“Honest though?”
“Completely, and it feels so good that it’s out in the open now. And I hope I was wrong and that you knowing is the best thing that ever happened to either of us." He brushed my cheek with his hand. “But I'm worried about overwhelming you.”
I tipped my head forward and rested against his shoulder. “Right now, it feels magical. But we’ll have to see where the future takes us.”
“No pressure.” He nodded slowly. “Someone’s moving down there.”
Through the opera glasses, I caught Darcy slipping into the shadows. “I knew it. I knew he’d try to be heroic.”
“Honestly, I can’t really blame him,” Henry murmured. “He’s protecting the people he loves.”
“I want to follow him in case he needs help. We can take the hidden stairs in the back.” I quietly got to my feet and Henry followed my lead. We padded down the corridor until I found the right sconce. When I pulled it down, a panel on the wall slid to the side, revealing a narrow spiral stairway. Fortunately, they’d decided to add electricity to the hidden passages back in the 1970s, so I turned on the lights and we were able to make our way down.
“Where does this staircase land?” Henry asked, still whispering.
I kept my voice soft as well. The last thing we needed was for someone in the hallway to overhear us. “It actually connects with a few other tunnels, so we could stop at the second floor, the main floor, or the basement. There’s a way out near the music studio where I saw Darcy hide, so we can go there.”
I flipped off the light switch for the third-floor stairs, and before I could turn on the second switch, I froze in my tracks. Two floors below us, a panel creaked open and a sliver of light illuminated someone entering the tunnel. I softly placed my hand on Henry’s shoulderand pointed. In the dim light, I could see him nod. The door below us creaked closed, and whoever it was turned on their phone’s flashlight to see. Instead of using the stairs, they turned to the right, heading down the tunnel that led to the stables. It was the same tunnel I’d used earlier in the day to exit the house without running into tourists.
Henry and I descended as quickly and quietly as possible, following the flashlight as it grew smaller and smaller down the little corridor. Whoever held the light did what I expected, pushing open the panel near the stable doors.
Darcy would likely be able to see them by the window light for the brief moment they had to cross the main hall to get to the exit near the kitchens.
Henry and I treaded down the narrow passage and carefully pushed back the panel leading out to the main hall. Down the stairs leading to the kitchen, I made out the faint glow of their flashlight. Behind them, a larger shadow stalked the corners. Darcy.Occassionally little flecks of magic emanated from his fingertips. He wasn't there to play games.
We followed silently, and by the time we’d made it to the French doors leading outside, both figures were gone. Peeking through the glass with the moon lighting thesnow-covered path, I could clearly see Darcy hiding behind a breezeway pillar. The other figure, clad in a large puffy coat, opened the barn door.
“They must’ve stolen a keycard… unless that’s one of our staff,” I whispered and grabbed a pair of boots. Henry and I quickly threw on boots and coats, but we didn’t open the doors until Darcy crept to the barn. Over two feet of snow slowed us down a little, but we used the footprints the others had made. Outside the barn door angry voices—both male—battled each other. Then, a gunshot pierced the quiet night. My heart dropped.
Henry flung the door open. Inside the barn, Bradford’s back was to us and Darcy faced us. In a flash, Henry tackled Bradford with something like a big bear hug, knocking him to the ground. Bradford still had his hand on the gun and attempted to turn it toward his assailant.
“Not going to happen.” I stepped on Bradford’s hand and kicked the gun away from him. Before I could do anything else, Darcy pushed me aside and pounced on Bradford, helping Henry subdue him.
Darcy grabbed a rope and secured Bradford’s hands behind him and hisankles together.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Darcy asked.
For a moment, Bradford remained silent and glared at us all. Then he sighed. “That young man was an absolute blackmailing con artist. I’m sure I’ve saved a lot of people a lot of pain by taking care of him.”
“But Bradford, you also shot at Darcy. I don’t understand why you didn’t just tell us what was going on.” I shook my head.
“You wouldn’t understand, Princess. Not everyone is born into your privilege.”
“Ithinkwe understand perfectly,” I said, stepping into the faint lantern light, trying to keep my voice steady. “Youwereoutside in the afternoon. You knew things you shouldn’t have known. You lied about being in the house. Your book on our family history… you must have realized not all of your relatives are fae—maybe your father? But Bradford, no one would have cared; we’re family. We've got to move past making such a big deal about bloodlines. Look what it's led to.”
“No, Georgiana. Apparently, we’renotfamily. The man I thought was my father is not. All of my titles, my research, my nobility, it’s nothing. How that kid found outI’ll never know.” Bradford practically spit the words at me. "I'd be penniless if I didn't do something about him."
Henry sighed. “He was a bit of a con artist and probably figured that Georgiana being a princess would come with something he could use for leverage.”
“He visited you in Spain, then. Oh, Zac. Why?” I glanced at his body still covered in a white sheet.
“He started all of this. Foolish kid.” Bradford’s face paled as he stared toward Zac’s body.
“You didn’t have to kill him,” I said, then called our security team to come help Darcy and Henry secure Bradford for the evening. "Neither of us would have cared if you weren't high fae."
Bradford shook his head. "You say that, but it isn't true. Everyone cares. All my efforts and work on our family history will become a joke."
Outside, the wind still roared, but inside Pemberley, near the roaring fireplace, the storm feltdistant. With Henry sitting next to me, I was warm and safe.We had several staff members and Darcy taking turns guarding Bradford.
