Mark saw her beautiful, dewy blue eyes on him and smiled. He could see her love, and he returned it with all his heart. No one had inspired him like this since Priscilla, and his feelings for DesirЋe were even stronger, much stronger. She was so pure and lovely, an angel, where Priscilla had been something of a shameless siren, a thing more for partying and bedding, not for marrying and cherishing. Of course, Priscilla had been incensed to think that the pristine little city girl had unwittingly stolen his affections from her and made her the laughing stock of Pickford's Meadows.

Mark turned off the paved road and followed the dirt trail that serviced the far reaches of the estate. Mitchell definitely had a lovely piece of property here and DesirЋe would be a very wealthy woman someday. Not that that meant a thing to Mark, for he had every intention of becoming rich on his own. In fact, he was well on his way to it, for he had a law practice himself and between that and his plans to become a US Senator, he would be very well off. Even now he was being groomed for state politics and that was why he would be going to the capital, just a week hence, to meet with the party bosses to arrange his nomination for the next election.

"How can I bear to be separated from you for a whole week, Mark?" DesirЋe complained as he stopped the car near the huge, spreading elm where they customarily enjoyed their Sunday lunch. "A whole week without you! I'll be a nervous wreck."

Mark shook his head and squeezed her hand warmly. "You know I've got to do it – for us. Don't worry, darling, you'll be with me in my heart."

Getting out, he went to the trunk and took out the picnic basket and the drinks cooler, and the large, thick blanket they would sit on. They sat under the tree, and Mark took a bottle of wine from the cooler and poured it while DesirЋe blushed. DesirЋe rarely drank wine, or anything else with alcohol, for that matter.