She was already a minute late for her meeting with Callum, and the idea of beinglate—or worse yet, not going at all—made her feel faintly queasy. Thus, she snatched up her paper and pencil and scuttled out of her room into the hallway.
Sophie’s door was firmly closed, of course. Melody wasn’t entirely sure what time it was, but she was fairly sure that it was well past midnight. Not a single ray of light crept out from under any of the doors she’d passed, nor did she pass anybody in the hallways. The keep was dark and silent, and its inhabitants, aside from a few exceptions, were asleep.
An occasional torch lit her way, burning in alcoves set deep into the wall. She reached the door that led into Callum’s study and took a moment to compose herself before it.
It’s just an hour. Just a portrait. You can do this. Heavens, you suggested this yourself. Why are you so nervous now?
Letting out a long breath, she pushed the door open without knocking and stepped inside to see…
Nothing. The study was empty. She stood, baffled, for a moment, then cleared her throat.
“Callum? Are you… Are you here?”
“Upstairs,” came a muffled response from above. So he was in his bedroom, then. Melody’s skin prickled at the thought. Undaunted, she began to climb the tight staircase that led to her room.
I have been in his bedroom before. There is nothing to worry about. I know where I am going and what to expect. Everything is…
She broke off the thought as she clambered up the last steps and into Callum’s room.
The bed was neatly made for once, and she found herself wondering whether he’d spent the past half hour tidying up, knowing that she would be coming. A fire burned in the grate.
He was not there.
This was starting to get a little annoying. Sighing heavily, Melody placed her hands on her hips.
“Unless you are hiding under the bed or in the cupboard, you are not here, Callum. Are we playing hide and seek? Have you turned invisible?”
A chuckle of laughter echoed from somewhere.
“Sorry, lass. There is a small staircase at the back of the room, hidden behind a ridge of stone. It leads up into the next room. Come on up.”
“Am I expected to climb many more staircases? I’m already out of breath.”
“Just one more, I promise. Come, it’ll be worth it.”
She sighed and trudged forward toward the back of the room. Sure enough, there was a short, curved wall of stone covering another spiral staircase. This one was even steeper and tighter than the previous one. The walls brushed Melody’s shoulders as she climbed. How on earth did Callum manage to climb these stairs? He must walk sideways like a crab.
“Me guess is that this room was a servant’s room,” came Callum’s voice from above. “I think that one of me predecessors used this tower, and it’s likely that their manservant slept uphere, ready to be on call at any hour of the day and night. Hence, the hidin’ of the staircase.”
Melody crawled on all fours up the last few steps, which felt more like a ladder, and found herself in yet another small, stone room. It was barer than the last two, with only a small couch pushed against the wall, covered in blankets, and a low table with a jug of wine and a bowl of bread and cheese. A modest fire crackled in the open hearth.
What immediately attracted her attention, though, was a large, wide window set deep into the wall, glass-paned, which offered an impressive view of the night sky.
Callum stood in front of it, his hands tucked behind his back.
“Pretty, aye?” he said, not turning around. “I am nae sure when this window was put in. It’s much bigger than the ones downstairs. Perhaps it was a sort of watch-post. Anyway, it’s a fine view.”
She inched further into the room, setting down her paper and pencil on the low table. There was no other furniture in the room, not even a rug or tapestry. There was, however, a small shape set in front of the dusty hearth. Melody didn’t stop to inspect it. Instead, she made herself walk across the room toward Callum. She wasnotafraid.
They stood together, shoulder by shoulder, watching the night sky. The stars seemed to shiver under their scrutiny.
“I brought ye somethin’,” Callum said, breaking the silence. “By the hearth. Go look at it.”
She was not sure that she liked being commanded in such a way, but dutifully obeyed, even so. The fire’s heat prickled over her skin in a pleasant way, reminding her just how cold she’d gotten in the sojourn outside. Her room had no fire, and there was no point in asking for one since she was only there to change.
She knelt before the hearth, inspecting the item.
“It’s a horse,” she said at last. “The horse you were carving before.”
