Spring Fires by Cynthia Wright

France, you'll understand what forged the change in me."
    "Papa!" scolded Katya. "Are you going to monopolize Nicky here in the stair hall all evening long? Let's go into the parlor."
    She took his arm and smiled coquettishly. Clad in a new gown of lilac watered silk, her black curls bound by an ivory silk bandeau, she was well aware of her appeal.
    "You've grown into a beauty, little one," he remarked.
    Caro sat on the green and ivory brocade settee, watching Katya and her long-lost brother. They were bantering affectionately, and Caro took the opportunity to study him.
    Clad in his own expertly tailored clothes, Nicholai looked even more devastating than he had last night at Belle Maison. He wore toasty brown leather knee boots, fawn breeches and waistcoat, and a coffee-colored coat. Caro took in the sharp contrast between his snowy shirt and cravat and the deep tan of his chiseled face. He seemed so much older... there were tiny lines around his mouth....
    "Caro!" He greeted her with a smile, but she could see the glint of irony in his eyes as he came forward to hug her.
    "Hello, my dear." She kissed his cheek.
    "You're looking very beautiful." His gaze touched the gold velvet of her skirt and the creamy lace that spilled from her sleeve. Caro's loose curls were set off by a bandeau of leaf green silk. "The years have improved on perfection."
    She gave him a warm smile. "I'm pleased that you think so. To be honest, I was just thinking the same thing about you!"
    He cringed with amusement and joined her on the settee. "I know, I know—I've changed ! Everyone is so astounded to find me an adult that I have been trying to remember if I was in short pants and riding a hobbyhorse before I left for France!"
    "No, that was definitely not the case. You were quite grown up... I should know." Caro put a hand out to touch the lean line of his jaw, remembering the long-ago night he had started to declare his love for her. If Alec hadn't come into the garden, he probably would have kissed her. She could still see a shadow of that fun-loving rogue in Nicholai's face. A decade ago Caro had felt an aching remorse for causing him heartbreak. Now it was evident that he had survived many, much worse tests.... Alec had told her a bit of the horror he'd endured in France, but now she was seeing its effects.
    Nicholai held her hand against his cheek before pressing warm lips to her palm. "You look thoughtful. I suppose you're regretting choosing Sacha rather than me!"
    She laughed and pulled her hand from his grasp. "You are as outrageous as ever!"
    "Yes, but you know I would be the first to challenge any anyone who tried to damage your marriage." He paused to accept a glass of wine from his mother. "Speaking of Sacha—I think your presence has made me forget him! Where is he—and this trio of offspring I've been hearing about?"
    "They went to the kitchen just before you arrived. Mrs. Reeves was anxious to see how Kristin has grown, and I think Etienne and Talya were planning to help her cook."
    "Typical Beauvisage strategy! They're looking for treats."
    Caro watched him, wondering about the women in his life and whether he had known love and contentment with any of them. Alec had been a heartless rake until he fell in love with her, but by the time he was Nicholai's age he was married and Etienne was born.
    Voices—Alec's and the children's—came to her from down the hallway, shaking her out of her contemplation. Caro started to speak, but no words came out when she met Nicholai's keen gaze.
    "That is the second time you have done that, Caro, and now I truly wonder what you can be thinking about. Will you tell me?"
    She heard her children giggling as they neared the parlor. "I was thinking about the past and how I broke your heart. You were so surprised by the pain... remember how long it took you to recover your balance and begin to enjoy life again? I see you today and realize how much you've changed. You are a survivor