Written In Stone

night, Jonathan," she whispered as she closed her eyes, hoping to dream of him.
     

Chapter Two
Home At Last
     
    Gavin Stone kept the lovely Mrs. Elliott in sight after she refused his offer of a dance, but he made sure she couldn't see him watching her. Something about her drew him, called to him, and though he didn't try very hard to put a name to it, he did enjoy the feeling in the pit of his stomach. Having had his share of women, he knew how rare it was to find one like her. Not only did he feel the physical pull but an emotional one as well; although he felt uncertain as to what that might be. There was really no reason to become romantically involved with a woman. After all, they were more than willing to accommodate him without such ties.  Something niggled in the back of his mind, telling him that this particular woman might require more of him than he had been willing to give before, but he simply chose to ignore it.
    Refusing to take no for an answer, he'd been deep in thought as to what to do about Mrs. Elliott, how he was going to get near her again and persuade her to dance with him, when the mêlée broke out. It had been terribly inconvenient timing. Envisioning wrapping his arms around her, he would simply sweep her off her chair and onto the dance floor. He wanted to feel her beneath his hands, inhale the scent of her skin, hear her voice and her laughter, but there hadn't been the chance once the thief, with police hot on his trail, entered the ballroom. Then the criminal grabbed a wealthy, older woman, putting a knife to her throat and setting her to screaming. Sheer pandemonium erupted.
    Gavin tried to cross the room to Mrs. Elliott and her companion, but he couldn't get through the crowd. Some tried to flee the scene while others tried moving in closer to get a better view of the criminal and his hostage. The police weren't helping as they tried to surround the man and convince him to release the woman. By the time Gavin reached the other side of the room, Mrs. Elliott and her companion were no longer there. Gavin sat on the end of the table and picked up a glass of the champagne still served by the many servants employed by the hotel.
    Gavin didn't know where Mrs. Elliott lived, but he was determined to find out. Having never chased a woman before, this was new for him, and exciting. A lovely young widow left all alone in the world, except for her aging companion, was just a little romantic. The thought of pursuing her had his blood heating in his veins and his breath coming just a little faster than normal. Gavin wasn't the romantic type, or at least he didn't think he was. Women came after him in droves, so he never had a reason to pursue one. Well aware the women pursuing him were simply doing whatever they felt necessary to ensure he chose them as the new Mrs . Stone, it was more like a banquet for Gavin, and he could pick and choose as he pleased. Surely he had been refused a dance before, but he really couldn't remember when. Even those who chose to play a little coy rarely did so for very long. He'd never had to ask more than once to convince a woman to part with her modesty or her clothing.
    Perhaps the fact Mrs. Elliott actually refused his offer of a dance was what heated his blood. It had been so long since he had to do more than play a few petty games with a woman that this one intrigued him. He felt positive she was not being coy and she was definitely not playing games. Simply put, she wasn't interested in him; and admittedly, that grated just a bit on his ego, but he was not pursuing her for that reason. He was pursuing her for reasons entirely more personal. She was beautiful, sure of herself, did not feel the need to have a man at her side, and… okay, she refused him and that hit just a little harder than it should have.
    Gavin was not a vain man in any sense of the word, but he had beheld his reflection in the looking glass on more than one occasion, and judging from what he saw of other men, he knew he wasn't a troll. Many women told him he was " the most handsome man" they had ever seen. Whether or not that was true didn't much matter; he figured they were just playing another game. Flattery was a game played by both sides, and it wasn't as if he didn't enjoy them, because he did. He just knew they were exactly that, games and nothing more.
    Gavin attempted to follow Mrs. Elliott outside, but in the clutter of carriages and fleeing guests, he didn't know which carriage