“Thank you.” She let out a sigh of relief.
He fell blessedly silent after that. It wasn’t long before the song came to an end.
She hesitated for a moment before she stepped back, heart still pounding.
“That was lovely. Thank you,” her voice came out badly above a whisper.
“It was. Thank you.”
“Do you want me to play another one?” Milly called from the piano, a wide grin on her face.
“I think we should all sit and talk for a bit,” Veronica said.
“But we already did that at dinner.”
Christopher laughed. “I doubt we have exhausted every possible conversation topic. Why don't you tell me about what you've been learning aside from piano.”
She smiled. “I suppose I can do that.”
Seated on the sofa they spent the rest of the evening talking and enjoying each other’s company until late in to the evening.
When it was getting late, Rose got to her feet with a smile. “I think Milly is getting rather tired. I’m going to take her back to our room.”
“I'm not,” she insisted, shaking her head. “In fact, quite the opposite! I am still wide awake.”
Rose bit back a smile. “That may well be true, but I am rather tired. You wouldn't stay up without me and make me miss out on all the fun would you?”
She crossed her arms. “I guess not.”
“Thank you, Milly. That is very kind of you.” Then she turned back to Christopher and Veronica. “Please excuse us for tonight.”
“Yes, of course,” Christopher said, rising to his feet. “I hope you had a pleasant evening.”
“Sleep well,” Veronica smiled. “Please come let me know if you need anything during the night.”
Then the couple moved to retire as well. As they walked back to their room, a strange silence settled over them.
Veronica had so much she wanted to say, but couldn’t seem to find a place to start, but as they made it to the place where they were going to part ways, she knew she needed to try.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to him. “Thank you for being so indulgent of my sisters tonight. I’m sure it must have been quite a change for you.”
“I… I won’t pretend it was easy. But I wanted them to feel welcome here.”
“I’m sure they have, and I mean it. Thank you. I can’t tell you how much tonight has meant to me.”
Then, before she could talk herself out of it, Veronica leaned forward, brushing her lips against the scar on his cheek before spinning on her heels and racing off to her room.
Chapter Fifteen
Christopher stood stunned in the very spot where Veronica’s lips had brushed against his neck. He could still feel their lingering touch on his skin.
Why had she done such a thing?
He didn’t deserve such tenderness from someone like her.
Suddenly, the whole of Ashton Castle felt too warm, too lived in. Too bright with Veronica’s liveliness and the love she shared with her sisters. He didn’t belong here, but he couldn’t turn away from it. So he slipped off to the uninhabited part of the castle.
Only when he was tucked away in the restricted section, surrounded by crumbling floorboards and faded wall paper, did he feel like he could breathe again.
