And there were maps, wondrous maps, of new lands. For every new inch of land charted, fear and superstition retreated, replaced by rational thought. Maps embraced the progressive, the enlightened, one of the reasons why they fascinated her. Magic and superstitionrelics of older ageshad been supplanted by the modern era.
Life was about the present. The present meant her life with her husband, Leo. As of last night, they had begun to form a true connection, not just of legalities, but of their hearts.
Lord Whitney was a stranger. His mad words could not touch her. They would not.
Yet the red walls of the bedchamber felt too close, the vines snaking up the wall coverings forming a cage. She strode from the room. Some of her books had arrived from her parents house, and waited in the library to be unpacked. That would serve to occupy her.
Walking down the corridor toward the stairs, she passed lit sconces and candelabras. They all flickered as she passed, just as they had at Lady Kirtons.
Magic?
Anne scowled. Magic was not real. She was real. Leo was real. This house and everything within itall real. Everything that Lord Whitney alleged was false. Perhaps there had been a bad falling-out between him and the other Hellraisers, and he simply sought a means of hurting them. What better way than driving a wedge between Leo and his wife?
She descended the stairs and headed toward the library, resolve in her step. If Lord Whitney thought her some empty-headed girl easily swayed by suggestion, he must reconsider. Leo had shown Anne that her own strength had value. She refused to surrender it to Lord Whitneys manipulations.
Inside the library, she found a small crate of her books. She called a footman to open the crate, and after he did, she sorted through the few tomes. All of the books had been secondhand, their pages already thumbed, the bindings coming undone.
A mans purposeful stride sounded in the corridor. Her pulse sped, for she knew the tread, yet she made herself sit in the wing-backed chair and wait, rather than rush out to meet him.
Leos long, muscular form filled the doorway. The light from the candles within the library did not fully reach him, and with the glow of the sconces in the hallway behind him, he made a dark, imposing shape.
Anne half rose, unable to keep seated. What was it that made her heart pound: Excitement? Pleasure? Fear?
No, not fear. She pushed that aside as Leo came into the room. He wore a hard, cold expression, as if he had leveled dozens of enemies and burned to bring down more. Then he saw her, and smiled.
Doubt melted away at that smile and the warmth in his gaze.
She started to speak, but before a word left her, he came forward and wrapped her in his arms. His clothing held the chill of outside, yet beneath was the heat of his body. He brought his mouth down onto hers.
Anne leaned up, pressing herself into him.
This was real. This was truehis arms around her, his hand coming up to cradle her head.
Missed you, he murmured into her mouth.
And I, you.
He touched his forehead to hers. I brought you something. He stepped away, then moved to the doorway and spoke into the corridor. Now.
Several footmen entered. Two of them carried crates, and the other one held a large, flat wooden box. At Leos direction, all of the items were placed upon the desk by the windows. The footmen filed out.
Leo took a large ebony-handled knife from the top drawer of the desk. He pried the tops of the crates open and pulled out handfuls of straw.
Curious, Anne drifted closer. Her mouth opened soundlessly when Leo reached into the crate and drew out the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
A globe.
He set it on the desk, yet before she could form words or truly comprehend what lay before her, he performed the same task on the other crate. Another globe emerged from the packingbut this one depicted constellations rather than the Earth.
Yours. He nodded toward the two globes. When she did not move, his brow furrowed in a rare display of uncertainty. You dont like them.
No, I She shook her head. I dont know
where to begin, which one to look at first.
Start with the Earth, then work your way to the heavens.
She did. Her finger traced over the coastline of Eastern Africa, from Cape Horn, past Madagascar, to the Gulf of the Arabian Sea. There were names she did not recognize, rivers she did not know. How the world had changed, and she did not even realize it!
In a daze, she moved to the celestial map. Here, myths arrayed themselves in an eternal dancevain Cassiopeia, brutal Hercules, the fallen hunter Oriontales of hubris and loss told in the language of stars.
Still unable to truly speak, Anne could only gaze at Leo. The cost of the globes had to be phenomenal, for they were large and modern. And beautiful.
Theres more. He flipped open the brass catches on the flat wooden box, and opened the lid.
This time, Anne did gasp.
Maps filled the box. She could not stop herself from moving in front of Leo and pulling out map after map. The Americas, the Baltic Sea, China and the Japans.