Eternally Yours Read Free

letter--reliving a moment from the past.”
    He stared at the note for a moment, rubbing his thumb over the signature, as she had done. Then he shook his head. “‘Open your petals...’ What a ridiculous thing to say.”
    “I think it’s rather poetic.”
    “Then, the letter will make a nice keepsake for you.” He held the piece of paper back out to her and started looking around the room again. “Anyway, we’d better get down to business. Why don’t you tell me your plans for this place?”
    “Okay.” As she took the paper from him, another chill shivered through her. The wild thought occurred to her that maybe the note was haunted. As much as the discovery had piqued her curiosity, something about it made her vaguely uncomfortable, too. Why hadn’t she ever found the letter before?
    Dismissing the crazy idea, she set the paper down on the window seat next to her iced tea. “Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts.”
    “Of course.” He reached inside his jacket, then patted his other pockets. “I think I’ve left my note pad in the car, anyway. Let me run out and get it. I’ll be right back.”
    Trying to clear her head, she followed him to the front door and watched him dash out to his car. He’d parked on the side of the road instead of in her driveway--a considerate gesture, she thought. The way he moved looked athletic, but who could tell with that suit he was wearing? The fact that she was taking so much notice of his physical attributes surprised her. When was the last time she’d given a guy a second glance?
    As he opened the passenger-side door, she reflected that she’d never met an author before--or the descendant of a Victorian poet. Those things particularly intrigued her about Mark Vereker...though, admittedly, she’d noticed his good looks right off the bat, too.
    He leaned into the car and she moved away from the door, irritated by the direction of her thoughts. For months Di had been nagging her about starting to date, and it seemed that her friend finally had her thinking about men.
    That, however, was as far as she wanted to go.
    Her resolution hardened as she walked back into the parlor. She had been married, and somehow over the years her hopes and dreams had deteriorated into pain and a sense of helplessness about her situation. Now she had escaped the marriage, but the hurt still lingered, along with something like guilt. She had vowed to live her life with a man, and she hadn’t been able to keep her promise. She would never try it again. As for dating, she hadn’t yet figured out how that might fit into her future. All she knew was that she wasn’t ready for it now.
    She glanced out the front window and saw Mark Vereker getting back out of his car, holding a writing pad. In another moment he would be coming up the walk. She had to pull herself together and present her plans for the house to him in a positive light. If she got this grant from the historical society, she could finally build a real studio.
    Combing her fingers through her hair, she took a deep breath. Ron had always made it difficult for her to pursue her art--maybe out of some sort of jealousy. Now that he was gone she intended to dedicate herself to her work, and revamping the studio would be the first major milestone in her new life. Making a good impression on Mark Vereker today could mean a huge difference for her in the future.
    Too nervous to wait for his knock, she walked back into the current studio. Maybe she would try softening up her guest with some small talk. So far, making conversation with him had been surprisingly easy.
    Though he hadn’t responded well to her questions about his ancestor, she thought the poet might still prove a good choice of topic. She would probably fare better if she simply expressed her admiration for Geoffrey Vereker instead of asking Mark for information about him. The poet had to be a great source of pride to the family.
     

Chapter 2
     
    The late Geoffrey