Soul and Shadow (10 page)

I wrapped that thought around me like a soft blanket, and floated through the rest of the day.

Chapter Twelve

The next day seemed determined to bring me back down to Earth. I overslept by half an hour and awoke to find pouring rain, a soggy newspaper, and no milk in the house. I had forgotten this staple yesterday at the store, while remembering all of the exotic ingredients needed to make a special dish for Kent.
At least I have my priorities straight
, I thought wryly.

I rushed to get ready without the benefit of my powdered breakfast drink. The blouse I pulled from the closet had a stain on it. I cursed silently as I yanked another one from its hanger. It didn
'
t match my pants as well, but it would have to do.

I felt like a disheveled mess as I ran from the house to my car. After hitting every red light, I arrived at the University to find the last parking spot in the hinterlands of the vast lot. When I finally got inside, Dr. Briggs was waiting for me, looming in the doorway like Mt. Vesuvius about to erupt.
"
Lily! The AIA has moved up their deadline. I need all the reference checks for the paper finished.
"

It always amazed me that Dr. Briggs, a man who made a living writing books and papers, could only muster up the minimum of words when speaking. Was he reluctant to toss them away on mere conversation? I was used to terse instructions from him, but today it rather put me out. I resisted the urge to salute and say,
"
Yes, sir.
"
Instead, I went to my desk and got straight to work.

By ten-thirty I was so hungry that I had to stop and grab something to eat. Katy was getting a cup of coffee, and she looked at me sympathetically.
"
Old Briggs is on the warpath today, isn
'
t he?
"
she asked.

"
Blame the AIA.
"
I took a sad-looking donut from the only remaining two in the box.
"
I don
'
t know why they didn
'
t clear their change of plans with me.
"

"
When you
'
re famous, you can have someone to boss around,
"
Katy said in an attempt to soothe me.
"
I would have thought he
'
d be cozying up to you, now that you
'
re practically related.
"

I shrugged.
"
All he said was,
'
I understand you
'
ve met Dame Ursula. Fine woman.
'"

"
A big roadblock on memory lane? Well, no one ever called Briggs a chatterbox, did they? It
'
s hard to imagine him being young and having a girlfriend. Yikes.
"
She picked up her cup hurriedly.
"
There he is, looking at us. Better get back to work.
"

By the end of the day, I was only too happy to leave. The first thing I did when I got home was to check the answering machine. The blinking red light told me that I had a message, and I pushed the play button in anticipation.

"
Lily, hi. Kent here. Can you ring me when you get home from work? I was wondering if I could come see you tonight. At the risk of sounding hopelessly feeble, I miss you. Thought perhaps you might like to go for a coffee or a walk or something. Sevenish? If you
'
re not busy, ring me. Ta.
"

The tensions of the day fell away. I got a drink from the refrigerator, kicked off my shoes, and sprawled on the sofa. Cleocatra jumped up and settled herself on my lap. I stroked her thick fur with one hand and dialed the phone with the other.

"
Hello, you
'
ve reached the voice mail of Kent Ashton. I
'
m sorry I
'
m not available to take your call at the moment. Please leave your name and number, and I
'
ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.
"

"
Kent. It
'
s me. I don
'
t think you
'
re feeble at all, and I miss you too. I have yoga at six tonight, so if you want to come over around seven-thirty, that will be great. I
'
ll see you then.
"

I hung up, leaned back, and closed my eyes. It felt good to relax. I thought of all the things that Kent and I had done in such a short time. I had been caught in a whirlwind, and I liked it. This romance might be unconventional, but it was exciting.

This man was different from anyone I
'
d ever met before. Certainly different from the self-contained, practical Stephen. I remembered how proud I had been to introduce Kent to my friends on Saturday night. He had enjoyed the club, fitting in easily. He seemed to have a knack for that.

I allowed myself half an hour to lie there in contentment, then got up to feed Cleo. Thursday had been my yoga night for a while, and my classes started at six.

I changed into my sweats and twisted my hair up in a ponytail. For a second, as I glanced in the mirror, I wondered what color a mix of gray and brown eyes would produce in a child. Then I laughed at myself and gathered my mat, a towel, and some water into my duffel bag. Next I would be writing
'
Lily Ashton
'
on scraps of paper and designing wedding invitations.

I ate some fruit and cottage cheese and set off for the community center. One of my fellow practitioners was my friend Moira. Her red hair and alabaster skin were poster-girl Irish.
"
Hey, you!
"
she greeted me cheerfully.
"
How is your Brit?
"

My Brit. I hugged the words to my heart.
"
He
'
s great,
"
I replied, unrolling my mat and sitting down on the floor beside her. We chatted until the instructor entered the room and began putting us through our paces. As I breathed and stretched and focused my mind, I felt it began to drift away. I was once again on the carousel with Kent, spinning around and around. Then in the garden, inhaling the scent of roses. Then in the car, pouring out my heart to him. And then...

The soft light of the moon is filling up the courtyard. It shows the low benches around the sacred sycamore tree where I am sitting. Beyond is the silvery shape of the temple, graceful and elegant. Far away, a wolf is howling, but I feel a sense of peace. Nothing can harm me here. Within these walls are warmth and safety and love.

I cannot sleep, for my heart is filled with thoughts of Kamenwati. It matters not that we have only just met. Who am I to question the wisdom of Hathor? For I know that she has sent him to me. I am content to leave my destiny in her hands. Somehow, she will see that we are together.

I am still wearing the garland of flowers that Kamenwati presented to me. Their perfume may have faded, but the memory of his fingers touching my skin will never lose its sweetness. I close my eyes, and see us standing in a garden, where grapes and roses and mandrakes grow, and of course, the lotus
...

I was aware of someone calling my name.

"
Lily? Yoo-hoo, anybody home?
"

I blinked as Moira waved her hand in front of my face. The rest of the class was on their feet, ready to practice the standing poses. As I rose also, Moira chuckled.
"
You
are
in love. Daydreaming away. Yoga isn
'
t supposed to be so relaxing that you forget to move.
"

I gave her a sheepish grin, and slowly balanced on one leg. I supposed you could call it daydreaming, but visions like that were the creative spark that made me want to paint. I knew that I would soon be sketching that courtyard. The images just rose up in my mind sometimes, so real that I could swear I was there. Just like the garden that had so impressed Ursula. What a coincidence
that
had turned out to be.

Returning home from class, I felt refreshed and invigorated. Was it the yoga, or was it because I knew I was seeing Kent? His car was already in the driveway, and my
headlights illuminated him sitting on the front steps of my house. He waved as I pulled in. He approached my car and opened the door for me. He held a bunch of long-stemmed yellow roses, which he presented with a flourish.

"
Sweets for the sweet,
"
he said.
"
Of course, I use the term in the old-fashioned sense of
'
flowers,
'
not the modern one of
'
candy
.
'
However, if you would like some candy, I can get that as well.
"

"
They
'
re beautiful. Thank you so much.
"
I hugged him. It had been a long time since a man had given me flowers, let alone given them to me twice.
"
I couldn
'
t possibly want anything more.
"

"
I
'
m sorry to hear you say that,
"
he replied, holding the embrace,
"
because I do, in fact, have more. But I don
'
t want to overwhelm you.
"

It
'
s too late for that
, I thought. I took his hand.
"
Let me just enjoy these for a while, then. You haven
'
t been waiting long, have you?
"

"
It seemed like forever.
"
Then he diluted the romantic statement with a grin.
"
My word, I
'
m in top form tonight. Hugh Grant would be proud of me. I actually got here about five minutes ago. I wasn
'
t sure how long it took to get your chi flowing smoothly.
"

"
Chi is a Chinese concept,
"
I informed him as I unlocked the front door.
"
Yoga is actually an Indian practice that frees up the life force. Similar idea, though.
"

Kent laughed.
"
We
are
academics, aren
'
t we? We make a fine pair.
"
He stepped uncertainly into the house.
"
Is that furry little monster anywhere about?
"

On his brief previous visit, Cleo had not exactly welcomed him. It was the first time I had ever seen her try to bite anyone. She appeared for a moment now, bristled at the sight of him, and stalked off.

"
I
'
m sorry,
"
I said as I turned on the lights.
"
I don
'
t know what
'
s wrong with her. Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?
"

"
I
'
m fine, thanks.
"
He stretched his lanky frame out on the sofa.
"
I feel so at home here, surrounded by books.
"

I did have shelf upon shelf stacked with volumes. I imagined how much more room there would be at Kent
'
s house in Knightsbridge.
"
I hate to tell you this, but there isn
'
t a single one about the Etruscans,
"
I said as if admitting a tragic flaw.

He gave a mock gasp.
"
Horrors. Well, we can remedy that. Don
'
t despair. I
'
ll loan you a couple of emergency paperbacks until we can get to a bookstore.
"

"
You
'
re an angel of mercy.
"
I blew him a kiss as I went into the kitchen to fetch my one and only vase. I cut down the roses to fit in, and carried them back out to the coffee table.
"
Did you ever see anything so beautiful?
"
I asked as I admired them.

"
Yes,
"
Kent said.

I turned at the note in his voice, and the look on his face made my heart stand still. Silently, I sat down next to him, and slipped my arms around his waist as he pulled me close. It was like I was melting into him, his warmth and strength and sweetness, and a kiss had never felt so powerful and right.