Steadying himself, Jacks acted on an impulse, reaching out and pulling Aurora Reginald into his arms. He felt her genuine warmth, and a faint smile graced his lips.
'He'd wanted to do this from the moment he saw her.'
Startled by the sudden embrace, Aurora Reginald froze. She let Jacks hold her, not daring to move an inch. Her hands hung stiffly at her sides, and she didn't know where to put them.
He took a deep breath, inhaling her familiar scent. "I planted an orange tree myself."
His words, spoken at a measured volume, echoed in Aurora Reginald's ears, sounding like a low sigh, or perhaps words murmured in a dream.
'An orange tree?' Aurora Reginald's pupils constricted. 'He knows? He knows I'm the one who sent him that orange.'
The moment he finished speaking, Jacks released Aurora Reginald, turned, and walked out of the gazebo.
