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letmewanderinyourgarden2022 · 6 months

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NEW CHAPTER

As I stepped inside, the warmth of the Inn swept over me. The ever-present aroma of birch wood lingered in the air. Muffled conversations drifted from the bar punctuated with occasional spikes of laughter and the rattle of glassware.

I closed my eyes for just a second, taking it all in, before pushing myself forward into the reception area. Kirk rounded the corner as I passed the desk.

“Evening, Jane. Hope all is well.”

“Good evening, Kirk. Yeah, it’s been a wonderful day.”

“Will you be needing anything?”

“Well, now that you asked,” I grinned. “Would it be possible to get some whiskey and maybe a bunch of candles?” A plan for the remainder of the evening was formulated.

“There should be some boxes of votives in the cabinet in your room. I’ll just pop in the bar for the other. I might be able to find a decanter for you,” he laughed with a wink. “Preference as to label?”

“I trust your judgment. Gonna step outside for a smoke, so no rush. I’ll pick it up in a bit. Thanks so much, Kirk.”

I walked down the hall to the alcove of the garden doorway. Running my fingers over the lead of the panes, I was unable to hold back a smile.

Things are quite different since the last time I stood here.

I opened the door and stepped onto the porch under its ivy-covered arbor. Not a soul in sight - I was alone. After lighting the cigarette, I retraced the stone walkway leading to the back of the yard. Pausing momentarily, I saw him, in my mind’s eye, sauntering towards me at that very spot earlier in the day.

I will never, never, ever forget that.

Sinking onto the bench, I pulled the shawl tight around me and stretched back against the table’s edge, eyes upward, marveling at the brilliant starry night.

A perfect ending to a perfect day. . .

The calm beauty of the night sky matched the inner peacefulness that had grown over the hours I had spent with him.

So much to savor from today. . .and so much that I hadn’t bargained for. . .I’ve gotta process all of this.

I sighed as I snubbed out a second cigarette and made my way back inside. Kirk was doing double duty at the bar and the reception desk. A tray was ready for me with the decanter, glasses, and a small ice bucket.

“This is great, Kirk. Don’t need the ice and only one glass, but thanks,” I said sliding both items back onto the bar. “Uhh. . .what time is breakfast served?”

“We start at seven. The dining room is just on the other side of reception. There’s a menu in your room and we’re happy to bring breakfast up if you want. If you need anything at all, just ring down to the desk. Have a good night, Jane.”

“I absolutely will,” I said as I raised the decanter in salute to him. “Night.”

As I climbed the staircase, a slight queasiness came over me insisting food now would probably be a good idea, but I wasn’t at all hungry.

Ha. . .wine and whiskey on an empty stomach, both on the same day. . .This can’t become a trend, Jane.

As soon as I entered the room, I set about the plan, disrobing as I went. The votives were just as Kirk said. I planted them around the bedroom, the bathroom, and on the wide ledge running along the wall side of the claw and ball foot tub. A basket of biscuits and other treats had been deposited on the desk at some time in my absence. Finding a shortbread, I munched as I turned on the taps and sprinkled the Inn’s fragrant bath salts into the already steaming water.

Hopefully, that fixes the stomach issue. . . .

The candles were lit with the matches Kirk had thoughtfully slipped on the tray. The illumination from the room spilled into the bedroom beyond. As I hung my blouse in the wardrobe, the candlelight sparked off the metal clasp of the elastic band still around my wrist. Snapping it against my wrist caused a shiver of remembrance.

Mmmm. . .the thought of him! Leaves me fucking breathless. . .and another precious item to keep.

I slipped it off my wrist, storing it in the pen box with the other memento. After pouring myself a healthy shot, I twisted my hair up into a clip and slid into the hot, fragrant water.

Ahhhh. . . what an unbelievable day. . .

As I sipped on the whiskey, the warming effects of the liquor seeping through my body, combined with the heat of the water, lulled me into a delicious stasis. I felt weightless.

Hmmm. . .almost as good as a joint. . .

Sliding further into the comfort of the water, I tried to recall every second of the day's events – attempting to make sense of it all. The impression of the first contact flooded back - when he grasped my hand with that very subtle caress.

He truly is the most sensuous man I have ever met.

I cataloged back through my prior relationships – from the very first encounters to the most recent one.

Yes. . .he is. That should have been my first clue. . .mmmmm

It was amazing how quickly he put me at ease in the garden. His descriptions of the experiences he was willing to share, the breadth of his knowledge, and his subtle innuendos took our conversations on tangents I didn’t expect.

I just really like him. . .being with him. . .so easy to talk to. . .mmmm. . .and more to come tomorrow. . .so not like I thought it would be. . .

As the aroma of sandalwood floated up from the water, my mind focused on the more sensual parts of the day – the soft, beguiling tone of his voice, his hand in mine, his touch on my wrist. . .on my thigh. . .the strands of his hair gliding across my fingers – all of it overwhelmed me.

What will it be like. . . would be like if. . .

Under the water, my fingertips glided slowly, in swirling patterns on my skin, as I imagined they were his. In my weightless state, I could almost see him, feel him, there with me. I reveled in the heightened awareness for a few moments before abruptly stopping myself.

Nope. . .not gonna do that. No fantasy it before it happens. . .if it happens. . .at least not tonight.

I grabbed the glass from the ledge and took a long sip, before returning it to the shelf and sinking even further into the water.

I think it’s gonna happen. . .

As I tried to turn my thoughts away from that possibility, the prickly rush from earlier in the evening flared into my thoughts – that disorienting feeling. A whisper in the very back of my mind, barely detected, seemed to chant it was a truth - that it was not strange my hand lightly grasping the curve of his waist seemed as if I had done it hundreds of times before and. . .a familiar warmth under my hand. The flare turned into a whirlwind of some emotion I couldn’t grasp.

How is that even possible??. . .that. . . that. . .I’ve felt that before. . . the intimacy. . .my hand holding him like that. What the fuck!

I could make no sense of the burning now felt deeply to my very core. The walk back along the river felt comfortable and right somehow - yes - but that kind of connection – the recognition – not possible. The remembered confusion from that moment on the Thames path turned into the same serenity that came over me after the dream that triggered this whole adventure.

I just don’t get it. It’s good. . .I think. . .but at the same time, don’t overthink, Jane. . . .

It was time to check in with my ‘means of divination.’ I rose from the bath and hastily threw on a terrycloth robe from the wardrobe. The candles from the bathroom were transported to add to the light in the bedroom. Jimmy’s note was placed in the center of the bed with my shawl from the day spread over it. I eased the cards from the velvet bag onto the scarf. After focusing on the deck enclosed in my hands, I slowly laid out the spread. The order of the cards caused me to take a quick, deep breath.

No fucking way!

The Empress, the Tower, the Lovers, the Fool – all were set in very, very, interesting but perplexing positions.

I have no freakin’ idea what this means exactly. I have never met him before now. . .I must be misunderstanding. . .but that feeling from earlier. . .familiar but unfamiliar. . .what is that?

I fell back into the pillows trying to reason through what the cards communicated. The effects of the bath, the whiskey, and jet lag all converged at once. Sleep insisted I succumb to it. I returned the cards to the bag and blew out the candles, placing the scarf and the note on the bedside table.

As I snuggled into the bedcovers, the windows rattled ever so slightly with a change in the calm of the night. Outside the window, a faint whistling of the wind blended with the angrily rustling leaves to serenade me. The sound of the wind always comforted me and it helped to settle the percolating questions popping up in my head. As I drifted off to sleep, the words from my letter to him ran through my thoughts.

“Hmm. . .yes,” I sighed.

Che sera, sera, Jimmy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy was pleasantly consumed with thoughts of Jane on his walk up the High Street to Deanery Gardens. He entered the code into a pad fixed to the brick arch of the doorway and entered the quiet security of his home. He closed the door behind him, rambling, preoccupied, down the entrance hall through the moonlit courtyard and eventually to the kitchen. After pouring a glass of wine, he traveled on through the great hall and into the garden, finding his favorite spot on the terrace. His destination was a simple, wooden garden chair placed so he could survey the lawns, flowers, shrubs, and trees perfectly located throughout the very large walled garden. As he sipped, the faint scent of lavender could be detected in the breeze that was rising. It triggered a distant memory – a planned adventure – forgotten over the years.

How strange that comes to me now.

He considered the details he could recall of the resurrected plan as he waited. It was the perfect time of evening and of year for a phenomenon to appear in his garden. He was not disappointed. As he leaned forward in the chair, faint points of light twinkled intermittently in the far corners of the view before him. Rising from the chair, he stepped to the edge of the terrace stairway as the glimmering points in the corners melded across the border of the distant garden wall. The wind had changed, picking up a force that whipped his still unbound hair around his face. Through the trees swaying in the gusts, the lights, now merged into pulsing blossoms of amber-green, seemingly levitated in air. He smiled at the sight of them and in the periphery, of the dark-bottomed clouds speeding past the waxing moon. He took a slow, deep sip from the glass noting the omens of the night before turning to reenter the silent manse with a determined smile and gait.

He walked directly to the study, which was cast in a yellow glow emanating from the flames in the brick fireplace that faintly illuminated the high-ceilinged room. He paused at one of the bookcases lining the walls taking from it an ornately carved and inlaid wooden box. Settling on the sofa before the fire, he focused on the box placed in the center of the low table in front of him.

Something to be discovered, I think. . .why has she sparked such. . .consternation. . .

He pulled the object toward him and carefully pushed the buttons arranged on its sides in the required sequence. Once opened, it revealed old friends waiting until they were needed. He took the deck from the box and considered what he hoped to discover. Slowly and deliberately, he arranged the cards in the pattern, pausing after each placement to understand its effect on the rest. When he was done, he leaned back to consider all that was before him.

Well, well. . .much to explore. . .and. . .maybe it is the time

He carefully returned the cards to the box and the box to the bookcase. Grabbing his empty glass, he found the bottle left on the kitchen table, swirled its ruby liquid into the glass, and gravitated to the windows of the great hall that rose from the floor to the high-timbered ceilings. He looked out over the garden once more. The wind had died down considerably and the green blossoms of light had started to fade. He slowly sipped the wine and accepted several realizations that had been cemented by the events of the day. He couldn’t repress the smile rising from the multitude of emotions he felt.

Che sera, sera, Lady Jane.