Diamonds and Dreams by Rebecca Paisley Read Free Book Online

from the window. “I have no
problems, and this discussion has reached its conclusion. Take
yourself from this room, or I shall—”
    “You have many problems, and lucky for you,
I not only know what they are, I’m willing to divulge them.”
Addison straightened his lapel before continuing. “As the eleventh
Duke of Ravenhurst, a man devoid of all feeling, it is your duty to
marry, produce an heir, and instill in your little son an abiding
love for the Tremayne lands. To do that, you will have to raise the
boy at Ravenhurst.”
    “Addison—”
    “But as Saber Tremayne, the man filled with
very human emotions, you have vowed never to return to Ravenhurst.
Moreover, you refuse to enter into a loveless marriage. After
having loved Angelica, you—”
    “Get out.”
    “And so we come to the problems,” Addison
continued smoothly. “The Duke of Ravenhurst is duty-bound to marry
a woman who will provide him with a son. But Saber Tremayne, who
will not marry without love, has sworn never to search for it
either. Instead, he has buried all emotion and has sought refuge
behind his lofty title. The duke. That man is your facade. The
indifferent air, the authority...those are your shields against the
possibility of ever loving again. But in truth, you are Lord
Tremayne in name only. Down deep, lies Saber Tremayne. A man who
cares very much. You’re afraid of love. You’ve loved and lost so
many times, that you—”
    “Addison—”
    “That’s why you spend time with the Frost
Queen. She warms your body but does nothing at all to melt the ice
around your heart. She doesn’t even try. Jillian’s cold , and
that’s the way you want to be too. Ice can be with ice, and they’ll
both stay frozen. But put ice in contact with heat, and it melts.
You don’t attend any of the social activities because it’s possible
you might meet a warm woman at one of them, and her warmth might
reach your heart. And then you’ll be vulnerable, won’t you, Saber?
Opening your heart means taking another chance on life, and you
might lose again.”
    Saber ran his fingers through his hair.
Words he didn’t want to speak came to his lips. “Those women you
speak of, Addison...they—Not a one of them—How can you say there is
any warmth in them?”
    Addison took a moment to dwell on Saber’s
question. “Ah, I begin to see.”
    “You see nothing. If you did, you would
realize the depth of your misconceptions.”
    “So you are denying everything I have said
to you? Lie to others if you must, Saber, but do not lie to me. Or
to yourself. I understand you. If I didn’t, I would never dare to
presume that I could waltz in here and throw a cat in with the
pigeons as I have done.”
    Saber raised his chin. “But you’re wrong
about the women. They want only to be the Duchess of Ravenhurst.
They see nothing in me but my title and fortune. What warmth is
there in that?” he snapped.
    Addison realized he was receiving a rare
glimpse of what Saber carried inside him. The realization made him
want to embrace his friend. “You’ve given them no other choice but
to see you that way, Saber,” he said softly. “You hide your true
nature behind the Duke of Ravenhurst facade.”
    Addison walked back to the door and opened
it. “You’re going to Leighwood with us today. There, you cannot be
the Duke of Ravenhurst. You will be our slave. I really have no
earthly idea if our fortnight will do you any good, but I’m praying
for some kind of miracle. You will be forced to shed the role of
duke...so who knows what might happen? It could be that you’ll have
a little fun. Maybe you’ll laugh. Maybe you’ll look up and be
astonished at how very blue the sky is.”
    How blue the sky is , Saber thought.
Couldn’t Addison see that the sky was gray? He straightened, looked
his friend in the eye, and felt his irritation return. “The only
miracle that might occur at Leighwood, Addison, is that the end of
the fortnight will find me with my wits still