Pricing The Heart

Chapter 26

The next morning, David woke up to the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen; Eloise. She lay sleeping soundly beside him, her chin tilted slightly upward so that her lips were only an inch from his as her breath warmed his face. Her palms were pressed to his chest, her leg intertwined with his, and somehow, he found that his arm had instinctively wrapped itself around her waist while they slept.

A stubborn part of him ached to wake up to the sight of her every morning. He wanted her to be the last thing he saw before he fell asleep and the first thing he saw when he woke up, and in that second, as the thought passed through his mind, he didn't try to stop it. He instead reveled in the moment with her; unbothered by the guilt that always accompanied his desires for her, undisturbed by his many fears as he drank in the sight of her.

He lay staring at her for several minutes until her eyelids gave way to eyes as blue as the ocean. Confusion clouded her gaze for a second as she stared up at him, then realization settled in, causing a light shade of pink to stain her cheeks. Still, she didn't attempt to break free of the scandalous way her body lay on top of his.

"David." She touched his face.

"Eloise." He didn't move either, unwilling to break their bond. "Good morning," he whispered, noting the way her heart took to pounding against his chest.

"I dare say it was a good evening as well. I slept soundly."

"As did I."

"Oh? I was afraid I might have disturbed your rest with my... well, my unladylike movements in my sleep. It is why I've woken up like this... on top of you." Her cheeks appeared to redden as she spoke, causing a smile to claim his lips.

"Perhaps it is I who drew you to myself," he said, tightening his grip on her waist.

He watched the redness spread to cover her ears. "I'm certain it is I. James hated how I moved in my sleep. He often forced me to sleep on the floor as a result."

"He was a fool," David hissed. "If you ever sleep by my side again, you needn't worry about moving in your sleep."

"No?"

He shook his head. "It doesn't bother me, and if the need ever arises, my arms shall be the anchor to keep you in your rightful place beside me," he said, even if he knew it was madness to make such promises because the time would never come for Eloise to sleep beside him again. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and while it pained him to think of it, it was what was best.

She smiled. "It is pleasing to know you're unbothered by my most loathsome habit."

"I'm not in the least bit bothered, neither do I find it loathsome." He turned his attention from her to the door. "We must return home now; Jon is likely concerned as we speak."

"Do you not think the carriage will return for us?"

"Perhaps it's already returned and didn't find us. It shall be nearly impossible for Jon to know where to look for us. We must find a hackney on our own, and with the rain subdued, finding one shall be easier than last evening."

He rose to his feet before turning to help her up as well. They made their way out of the cemetery gates in time to see a black carriage with his family's crest making its way towards them. David breathed a sigh of relief as he helped Eloise settle into the carriage. He was even more relieved when he touched her forehead and found nothing unusual about her temperature. It would have killed him to know she had taken ill because of him.

Two hours later, they arrived at his parents' townhouse. He nudged Eloise gently, waking her up as the carriage pulled to a halt before the front stairs. She raised her head from where she had rested it on his shoulder and turned to him.