Free Susan Johnson by Taboo (St. John-Duras) Page B

want him to be as happy as I, as utterly blissful. I want him to wonder how he ever lived without me,” she grandly went on. “And once he’s here, he’ll stay and stay and stay …”
    Wary of so recklessly tempting fate, Tamyr said, “Hush, child, or the gods will take notice of such wild rejoicing.”
    “
My
gods aren’t so oppressive,” Teo playfully declared, laughing in sheer delight, allowing herself the self-indulgent pleasure of illusion. “They love
him
too, Tarn.”
    Her old nursemaid had experienced too much in her sixty years to trust the durability of such elation. But how could she begrudge Teo her first true taste of happiness? “I’m pleased, child, that they love you both,” she graciously declared. And she wished with all her heart that the young girl she’d helped raise would indeed find a deep and lasting love.
    Duras’s bath turned cold as did the food but Teo waited as patiently as possible, understanding the demands of leadership, knowing Duras couldn’t simply abandon all his responsibilities to come to her. She tried to read, then paced the sitting-room floor, stopping frequently at the window facing the street, hoping she’d catch a glimpse of him in the headquarters building.
    She took note of the bustling activity even at the late hour, the various men, uniformed and not, arriving at the guarded door, the small cavalry troop that set out down the street, and she wondered if Duras was missing her half as much as she missed him, whether he anticipated their meeting as eagerly. And then she suddenly laughed out loud in sheer elation because he was actually here, short yards away—not fighting the Austrians or her husband, not in perilous danger, not in some cold, wet bivouac leagues distant—and sometime tonight, she’d hold him in her arms.
    For the first time she truly understood the power of lovebecause her world was utterly transformed and the undistinguished village of Sargans with its narrow streets and modest residences was the paradise, nirvana, and Elysian fields of her dreams. She wouldn’t change one puddle in the muddy road or one garish red velvet flounce in the burgomaster’s parlor or a single stone of the castle looming over the town.
    And he was actually
here
. Restless, impatient, she turned from the window. “Have cook make something fresh, Tamyr, and have the dishes taken from the table. How can he eat cold food? Don’t frown at me like that. Cook doesn’t care, she told me. Do you think Andre would like quail or fish or beef first?” she went on, her words uttered in a rush. “Men always like meat, don’t they? I wish I knew his favorite foods, but I’ve only seen him eat a few spoonfuls of ragout, and I don’t know what wines he likes or whether he likes scented or unscented soap. And his clothes. Should I lay out his clothes? Oh, Tarn, help me!” she wailed. “You know
everything
.”
    So a fresh meal was being prepared in the burgomaster’s kitchen under Tamyr’s watchful eyes when Duras finally left headquarters. Standing at the window, Teo screamed with delight at the sight of him and raced from the room. She was out the front door in seconds and dashing down the steps in reckless leaps. Immune to the chill night air, unaware of the water seeping through the soles of her slippers, she ran toward him, calling his name.
    At the sound of her voice he looked up and saw her, her pale gown flowing out behind her, her smile dazzling even from that distance, her arms opened wide in welcome. A jolt of pleasure struck him with such force, he stopped in the center of the street and held his breath for a moment. And then he smiled. “My darling Teo,” he whispered.
    Seconds later she was in his arms and he in hers and for a moment civilizations could crumble and continents be washed away and they wouldn’t have noticed.
    I’m home
, he thought, an unprecedented sensation to aman who’d spent most of his life in transit. “I’m home,” he said