The chilly October evening was a perfect landscape for her current mood, Marian Paroo reflected testily. The usually-optimistic librarian had spent the better part of the day contemplating the reason for her present state of discontent.

It had been two weeks since Harold had left for Des Moines on a trip he had said was quite necessary for his musical emporium. A distributor in the large city had contacted Harold and informed him he had several items he needed to liquidate and asked if Harold would be interested. Of course, Harold had instantly wired back that he was indeed quite interested and would leave immediately for the capital.

Casting her thoughts back, she could recall their final evening together before he left quite well. Perhaps, too well, she conceded.

XXX

"This is a wonderful opportunity to get items for the Emporium at a heavy discount!" The excitement in Harold's voice had been palpable. He had spent the better part of the afternoon tying up a few loose ends at his shop before he was finally able to make his way over to West Elm to tell Marian about his unexpected, but extremely promising trip. As they sat on the swing in Marian's front yard, he rubbed his hands together in excitement. "The profit alone will be at least twice what I usually make when I sell them!" He shook his head in wonder. "I still can't believe how satisfying going legitimate has turned out to be."

Marian's light laughter floated across the night air, and Harold couldn't help but smile at the response his comment had elicited. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he grinned. "You know what I mean."

"I do," she agreed and nestled her head against his shoulder. The cool night air danced across the yard, and Harold, conscious of Marian's slight shiver, tightened his embrace to bring her closer to him. As he leaned down to a place a light kiss along the top of her golden tresses, a wave of longing washed over him. He was suddenly struck by the realization that he would not see his beloved for the next two weeks and in being honest with himself, was a bit startled at how much that thought truly bothered him.

Upon his arrival in River City, Harold Hill had spent many days in the presence of Marian Paroo. His initial intent had been to woo his way into the librarian's good graces in order to distract her from his true intention to fleece the residents of her quiet little Iowa town. For that plan to work, he needed the beautiful young woman to fall under the spell of his salesmanship.

In the past, Harold would cozy up to the piano teacher of whatever town he had landed in and ingratiate himself into her life. His well-honed arsenal consisted of morning strolls, evenings spent at the local soda parlor and clandestine moonlight walks far away from prying eyes where his silver tongue could conjure up the most delightfully wicked ideas while still dancing within societal conventions. Harold Hill was a master when it came to a woman's heart, and he had no reservations about doing whatever it took to earn the lady's confidence and more importantly, her silence.

But, all that had changed the night of the River City sociable. The consummate con artist had come to the startling realization that while he had been rigorously plotting to steal more than merely Marian Paroo's heart, she had quietly and adeptly been working her way into his.

Once the door had been opened and his foot firmly wedged in it, he hadn't spent a day out of her company. Evenings were passed in quiet conversation as he escorted home from the library, dinners spent in the company of her mother and Winthrop and, when they could get away with it, a clandestine, yet painfully chaste (for Harold's standards), stroll to the footbridge long after the younger generation had made their way home for the night. The recollection of those evenings – especially ones spent at the footbridge – sent his pulse racing.

Momentarily closing his eyes, he tried to wrestle the sensation under control even as faint traces of lilacs infused his senses. Upon realizing the scent was most likely from Marian's soaps, his thoughts darted off into yet another direction – one which Harold would readily admit wasn't the most gentlemanly of avenues. He took a deep breath and indulged himself in a much-needed moment, collecting his thoughts before firmly reminding his inner gentleman that now was not the time or place to act upon such impulses; however, Marian, completely unaware of the internal battle being waged next to her, felt Harold shift beside her and raised her head to study him.

"Harold? Is something the matter?" Concern flitted across her eyes, even as passion deepened them.

Her innocent question, coupled with the clearly-evident emotion, proved to be his undoing. There was only so much a man could take, and Harold would be the first to admit that months of dancing around virtuous intentions had sorely tested his limits. Conceding internal defeat, he slid a steady hand behind Marian's neck and gently pulled her towards him, his eyes trained on the alluring lips so near his own. As his lips covered hers, he once again discovered the sweet taste that was distinctly Marian.

Marian gasped in surprise at the sudden and unexpected embrace, but as it so often happened, her shock quickly morphed into pleasure as Harold's kisses began to create the most intoxicating sensations. When Harold's free hand traveled down to rest upon her waist, Marian brought her own up around his neck and drew him closer. She could feel his fingers sink into the back of her hair and she sighed at the intimate gesture. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew they had crossed the line of propriety, but at that particular moment, she didn't quite care. Her eyes tightened, and she found herself willfully falling deeper in to the sensations he was creating within her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips when Harold reluctantly pulled away from their embrace. The pools that so often mesmerized him were hidden beneath the long lashes of her closed eyes and so he sat, transfixed, until she slowly opened her eyes to gaze at him.

"You've bewitched me." There was a soft wonder in his voice as he spoke, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. That simple honesty told her more than his carefully-constructed words could ever say, and it touched Marian's heart even as she struggled to find the words to reply. Eventually realizing there were none, she simply slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

They sat like that in contented silence for a while longer, Marian enjoying the comfortable weight of Harold's hand upon her own. Eventually though, he reluctantly shifted and turned to face her.

"As much as I hate to, I have to take my leave of you, Miss Marian. My train leaves bright and early, and I still have to finish packing," he admitted, reluctantly rising from the close quarters of the swing.

This admission was met with shocked disbelief. "Harold! You haven't packed? If I had known that, I would have sent you on your way much earlier," she delicately scolded, wagging a finger at him. "Honestly, what were you thinking?"

Delight coursed through Harold at Marian's mild reprimand. She, of course, was completely unaware of the charming domestic image she was inadvertently creating, but he absolutely loved it and was once again reminded of how much he wanted to bring that perception to reality. He captured the still-wagging finger and drew her to stand with him.

"Well, to be quite honest darling, I had other things than packing on my mind when I decided to come say goodbye," he confessed ruefully.

Marian's eyes widened and a slightly scandalized look graced her countenance. "I believe I should be shocked at such a provocative statement."

Harold nodded his agreement and then tentatively queried, "And, are you?"

Maintaining a steady gaze, she softly shook her head. "I find myself embarrassed to say I'm not."

"I'm glad," Harold admitted, a twinkle in his eyes. "But, I'll confess that I am a bit surprised."

"So I am," she murmured. "But, I don't think we should question it, sweetheart."

Harold nodded his head before softly capturing her lips in a kiss. Breaking away a moment later, he smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand. "I don't want to question anything, darling." He gave her one last longing smile. "You make it hard to say goodbye, Madame Librarian."

And with that, he took his leave of her.