“Yes, but not for some time.”
Her eyes abruptly glowed with interest. “Where else have you been?”
He shrugged. “I have traveled most of the world.”
“How fortunate you are.” She smiled rather sadly. “I should like to travel someday.”
Gideon found himself startled by her revelation. Travel for humans was a grueling, usually tedious task. He could not imagine Simone without her comforts.
“I thought you were a creature of London.”
“Not at all.” She leaned back on her hands, making him fiercely aware of the thrust of her nicely curved bosom. “I lived very quietly in Devonshire for most of my life. I have never had the opportunity to see the world. And with Napoleon ravaging Europe it appears I shall have to wait.”
Taming the urge to lean forward and explore the vast amount of skin revealed by her low-cut neckline, Gideon regarded her with a raised brow.
“There are other places beyond Europe.”
“You mean India?”
“It is certainly an intriguing country,” Gideon agreed. “There is also the Orient, Russia and the West Indies.”
An unmistakable longing rippled over her countenance before she gave a grimace. “I am not certain I am so daring as to travel so far alone.”
Gideon experienced a stab of regret that he could not show this woman the world. How he would enjoy watching her eyes widen with wonder at the beauty of China and the wild, untamed lands of the Americas.
“A beautiful woman need never be alone unless she chooses to be,” he instead forced himself to point out. “Besides which, you do not strike me as a woman afraid to dare anything. You are very bold.”
She gave a low chuckle. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”
His own lips curved at her teasing. “I suppose there are gentlemen who would consider you to be too much a challenge. I, however, am not one of them.”
A sudden glow of satisfaction warmed her eyes. “Ah, so you admit that you find me enticing.”
The passions within him flared with a shimmering heat at her provocative words. Enticing? He found her captivating, seductive and utterly irresistible. Had it not been for Tristan he would already have given in to his dark urgings and made her emphatically his own.
Still, he could not ignore the dangers of allowing himself to be distracted by lust. To lose himself in the pleasures of the flesh might satisfy him, but it would also divert him from the reason he had traveled to London.
Until he had the vampire returned to the Veil, or dead, he would have to hold his desire in check.
“Perhaps I do find you reasonably enticing, but then, London is filled with delectable ladies. I am in the fortunate position of being exquisitely selective.”
Predictably, a lovely flush stained her cheeks. “Is that so? Well, I ...”
Her words abruptly trailed away, and instantly on alert, Gideon flowed to his feet. At the same moment his hand reached beneath his jacket to grasp the dagger beneath.
“What is it?” he demanded as his sensitive gaze scanned the empty field for sign of any danger.
“Nothing.” Oddly she raised her hands to press them to her cheeks in embarrassment. “It is absurd.”
He turned to regard her with a frown. She was certainly not a woman to jump at shadows.
“Tell me.”
“I ... you will think I am mad.”
His frown deepened with concern. “I would never think such a thing. What is bothering you?”
She gnawed her bottom lip, a sure sign she was uneasy, before giving an unconscious shake of her head.
“It is just that lately I have begun to notice ... things much more intensely.”
“Things?” he prodded.
She straightened, her hands clenching in her lap. “It is difficult to explain,” she muttered. “I can smell the wildflowers, but it is more than that. I can smell each flower as if it were being waved beneath my nose. And just now I sensed there was a fox in those bushes before it even scurried toward the trees.”
Gideon slowly removed his hand from the dagger, his gaze narrowed with shock. Was it possible that the Medallion was somehow affecting Simone? To his knowledge a mortal had never been in contact with the artifact. Could it be that the power had brought her a small portion of the talents given only to vampires?
It would certainly explain her heightened senses and the ability to detect the spirit of life.
“Have you noticed any other odd changes?”If anything she appeared more embarrassed as she shifted uneasily beneath his piercing gaze.
“Nothing beyond the feeling that I am being constantly watched.” Her lips abruptly twisted. “Do not bother to tell me that I am losing my wits. I am well aware I must sound like a madwoman.”
He carefully considered his response. Without being able to reveal the truth, he must somehow convince her that she was not merely imagining the changes within her. Nor the hope that such changes might very well protect her from danger.
“Do not be so swift to dismiss your instincts, Simone. Any soldier will assure you that he has depended upon them more than once to avoid danger,” he said in low tones. “They might very well save you one day.”
“Save me from what?” she swiftly pounced.
His lips twitched with approval at her ready response. She possessed more courage and spirit than he had ever before encountered in a human.
“A savage fox,” he replied as he reached down to pull her to her feet. “It is time for us to return.”
She shot him a sour glance at his taunting but rather than pouting she readily helped to clear the blanket and basket so that Gideon could store them in the back of the carriage. Then allowing herself to be helped onto the leather seat she calmly waited for him to join her and set the horses into motion.
It was not until they were on the narrow path that led back to London that she deigned to break the silence.
“Tell me of China.”
“As I said, I was there long ago,” he replied, wishing he could share his delight of the exotic country. She would no doubt be dazzled by the beauty. “I fear that it has changed a great deal since I last visited.”
“It could not have been so terribly long ago,” she argued. “You cannot be more than thirty.”
He battled the urge to laugh. As an Immortal, age and time had no meaning to him.
“You would be surprised.”
She heaved an exasperated sigh. “More mystery?”
“But of course, it is part of my charm.”
“Charm?” With a sniff she turned to regard the passing scenery. “Is that what you choose to call it?”
He chuckled softly. “Sheathe your claws, my beauty. No gentleman is willing to admit his advanced years.”
“Your years are not advanced, sir. Besides which, it is not only your age you will not discuss. I have no knowledge of your past, or home or family. I have yet to even encounter your cousins.”
Gideon briefly considered the two vampires who had journeyed with him to London. They had agreed to meet only in dire emergency since they would all be fully occupied with guarding their particular piece of the Medallion. He wondered if they were having any better luck than he.
“They are rather occupied with their own troubles,” he said in dry tones. “Still, I am certain I could arrange a meeting if you wish.”
“Are they anything like you?” she demanded with a pointed glance.
“Not at all,” he assured her. “Lucien is an incurable rake who is no doubt fully indulging in all the pleasures London has to offer, while Sebastian is a scholar who has always preferred a book to people.”
“Do they possess your arrogance?”
He pretended to consider her question before allowing a smile to curve his lips.
“Now that you mention it, I believe that they do. It is rather a family trait.”
“Now that I believe,” she retorted in tart tones.
“Is all your family so stubborn and sharp tongued?” he demanded in return.
Without warning her features lost their vivid expression as her eyes dulled with remembered pain.
“I no longer have a family.”
Gideon frowned at the simple words. It seemed impossible. As a vampire, all those behind the Veil were his family, some closer than others, but all willing to stand together. He could not begin to imagine being completely abandoned.
“I am sorry,” he said with quiet sincerity. “It is no wonder you seem so lonely.”
She gave a shrug, as if discomforted at discussing her loss. “I miss my mother and father, but the others were not worth mourning. And I am hardly alone.”
“It is quite possible to be alone even when surrounded by others. You are very effective in keeping people at a firm distance.”
He felt her stiffen at his perceptive accusation. “That is absurd.”
“I do not think so, my dear. You harbor too many secrets to allow anyone close, so you play the perfect hostess while keeping anyone from thrusting their way into your life.”
That stubborn expression he was beginning to recognize all too well settled on her countenance.