Blue Waltz Read Online Free PDF Page B

she wondered. Could he put a name to it, could he see it in his memories—whole and complete? Or did he see only bits and pieces, the missing fragments always threatening in a dark murky place in his mind?
    Her leg began to ache, but still she hummed, the sounds shaping into a tune. She began to rock gently in her chair—slightly—the movement barely noticeable. Her tune grew louder and she tapped her finger against the white linen tablecloth, looking away.
    She saw herself back in her room, attempting to dance, the bits and pieces of memory trying to commandeer her mind. Her heart began to pound. Sounds rushed through her head like wind howling in a storm, ceasing the tune.
    Without taking the rolls or responding in any way, she turned further away from him, pressing her back against the chair. Seeking, searching, grasping for something solid, something firm. But still her heart pounded. The palliative had failed, evaporated at the look in his eyes.
    "Is something wrong?" he asked.
    His deep voice wrapped around her like a thick, soft blanket of concern. It sounded as if he truly cared.
    Her throat tightened. She didn't reply, couldn't reply. What would she say? Yes, something is wrong. Everything is wrong. Never. She would never say such a thing.
    Blue Waltz 31
    She had to get out of there. Escape—outside, into the open air. Where she could breathe.
    Pushing back from the table, her chair snagged on the thick carpet. She tried to reach out and catch the wooden frame. But her hands fumbled like a clumsy schoolgirl's, and the chair tumbled to the floor. A few heads turned in her direction. The pirate-man started to stand.
    "I'm fine," she finally managed, tossing coins onto the table that she pulled from her reticule. "Really, I'm fine."
    The maître d' appeared at her side, and when he touched her elbow, she whirled around, her eyes wide.
    "I've got to go," she stammered. "I've really got to go." Then she turned on her heels and fled as quickly and as carefully as her maimed leg would allow.
    She hurried out into the night. The wind was blowing harder than before. The sky had opened up, spilling great torrents of frigid rain over the earth. She had forgotten her cape, didn't think of her cape, as she began to make her way toward home.
    The memories pressed in on her, the words wreaking havoc with her mind. She began to walk faster, her limp more pronounced the faster she went. Instead of taking Beacon Street to Arlington, she veered off through an opening in the black wrought iron fence onto a path that cut across the Public Gardens, which she had learned led to her house.
    The rain was driving now, hard and cold against her face and body. Her dress stuck to her skin, her hair ran in dark rivulets across her head. She walked and walked, her leg aching. The trees and benches began to look the same, the paths becoming indistinct. She had no idea where she was. Following whichever path she came to, she moved as if she were trapped in a maze, unable to find her way out. Frantic. Desperate.
    "I love you, Blue."
    The words loomed in her mind.
    "I love you, my sweet child."
    "Oh, Papa," she murmured, the words carried off with the wind.
    She was hardly aware of the chatter of her teeth, her body's violent shivers that tried in vain to keep her warm, or the lights that glowed in the window of her home not fifty yards away.
    "I love you, my sweet Blue Belle."
    "Oh, Papa," she cried.
    Her foot caught on a bulging tree root. Reaching out in vain for something to steady her, her knees gave way and she fell to the ground.
    "Papa," she whispered as she sank down into the mud. "Oh, Papa, where are you?"
    CHAPTER 3
    Wrenville 1870
    "I'm home!"
    The door slammed, shutting out the bitter February cold that blew in on its wake, making the tiny log house shudder.
    "Mama, Mama! Papa's home!" Belle cried out, her mop of brown ringlet curls bouncing crazily on her head.
    Running as fast as her chubby little legs would take her, she raced