“He…” Redmond paused and swallowed audibly. “He took his own life after we buried Millicent. He couldn’t bear to live without her.”
“I’m so sorry, Red.” She kissed his chin, and he hugged her tighter.
“I never understood before about a man loving a woman with his whole heart, but now… I think I might.”
She heard the words, and her heart raced wildly with hope. It was almost a declaration of love. Almost. But was love possible for strangers like them? She wished it could be. But he’d lost so much, and she might have to leave for Calais. George wouldn’t stop looking for her, and the last thing she wanted to do was put Redmond in any more danger. He may be a duke and have a duke’s power, but George was evil, and evil always found a way to hurt good people. She couldn’t let Redmond get hurt because of her. That meant she owed him the truth of what she was starting to feel in her own heart.
“I think I might feel the same…about you.” She smiled sadly. “I know we barely know each other, but I feel like something fits in place when I’m with you.”
Redmond’s eyes were warm as he kissed her before he blew out the candle. They fell asleep with the storm outside and the warm fire within.
Redmond watched the flames burn low in the hearth as his worries plagued him. How was it possible that Thomas and Millicent were still here? They should have shed their mortal coils, yet somehow they’d left some part of themselves behind at Frostmore. What did these ghosts want? Revenge against him? Or were they trying to help him somehow? He honestly didn’t know.
“Thomas?” He whispered the name, feeling foolish as he did so.
The curtains at the foot of the bed stirred as if an invisible hand plucked at them. Red held his breath, stunned to see that whatever presence lingered here in his home was trying to communicate with him. It had to be Thomas. They’d shared an unbreakable bond as brothers. If anyone could have found the will to stay behind and watch over him, it would have been Thomas. A thrill shot through him at the thought that he was talking to his deceased brother, yet it also unnerved him. Tonight his brother’s phantom had nearly killed Harriet—perhaps not intentionally, but she’d almost died just the same.
“I care about her.” He looked down at Harriet. “Please don’t risk her life, if you can understand me at all. Please.” He closed his eyes, almost disbelieving that he was trying to speak with a ghost.
A chilly wind blew the windows open violently. He left the bed and rushed to the window and latched them shut again. Then he returned to the bed and pulled Harriet closer in his arms.
“Red…” She murmured his name in her sleep, and his heart clenched as a fierce sense of protectiveness swept through him. He knew she had fled from a dangerous home, and he had a feeling that any man who had his eyes set on Harriet would not easily let her go. For the first time in seven years, he was glad that his ghoulish reputation kept people away from Frostmore. But would it be enough to stop whatever ghost haunted Harriet’s steps? A ghost not of his making, but dangerous nonetheless.
8
The next few weeks passed in a blur for Harriet. She fell into a comfortable routine of breakfasting with Redmond each morning, and then she and Devil would accompany him on a snowy walk around the grounds of the estate as they were doing now.
She never got tired of watching him play with the imposing yet regal dog. The giant schnauzer would stand perfectly still when Redmond threw a red ball deep into a snowy field until Redmond gave a sharp whistle. Then the dog would dash through the snow, questing for the ball, and upon finding it, he would return it to them.
Devil dropped the ball at Redmond’s feet each time and then came to Harriet, who bent and curled her arms around the dog’s neck and kissed his furry brow. Devil would start to pant, his pink tongue lolling out of one side of his mouth with sheer delight as he waited for the ball to be thrown again.
“You’re spoiling him,” Redmond admonished in a teasing tone. “I want him to remain a fierce attack dog. Before you came, he used to delight in chasing women away from my door. I remember one time a young woman and her parents attempted to impose themselves on me. Devil chased them all the way to the gates.” Redmond chuckled. “The young woman screamed like a banshee.”
Harriet hid a laugh behind her glove. “You’re terrible, Your Grace.”
Redmond put an arm around her waist and gave her a playful squeeze. “I certainly am.”
As they walked back to the house, Harriet looked up at the gargoyles at the gates with different eyes. The menacing faces of the beasts seemed more ancient, more protective than threatening now. Even the house with its turrets and towers, so reminiscent of a medieval fortress, seemed more lonely than frightening. How strange that such strong impressions of a place could change with time. She was glad for it. Frostmore was no longer the foreboding nightmare she’d heard whispers about for so many years. It was a place full of people who longed for love.
“Red… Would we be able to decorate the house for Christmas?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Decorate?”
“Yes, you know, garlands on the banisters, wreaths upon the doors, perhaps even a kissing bough or two?”
His lips slid into a seductive grin. “Suggest a dozen kissing boughs and I’ll agree.”
Laughing, they entered the house and shed their winter cloaks and gloves, handing them to a waiting footman. Mrs. Breland and Mr. Grindle were conversing about the dinner menu for that evening.
“Ah, good, you’re both here,” Redmond said as he saw them. “Harriet’s had a splendid idea. We should decorate Frostmore for the holidays. What do you think?”
“That is a delightful idea, Your Grace.” Mrs. Breland smiled, and Harriet noticed that Mr. Grindle watched her with barely concealed interest. Maisie was right. The butler was infatuated with the housekeeper. Downstairs romances weren’t often permitted, but perhaps Harriet could convince Redmond to allow it since his valet had been given permission to court Maisie?
“Excellent. Make what changes you need, and send to the nearby villages for whatever we do not have,” Redmond ordered.
“We’ll see it done,” Grindle promised and gave Harriet a quick smile.
Redmond caught Harriet by the waist. “Well, I have some letters to write in my study. Shall I find you later?”
