An absurd sadness settled over her, deep as any loss. With the way he affected her, there was no other choice. Rebecca had to guard her heart. She’d have to take care to avoid him from this moment on.
Seven
Camden ran his hand over the old wood trunk’s intricate carvings. He should be well on his way home by now, not wandering around the dilapidated walls of Almerry, mooning over a lady. He’d been at the castle for nearly a fortnight. By now, his family would expect him home. Yet… He was spending his time repairing the castle and dreaming of the lady next door.
He’d not seen Rebecca since the day he’d kissed her in the bailey, nearly a sennight ago, but she never left his thoughts for long. The memory still scorched him, leaving him longing for her.
She’d captured more than his interest, her hold on him undeniable. What had started as a brief respite in the country had morphed into something entirely unexpected when he’d met her—when he’d kissed her. She felt the spark between them, too. He could see it in her eyes, feel it in her touch.
She’d felt the same desire to be near him, to touch him as he felt toward her. The evidence was plain in the way she’d wrapped her arms around him, pressed nearer to him, met his demands with her sweet mouth and roaming hands.
So why was she now avoiding him like one did the plague? What was she afraid of? He was determined to find out. Determined to have her in his life. But how could he overcome her objections if he never saw her again?
An astounding need to be near her drove him to her estate each day, but the lady never showed herself. Nor did she seek him out at Almerry Castle. He rubbed one hand across his chin, his chest tightening. She’d even refused to see him when he’d called on her to tell her of the trunk.
His muscles coiled at the memory of her refusal to see him. He’d spent a considerable amount of time searching nearly every crevice of the old castle, seeking something to share with her, an excuse to call on her. For days, he turned up nothing other than dust and grime. Not so much as a leather strap had been left behind over the centuries. He’d been about to admit defeat this morning when he’d happened upon the old carved trunk tucked into a corner crevice of the lower-level storage room. His heart had skipped a beat as he’d stood staring at it.
How was it intact after all this time? The oak trunk was at least four feet long, massive, and far too heavy to move on his own. He’d left it there and gone to tell Rebecca about it, planning to gift the trunk to her. But after all of his effort, she had turned him away.
He glanced down at the large oak trunk in front of him, desperately wishing to share it with her. No one would appreciate it more than Rebecca. She would wonder who left it here. Wonder if there was anything inside. How he longed to make the discovery with her. Alas, she refused to speak with him.
His own curiosity peaked, and he reached for the iron latch, but jerked his hand back. Rebecca should be the one to open the trunk’s lid. She was the whole reason he’d spent so much time searching the chambers of Almerry.
A strange tug pulled at his chest when the image of her smile flooded his thoughts. If something were inside, he wanted to share the discovery with her. He wanted to be the one who made her smile. He’d left a note for her this morning telling her about the trunk. Surely her love for Almerry and its legend would compel her to reply. He would simply have to be patient until she did.
Camden stood to make his way out to the bailey. He wanted to be out there waiting for her when she arrived.
If she arrived.
She would come. Rebecca loved Almerry and longed to know the castle’s history too much to ignore such a find as that trunk. No other well-breed lady would have followed his light and investigated its source. She cared deeply for the castle and its propertied ghosts.
She would come.
But what if she did not? What if her desire to avoid him was stronger than her pull toward the castle?
His stomach knotted.
She would come, he reassured himself again. She loved Almerry and its legends too much to turn her back on a piece of its history.
He stumbled clumsily down the ancient stone staircase, his attention focused elsewhere. Missing a stair, he slid abruptly down the remaining steps, his arms reaching for purchase until he crashed into the stone wall at the bottom. A stab of pain shot through him, his breath coming in short gasps as he sagged against the wall. After a moment, he cautiously straightened and stepped away from the wall.
“Camden. My God, are you all right?” Rebecca rushed toward him, her sister close on her heels.
He glanced up at her, his heart warming at the concern reflected in her eyes. “I’m fine. I was just coming down to wait for you.”
Her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of crimson. “I’m sorry, I did not think... You gave me permission before… I…we should have waited outside.” She tossed a glance at her sister. Lady Phoebe only grinned, laughter in her hazel eyes.
“No, it’s quite alright. I gave you leave to enter at your will. I’ll not take it away from you now.”
Rebecca’s shoulders rounded ever so slightly and a bright smile lit her pretty face. “Are you hurt?”
“Nothing I cannot shake off,” he said, then forced his attention away from Rebecca. “Lady Phoebe, a pleasure to see you again.” He swallowed his disappointment. She was a lovely lady, but he’d wanted to be alone with Rebecca. It was the very reason he’d given the few servants he had tasks to keep them away from the storage areas below. How was he to speak plainly with Rebecca now?
Phoebe nodded. “Likewise. If you wouldn’t mind, Captain, I’d like to take a turn around the bailey while the two of you inspect the treasure you found.”
His heart soared at her words, and he gave a nod of approval.
Rebecca placed her hand on Phoebe’s arm. “Do you not want to see its contents?”
