Chapter 3

I missed them all so much, especially mom and dad. They were so kind to me when really they could have forced me to marry anyone they wanted back in those long ago days, but didn't. Mom and dad didn't care if their oldest daughter was considered a spinster. They respected my wishes to marry someday for love, not because society expected me to marry by a certain age.

Imagine everyone's surprise, including my own, when a man finally came along. It happened when I was at my cousin's home for the first dance of the fall season. He was a tall, dark haired man and he asked me to dance. I was shocked really; no one had asked me to dance the entire year. Then out of nowhere this blue eyed man with chiseled features and the most irresistible mouth I ever saw, asked me to dance.

Oh it was heaven. I didn't know till then just how much I missed the feel of having a man hold me in his arms and waltz me around a room. He was so handsome, his manners so perfect. He never took his eyes from me not even to look at the younger women who danced by us trying to catch his attention. The whole night he kept me laughing with stories, stories that he said were true. I would have bet what little money I had saved that they all were made up.

Little by little I found out his name was Dante Wilder. He was there for a month on holiday to visit his family and some friends. I never bothered to ask who they were or how he even came to be at my cousin's party. All I knew was that he was different then any man who I had talked or danced with before in my life and that he wanted to dance every dance with me.

It was late in the night when the dance finally broke up and the guests started leaving in their horse drawn carriages. My family and I were spending the night and would be leaving early in the morning. I walked out with Dante, watching as his sleek and rather large carriage pulled up to a perfect stop right in front of us.

Dante turned to me and bent at the waist, lifting my gloved hand to his mouth. The heat of his kiss went all the way through the silk material of my gloves. Then he looked up at me, "May I see you tomorrow night, Marina?"

I watched as he raised back to his full height and my mouth went dry. I swallowed a couple of times and then finally answered. "I'm sorry but we are leaving in the morning for home."

A look of disappointment crossed his face. "Where do you and your family live?"

"It's a days drive by carriage from here to our home in the north."

"I must see you again, Marina. Please say you will not turn me away if I show up unannounced?"

I looked over my shoulder to see my parents watching us, both of them smiling with joy to see a man take interest in me. I looked back at him, "Whenever you arrive Dante; I will not turn you away from our door."

His smile lit up his face so much his eyes seemed to glow. "You have filled my heart with joy, Marina. As soon as I can dear I will come to you."

He gave my hand another kiss then stepped back. "Till we meet again Marina, may you dream only of me."

His eyes had a hold over me as he stared into mine. "I will dream only of you, Dante. Good night."

With a short bow toward my parents, he quickly climbed into his carriage and his driver got the horses underway. I could not move from where I stood till at last the night swallowed his carriage from my sight.

That night my sleep was not peaceful. Dreams kept waking me with images of blood red lips and blue eyes filled with an un-human like glow about them. The strangest thing was that every time I would awake, my hand would be at my throat, acting as a barrier but against what I did not know.

The next morning my mother woke me so I could begin getting ready for our journey. I was so tired from lack of sleep that I dreaded the trip home. The bumpy roads and uncomfortable carriage seats won't even allow me the chance to rest along the way.

Once home it took all my strength to stay awake through dinner before finally retiring to my room. After slipping into my favorite sleeping gown and into my own bed I fell asleep quickly. The dreams came again but this time they didn't disturb my sleep. The blood red lips and glowing eyes had filled out completely to take the form of Dante's image, which must have removed the fear that I was felt the night before and helped me to sleep.

All week long Dante was in my thoughts and dreams. No matter what I was doing he was there. Whether I was completing my chores or helping one of my younger sisters, he always seemed to be right there with me.

I grew depressed as the days went by, thinking that he had forgotten all about me or that some young beautiful girl may had turned his head after my return trip home. Every night I sat at my bedroom window, hoping for the sound or the sight of a carriage to come down the drive. Even the weather seemed to match my mood, changing from warm fall breezes and sunshine to the cold winds and clouds of winter in less than a week's time. Little did I know of what changes were about to happen on what came to be my final night at home.

Sleep would not come to me that last night. It was so very cold and snow had been falling all day and looked to be well over ankle deep. I loved the snow and how beautiful it looked. Everything was so different when it was covered over by a white fluffy blanket after a storm.

I stoked the fire in my room and wrapped one of my mother's quilts around me, returning to my seat by the window. The snowstorm had finally come to an end and the moon was breaking through the clouds, showing me how deep the snow was. No carriages would be able to get through this night, not even in an emergency.

I was about to lay down and try to sleep when suddenly I spot a dark figure moving along the fence line through the drifting snow. Who ever it was they didn't appear to be having any trouble walking through the snow on the ground. When I seen the figure turn toward our house off the lane I quietly left my room and went downstairs, looking out the window by the door only to gasp when Dante's face appeared before me. I pulled the door open to see his blue eyes staring back at me through a curtain of snow being blown off the roof.

"Come in Dante, come in." I said quietly as I reached out and pulled him in. My fingers turned to ice upon touching his bare hand. I placed them between my own and began to rub, trying to warm them.

"Are you glad to see me, my love?" He asked in a soothing voice.

"Dante I'm so glad you're here but you shouldn't have risked your life to come this night."

I look down at the puddle forming at his feet and my hands move over his coat feeling the wetness. Without thinking I pull his coat open to feel his clothing inside and found that they to was wet. "Oh love you're soaked all the way through. You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death. What you really need most of all is a fire to warm you but it will take too long to start one."

I thought for a moment. "I know what we can do. If you're very quiet I can sneak you up to my room. I have a fire already going and we can get you warmed up in no time."

I took his hand and lead him up the stairs, dodging lose boards that creaked and finally got him into my room. "You're going to have to remove that wet clothing, Dante. While you do that, I'll fix some blankets and quilts by the fireplace for you."