A Hidden Fire: Elemental Mysteries Book 1 by Elizabeth Hunter

Author:Elizabeth Hunter [Hunter, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
ISBN: 9780615553023
Amazon: 0615553028
Publisher: E. Hunter
Published: 2011-12-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

Houston, Texas

April 2004

“Just taste it,” a playful voice implored.

“I’m telling you, I don’t like lamb!”

“But, darling, you have never tried my lamb before.”

The sound of Caspar and Isadora’s voices drifted out from the kitchen, interspersed with the occasional chuckle or tinkling laugh. Beatrice saw Giovanni frowning toward the door from his seat at the dining room table, and she had to stifle a laugh.

“Caspar!” her grandmother shouted before breaking into a fit of what could only be described as giggles. Now Beatrice was the one frowning, and she glanced over at Giovanni to find him watching her with an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

“Do you wonder?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I don’t even want to speculate.”

He chuckled and continued sorting through the catalogue printouts she had made for him.

They had finally fallen back into a comfortable work rhythm after the kiss in January, eventually finding a way to work with each other while giving each other space. Ironically, it was even more evident to Beatrice that she had developed serious feelings for Giovanni the longer they worked together. It didn’t help that they were now pursuing the same project and had even more time to interact.

Following his hunch, Giovanni and Beatrice searched for other documents he thought might have been sold or donated from his original collection of books, manuscripts and letters. He speculated that Lorenzo was attempting to draw her father out of hiding, and if Lorenzo had given some documents away, he might have given or sold others, as well. If Giovanni knew why Lorenzo was so determined to find her dad, he wasn’t telling her.

She’d discovered a cache of documents donated to the University of Leeds that Giovanni thought might have been the original Dante correspondence Stephen De Novo mentioned to his father, and Giovanni unearthed another set of letters between Girolamo Benevieni and Giovanni Pico that had been bought by a private collection in Perugia.

“This is odd,” he muttered as he looked at the details from another auction in Rome. “There’s something…Beatrice, call Carwyn, will you?”

“Sure, he’s outside with Bran?”

“Probably trying to cover up another horticultural disaster that beast has inflicted on my gardens.”

“Aw, Gio, you’ll miss him when he’s gone.”

“Carwyn, yes. The dog, no.” Just then, Doyle jumped on his lap and shoved his fuzzy grey head under Giovanni’s hand. Beatrice had to chuckle that neither seemed to notice the cat’s hair standing on end every time Giovanni touched him.

“No, no one will miss the wolfhound, will they, Doyle?” he murmured, continuing to stroke the cat’s back as he read. Watching the vampire read at the table with his dark hair falling into his eyes, a frown furrowing his brow and his lips pursed as he tickled under the cat’s chin gave Beatrice the irrational desire to crawl into his lap and curl up, just to see if she might get the same treatment.

“Beatrice?”

“Hmm?” she asked in a dazed voice as she stared at the cat.

She finally looked up to see him watching her, his eyes hooded and his hand still on Doyle’s back.

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