him. He treated her with such gentleness. There was anOld World courtliness about him that was charming and utterly appealing. The only thing she found odd was that he never sought her out during the day.

On All Hallows Eve, just before midnight, he asked her to marry him and she accepted, even though it would mean losing her position with the school. She knew she would miss teaching, but looked forward to the time when she would be able to teach her own children. He wanted to wed the next evening, but she couldn't go off and leave the children with no one to teach them.

"As soon as my replacement arrives,"she promised. "We'll be married that night if you wish. "