Colder Than Ice Part 24

Michela spent the next hour patiently answering questions about her trip, with many of the guests interested in visiting the cold continent. Michela chuckled to herself every time someone mentioned it. They'd never survive an hour there. Wis.h.i.+ng she were in an isolated environment, she politely answered their questions, while keeping an ear on the surrounding conversations.

"It's really much colder than Chicago in winter." Michela tried not to sigh at the uncomprehending expression on the elderly woman's face.

"The conditions were harsh," a voice said.

Michela looked around and was stunned to see Allison, dressed in elegant s.h.i.+rt and black pants, several feet away." Excuse me a moment," she murmured to the woman.

Michela walked to where she could watch Allison. She looks so tired. She mentally smacked herself in realization. Of course everything about the exhibition was perfect. Allison had made sure of it.

Allison patiently nodded at an elderly woman's words.

Michela was unsure of what to do next. She couldn't retreat to her room. Besides, she'd waited too long to see Allison again. She recalled the many discussions she had had with Christine about her reluctance to contact Allison. But where do I start?

Allison frowned as if she sensed something or someone. She slowly turned her head and her eyes locked with Michela's. She softly smiled as her heart pounded uncontrollably.

Michela approached Allison. She desperately wanted to touch Allison's cheek but was afraid Allison would shy away. "h.e.l.lo, Alli," she said quietly.

Allison tilted her head and gave her a wan smile. "h.e.l.lo, Michela, how are you?"

Michela shrugged, silently relieved that the initial awkwardness had pa.s.sed. "I'm fine. Busy, but fine all the same. How about you?"

"Not too bad. I've finished with the Flinders Museum and am looking at a number of job offers; some of which are very attractive."

None of which could be as attractive as you. Michela nodded. "Any catch your interest?"

"Yes and no," Allison said. "There're some lecturing spots opening up in a couple of universities that are tied in with six months worth of work in the field. But I'm still looking and taking a bit of a holiday break at the same time."

The laughter of the woman Michela had been with that afternoon echoed across the gathering. Allison turned and saw her surrounded by several men. She turned back and watched as Michela smiled at the woman across the room.

"She's lovely," Allison said, although it pained her to admit it.

"Chrissie? Yes, she certainly is. And she's a handful as well. You never know what she's going to do next."

Allison watched as Christine lightly tapped the arm of the man beside her. Masking her frustration, Allison took a gla.s.s of champagne from the tray of a pa.s.sing waiter. "She seems to be engrossed in whatever the discussion is over there."

Michela took a fluted gla.s.s and sipped the champagne. "Yes, she's looking for a catch."

Allison was grateful she hadn't yet taken a sip. How can she be so casual? Is she saying Christine's bis.e.xual? I thought...Allison mentally shook her head, not quite sure what she thought. "Doesn't that bother you? Her actions I mean?"

Michela chuckled. "No, not at all. After so many years, I'm more than used to the way Chrissie operates. Even when we were teenagers Mom and Dad had their hands full with her. Chrissie's beautiful and has always been the catch of every available man, no matter what age she was."

They're sisters? They're sisters you idiot! You let yourself again see something that wasn't there and now it's too late. If you'd believed for a moment that it was only you she wanted then things would be a h.e.l.l of a lot different now. I can't believe I was so stupid. She gazed up at Michela. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Allison, my dear, come and meet the CEO of Lindstrom Holdings," Charlotte waved from across the room. "He has a building I'm interested in."

Allison regretfully shrugged. "Excuse me." She walked to Charlotte.

Michela took a step to get close to the conversation just as a middle-aged man stopped her.

"Is it true you rappelled into a creva.s.se?" he asked.

Michela finally managed to get away from the man. She scanned the room and found Charlotte but not Allison. She went to Charlotte, stopped and sipped her drink while she waited for a suitable break in Charlotte's conversation.

"You never mentioned Allison would be here tonight," Michela said.

"You never asked," Charlotte replied. "Besides, you can't tell me after seeing the exhibit today that anyone else could have recreated it?"

"I thought it had been done from the photos she provided." Michela again searched the room for Allison.

Charlotte nudged Michela. "By the looks of it, she seems happy to see you. Are you happy to see her?"

Michela returned her gaze to Charlotte, realizing that she'd planned their meeting all along. "I'm very happy to see her. But where's she gone?"

Charlotte motioned toward the patio. "She's at the cemetery. She hadn't yet seen the graves and the twilight's such a lovely time to view them. With the creation of the exhibit over the past week, she's had little time to see any of the estate." Charlotte, her eyes twinkling, nudged Michela's arm. "You might want to go and find her. It's a big estate and I'd hate for her to get lost."

"Thank you," Michela said and hurried out the door.

Michela approached the knoll where the cemetery lay and her breath caught at the sight of Allison, silhouetted by the aura of the setting sun.

Allison turned at the sound of the creaking gate. "Thank you for sending the photos, they were beautiful. But seeing it now, they don't really do it justice, do they?"

Michela shook her head. "No, they don't." They quietly stood, softly buffeted by the gusting wind.

Allison wiped her eyes with her handkerchief. "You know, their love was still strong, even at the end. The last entry in Elizabeth's diary was her love for Charlotte."

"You're right. Their love lasted against the odds of distance and hards.h.i.+p," Michela said softly. "No matter what was placed in their way, their love was constant." She moved closer to Allison's side. "So, you mentioned you'd had some offers for employment. Did any catch your eye?"

Allison nodded. "There are a couple. Especially the ones where I can work for half the year and then dig for the second half, while still being sponsored. I was surprised when I was actually headhunted by a couple of the inst.i.tutions. What was even more surprising was that they contacted me within days of my tendering notice." She secured an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm flattered and excited at the same time."

Michela couldn't help but have mixed emotions. She was pleased at Allison's prospects and yet frustrated that she may never see her again. "It does seem as if you've landed on your feet. You can have everything you wanted."

Allison felt her body buffeted by both her own emotions and the wind that gusted over the open knoll. She took a breath and turned to Michela. "No, I haven't got everything, not at all. In fact, it wasn't until later I realized that the one thing I really wanted, I let slip through my fingers."

Michela tilted her head. "What did you let slip through your fingers?"

Allison crossed her arms, not so much against the slight night chill but as a defense for her words. Meeting Michela's eyes, she sadly smiled. "It was you, only you. If I hadn't been so focused on seeing things that weren't there, I'd have realized how deep your feelings were for me. Instead I let my jealousy, unfounded fears, and foolish pride get in the way." She lowered her head, released a deep breath, and then gazed back at Michela. "Is it too late?"

Michela engulfed Allison in her arms. "It's never too late, my love, not where you're concerned." She captured Allison's lips with her own and then gazed into her eyes. "G.o.d, I've missed you so much. There were so many times I wanted to call you. I'm so glad you're here tonight. I feel as if I'm truly at peace for the first time in months."

Allison lightly brushed Michela's cheek and rested her hand on Michela's chest. "I've missed you too. Those final days when we were together on the continenta"it seemed so perfect and then when we returned to civilization it was so painful. I was around people everyday and yet I felt more alone than I've ever felt before. It didn't take me long to realize what it was I felt for you and I was an idiot to let you slip through my fingers. I'm not going to let that happen again. I love you, Michela, more than I've ever loved anyone else in my life."

Michela's eyes, glistening with tears, mirrored Allison's. "I think I've loved you since that first meeting in Mount Cook and I don't think I've stopped loving you." She pulled Allison to her, protecting her against the wind. Lightning lit up the horizon. "It looks like rain, honey. We should get back to the house."

Allison shook her head against Michela's jacket. "Can we stay here for a while? If we return to the party we'll have to answer questions about the dig and right now I don't want to share you with anyone else. Surely, the storm's a way off yet." She captured Michela's lips with her own.

For the next couple of hours they all but forgot about the party and held each other, reminiscing on everything that had happened to them since they left Antarctica.

Allison chuckled as she snuggled into Michela. "I can't believe I mistook Christine for your girlfriend."

Before Michela could answer, lightning flashed, shortly followed by thunder. Michela brushed the hair from Allison's face. "We'd better get back to the party. I think the storm's going to be here any minute."

"It's a shame. I could have stayed here all night," Allison replied.

Michela released Allison, and walked to the gate before she realized Allison wasn't beside her. She turned and gave Allison a questioning look.

Allison walked to her and entwined their fingers. "I don't think you understand. I love you and if people can't deal with that then that's their problem. I don't intend to make the same mistake twice."

Michela raised their hands to her lips and gently kissed the entwined fingers. She closed the gate and they walked down the hill, hand-in-hand, to the house. As they slipped through the patio gla.s.s door, they were surprised to find the room empty. Now, only a single light illuminated the room.

Looking at her watch, Allison chuckled. "It seems we've been out there for quite a while. I hope we haven't offended Charlotte. She's such a generous woman."

Michela shook her head. "I don't think we did. I wouldn't be surprised if this is what she'd planned all along. Something I must thank her for tomorrow morning. I don't know about you, but I'm about ready for bed myself."

Allison nodded and they walked up the stairs. Michela paused at the top and turned to Allison. "Which one's your room?"

"What does it matter which one is my room? As far as I'm concerned the question is which one is yours?" Allison hugged Michela and gazed into her eyes. "I don't want to be separated from you again. Let me stay with you, please."

Smiling, Michela took Allison's hand and led her to her door.

As Michela reached for the handle, Allison stifled a gasp.

"What's the matter?" Michela asked.

Allison looked around the corridor as if to get her bearings. "Did Charlotte tell you about this room?"

"No. She has an uncanny knack of offering only as much information as she deems necessary. What's the problem?"

"This is their rooma"Elizabeth and Charlotte's. She told me this afternoon when she showed me to my room. I wondered whether it was used any more and she said only for select guests. I have to say I was a little disappointed not to have been given the room to sleep in." Allison chuckled. "I'm beginning to believe this romantic conspiracy theory of yours regarding Ms. Finlayson is true."

Michela opened the door, revealing a soft glow cast by a single lamp. She took Allison's hand, led her through the door, and closed it behind her. She left Allison in the centre of the room, removed her jacket, and hung it on a chair. She quietly walked around the room lighting enough lamps to create a muted glow.

Allison's eyes misted as she gazed around the room. It looked as if a moment from the past had been captured. Adorning one wall was a large unlit fireplace with a portrait of Charlotte and Elizabeth and their son Robert. Along another wall were matching mahogany dressers and a mirror that reflected the soft glow of the lamps. Opposite the fireplace was an old four-poster bed, its worn, multicolored quilt an obvious heirloom. The final wall had two sets of French windows that looked out into the inky black of the night.

Allison walked across the carpeted floor to the windows and paused, staring at her full reflection in the gla.s.s. She watched as the lightning came closer, momentarily lighting up the room in brief intense flashes.

Allison watched Michela's reflection as she walked to her. Michela wrapped her arms around her from behind, encasing the smaller hands with her own.

They stood, each caught up in the feeling of reconciliation, of comfort, of finally coming home. Allison snuggled closer and Michela brushed the nape of her neck with b.u.t.terfly-soft touches. Allison arched her neck in response.

Afraid of rus.h.i.+ng the moment, Michela broke off her trail of kisses, and gazed, contented, at Allison's reflection.

While she watched Michela, Allison encased Michela's hands with her own. She raised them to her mouth, softly kissed them, and guided them to the top satin b.u.t.ton of her blouse. Michela unb.u.t.toned the b.u.t.ton and Allison lowered her hand to the next one, and then the next. Allison put Michela's hands on the sides of the blouse and together they slowly pulled it from her pants.

Michela gazed at Allison's body reflected in the gla.s.s, her sculpted skin accentuated by her rapid breathing, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s held within the sleek confines of a bronze satin bra.

Allison guided Michela's hands to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and dropped her hands to her side. She gasped as Michela ever so lightly caressed her nipples.

Michela's breath caught at Allison's reaction to her delicate touch. She traced a sensual line on the material and unclasped the front of the bra. She peeled the fabric back and cupped her hands around the soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Gasping at the contact, Allison half-turned, snaked an arm around Michela's neck, and brought Michela's head down to her eager lips. Continuing the kiss, she turned fully to face Michela and moaned as her flesh pressed against Michela's silk s.h.i.+rt.

As the kiss deepened, Allison unb.u.t.toned Michela's blouse, circled her arms around Michela's waist under the loose s.h.i.+rt and undid the bra. Allison placed feather-light kisses on the hollow of Michela's throat and down a path between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She broke the kiss and smiled at the pa.s.sion reflected back at her in Michela's eyes. Lightning again illuminated the room and their flushed faces. Allison softly traced the curve of Michela's lips and returned her hand to Michela's chest. "Make love to me, please."

Michela led Allison to the bed and they quietly, almost reverently, undressed each other, their shadows cast on the walls in the low light.

Michela was surprised as Allison took her hand and motioned her to lie down. Allison stretched out on her side next to her as lightning strobed the room, temporarily lighting their bodies.

Allison traced a sensual line across Michela's flesh, pleased at the reaction. She lightly grazed the hair at the apex of Michela's thighs and ran her fingers upward, pausing to softly stroke Michela's tender pebbled flesh. She captured Michela's lips.

Unable to control her rising pa.s.sion any longer, Michela pulled Allison to her, ran her hands down Allison's back, and softly mapped the crease where silky curve met with thigh. Feeling the warmth there, Michela moaned with pleasure as she placed a leg on either side of Allison's.

Allison searched Michela's face as she slowly moved against the sensuous friction of Michela's legs. "There were so many nights when I went to sleep, thinking of you, of us, together again like this, only to wake in the morning and realize it was only a dream. It's almost hard for me to believe we're together like this now."

Michela lightly kissed Allison's nose. "Trust me, I'm real and I don't intend to go anywhere or allow you out of my sight for quite a while." Smiling, she pulled Allison into her arms.

AN INSISTENT KNOCKING on her door interrupted Michela's peaceful slumber. Her eyes widened as the door's k.n.o.b turned. She quickly pulled the sheets up to cover herself and more importantly, Allison, who was slowly waking.

"Hi, sis. That was some party last night. I can't believe the number of eligible millionaires that were squeezed into one room. There was one lovely gentleman who followed me around the whole evening. Hmm, such a nice man." She walked across the softly shadowed room and looked out the almost floor to ceiling window. "But that's not the most amazing news. It seems your friend the archaeologist's in town, so my gentlemen friend said. So what do you intend to do about that? I think we should try and track down exactly where she is." She turned to the bed and after a shocked moment, her eyes hardened. "After all these months, you better be telling me there's no one else in that bed except who I think should be there. Because if it's anyone else, so help me, I'm going to give you a bigger beating than the one I gave you when you put laxatives in my brownies when you were thirteen."

Michela slightly raised the sheet and Allison nodded. Michela pulled back the bed sheet enough to reveal Allison's head. "Your timing is impeccable as always. Let me introduce Dr. Allison Shaunessy."

"Hi," Allison said, sounding embarra.s.sed.

Christine blushed and went to the bed and shook Allison's hand. "Thank G.o.d you turned up. I thought this one," she motioned at Michela, "was about to join a d.a.m.n convent. She's been like a bear with a sore head since arriving home. In fact, she tends to get like that quite a lot." She sat down on the bed. "I can remember a time..."

Michela gave her a warning look. "Do you think we could discuss this later?" She motioned with her head toward the door.

"Oh, of course. You do intend to make it down to breakfast, don't you?" Christine stood and smiled. "Don't be long or it'll be lunch before you get down there." She hurried out the door.

Michela slumped down. She turned and brushed the ever-errant fringe out of Allison's eyes. "That about seals it. I hope you don't mind the whole world knowing about us. Aside from being a magnet to men, my sister could put a telephone company out of business. She should give up her calling as a surgeon and go into the gossip business, full time."

Allison laughed at Michela's frustration. "I told you last night and I'll tell you again, I don't care who she tells. I'm happy with things as they are." She pulled Michela to her and they rekindled the pa.s.sion of the night before.

ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T quite manage to make breakfast, Allison and Michela joined Christine for lunch, surprised by Charlotte's presence. After proper introductions, Christine and Allison took the time to begin to know each other.

After lunch, while Christine took at walk, Allison and Michela retired to the library.

Michela opened the heavy velvet burgundy brocade curtains that held the room in darkness. "Have you done a full tour of the house yet?"

Allison shook her head. "I think Ella started to last night, but Charlotte stopped her, saying there'd be more than ample opportunity to do that in the next few days."

Michela chuckled. "I've had the long and the short tour and believe me, when you get the time we won't see you for days. It seems Elizabeth was the first in a long line of explorers. A lot of the rooms hold the different collections from expeditions. This library holds the first part of the memorabilia of Elizabeth's expeditions."

Allison went from object to object. Like a child in a candy store, she lingered over and savored every little artifact.

Michela watched Allison and was pleased at the excitement radiating in her face.

Allison turned to Michela and smiled. "These are amazing. It's as if there's a little bit of every expedition she ever went on." She held up to the afternoon light the intricate carving of a dragona"her hands bathed in the warm green of the delicate object. "This jade sculpture is exquisite."