Student of letters, Micah Yardley wants one thing: to meet the poet Jefferson Dering. After hearing his idol speak at Harvard, Micah travels to Jefferson’s home in nearby Wroxham, entertaining visions of discussing poetry over dinner and drinks. What he experiences exceeds anything he ever anticipated.<br><br>Jefferson finds Micah mesmerizing and passionate, everything he has ever wanted. But after getting caught in a compromising position with another young man a decade earlier, he exiled himself from Boston and from affairs of the heart. Jefferson represses his longing for Micah, but his tumultuous emotions cannot be contained.<br><br>Micah denies the truth of his desire for Jefferson. Jefferson refuses to act on his passion for Micah. But all it takes is a single kiss in Wroxham's haunted church to change the course of their lives ... and ignite the flame that could fulfill a generations-old promise.

A Hidden Beauty

But I feel I have been hinting at a great sacrifice. We have been dancing around the inevitable. I will sacrifice my name, my reputation, and everything I possess for your benefit. But when I lie awake thinking of you, imagining you in the privacy of your chambers, struggling with new desires and confusing questions, I fear there is nothing I can give. I fear that, ultimately, all of the sacrifices will be yours. You must work through all of this on your own, in your own time. Do you find this fresh puzzle exhilarating? I feel you must, if only because it is something new, something you’ve never met before.


Given the tone of my last letter, I must take this time to emphasize the basic fact that now consumes my life. I do love you, Micah. I probably have for quite some time. When I think of you, when I see you, I just want to hold you and keep you close to me.


Chapter 45