Where Love Dwells by Delia Parr

Author:Delia Parr [Delia Parr]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780764200885
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

16

STUNNED, EMMA DROPPED BACK a step. “You don’t want to live here at Hill House?”

“It isn’t practical. Setting aside the fact that my clients would be greatly inconvenienced by it, there’s little sense in either one of us remaining here.”

Emma could only stare at him. She was scarcely able to hear him over the throbbing in her ears. Disbelief unleashed so many questions in her mind she grew faint—for the first time she could ever remember.

“You’re uncommonly pale. Apparently, we should have reserved this discussion for a later time,” Zachary noted with concern. Taking her elbow, he guided her to one of several pairs of outdoor chairs that had been set up on the patio. He helped her into her seat and then turned the chair next to her so when he sat down, he was facing her. “Would you like a glass of water?”

Trembling, she shook her head. “No. I . . . I’m fine. Just . . . surprised,” she admitted, although she was touched by the concern for her that etched his features.

“More than a bit, judging by what I can see. A white linen sheet has more color than you do at the moment.”

She dropped her gaze and folded her hands together on her lap to keep them from shaking. Unable to comprehend how he could expect her to walk away from the home she had worked so hard to make for herself and her guests, she was determined to continue to be as forthright with him as she had been during this entire conversation. After drawing in several long breaths, she looked up at him. “You’re right. I am very surprised and deeply disappointed. I just assumed . . . that is, I thought you understood how much Hill House meant to me.”

“When you finally accepted my proposal and agreed to marry me, I assumed that I had come to mean more.” He took one of her hands in his own. “Are you saying now that I haven’t?”

She managed a smile. “No, I’m simply saying that you and I apparently have very . . . very different visions of what our lives together would be like.”

“Perhaps we do,” he said, tightening his hold on her hand.

She cleared her throat. “Could you tell me why you want me to leave Hill House? Succinctly,” she added, making the same request he had so often made of her when they had discussed her legal affairs.

“Succinctly put,” he said, “if I can assume you’ve planned to set aside a specific room at Hill House for my office, I’m afraid my clients would find it most tiresome to traipse up and down the hill to meet with me.”

“I truly didn’t think far enough ahead about where your office would be, except that it would be here. My office is obviously too small for you and I’d still need it for myself, but I should think the library would be suitable. From what I’ve seen of your office, the room would

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