Grateful for the busy task, she said to his hand, “I made you the way you are, so ideal to me in every way, because I thought you might be here awhile, recuperating, and we might form a connection. The last suitor to call was over a year ago, and Victor is no longer helping me. Time is marching on, and I found a wrinkle by my eye here—” She showed him, but he smiled, like she was charming. “And time drips by, slow as treacle, up here on this hill.”
“Victor asked to—” Will stumbled on how to word it. “He asked to use me, to make Schneider jealous. A trip to Munich was part of it. I declined, and he accepted it without question. I don’t understand why he didn’t throw me out. I’m no use to anyone.”
She changed to his other hand. “Your only occupation is to recover and rest. And if he tosses you out, I shall pack a bag and keep you company. He will want to have the house for himself and Lizzie.”
“He would never toss you out. Is that a terrible outcome, to remain here? You will never want for anything.”
“I will want.”
Their fingers slipped together, linked, and squeezed.
“I am beginning to understand. Loneliness is a pain all of its own.” He seemed to be able to see straight into her most secret thoughts, and she felt them unspooling. She released his hand, and, leaning his shoulder on the wall, he invited: “Tell me more about your plans for us.”
Was this her final chance to explain her offer? “I would dress you in the finest clothing, fill your pockets with gold pieces. Ships, and horses, and carriages. Spices, tapestries, wine.”
His dark eyebrow lifted. “As someone who has been dead, then back again, I can say with certainty that I don’t need those things.”
She was hot inside her clothes, and her fingertips still glowed from rubbing his skin. “We would travel to every city and country I could think of, eating, drinking, and sleeping to excess.”
He shrugged, nonplussed.
Irritation made her bold. “I was going to find out exactly what gave you pleasure, and I was going to give you that pleasure. I would never want for anything again.” She saved him the awkwardness of a rejection and added, “But as you have said, you have no need of these things.”
“I often do. Without my memory, I am only my body.” He maintained his steady composure, even as he said, “My body wants you wildly, and it scares me.” He offered his hand, seeking her attentions again, but then swiftly realized and pocketed it.
“I think you should seek Victor’s counsel regarding this.”
“I did. He told me to have a few good tugs to clear the system. Those are his words, not mine.”
Angelika gaped. “And?” She grabbed up the silk nightgown on the pretense of shaking it out.
“It didn’t help. I’m sure you can sympathize. Wanting so much, as you do.” He looked at the silk in her hand and watched her pull it slowly across her palm.
Did the moon fall from the sky, and did the candles dim? Was this hall always so dark and secluded? She tried to stay in the conversation. “I keep myself well-tended. If you had been keen, you would have been a nice big happy addition to my life, and bed. But I can carry on, as before.”
He was adorably flustered. “I think we have struck upon why you are unmarried. No man alive can handle this level of honesty.”
“That is precisely why I searched for a perfect dead man.” To see what he would do, she shook out the negligee to admire the lace. “Do men even like such things?”
He would never give an answer. “Did you know there is a purse of coins on my dresser?”
“It’s your freedom, to take, any time you want it.”
He appeared skeptical. “So if I wished, I could pick it up and walk out, without a goodbye or any fuss? I’ve seen your brother searching so frantically for his lost creation. Aren’t I your only proof of his technique?”
“We don’t think of you as proof. You’re our friend. And if you did leave, I would hope you would say goodbye first.” Angelika was not sure if she meant it. If he walked away, she’d likely follow, if only to ensure he landed in a safe situation. But this was what she had agreed with Victor, and she quoted his words now: “We don’t believe in caging up beings who do not wish to stay.”
“Is that why you have a pig on the loose?” Will grinned at a memory. “I had the fright of my life when I saw it, up on hind legs, looking through the kitchen window.”
“That’s Belladonna. She’s in love with Victor.”